South Carolina to Hold Public Hearing on Raffle Laws

COLUMBIA -- The public will be able to speak up Sept. 30 on whether South Carolina should update its gaming laws to allow churches and nonprofit groups to hold charitable raffles.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell has scheduled a two-hour hearing beginning at 6 p.m. to be held in the third-floor council chambers at North Charleston City Hall. The public will be invited to testify and offer opinions on the matter.
"The laws which prohibit charities from holding raffles in South Carolina are outdated, antiquated and unfair," McConnell said in a statement. "We allow anyone to play the Education Lottery, but the Lions Clubs cannot legally hold raffles in their local chapters to raise money to assist the young and the elderly to obtain hearing aids or glasses. It makes no sense to me that a person cannot raffle off a homemade quilt or cake in their church class to raise money for a mission trip without breaking state law."


Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/09/18/1700674/public-input-sought-on-updating.html#ixzz0zueVG8bc

National Corvette Museum Raffle

	2011 Build Your Own Z06 or Grand Sport or $60,000 Cash Option Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. CT.
	Select either a Z06, Grand Sport (coupe or convertible )or Cash Choose your car color and options Carbon Edition (CSZ), Z07 Option and PBC Options not available Museum R8C Delivery Program 500 Tickets Available
	$400
	PURCHASE YOUR RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Palos Hills, IL - City Council Votes to Regulate Raffles

The Palos Hills City Council approved of an ordinance that will allow the city to regulate and monitor the sale of raffle tickets within Palos Hills. With Alderman Joe Marrotta (4th Ward) and Alderman Mary Ann Schultz (5th Ward) absent, the council voted 7-1 to approve the ordinance, which among other restrictions sets a registration fee of $50 to sell raffle tickets.

Source: PalosPatch

NERA 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid Raffle

Ford Fusion Hybrid set a World Record with 1,445 miles on a single tank of gas in April 2009!  That's gas money in the bank and not in the tank!  Purchase your Tickets now!  
If you have been referred by a friend, please add their name to the notes at checkout.
Tickets are $25.00 each or 5 for $100.00.  Good Luck!!

    
Membership is not required to purchase a chance to win the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid.  The drawing will be held 16 October 2010.  
Tickets can be purchased by contacting Laura Martin lkmartin@nera.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (800) 776-9020.

 via: Naval Enlisted Reserve Association (NERA)

What is raff.me?

Interesting new online raffle service from Europe.

Saints Super Bowl Ring Raffle Raises Over $1 Million to Benefit Gulf Coast

The Saints Gulf Coast Renewal Fund announced today that the entry deadline for the Saints Super Bowl Ring Raffle was extended to the pre-game (approximately 7:00PM ET) of the club's September 20  Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Winner will be announced live at some point during ESPN’s game programming that night.   The Saints Gulf Coast Renewal Fund is also announcing that it has added a trip to New Orleans for the Winner of the Raffle, and a guest, to enjoy the city and attend a Saints Game. 

The additional time to enter, which is allowed for in the official rules of the raffle, will provide the Saints Gulf Coast Renewal Fund time to further promote the Raffle and generate funds for those affected directly by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.   “The addition of a trip to New Orleans is a great way to promote the raffle and the city during the opening week of the NFL regular season.  I’m sure the winner and their guest will have a great time when they get here; I can’t wait to see who wins and meet them” said Saints Owner Tom Benson. 

Benson first announced the raffle on June 10 and tickets have been, and will continue to be, available for $2 each. Tickets are available online at www.saintsgulfcoastrenewal.org.

The Raffle has generated over $1Million dollars in donations to date, with entries coming from around the world.  The first recipients of the funds will be announced soon.

New Prize Package: In addition to the authentic Saints Super Bowl Players Ring, the prize will also include an expense paid trip to New Orleans for the Winner and a Guest to enjoy the City and attend a New Orleans Saints Game. While details for the trip are still being worked out, in addition to VIP treatment by the Saints at the Superdome on Game Day, the trip will include a $2,000 travel allowance (as necessary to travel to New Orleans) for roundtrip coach airfare from any international airport in the world, hotel accommodations, meals at some of New Orleans finest restaurants, and an expense allowance for out of pocket expenses such as ground transportation and meals not otherwise provided for by the prize. Also, in addition to the funds provided to mitigate the Winners tax liability from winning the Super Bowl Ring, funds will also be provided to mitigate the Winner’s tax liability from winning the additional prize elements.

