They can give a raffle ticket to the person running the Golf Putt Challenge game for example vs. actual money and get a shot at it.  Just like they do when you go to a town fair – you give them money, they give you game tickets, and that is how you play their games.  The other way around things from what we have heard, is to not give away money as a prize, but instead an actual tangible prize.  If it is donated then even better!

One other important thing to note, is that they say Games of Skill are good but Games of Chance are bad.  So games like Hockey Shootout, Hole in One, Bra Pong, Bean Bag Toss – these all requires skill.  Other games like the Wheels and Plinko are all won by chance.  With that said, the Crown & Anchor and Plinko, are our most popular rentals, so figure that one out!

A spokesperson from the AGCO was quoted saying that Games of Skill are acceptable as well as a few other ideas:

As for games of chance and 50-50 tickets, she said people holding a stag and doe can try different ones (games of skill are allowed) or an auction, or simply charge more for tickets.

So that is why it is important to ask the hall if they have a gambling license because then you are permitted to run raffles.  In this article, they are quoted saying that there are 5 ways to make money at your fundraiser:

– Ticket Sales
– Donations
– Silent Auctions – get prizes donated, but no liquor bottles.  You can get LCBO or Beer Store gift certificates and have people write their bids down on a piece of paper. Try to get the Bride’s side bidding against the Groom’s side to increase the bid amounts
– Live Auction (same as above except with a lively auctioneer!)
– Games of Skill – not chance (putting contests, scoring contests, nailing the log, guessing how many jelly beans in a jar etc.) and then all of the funds raised through these methods go directly to the Bride and Groom

So now that we have cleared that all up for you, are things clear as mud now?!

Our recommendation:

Instead give everyone ONE Poker Chip as they enter, or you can use ONE Raffle Ticket. This chip or ticket will be a different colour than anything else there at your event so no cheating can take place. They will take this chip or ticket to a PitBoss or someone that you have nominated in charge of this, and exchange this in for maybe 10 chips. These chips would be a high denomination of black and red lets say, rather than 50 white chips. If you use our Dealers and Pit Bosses, you will appreciate the fact that they will take care of this exchange of chips and tickets on your behalf and figure out how much to give each person. 

Your guest will take one of these higher denomination chips and exchange them for smaller denomination of chips at the actual Casino Tables when they are ready to play. When they are done playing, the Dealer will exchange them back in for higher denomination chips so again they are not carrying around 50-100 chips each. Make sense?

At the end of the night, you need to make sure that people return their remaining chips back to the Dealers and do not go home with them (or you will incur charges!). A way to encourage this, is to have people exchange their remaining chips in for Raffle Tickets. The more chips they have, the more Raffle Tickets they get, thus encouraging them to do well at the Fundraiser too! They can take these Raffle Tickets and rip them in half. They will keep one half of the ticket and put the other half in a Raffle Drum. Spin the Raffle Drum and draw a ticket out, and this person will win a Prize that you have picked out.

Makes sense?  We think so.  So this is how we run things when you use our Dealers, and if you don’t use our Dealers, we recommend you still adopt this method. When booking one of our Casino Night Packages, we send you your invoice detailing what you ordered. There will be a link there to help you decide how to run your night, and will give you tips on whether to use blue chips or monopoly money.

We charge $10 for Set up for each game, and $10 for Teardown of each game, so therefore $20 is charged for each game that we are delivering. This accounts for the time it takes our Delivery Personnel to unload it, take it up an elevator, bring it into a room and set it up. Then again when our Delivery Personnel return to grab your order, they will pack it all up, carry all of the items back down that elevator or stairs, and load it back into the truck. Our Delivery Personnel will also inspect everything, make any last minute repairs, and give it a wipe down if got dirty during transporting it.

What does this Transportation Fee include?

The bulk of this fee will cover our Delivery Personnel’s time as much of their time will be spent packing/unpacking your order, as well as loading/unloading your order onto our trucks. Then there is all the time spent on the road as they go to your location, back to our shop, to your location and back to our shop again. It also covers for Fuel Charges and upkeep to our vehicles. Additionally, depending on how large your event is, sometimes we need to rent special equipment or a larger vehicle to fit all of your games into one load. This Transportation fee will cover all of this.

