--- title: Charity Lottery – Why Now? | Online Lottery Providers | Woods Valldata description: See why the best time to start an online lottery for your charity is now, and how online lottery providers Woods Valldata can support you in this blog. image: https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/hubfs/A%20charity%20team%20in%20the%20process%20of%20setting%20up%20a%20charity%20lottery%20with%20the%20support%20of%20online%20lottery%20providers%2c%20Woods%20Valldata..png --- [![logo](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/logo.svg)](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/) - [About](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/) - [How we work](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/how-we-work/) - [Our people](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/our-people/) - [Compliance](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/compliance/) - [Careers](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/careers/) - [Services](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/) - [Response handling](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/response-handling/) - [Lottery](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/) - [Affinity](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/affinity-lottery/) - [Aspire](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/aspire/) - [Advantage](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/advantage/) - [Raffle](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/raffle/) - [Fulfilment](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/fulfillment/) - [Direct Debit](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/direct-debit/) - [Data strategy](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/data-strategy/) - [Case studies](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/case-studies/) - [Resources](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/resources/) - [Insights](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/resources/?_resource_category=insights) - [Blog](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/blog?__hstc=147199208.9e5ab3d8a0ca3a3f5a12ec2a1f7616ec.1686240030480.1687955986587.1687958199477.32&__hssc=147199208.7.1687958199477&__hsfp=3372006991) - [Events & webinars](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/resources/?_resource_category=events-webinars) - [Glossary](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/glossary/) - [My account](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/my-account/) - [Get in touch](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/contact/) ![woods valldata](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/hubfs/A%20charity%20team%20in%20the%20process%20of%20setting%20up%20a%20charity%20lottery%20with%20the%20support%20of%20online%20lottery%20providers%2c%20Woods%20Valldata..png) # There’s been no better time than now to start an online lottery. Here’s why. Published by [Helen Halahan](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/blog/author/helen-halahan) on Sep 29, 2022, 9:01:46 AM ## If you’ve been debating whether to [start an online lottery for your charity](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/), the time to do it is most certainly now. As online lottery providers here at [Woods Valldata](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/), we’ve got our finger consistently on the pulse of what’s happening in prize-led fundraising. In fact, our [prize-led fundraising benchmarking and trends webinar in 2024](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/prize-led-fundraising-webinar-2024) revealed some truly eye opening findings across the board. In it, online lottery was one of the top items of discussion, where our experts concluded that, if a charity is considering implementing their own online lottery, there’s no better time to kick-start the set-up process than now! But why is this the case, and how should you go about it if you are one of said charities? Read on to find out... ![A senior couple signing up to an online charity lottery, representing the impact of working with online lottery providers.](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/A%20senior%20couple%20signing%20up%20to%20an%20online%20charity%20lottery%2c%20representing%20the%20impact%20of%20working%20with%20online%20lottery%20providers..png?width=1000&name=A%20senior%20couple%20signing%20up%20to%20an%20online%20charity%20lottery%2c%20representing%20the%20impact%20of%20working%20with%20online%20lottery%20providers..png) ## 3 reasons that now is the best time to start a charity lottery: ### 1. The popularity of online lottery for players is only set to increase [Lottery is already a popular way](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/blog/the-rise-of-the-lottery) for supporters to donate to their favourite charities. However, our research as online lottery providers is showing that [lottery’s popularity is only going to increase as the years go on](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/blog/is-prize-led-fundraising-right-for-your-charity)! This is namely due to online lotteries being easy to sign up to (all it takes is a direct debit setup – no need to go out and buy a physical ticket!), being a relatively low monthly expense for supporters, and the chance for them to win a big prize. They’re also great fun for supporters to play, and they ignite the feel-good factor from contributing towards a worthy cause. You can find out more about why people play the lottery in our [player profile report](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/hubfs/WV-Player%20Personas.pdf). ### 2. People are feeling the pinch during the cost of living crisis This might seem like a strange reason to start an online lottery. After all, if money is tight, surely people are less likely to spend what they have on lottery tickets? Interestingly, however, the reality is quite the contrary! If we rewind to 2009 when the UK was in its last recession, many organisations found that lottery ticket sales increased. For example, [ticket sales went up by £25 million for the National Lottery](https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/national-lottery-sales-defy-recession/fundraising/article/908896) in 2008/9, compared to 2007/8. Research has also found that people are more likely to buy lottery tickets in tougher economic circumstances as a “ticket out of hard times,” in the hopes that they will be able to “get back to where they were financially.” So, by setting up a charity lottery the chances are you’ll be setting up an income stream suited to ride out this economic wave.  ### 3. There are other charity lotteries out there that you can learn from Knowing that there are other charities out there running lotteries that your prospective supporters could play might seem daunting at first. Indeed, you might ask yourself “why would supporters want to start playing my new lottery when there are already others out there to play?” However, by starting your lottery now, you’ll be able to research these many different lotteries in detail to see where they triumph and falter, and use these insights to create a truly winning lottery strategy for your own charity that’ll [rise above them all](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/blog/stand-out-lottery-service-providers)! This not only includes aspects of the lottery itself, such as the top prize amount and how much it costs to play per week, but everything that surrounds it, such as how it’s marketed and promoted (if at all) to their [response handling](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/response-handling/) and more. What's more, when you work with an online lottery provider, you can also benefit from their specialist knowledge. [At Woods Valldata, for example, we support multiple charities with their lotteries and work with them continuously to improve their programmes](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/case-studies/?