There’s no denying that the British public loves lottery.
Each year in the UK, lotteries raise hundreds of millions of pounds for good causes. In fact, according to government statistics, over 50% of the UK population plays in a lottery at least once a year.
However, according to the Woods Valldata Individual Giving Fundraising Survey 2023, 25% of UK charities don’t currently have a weekly lottery in place.
So, if you’re looking for a way to generate new streams of funding for your charity, lottery could be the solution you’ve been searching for!
Here are six spectacular reasons why you should start your fundraising lottery in 2024…
6 reasons to start a fundraising lottery in 2024
1. Lottery is growing in popularity
As we said above, lottery is already super popular with the people of Great Britain - and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down, with 70% of Brits having participated in the National Lottery in the past 12 months.
According to Camelot, the National Lottery is in ‘best-ever shape’ and sales have continued to grow, reaching a staggering £8.19 billion in 2022/2023.
What’s more, online lottery is becoming increasingly popular, with one in five UK adults playing the National Lottery online - namely because online lottery is so easy to sign up to, is a relatively low expense, and offers the chance to win big.
Another reason why people love weekly lottery is that it is great fun. Charity lottery gives people the feel-good factor from contributing towards a worthwhile cause.
As you can see, lottery is on a winning streak and is only set to become more popular in the coming months and years - so there’s certainly no better time to get involved!
2. Lottery brings in funds on a regular basis
We understand that as a charity, making any kind of investment is daunting. You need to make sure every penny you spend brings funds back to the charity, especially in today’s tough economic climate.
However, one of the best things about lotteries is that they offer an easy and predictable means of fundraising, which means you can enjoy a stable monthly commitment from your supporters.
Plus, you’ll have total visibility of where your money is going. You’ll be able to see the number of players you have on the books, how often they play, and at what spend to support your planning, forecasting and journey planning.
Trust us, the investment will be more than worth it. In fact, many charities who have invested in lottery initiatives raise upwards of £1 million a year - showing that lottery really is an excellent return on investment!
3. People need a distraction
We get it: now might seem like a strange time to start a charity lottery.
With the cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation, it’s understandable to be worried about whether people are willing to spend on luxuries such as lotteries.
However, research suggests that prize-led fundraising tends to weather recessions. In fact, when times are tough, people are actually more likely to buy lottery tickets, most likely because the idea of winning big is so appealing.
Charity lottery also naturally lends itself to good news, enabling you to share examples of when your work has created a difference and the joy it brings – as well as the success stories of those who win prizes!
Amongst all the doom and gloom, lottery is a story of positivity. For example, when the UK was last in recession, ticket sales for the National Lottery increased by £25 million - so, 2024 is the ideal time to start a lottery if history repeats itself.
4. You can attract new supporters
A charity lottery is a brilliant way to attract new supporters from different demographics to your cause.
There are many altruistic donors in the UK - in fact, the Gambling Commission found that 55% of society lottery players were motivated to do so by supporting the cause.
However, the element of fun and the chance to scoop a top prize is a brilliant way to appeal to a different kind of supporter too and grow a gaming player base, with 36% of people playing lottery with the hopes of winning big.
So, if you want to attract new supporters with a different demographic in 2024, lottery is most certainly the way forward!
5. You can boost supporter engagement
But it’s not just about attracting new supporters: lotteries are also a brilliant way to engage with your existing supporters, give something back to them when they win, and raise additional funds too.
Existing supporters are often more than willing to play a weekly lottery in addition to their existing support, especially if the prizes are tempting enough.
Not only are lotteries a great way to bring in extra money, but they are a brilliant way to engage with your supporters and nurture the donor relationship as well.
6. Choose the right lottery for you
If you’re a small charity, it’s understandable if you might find the idea of starting a weekly lottery daunting. It goes without saying that your needs - and your budget! - won’t be the same as big national charities.
However, when you work with a specialist lottery provider you will be able to choose the right lottery product for your unique needs.
At Woods Valldata, for example, we have three different lottery offerings to choose from depending on your charity’s size and budget: Affinity, Aspire, and Advantage.
Affinity lottery is specifically designed for smaller charities to be able to start fundraising from regular giving via weekly lottery with a minimal set-up fee and then a percentage of each chance played to cover operational costs.
From ready-to-go packages like Affinity to completely bespoke lotteries using the Advantage model, each offering has been carefully created by our expert team to meet the diverse needs of charities today.
So, you can be sure that whatever your needs, you will be able to find the right product for your charity in 2024.
How Woods Valldata can help
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to setting up a lottery. But rest assured, as renowned lottery providers, our team of experts are here to help every step of the way, from migration and set up through to the operational elements.
In fact, we have years of experience in helping charities set up and run successful fundraising lotteries, having helped the likes of RNIB, Independent Age, and BRACE Dementia Research - and we’d love to support you with your lottery too!
There’s no better time to get started
There’s no better time to get started with your lottery, so if you’d like to find out more about how we can help you set up your fundraising lottery in 2024, why not join us for our next ‘Introduction to Weekly Lottery for Charities’ webinar on 16th April 2024?
Specially created for charities considering setting up a lottery, it’s the perfect way to find out more about how the process works and how Woods Valldata can help with your lottery set up. Sign up to the next webinar here to begin your lottery journey in 2024!
