How to Promote Your Sweepstakes Fundraiser at Live Events

2022 is officially underway, and nonprofits around the country are starting to plan live events. Including your TapKat sweepstakes in your event, whether it’s an in-person, virtual or hybrid event, is an excellent way to generate more donations for your nonprofit.

Sometimes nonprofits are a little bit shy about promoting their sweepstakes at live events, thinking that it will take away from whatever else they have going on (say, a live or silent auction). Actually, just the opposite is true.

While the many of your attendees may get priced out of winning a live or silent auction when the bidding starts to climb, everyone can afford to enter your sweepstakes at a donation level that works for them. 

A sweepstakes fundraising model makes it possible for everyone attending your event to have fun supporting your nonprofit. Not only that, but people who enter at live events are likely to enter your sweepstakes with another donation later in the fundraiser. So promote the heck out of your sweepstakes at your live events!

Here are some ideas for how to do that.

Promote Your Sweepstakes at In-Person Events 

Your TapKat sweepstakes is designed to be run 100% online, but promoting it as your live or hybrid events can really increase donations. It’s really fun to launch or draw your winner at a live event. In fact, most nonprofits find doing that can actually increase attendance at your event. But when you’re running a sweepstakes, you’ll find it’s very effective to promote it at all your events (you don’t want to miss any opportunity to raise more money!). 

Donors who enter your sweepstakes at live events are likely to donate multiple times to your sweepstakes throughout the duration of the fundraiser. 

However, if you are holding a live event (or two, or three — or more!) while your sweepstakes is live, use it as an opportunity to show off your prize, engage the donor base and raise more money. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

A dedicated table staffed with volunteers or personnel who know how to talk about the sweepstakes and are equipped to take donations. This is as easy as having a wifi-connected tablet on hand so your staff can easily guide attendees to enter right there, on the spot. You can also create and print out a QR code in your TapKat dashboard so people can enter on their own devices. You may take cash on site, but the more virtual you are, the easier it will be for your staff. As always, the TapKat system will take care of payment processing and email receipts. 

Prominent signage and posters marketing your prize. Make it easy for attendees to see and understand what you’re doing by displaying banners that showcase the sweepstakes. This will draw people in and get them talking to your staff members. 

Show off your prize. If possible, display your prize on site to create a captivating experience for the attendees. Nothing is more tempting than seeing and touching that cool electric bicycle, sports car or camper van.

Use promo codes to help you track the success of the event. In your TapKat dashboard, you’ll have the option of creating promo codes for various marketing promotions. Say you create the promo code “GALA2022” for people who attend your live event. When they purchase entries to the sweepstakes with that code, donors will automatically receive additional entry ticket numbers at no cost. When the day is over, you can log in and see just how many entrants used that particular code, and how much money the sweepstakes raised at your event. 

Promote Your Sweepstakes at Virtual and Hybrid Events 

When you’re holding an online event, there are a few key points to hit when you’re incorporating your sweepstakes promotion into the event:

If possible, show off the prize. If you have the prize available, put it on camera! Nothing will excite a motorcycle crowd more than if you start revving the engine of the new off-road bike you’re giving away as a sweepstakes prize. The same idea holds for any prize – show them how amazing it is! If it’s an experience or trip, tell them about all the perks and amenities they’ll get to enjoy as a winner and share pictures. 

Tell them how to enter. Make it easy to enter by providing your TapKat sweepstakes website link throughout the event. Perhaps it’s prominently featured in the video description of your live event, or you send it to everyone via email before and after.

Show them the impact their donation is making. Your donor base will feel really good about their sweepstakes entry when they can see what a difference their contribution makes. During your event, be sure to stress that all entries to the sweepstakes are donations  which means more money that you can put to work to better fulfill your mission.

Just because an event is virtual or hybrid doesn’t mean you can’t raise a lot of money! Especially if you feature your sweepstakes during your event.

Donors Love TapKat Sweepstakes

It’s true: donors love supporting nonprofits through sweepstakes. When they care about your cause and feel connected to the prize you’re offering, you will find that donors go above and beyond to enter your sweepstakes. In fact, nonprofits find that once they draw a sweepstakes winner, donors can’t wait for the next sweepstakes fundraiser to start! 

Are you ready to get your donor base excited and involved in sweepstakes fundraising? Click here to easily get your TapKat sweepstakes page up and running, or schedule a demo with one of our team members.