How Many Prizes Should I Get

• Be weary of one thing – sometimes people think the more prizes, the better.
• It always looks impressive when the prize tables are absolutely loaded with loot.
• Consider that it takes time to draw a ticket for a prize, so more prizes mean more time drawing, and guests can become agitated.
• If you have a lot of smaller prizes, consider consolidating them into “Prize Packs” or letting the DJ give some away for spot dances – a great way to get your guests up dancing and enjoying themselves.
• A good problem to have, is that you have TOO many prizes to give away.
• If this is your case, then use these prizes for games, rather than giving away money.
• Plan to have 1 huge Grand Prize, 2-3 smaller but still big prizes, and then a Raffle Table of about 20 -30 prizes.  You can consolidate some of them into baskets as we mentioned before.  Too many, and it will take too long to coordinate.  Too little, and nobody will want to buy tickets!
• Consider renting our Raffle Containers as you see pictured above. Keeps things neat and tidy!

One of our past Stag & Doe hosts held her own event in June 2018, and 99.9% of her prizes were donated — so pretty much… All. Of. Them. She bought an LCBO gift card for the toonie toss, but besides that, she was not out of pocket for anything. She worked hard for months getting prizes, heard a quadrillion “NO’s”, but her persistence paid off. Definitely get help though, as it’s a huge undertaking. Good luck with requesting Donations for Fundraisers — see our other pages to help with Writing your Donation Request Letters and how to ask!

Step by Step Instructions on what your Letter should say:

should be addressed to their company name / person’s name – don’t make a generic one that you hand out to everyone

• ie) To: Manager/Owner of Boston Pizza

include a picture of the person the Fundraiser is for, or a company logo on its letterhead if a Corporate Event

• coloured picture is best!

who and what the Fundraiser is for (if different)

• This letter is to request a donation for myself (first and last name) and my fiancé (first and last name) to use at our Stag & Doe (or insert type of Fundraiser) that we can use to raffle off for our Prize Table

say something unique about your sitaution

• I can appreciate that you get a lot of donation requests, but we hope that you consider our circumstance a bit different. (insert your story in one sentence. Here is an example – My fiancé and I met in high school and we have been dating for the past 12 years. He has been overseas for work and has finally moved back to Ontario so we we have decided that now is the right time to tie the knot and start our new journey together!)

what type of donation you are looking for

• Specifically, we are hoping that your company is either able to donate a $50 gift card, a free service, or a gift that we use to raffle off, however we would be grateful for whatever it is that you are able to donate!

when the event is

• Our event is being held on (insert date with year)

where the event is

• at the (insert hall name with city)

how many you expect to show up (be realistic and don’t inflate the number!)

• We have already invited (insert number of people) and are expecting approximately (insert number of people) to attend our event in person

why you thought of this particular company

• We love your company because we love (insert reason – your prices, your location, your staff, your line of products, etc. But be specific)

your favourite product

• We especially love your (insert item that they sell that you legitimately enjoy. Google their company to get specifics and to spell things right, and don’t sound too general)

how you anticipate people will react to their gift card/prize, etc.

• We know this will be a popular prize to win because (insert your reason such as – there will be a lot of golfers there, there are lots of people with young children in attendance, lots of moms who love wine, etc)

show your appreciation

• We would be so grateful for whatever it is that you can to do help us out

how they can contact you – give several options (text, email, phone)

• Please contact me anytime by text/call (905-555-5555) or by email (x@x.com)

tell them you will follow up if you don’t hear from them

• If I do not hear from you within the next week, I will be following up with you as I am so excited about the prospect of using your product/service for a prize!

put your name down and sign

• Thank you for your time, (insert name & then sign below)

Other Tips:

• Staple an actual ticket of the Fundraiser to accompany it – it just shows it is more legitimate.
• Do not make your letter sound vague (I am requesting a donation) but instead be straight to the point and clearly state what you want (I am requesting a gift certificate for $50).
• Do not make it too generic like this one (I am asking for a donation to my stag and doe and appreciate your help). Boring!  Make yours stand out because they literally get these weekly if not daily, so make yours stand out from the rest, so they remember you.  Make it personal with something they can relate to you about.  Talk about how you and your hubby met if it is a romantic story, the kids you have, how much you love shopping there, or a memory of the first time you purchased from them, or a favourite product that you cannot live without.  Add a picture of you with your spouse or kids, as it is makes it much more personal.
• Just remember you are in competition with a LOTTTTT of others, so make your letter and story special.