Introducing Raffle America: A Non-Profit/Charitable Fundraising Venue

For the short time it will take to review this information about what Raffle America is and the results RaffleAmerica.com can produce for your organization, we are sure you will agree that without a doubt your time has been well spent.

Online purchases of goods and services continue to increase year after year, surpassing even the most optimistic predictions of financial forecasters and analysts, producing billions of dollars in revenue annually. With the emergence of new and more advanced technologies, increased user access, and the rapid growth of the Internet’s marketing reach, the revenue generation of online ventures will continue to grow at a rapid pace. When you consider this with the estimated $Billions in revenue generated by charitable raffles annually, the logical merger of the two has been inevitable. The advantages of such a merger are staggering. Imagine the potential of a system that has virtually unlimited reach, complete control, efficiency, is cost effective, maximizes resource utilization and return on investment, and can be completely regulated. Imagine a system that merges tradition and technology to create a solution that overcomes all of the barriers that have hindered charitable raffle activity in the past. You don’t have to imagine anymore. RaffleAmerica.com is this solution.

System Introduction RaffleAmerica.com is the ONLY venue that addresses all of the barriers associated with online raffles, including the government’s ability to regulate online raffles. Through RaffleAmerica.com charitable and non-profit organizations are able to organize and manage their own online raffles while abiding by the diverse laws and regulations of their governing jurisdictions within the United States in an efficient and cost effective manner. Our United States Patent Pending systems produce the most advanced and robust online raffle solution ever developed through its advanced programming and features, which enable raffles to be filtered by location and age requirements under governing law. RaffleAmerica.com comprises the ONLY system capable of evaluating and authenticating participant location and age to permitted and excluded areas. Based on the rules and regulations governing a raffle, an organization is able to determine participant eligibility and maintain legal compliance, or in turn utilize these advanced systems to target specific markets.

As a venue, RaffleAmerica.com is a centralize channel and conduit for online raffle activity. Its cross marketing capabilities are staggering. By pooling the joint efforts of it charitable and non-profit organizations, RaffleAmerica.com produces the maximum amount of public exposure without the additional expense of a larger marketing campaign while producing far greater results.

RaffleAmerica.com is loaded with advanced features to create the most complete online raffle venue available. Our teams of experts continuously strive improve and enrich our systems on an on going basis ensuring Raffle America’s placement as the leading online raffle solutions provider. The following information is intended to provide a basic overview of the capabilities and features of RaffleAmerica.com.

Organization Accounts Charitable and non-profit organizations are now able to operate and manage online raffles by utilizing the most advanced tools available. RaffleAmerica.com has been designed with automation in mind, taking the guess work out of planning and executing successful online raffles. These advanced tools and features perform automated tasks which basically do the thinking for you so you don’t have to. The utilization of advanced algorithms and calculations display analytical data and produce safeguards which enable organizations to run effective raffles at the absolute minimal risk. These processes help to structure and budget raffles while protecting organizations and participants alike. The result is a solution which maximizes profitability, minimizes risk, and reduces the amount of time and expenses required to operate and manage online raffles.

Key Features For Organizations: Access to the most advanced online raffling system ever developed Organize and manage online raffles with regionalized permit and exclusion capabilities The ONLY system which enables online raffles to maintain legal compliance Supports Single, Choice, Multiple, and Mega Raffle Structures Supports both single drawings and multiple drawings (main drawings and early bird drawings) The most advanced raffle planning tools The most advanced raffle management tools The most advanced analytical tools The most advanced reporting tools Dynamic direct linking generation Raffle ticket printing system for traditional manual drawings Advanced CRM (Customer Relationship Management) The lowest transaction authorization gateway rates and fees on the Internet The lowest merchant account rates and fees on the Internet Free Secure Socket Layer encryption Free robust micro website in the organizations directory Free advanced events schedule for promoting organization sponsored events Free technical support and account management services Free consulting and graphic design services Accept online donations at no additional charge (only merchant account rates and fees apply) Receive 10% of advertising revenues generated by advertisers supporting your organization And more!