_resource_category_copy=weekly-lottery&_paged=2) – so there is no one better placed to help you create a winning lottery! ![A charity team reviewing the success of their charity lottery with the support of online lottery providers, Woods Valldata.](https://info.woodsvalldata.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/A%20charity%20team%20reviewing%20the%20success%20of%20their%20charity%20lottery%20with%20the%20support%20of%20online%20lottery%20providers%2c%20Woods%20Valldata..png?width=1000&name=A%20charity%20team%20reviewing%20the%20success%20of%20their%20charity%20lottery%20with%20the%20support%20of%20online%20lottery%20providers%2c%20Woods%20Valldata..png) ## Ready to set up your online lottery? As you may have gathered, there’s a lot to think about when it comes to starting an online lottery for your charity. That’s where [Woods Valldata](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/) comes in! We’re renowned online lottery providers that have helped several charities achieve online lottery success over the years through [our range of lottery solutions](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/), including the likes of [RNIB](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/case-studies/rnib-wl-set-up/), Independent Age and [St. John Ambulance](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/case-studies/st-john-ambulance-lottery-migration/) – and we’d love to support you to achieve similar (if not, greater) success. In addition, if you’re a smaller charity and are concerned that a weekly lottery is out of reach, our [Affinity Lottery](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/affinity/) is the perfect solution for you. Specifically designed for small charities, sports clubs and societies, the Affinity Lottery enables you to share the lottery love with other charities - so you can enjoy all the benefits of a big prize lottery, but with no ongoing fees or administrative burden. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you to set up your online lottery, [why not join us for one of our ‘Introduction to Weekly Lottery for Charities’ webinars](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/resources/?_resource_category=events-webinars)? Created for charities thinking about setting up a weekly lottery, our regular webinars are the perfect way to find out more about how the process works, what’s out there, and what’s involved. Or alternatively, you can book a [free consultation](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/free-consultation/) with our team by following the link below. 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We’re your Partners in Possibility #### Contact Info Lansdowne House, Bumpers Way, Chippenham, SN14 6NG [01249 653444](tel:01249653444) [charities@woodsvalldata.co.uk](mailto:charities@woodsvalldata.co.uk) #### Quick links - [Services](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/) - [About](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/) - [Contact](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk) - [Careers](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/about/careers/) #### Blog posts ![Group-3](https://woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Group-3.svg) ![iof-logo](https://woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/iof-logo.svg) ![Lotteries-Council-Platnum-Member-white](https://woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Lotteries-Council-Platnum-Member-white.svg) ![gc-logo](https://woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/gc-logo.svg) ![PCI-logo](https://woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PCI-logo.svg) ![27001-Logo](https://woodsvalldata.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/27001-Logo.gif) 2023 Copyright Woods Group Ltd (trading as Woods valldata). Company number 03665861, VAT number GB991231322 - [Privacy](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/privacy-policy/) - [Cookies](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/cookie-policy/) - [Terms of use](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/terms-of-use/) - [Site map](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/site-map/) [![Resolution design logo](https://resolutionlabs.co.uk/cdn/resolution-dot-white-logo.svg)](https://resolutiondesign.co.uk) ## Affinity [Affinity Lottery](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/affinity-lottery/) is the ideal solution for charities looking for the joys to be had in acquiring and building relationships with players without the operational administrative burden.  This option enables your charity to increase player acquisition and boost your fundraising from the very first draw – with a prize fund with a £25,000 top prize at no cost or risk to your organisation. Perfect for: - Testing if lottery is right for your charity - When charity admin and financial resources are limited - Charities and societies of any size **[Book a demo.](https://meetings.hubspot.com/gemma-ward?__hstc=147199208.9e5ab3d8a0ca3a3f5a12ec2a1f7616ec.1686240030480.1687955986587.1687958199477.32&__hssc=147199208.1.1687958199477&__hsfp=3372006991)** Find out if Affinity Lottery is your perfect fit. [Get more info on Affinity Lottery including our ROI calculator](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/affinity-lottery/) ## Aspire Owned by you and managed by us, Aspire Lottery is perfect for charities and not-for-profits looking to increase regular giving income from a different type of supporter.   Your Aspire lottery is unique to you, perfectly matched to your cause and ready to go to deliver increased fundraising income to your charity.  Perfect for: - Quickly and easily setting up your own lottery - Migrating a small to medium sized lottery to a more intuitive platform **[Book a demo.](https://meetings.hubspot.com/julia-seidel?__hstc=147199208.9e5ab3d8a0ca3a3f5a12ec2a1f7616ec.1686240030480.1687955986587.1687958199477.32&__hssc=147199208.1.1687958199477&__hsfp=3372006991)** Find out if Aspire Lottery is your perfect fit. [Get more info on Aspire Lottery](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/aspire/) ## Advantage Advantage Lottery is the best weekly lottery product to take you and your fundraising efforts to a higher level!   It’s customisable and adaptable to fit with the growth needs of your programme and offers greater freedom in how you run your lottery, whilst giving you everything needed to help it reach its full potential.  Perfect for: - Charities who want to make their lottery unique - Migrating a medium to large sized lottery to benefit from Woods Valldata’s experience and expertise **[Chat to us.](https://meetings.hubspot.com/julia-seidel?__hstc=147199208.9e5ab3d8a0ca3a3f5a12ec2a1f7616ec.1686240030480.1687955986587.1687958199477.32&__hssc=147199208.1.1687958199477&__hsfp=3372006991)** Let’s take your lottery to the next level. [Get more info on Advantage Lottery](https://www.woodsvalldata.co.uk/services/lottery/advantage/)