How to Start the Donation Process

• Create a list of friends, family, and co-workers who may be able to provide donations for your event – those who may own their own business or hold a management role.
• Write a list of everyone you know that have a small network marketing business (Avon, Arbonne, Scentsy, DoTerra, etc)
• Next make a list of local businesses that you hope can provide you with gift certificates or free stuff, and that you think your guests would like to bet on.
• Make it a team effort and get all of your committee members to help.

Who is Donating?

• We could give you a list, but this list is forever changing. What might have worked for one person, won’t work for the next.
• Companies have a certain amount to give out each year, so if you are coming to them in September, they probably have already met their quota and won’t be able to help you.
• With that said, there are some tried and true companies that seem to never run out of donations:
• Splitsville in Hamilton, Steam Whistle in Toronto, Lazer Mania in Hamilton, Club 54 in Burlington, Ice Dogs in St. Catharines, Ray’s Reptiles in Hamilton, and Hooters in Niagara Falls religiously donate without a fight.  
• You can email Steam Whistle and they will mail the tickets to you!
• You can try Molson if you are selling their beer – they usually donate some paraphernalia but not 100% of the time.
• But in the Niagara region especially, we have many Stag & Doe Facebook pages that share these company names. What happens, is that 100 people read it that day, and then they all email that company. The company gets overwhelmed and shuts it down! This is why we say the list is forever changing.
• One of the best ways to get donations is to ask a company where you you have an “in” – so you would ask for it in person at their place of business or by writing a professional letter.
• Any mid-sized to large company may have to clear their donations through their head office with the use of your letter anyhow, so this is probably the best avenue.
• You can also ask some network marketing companies, as they are often eager to sell their brand and get their name out.  
• You can attempt to try out some Wineries or smaller businesses that you frequent, such as your massage therapist.
• You are better off talking to businesses, that YOU do business with.  Get your committee members to help as well, as they will have special businesses that they do business with and might have a relationship with.  That helps!

The Do’s and Don’ts of Asking for Donations

The Do’s

• Go in person wherever possible!
• Asking in person usually gets a better response than using the phone or email.
• It puts people on the spot a little more and they are more likely to say yes, since it is so easy to type “sorry I cannot help you out”.
• SMILE! Look happy and be positive. Make them remember you.
• Always bring a typed letter for them, that has their company name printed on it – make it look like an official request.
• Visit restaurants at a convenient time for them when they are able to get the manager.  The best way to do it is WHILE you are eating there.  Ask the manager to come to the table and hand them the letter in person. They want you to be happy so may comply on the spot!
• You can always try some free online ads begging for help on some Facebook Stag & Doe pages or through Kijiji, but you won’t get too much of a response that way, since this method is totally overused and annoying for people to read over and over.

The Dont’s

• Don’t facebook message everyone in your friends list asking… Nobody will respond! Especially if some of these people you NEVER talk to or maybe haven’t talked to in 10 years.
• They will be offended that you are asking when you haven’t communicated with them in such a long time.
• It will put people off, so only choose people who you have some sort of a relationship with, or maybe who YOU have helped in the past.
• Don’t waste your time going to the mall and talking to the managers of places like LuLu Lemon or the Gap which are mostly corporately owned.  
• They won’t do squat for you!  
• Those types of companies only deal with super large fundraisers for the United Way as an example and get inundated with tons of donation requests, so they won’t have time for your tiny Stag & Doe.  Sorry, but it’s the truth!
• Don’t go restaurant to restaurant in a food court but instead go to stand alone restaurants that have franchisees – such as Boston Pizza or another one that you frequent
• Don’t visit them at busy times when they are more likely to “shoo” you away.

