Question about fund raising and cruising

[Joe_Antonelli]

Question about fund raising and cruising

 

My daughter-in-law works for a charity and they are thinking of ideas for a fund raiser (it's a cancer related charity). Anyhow, I suggested that they find a really appealing cruise and put it up for auction. Well, my daughter-in-law and her staff LOVE the idea. The problem is they don't know what to price the tickets at - so I said I would turn to the people of cruise critics, especially since we have such a wide range of people from all over to seek answers. What would you pay for a lottery ticket for a cruise valued at $7500 including round trip air? They want to keep it within reason but, they want to raise enough money to cover the cost of the trip AND make the fund raiser worthwhile. My suggestion is to sell only 500 at $100 per ticket, that way they'll make out nicely, but, she thinks that's steep. So, let's hear it folks. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Suggetions? Ideas? All comments are welcome!

 

Joe

[sue d. miller]

I would pay $100 for a ticket to fight cancer, and the chance to win a cruise is a bonus!!!!! :)

[sue d. miller]

I don't know if you can advertise here, but when it is decided and you can post a link here, maybe some cruisers might be interested!! Just a thought. :)

[Coral]

Joe,

 

I would probably pay $50 max.

 

Not sure if you have picked a TA for this but definitley shop around. I would hope there would be plenty of TAs that would cut their commission (entirely?) for this type of charity/fundraising opportunity. I also wonder if the cruise line would give you a break for this great cause. It may also be worth a call to an airline to donate tickets.

 

Good luck!

[DoniaG]

Don't know where you live, but a group I volunteer with recently did a $100/ticket raffle with a $10,000 donated cash prize. We would have been better off just keeping the donation. We made more than the original $10,000, but not enough more to make it worth the effort that went into it. $100 raffle tickets are very hard to sell - and I live in a rich little town. We plan to approach some of the larger TA's to see if we can get a cruise donated as a silent auction item for our next fundraiser. We've had some luck with smaller trips from our local TA's (weekends in San Francisco, New York, etc.), but none with getting anything as big as a cruise. I will be extremely interested in the outcome. One important point: We're raising money for the local symphony; a cancer charity may have better luck with expensive tickets. Donia

[Joe_Antonelli]

Well, the raffle would be held in the greater Washington, DC area. It is going to be for a Caribbean Cruise in February, during President's week - balcony cabin (actually a suite) including air from the city of your choice within the lower 48 - plus they are including $50 onboard credit and $200 cash for other expenses (total outlay is $7500 for this cruise for 2). The people in the area have $$ - most have $$ to burn. The only question is do they keep the price high and tickets limited or do they lower the price and go for a broader audience. BTW - it is on Celebrity but, I am posting this question on all the boards to get the biggest and best response from a variety of people. Oh and the idea is generating tons of interest!

[Coral]

Donia - I was just thinking what you wrote. It depends entirely on who you are selling raffle tickets to. I live in a midwest city (Lincoln, NE) with very little industry so $100 would be steep but in a larger city or amongst a more affluent group, it may not be as steep.

[sue d. miller]

I do live in a rich city, but my interest is purely personal. I am a survivor. I asked hubby and he was the one who suggested a link, for anyone interested online!! :) There is a large base here. CC alone has 100,000+, a city in itself.

[DoniaG]

Joe - We've had really good luck with selling raffle tickets with a volume discount (i.e. one ticket for $5; three tickets for $12). Nobody ever buys just one ticket when we do it that way. You might leave the raffle unlimited (the price is going to make it somewhat self-limiting) and sell chances at one for $50 and three for $125. As you have such a nice large area, I would think it would be a great fundraiser. Please let us know how it turns out. Donia

[srphnx]

Here we have a contstuction outfit raffling off a nice home for $100 tickets, I wouldn't see people paying that for a one in 500 chance on a $7500 cruise, I am thinking $50 is the upper edge if you want to sell a lot of tickets.

[Joe_Antonelli]

I am amazed and humbled by the interest and support you all - especially those on the Celebrity and Princess boards - are showing in this idea. Clearly the idea is on the right track! I'm sure once my daughter-in-law sees all your responses, they will kick things into high gear and maybe even get permission to sell online. I will absolutely keep all of you posted. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! If you have other ideas or suggestions, please, keep posting!

 

Joe

[sue d. miller]

Glad to help, Joe!! :)