Participant Accounts Participants are able to manage and monitor their online raffle participation by utilizing the most advanced tools available. RaffleAmerica.com enables ticket purchasers to access all of their current and historical raffle participation information. Participants are able to reprint their tickets, view statistics, reports, and winners, as well as manage their account information. When a user creates a Participant Account, they will be able to receive instant email notification of raffles offered to their area, access special offers from sponsors and advertisers.

Key Features For Participants: Access to the largest raffle listing operated by charities and non-profits in the world The most advanced raffle participation account management tools Ticket fraud protection with integrated AVS The most advanced analytical tools The most advanced reporting tools Email notification of raffles when eligible (optional, but required for sweepstakes entry) Print purchased raffle tickets at any time Current and historical raffle participation information including raffle winners Free technical support and account management services And more!

Sponsor Accounts Raffle sponsorship enables private for profit organizations to take full advantage of the benefits of raffle sponsorship. Sponsors are able to sponsor raffles and raffle prizes in a multitude of ways while receiving effective advertising exposure. Sponsors receive free banner advertising and corporate recognition for their generous support. The advanced Sponsor Account features enable sponsors to deliver targeted marketing and promotional material to participants in their sponsored raffles and develop charitable support exposure that builds solid public relations. Each charity and the raffles that have benefited from your sponsorship is listed within your FREE Sponsor micro website in Raffle America’s Sponsors Directory.

Key Features For Sponsors: Access to the most advanced online raffle sponsorship system ever developed Free robust micro website in the sponsors directory Free banner advertising for every raffle sponsored The most advanced analytical tools The most advanced reporting tools Dynamic direct linking generation Free technical support and account management services Free consulting and graphic design services for raffle sponsorships And more!

Advertiser Accounts Advertising on RaffleAmerica.com is one of the most cost effective ways to drive traffic to your products and services. Advertising comprises low flat monthly rates that make advertising extremely affordable, and results in charitable support exposure that builds solid public relations. Our targeted advertising system enables advertisers to target markets by states and counties, decreasing competition while increasing views and clicks. In addition, Raffle America donates 10% of what you spend on each advertisement to the member charity of the advertiser’s choice. Each banner advertisement displays the charity you have chosen next to the banner advertisement, and each charity that has benefited from your advertising is listed within your FREE Advertiser micro website in Raffle America’s Advertisers Directory.

Key Features For Advertisers: Access to one of the most advanced banner advertising systems in the world Target marketing by States and Counties throughout the entire United States 10% of advertising fees will be donated to the registered charity or non-profit of advertiser’s choice Free robust micro website in the advertisers directory The most advanced analytical tools The most advanced reporting tools Free technical support and account management services Free consulting and graphic design services for banner advertising And more!

Questions And Answers

Question:  What makes RaffleAmerica.com so special compared to other online raffle solutions? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com is the only online raffle solution that enables online raffles to comply with Federal, State, County, and Municipal laws, rules, and regulations. RaffleAmerica.com is also the only solution to offer the most advanced utilities, tools, and features for the operation and management of online raffles.

Question:  What enables online raffles operated on RaffleAmerica.com to comply with laws, rules, and regulations within the United States? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com is the only online raffle solution with specialized systems and controls for participant location and age verification designed to maintain legal compliance for governing jurisdictions of raffle operation. The verification process addresses both participant location and raffle operational jurisdiction. No other solution has these capabilities.

Question:  How do these specialized systems and controls work? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com utilized location permission and exclusion criteria provided by an organization operating a raffle when a raffle is created to determine which participants are allowed to participate, which is dependant on a participant’s location. These criteria filter and authorize participation. This is combined with an advanced Address Verification System (AVS) to help ensure against fraudulent purchases.

Question:  What happens if an organization does not sell enough tickets to hold a drawing for their raffle? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com comprises advanced financial and budgeting tools which enable organizations to determine optimal ticket price and count ratios in combination with expense budgeting to protect organizations from operating unprofitable raffles. These advanced tools place a 50% reserve on ticket sales so that if that not enough tickets are sold, the raffle can be converted to a 50/50 raffle where 50% of gross ticket sales are divided equally amongst selected winners. This guarantees raffle drawings and winner payouts. RaffleAmerica.com is the only solution to provide such advanced tools and features.