What to do AFTER leaving the letter with them/emailing them?

• Get the person’s name that you left your letter with and thank them for their time.
• Make sure to follow up within 3 days of them receiving the letter, by saying – I am just checking in to see if the request has been reviewed as I am excited to see if you can help!  
• Do not leave voicemails, as they often will not be returned.  
• Just keep calling till you reach them, or ask when a better time would be to call back.
• Make a list of all places you leave your letter with, who you left it with, the date it was, and if you followed up with them
• Don’t hound them! Just be pleasantly persistent – its our favourite term to use

They said “YES”

• Make sure to show your gratitude!
• Make an announcement on your Facebook Event page about the new prize and get people excited about it
• Make a sign with all the businesses that donated and hang this up at your Fundraiser.
• Include business cards or print their logo on this sign
• Show your appreciation as they don’t have to help you, they chose to help you.

They said “No”

• If they refuse to help you with a free donation, you can always ask for this option instead: Some places will match what you buy – so if you buy a $50 gift card, they will give you a $50 gift card.  
• Another alternative is to ask for a discount on a service – so would you be willing to offer 50% off your Massage Services (this is IF they refuse to give you something for free).
• If they say no – still thank them for their time!  They don’t have to help you out, and are inundated with people asking the same things, so if they helped everyone, they would not be in business!

Couples Package

This is what we have seen as being a common Couples Package, and we have seen them for somewhere between $40 – $60. We think this is a fair offering and it is the most popular package purchased.

• 4 beer tickets
• 2 refreshment tickets
• 4-6 grand prize tickets
• 2 penny sale sheets (or 2 arms lengths of Raffle Tickets)

Singles Package

The Singles will have about half the amount offered in a Couples Package, and it would be about half the price, plus a tiny bit more. It is common to see the Singles Packages for around $25 – $35. It might include:

• 2-3 beer tickets
• 1 refreshment ticket (optional)
• 2 grand prize tickets
• 1 penny sale sheet (or an arms length of Raffle Tickets)

DD Package

This Package won’t have any alcoholic beverage tickets and will be the cheapest package offered. We commonly see this Package listed for between $15 – $25. It might include:

• 2-3 refreshment tickets
• 2-3 grand prize tickets
• 1 penny sale sheet (or an arms length of Raffle Tickets)

Nevertheless, having Ticket Packages is a great way to earn more money.  Otherwise, a couple may approach the booth, and just get 2 beer tickets, 1 grand prize ticket, and 1 penny sale sheet only.  So you are definitely encouraging people to buy more by offering Packages! Important Note: You cannot specifically say that they end up getting a free beer by getting a package.  Instead you must be careful by saying that the liquor prices have not been discounted somewhere on your sign.

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Separate Signage

You will also want to have a separate sign advertising what they are per ticket, because some people are just more comfortable with that. Or they might have already bought a Package and just need 1 more drink. So make sure that is clearly outlined on a sign right next to it, how much you are selling per refreshment ticket, liquor ticket, beer ticket, penny sale sheet, or raffle ticket, or even game ticket. Just make sure you are not discounting drinks, as that is illegal (buy 1 drink ticket for $5 or 5 drinks for $20).

Here are some ideas (and have a pic of the ticket beside it as people are visual):

• Liquor Ticket: $5 (if in Hamilton region, $4 if in Niagara region, $6 if in Halton region)
• Refreshment Ticket: $2
• Raffle Ticket: $10 for 5 tickets, $15 for arms length, $20 for wing span
• Penny Sale Sheet: $10
• 50/50 Tickets: 5 for $5, or 15 for $10
• Grand Prize Ticket: $5 each or 3 for $10

Keep it Simple!

Just don’t confuse people with having too many options, or don’t confuse them by being too wordy or having a busy sign. Keep in mind that a confused mind says NO and will instead opt for the simplest thing, and therefore you could lose out on potential profit!

If you have some different ideas on pricing, make some comments below!

