Why a Scratch Card Fundraiser Makes Sense in 2023

Why scratch cards should be at the top of your 2023 fundraiser list.

Are you looking for a unique way to raise money for your school or group? Sometimes, the most popular and proven products may not be your best option. You may be stuck in a rut with the same yearly brochure or candy bar sale.

With so many groups using the same "me too" sales approach, taking orders from a brochure, or selling an in-hand product, competing in this crowded marketplace may cost you valuable profit.

If you're considering a scratch card fundraiser, even though it's not for every group, it will distinguish you from the pack. Those who use them find the process a quick, straightforward, and easy way to raise money.

Scratch cards allow students to break the ice with potential customers by turning donating into a fun and interactive game. In other words, students use their scratch cards to collect donations instead of selling an actual product.

When approaching potential customers, in addition to sharing your cause, it's essential to tell them a little about your organization. Scratch cards already come with the organization name, school logo, and colors (or a picture of your group or team). Students can easily transition to showing people the front of their cards as they introduce their fundraiser.
Ensuring your group understands the process is essential, mainly if this is your first time. If you're considering using scratch cards to raise money, you'll want to know how they work.

Learn what makes scratch card fundraising simple

How Do Scratch Cards Work?

Although not everyone knows scratch cards and how they can help groups raise money, the concept is straightforward. Here's how it works:

1. After introducing themselves, their organization, and why they're raising money, each student shows their card to a potential donor and explains that there are dollar amounts behind each dot.
2. The donor is asked to scratch off one or more dots, revealing the dollar amounts. The potential amounts are $1 to $5. The suspense is in not knowing the amounts that will be revealed.
3. As a thank you for their donation, each customer receives a scratch card savings sheet with coupons that can be used at popular businesses. The donor saves far more than the amount they give to the student.
4. Once all the dots have been scratched and the money collected, the student turns in their donation envelope to the sponsor. Depending on the group size and how many cards are ordered, groups make a net profit once paid for. When using our cards, the profit percentage starts at 80%. Each student collects $100, and the group pays $20 for every card. Payment is due within 15 days of receipt of the cards. This gives students ample time to collect and turn in their donation envelopes.

Ordering Scratch Card Fundraiser Supplies

Here's what you'll need to do before your kickoff date:

1. We offer a 'Calculate Your Profit' tool on our scratch card page that allows sponsors to enter their group size and the number of cards they want to order per seller.
2. The tool then calculates the number of cards to order and how much money can be raised. The hardest part about pre-ordering a product is knowing how much to order. Our tool makes this process easy.
3. Sponsors can then place their card orders using our online purchase order form. This is where they can also put their organization name and upload an image that would be placed on the card.
4. Once the artwork is approved, the scratch cards are shipped to the group. There is no shipping fee.
5. Sellers receive a scratch card with coupons for each customer and a money collection envelope.

How to use scratch cards for fundraising

Scratch Card Fundraising Tips

If you're still contemplating using scratch cards to raise money for your group, there are some things that you can do to enhance the scratch card fundraiser experience. Here are our recommendations:

• Set a beginning and end date for your sale to create a slight sense of urgency with your students. If you give them too much time to collect the donations, they're more tempted to procrastinate. The process shouldn't take more than about a week to complete.
• Tell your students to encourage donors to scratch more than one dot. Every time they scratch and give, they receive another coupon savings sheet.
• Be sure group members introduce themselves by telling potential supporters why they're raising money. The scratch card itself makes introducing their organization easy.
• Remind your sellers to be professional. It's always important to smile and say 'thank you', regardless of whether someone chooses to donate.
• To speed up the turning in of money collection envelopes, one idea is to offer an additional incentive for the first ___ sellers to do so.
• Periodically remind your students to keep up with the donation process.
• Before issuing them a second scratch card, ensure students turn in their completed card and money envelope.
• For donors who may want to donate more significantly and write a check, ensure they are written out to your organization.
• Once the dots are scratched, each scratch card can potentially raise $100. Make sure your students are reminded of this.

Here's one final suggestion. You can make the collection even easier by assigning two money turn-in dates during your sale. To keep track of money collected for each seller and what amount is still outstanding, you'll receive a participation form that you can use. Have each seller put their name, phone number, and email address on the form before handing out any scratch cards.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.