5 Reasons to Choose Scratch Cards for Fundraising

Why scratch-off cards can support school fundraising efforts.

Need a way to raise money fast for your school or student group? You've come to the right place. Students, parents, PTAs, and coaches get excited about scratch cards as a fast, fun, and easy way to raise money.

The Fundraising Authority speculates scratch cards' popularity comes from them feeling "a little like gambling because the donor doesn't know what size donation lies behind each oval and is used to scratching off lottery tickets in search of a prize."

Sports teams, bands, and theater groups especially get psyched about scratch cards for fundraising. The immediate transaction can help quickly compensate for a money gap before a looming deadline like a tournament, music competition, show, or travel plans.

Still, do you think scratch cards are a gamble? Think again. Here are five reasons why they work:

1. They're Unique

Scratch-off cards for fundraising set your school group apart from the rest of the pack. They feel different from the classic product sale because of the game-like structure.

Supporters can get tired of the same school fundraising campaigns after a while. Auntie May starts to feel ambivalent about donating when she has already been asked by her neighbors, coworkers, friends, sisters, and book club members' kids. But when Little Jimmy asks if she wants to play a game, she can't resist!

2. Interactive

Let raising money be more than a financial transaction by choosing scratch cards. When you carefully select an idea that works for your students, school fundraising can offer many additional benefits for students.

Scratch-off cards help students build interpersonal skills and relationships with their community members. They allow students to break the ice with potential customers by transforming a donation into a game that both kids and adults enjoy. In other words, students use their scratch fundraising cards as a tool to collect donations instead of selling an actual product.

3. Promotional

When approaching potential customers, in addition to sharing your cause, it's essential to tell them a little about your organization. School fundraisers have numerous added benefits, including raising awareness of your program.

A scratch cards fundraiser has the benefit of built-in branding and promotion. They already come with the organization name, school logo, and colors or a picture of your team. Students can easily show interested donors the front of the scratch card as an introduction to the cause.

4. Simple

If the logistics of a sales campaign feel intimidating, scratch-off fundraising cards could be the perfect solution. It requires no product management, order tracking, delivery, or high order minimum.

Supporters scratch off dots revealing donation amounts in exchange for a coupon sheet. Students collect money and hand out the coupon sheet at the time of the order, so they don't need to collect contact information and make plans for product delivery. An excellent solution for busy academics and athletes!

5. Profitable

To answer your biggest question, scratch card fundraising can be very profitable. It offers one of the highest profit margins available. School groups earn 80-90% profit on all funds raised and have no shipping costs.

Families love the discounts they get on everyday items from the coupons in exchange for a small donation. Many supporters also end up scratching off multiple dots or donating without scratching any dots at all. One card raises $100, and when you multiply that number by the number of organization members, the money raised can be substantial.

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Get started today with a scratch card fundraiser. It's the perfect time of year before holiday shopping begins when families want great deals on their gift shopping.

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.