The Formula

So we have a formula for you! Just follow this formula, and it will help guide you to decide how many drinks to purchase ahead of time. Some people will have 6 drinks, others will have 1. We are using an estimate of 4 per person to simplify things, and encourage you to do the same. It is probably more like 2-3, but we have inflated it, because is easy to return later on if you purchased too many.

Beer

Take the number of people expected to come x 0.3 (30% of guests drink beer) x 4 (4 drinks per person) / 24 (number of beers per case) = number of cases of 24 beers to buy. If you are using 3 kinds of beer, take that number and divide it buy 3 so you know how many of each brand of beer to buy (assuming you think people will drink all equally). Change this to 28 if you buy cases of 28.

ie) 150 expected to come x 0.3 = 45 people will drink beer
45 people x 4 drinks each = 180 beers to buy
180 beers / 24 per case = 7.5 cases to buy in total
7.5 cases / 3 brands = 3 cases of 24 beers, of EACH brand to buy

Hard Liquor

Take the number of people expected to come x 0.4 (40% of guests drink beer) x 4 (4 drinks per person) = number of people who will have mixed drinks. Give this number to the LCBO and they will advise you how many bottles of each to get – they are the experts in this area!

ie) 150 people expected x 0.4 = 60 people will drink mixed drinks
60 people x 4 per person = 240 mixed drinks will need to be made
Now give this number to the LCBO and they will direct you on what to buy

Mixers for Hard Liquor

Take number above from Hard Liquor and divide it by the number of mixers you want (usually gingerale, coke, cranberry juice, orange juice) assuming you think it will be equal amounts. So in this case you would divide that number by 4, and this will tell you how many people will be drinking each type of mixer. We will call this “X”. Then look at how many millilitres of mixer would be added to each cup, and multiply that by X, then divide that by how many millilitres are in each bottle/carton. This will tell you how many bottles or cartons to buy of EACH mixer.

ie) 240 (number from above which was how many mixed drinks to be made)
Take that number of 240 / 4 types of mixers = 60 people will be drinking a mixed drink
50ml of mixer will be added to each drink x 60 people = 3000 ml is needed in total of mixers
3000ml needed in total of mixers / 1000 (each bottle has 1000ml) = 3 bottles 
So 3 bottles of EACH mixer is what you need to buy

Wine

Take the number of people attending and multiply it by 0.1 (10% of guests will drink wine only) x 4 (4 drinks per person) = number of glasses of wine to pour in total. Assuming that your guests will equally enjoy red and white, divide this number by 2 to find out how many glasses of wine you will need to put for red AND white. You should really just stick with super generic brands that will appeal to the most amount of people. Make sure to have a white AND red option, but don’t have any more than the two to choose from. Buying boxed wine is the easiest to work with, and the cheapest for you in the long run.

ie) 150 people expected to come x 0.1 = 15 people will be wine drinkers
15 people x 4 drinks per person = 60 drinks of wine to be served
60 drinks / 2 types of wine = 30 red to be served, 30 white to be served 
Take this number to the LCBO and they will help you decide which one to get

Pop

Take the number of people expected to come x 0.1 (10% of guests will drink pop only) x 4 (4 drinks per person) = number of cans to buy for people just drinking pop. If you have 3 types of pop, then take that number and divide by 3 and this will tell you how many people will be drinking each kind of pop. Remember to add this number to whatever you got from the previous calculation.

ie) 150 people expected to come x 0.1 = 15 people will drink pop
15 people drinking pop x 4 drinks per person = 60 cans of pop to buy
60 cans of pop / 3 types of pop = 20 cans of each type of pop to buy for people ONLY drinking pop. 
 This doesn't include the mixers so add that number to this one.

Water

Take the number of people expected to come x 0.1 (10% of guests will drink water bottles only) x 4 (4 drinks per person) = number of bottles to buy for people just drinking pop. Take this number and divide it by how many bottles are in a case, and that is how many cases of water you should buy. We think Costco sells them in cases of 30 which is the best bang for your buck!

ie) 150 people expected to come x 0.1 = 15 people will drink water
15 people drinking water x 4 bottles per person = 60 bottles needed
60 bottles / 30 per case = 2 cases to buy

Buy Extra!