Question:  Once a raffle is activated, how is it promoted? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com is a venue. Each organization markets and promotes their individual raffles as they traditionally would. As participants and traffic is driven towards RaffleAmerica.com from locations across the United States, the marketing and promotion efforts of each organization is pooled, creating exponential returns on marketing dollars. This creates tremendous amounts of cross marketing and leads to substantial reductions in marketing expenses. Upon activation, eligible participant account holders are notified via email automatically. This creates instantaneous targeted marketing. The greater the volume, the greater the return. Organizations are even able to monitor purchasing activity for their raffles by State, County, and Municipality.

Question:  What is Dynamic Direct Linking? Answer:  Dynamic Direct Linking enables organizations to place a link on their web site which directs traffic directly to a specific raffle. Visitors who click on and follow a Dynamic Direct Link will be directed to a RaffleAmerica.com home page containing information about the organization operating the targeted raffle. Visitors are still required to provide location information, but once visitors continue they will bypass raffle and organization listings, and go directly to the targeted raffle.

Question:  How does RaffleAmerica.com handle capping ticket sales? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com developed an advanced Sales Cap Protection System which stops raffle tickets from being over sold. This system utilizes an advanced marker subsystem to place a hold or release on tickets as they are being sold. Participants are able to attempt to purchase a set number of tickets or the remaining number of tickets if the set number of tickets requested is no longer available at the time their transaction is being processed. This ensures the maximum ticket sales amount is not surpassed.

Question:  How does the organization receive money from ticket sales? Answer:  Each organization has their own transaction authorization gateway and merchant account. Ticket sales are deposited directly into the organization’s merchant account. Raffle America does not aggregate funds in any way, shape or form.

Question:  Once a raffle is completed, how are winners selected and notified? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com has an advanced raffle ticket generation system which creates printable raffle tickets for traditional manual drawing. These tickets are printed and drawn by hand. Once winners have been selected, the winning ticket numbers are entered in the system and the winners are notified via email automatically. Winners will also be displayed in the participant accounts of all participants. Winners are also able to be notified by the information provided on the printed tickets used for the drawings.

Question:  What types of reports are available after a raffle is completed? Answer:   RaffleAmerica.com has developed the most advanced customizable raffle reporting system, which saves a tremendous amount of valued time. Raffle closing reports can be customized to include as little or as much information as needed including everything from raffle and financial information to participants and winners. There are even statistics on purchasing activity.

Question:  How is RaffleAmerica.com regulated? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com has developed the only online raffle regulatory system for government regulators in existence. Regulators are able to monitor and control online raffle activity for online raffles operated by organizations residing within a regulator’s jurisdiction.

Question:  What costs are involved with creating an account? Answer:  RaffleAmerica.com user accounts are absolutely free to setup and create. Organizations may be charged a licensing fee by Raffle America and are responsible for credit card transaction rates and fees only upon ticket sales. Gateway and merchant account providers do charge a small monthly minimum account fee. Advertisers are charged for advertising only when advertising space is purchased. The accounts and their micro websites are free to setup and use. More details are available in the RaffleAmerica.com Licensing, Rates, and Fees section of this Media Kit.

Question:  Is there a charge for accepting online donations? Answer:  No, RaffleAmerica.com does not charge for accepting online donations. This is a free service, but an organization must have their authorization gateway and merchant account activated to accept online payments. Gateway and merchant account providers do however charge rates and fees for processing these transactions.

Question:  How does the 10% advertising donation work? Answer:  Each advertiser is required to select a charitable organization from a list of registered organizations when ever advertising space is purchased. Raffle America donates 10% of the gross amount paid for the advertisement to the selected organization regardless of whether or not the organization has operated any raffles. Organizations receive this donation just for registering.

Question:  Does RaffleAmerica.com provide prizes? Answer:  No, RaffleAmerica.com does not provide prizes. The sponsor directory and sponsorship systems have been developed to assemble a directory of willing sponsors that will either donate prizes, discount prizes, or help promote raffles for charitable organizations.

Source: Raffle America Media Kit