• A Night at the Movies: Start with least two movie passes or some DVDs, then think about adding dinner reservations, candy and microwave popcorn.
• Mall Shopping Spree: Offer a collection of gift certificates to various retail stores in your area.
• The Caffeine Addict’s Delight: You’ll need some excellent coffee, cute coffee mugs and perhaps a French press, milk frother or coffee grinder, and of course some flavor syrups.
• Car Care Special: Include a gift certificate for a free oil change, a bottle of motor oil, car wax, a shammy, a tire gauge or some cleaning products.

One major thing you can do to put your energies to best use is to target community leaders first. Determine who some of the most influential people are locally, then send your best sellers to make the pitch. Not only should you try to get these key players to buy tickets themselves, but you should try to enlist their help in selling more tickets. Even if they’re not willing to appeal to their networks on your behalf, you may be able to get their permission to use their name when approaching other potential ticket buyers. For example, “Mayor Smith himself just bought 20 tickets,” is a great opener.

So who might some of these head honchos be? Local politicians, leaders of religious organizations, school administrators, Rotary Club members and local sports heroes all fit the bill. Talk to your team and see who already has connections with some of these people and begin networking.

Your gratitude can take many forms: everything from a simple Thank You card to a gift certificate or other small token of appreciation. When choosing your method, keep in mind the nature of the donation as well as of the relationship between your organization and the donor. A thank you to a parent who donates a gift basket to a school fundraiser will probably look different from a thank you to a major corporation that has donated a car to a cancer charity.

For instance, say you are organizing a raffle for a non profit that helps get kids involved in sports. Who is most likely to be interested in helping out such an organization by buying raffle tickets? People who believe that sports can play a positive role in someone’s life. In other words, people who are interested in sports themselves. So make the tickets even more tempting by offering sports-related prizes.

Make sure to order custom raffle tickets on which you can list the prizes you’re offering. That way, ticket buyers can show their tickets to friends and the prizes are listed right there for them so they don’t need to remember specifics. A little bit of free marketing.

While this particular prize may not be one your organization can manage to offer, you can certainly generalize the prize IDEA and come up with something great along the same lines that you can offer. Is there a local landmark in your area? Or just a place that’s iconic to local residents? Offer them a chance to do something really unique in that location. Something that they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to try. You’ll be selling raffle tickets like there was no tomorrow.

That’s why you need to make sure not just to research whether or not raffles are legal in your state (for help with that, check out our post on State-by-State Raffle Laws), but also the specific details of the law. It may be a pain to read through all the small print, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t and you get entangled legally.

The idea is to raffle off summer flower bouquets deliveries.  Contact a local nursery or florist that will sell you flowers at a discount since you will be ordering a lot of them. Send order forms and raffle tickets home with the people doing the fundraising so that people can either buy a raffle ticket to have a bouquet sent to them or another person, or they can just order flowers that they want through you.  Either way, it is a great way to raise money for your cause.

Some fantastic summer flowers to include in your raffle/fundraiser are Asters, Birds of Paradise, Calla Lilies, Chrysanthemums, Casa Blanca Lilies, Daisies, Geraniums, Orchids, Pansies, etc.  The possibilities of arrangements could even been made to order as well!

• Cash—Who can resist a hefty cash prize? Paying even as much as $10 for a raffle ticket when you might be rewarded with $500 doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. If you offer a large cash prize and are going to be charging a fair amount for tickets, though, make sure to offer some smaller, runner-up prizes, too.
• Computers—Computers or computer peripherals make great prizes. A brand new laptop sounds good to just about any demographic. To really lure ticket buyers, consider raffling off some of the newest tech, like an iPad. It’s something many people wouldn’t buy outright, but would love to win.
• Electronics—There are of course many other types of electronics you can raffle as well. Smart phones, GPS devices, ebook readers and MP3 players are just a few of your options.
• Event tickets–We mentioned event tickets in our post on raffle prizes under $100, but if your budget’s a little bigger you can get tickets to more expensive events or offer premium seats or elite access.
• Travel—And now we get into REALLY premium prizes. Travel is of course a popular prize for many types of contests. You could pick a popular destination such as Hawaii, a unique experience like an overnight train trip down the Pacific coast, or an adventurous getaway like a whitewater rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. The key here is to know your audience and pick an appropriate prize.
• Cars—If you want to offer a car as a raffle prize, it’s going to involve some serious money or a very generous donation. You’ll also have to weave your way through the vagaries of tax law. So you’ll need to consider carefully before opting for this one.
• Houses—A dream house of course couldn’t be left off the list. They’re very popular prizes these days and bound to draw ticket buyers. However, house raffles can be even more problematic than car raffles, and many states have specific laws about this particular prize.

Whether you decide to raffle off a house or a computer, there are bound to be people who won’t be particularly interested in that specific prize, no matter how much it’s worth. So our final word of advice is to offer a cash option to your winners.

The first thing you need to do is talk to the owner of the location. Explain to them the cause you’re raising funds for as well as talk to them about times to set up a table. (Get them on your side, and they may even be willing to help out with some sort of matching donation.) Aim for times when lots of people will be visiting the location. For instance, if you’re setting up shop at a grocery store, sell tickets on Saturday afternoon or around rush hour during the week when people are making a quick stop for groceries on their way home.

Once you’ve gotten permission to sell, design your stand for success. Make clear, easy-to-read signs on all sides of the table from which large numbers of people are likely to approach. Most people will make the decision to buy or not before ever approaching the table. Explain the cause you’re raising money for as well as the cool prizes. Ask for people’s help.

Finally, make sure whoever mans your stand has a cheery disposition and enthusiasm for the cause. People are much more likely to approach and buy from a happy volunteer than a gloomy employee who’s been roped into it.

• Small Appliances–Almost any group of potential raffle ticket buyers is likely to have some gourmands or home chefs in it. That makes small appliances a great prize idea for almost any organization running a raffle. I know I’d buy a ticket for a chance at a cappuccino machine, breadmaker or juicer.
• Jewelry/Watches–If you’re organization’s audience is largely female, go for some nice jewelry. If male, opt for a watch. There are plenty of beautiful options out there for either that will keep you under $100, from pearl earrings to diamond pendants to Seiko watches.
• Electronics–There are lots of cool gadgets and electronic accessories out there in this price range. Some options include iPod docks, mini camcorders and even some Blu-Ray players.
• Tools–If you’ve got a do-it-yourselfer audience, tools are an ideal idea. Check out power drills, dremels and soldering equipment, all within your budget.
• Cookware–Some deluxe cookware makes a nice addition to anyone’s kitchen. Appeal to your audience with cookware sets, canners, dutch ovens and griddles galore!

If none of these strike your fancy, see our posts on prizes in the $25 and $50 ranges as well.