Isn’t math fun?! Confused? Don’t be! It is fairly straight forward, just get your calculator out and take good notes. Now whatever you just learned in this above example, add a few on of each!! If you buy too much, just keep your receipts and return the extra pop cases you bought, or juice cartons you bought. Just ensure that they are still sealed. The LCBO and Beer Store will allow returns under some conditions. The AGCO Website says:

When returning unopened alcohol purchased from a government store, you must produce the permit and a copy of your payment records (e.g. receipts and/or invoices). Check with the retailer at which you purchased the alcohol for further details.

https://www.agco.ca/sites/default/files/sop1575_english_oct2018.pdf

Typically, The Beer Store will allow up to 20% of the beer you purchased to be returned, as long as it is a perforated case (not glued), you have your Special Occasions Permit with you, the seals of the case are not broken, and it is a full case that is unopened. The LCBO will allow returns as long as you have your receipt and it can be a saleable item again (not used).

Also one quick note, is we recommend to have a table near the bar off to the side, which has plastic cups and a jug of water.  That way the bartender won’t be overwhelmed with orders like this, when people can just do this themselves!  Shortens the line a bit and gives them a break.  All you have to do is put someone on water duty to ensure it is always full!

Hall Runs Bar

Let us assume that the hall is running the bar, and they charge $4 per drink.  You can charge $5 per drink, so that you still make $1 off each beer sold. In most cases the hall runs the bar, so make sure they have a good variety of alcohol in stock. Generally, the hall rental will be much cheaper if they supply the alcohol since this will create more income for the hall.  This can save you a ton of headaches as you do not have to worry about purchasing the alcohol in advance, transporting it there, finding people to run the bar with you, ensure they have their Smart Serve, etc.

You Run your Own Bar

If you run your bar instead and charged $5 per drink, the profit is much higher as the beer probably only cost you $2 from the case – however like we mentioned, there is a lot more to it!  You have to take into account the cost of straws, beer cups, ice, bartenders, Permit to sell alcohol, etc. Running your own bar will include more work and more initial investment, not to mention liabilities. Make sure that you aware of your city by-laws as well. Have someone you trust serve the drinks who is Smart Served, or you can have a buddy obtain their Smart Serve Certification online for $34.95+tax.

So What does Jack of all Spades Recommend?

Should I run my own bar or get the hall to run the bar?  Such a common question we get!  If you are expecting a drinking crowd, then you will want to run the bar yourself as the profits are enticing.  But if you don’t want the hassle and money might not be your driving force, then have the hall run the bar on your behalf.  Your choice!

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Here is a a quote from a spokesperson representing the AGCO (Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario):

“If someone wants to have a party, the private event [Special Occasions Permit] allows them to serve alcohol at a location where there is no permit.  …Alcohol can be sold, but not to make a profit, or it can be served at no charge. Because the event is private, it cannot be advertised. …If the facility does have a permit …the event may be advertised, and alcohol may be sold at a profit since it’s being served by trained staff.”

In this article, she was also quoted saying:

A public event with a special occasion permit, often run by a charity, not for profit organization or religious group, can advertise and profit from the sale of alcohol, with the intent of putting the proceeds back into the community for projects or programs. However, a buck and doe falls under the category of private event, where no advertising is allowed and alcohol isn’t meant to be a money maker.

We have heard some say that the AGCO recommends that when it comes to alcohol sales, permit holders can’t make a profit.  Instead, permit holders will have to come up with an expense sheet outlining how their alcohol revenue will ONLY cover their expenses.

We see a big trend in pig roasts and pulled pork – we are confused by this.  That is expensive!  Your guests will be just as happy to have some cheaper options that don’t include meat which will cost you an arm and a leg.  Plus with all the vegans and vegetarians taking over the world, you don’t want to neglect their needs. 🙂

Whatever you do, do not appear “chintzy.” The days of chips, cheesies, and pop won’t cut it on their own! Buy several different munchies that you can put around on the tables, as you may not serve dinner/snacks for a couple of hours, and you want to keep your guests happy while they are there.  Encourage people to stay by having a good variety of foods. We are huge fans of Costco’s Chicago Mix – a huge crowd pleaser and it will make them thirsty too.

Remember to also bring along enough plates, bowls, forks, spoons, knives, paper towels, napkins, etc.  Sometimes people try to just serve finger foods so they don’t need any utensils. Many people forget about these small things until the week of – just keep your eyes open for sales and stock up!  You can always return what you don’t open so hang onto the receipts.

Designate 1-2 people to be in charge of clearing the used plates and cutlery throughout the night to cut down on the time needed at the end of the night for cleanup.  Designate someone else to refill chip bowls, and have several helpers in the kitchen to look after the food.

You may want to consider using a ticket spreadsheet to keep track of who is selling which numbered tickets. Encourage as many people as possible to pay upfront, which will help prevent you from confirming an inaccurate number of guests with the hall.  You might also want to offer everyone that buys a ticket, to be able to win a door prize, even if they are not there.  So rip that admission ticket part off for the door prize, have them write their name and number on it, and set it aside for them. This will encourage people to buy tickets, and maybe more than one if the prize is good enough!  Or sometimes people allow them to be part of one of the grand prizes, but offer the guests that actually show up the chance to win the “super grand prize” which will encourage everyone to come!

Some people offer a special rate for couples such as this: $10 for one person, or $15 per couple.  We think that the spouse is going to come no matter what – it would be weird if you approached your aunt and she only purchased one ticket and not one for her husband.  So if she is going to buy two anyhow, don’t offer a special rate.  If you are in the Niagara region, the going rate is $5 per ticket.  Once you get to Grimsby/Stoney Creek/Hamilton, the price is more like $10.  Once you get to Burlington/Oakville, the price is more like $15 each.  Don’t get us started on Toronto prices… but we see them closer to the $20 range.  If you include a full dinner at a fancy hall, then feel free to charge more.  We like the $10 price range – as it doesn’t scare people away!

If you make the admission ticket price $12 for example, you will probably have to keep breaking people’s twenties over and over so plan to have a ton of change.  If instead you made the admission price an even number like $5, $10, $15 or $20, this is more efficient and you will be less likely to make a calculation error.

As far as how much change to prepare for, we really cannot answer that as it depends on how many people you have coming, how much you are charging for games and drinks, etc.  Money is money, so if you have too much “change” it is not as though it will go to waste. Worst case scenario is you bring your coins and bills back to the bank to exchange for bigger bills. You are already going to the bank to deposit the large sum of money you just made at your Fundraiser, so get way more than you are anticipating. You just trade it back in for bigger bills when you are done.  Just ensure that the front door has a ton of change, and each person manning a game or selling raffle tickets or jello shooters will wear a Money Apron, so they too will need a small float.  Throughout the night they can get more change if they run out from the front door people who carry a larger float.  You will want them to empty out the money collected thus far too, to minimize the amount of cash being carried around and possibly lost! In addition, empty out the Cash Box throughout the night and keep it somewhere safe. If you are collecting thousands or tens of thousands of dollars throughout the night, your Cash Box will be overflowing!

If you are playing a Toonie Toss game, you CAN reuse the toonies, so don’t go crazy on having TONS of toonie change.  People never think of this!

You will need helpers to:

• Get donations
• Wrap prizes
• Make signs
• Sell tickets
• Organize FB Event page
• Pick up the games from us
• Set up the games
• Organize seating & tables
• Get munchies on all the tables and replenish during the night
• Run the games + relief workers for the games
• Sell the drinks (if needed)
• Sell raffle tickets & jello shooters (walking around the room selling)
• Collect admission tickets and money for draws
• Do some food prep
• Serve the food on the buffet table
• Clear the plates
• Someone to keep everyone on task
• People to set up your music and take care of that (if you did not hire a DJ)
• Run the raffle table
• Look after the cash that will begin to pile up!
• Load all the empties and extra food and drink into a vehicle
• Pack up the games, load them into a vehicle
• Bring back the games

Here is what PAL Insurance Canada’s website says about what they cover:

This program provides protection when lawsuits are brought against individuals, organizations or companies who host single/multi-day functions with alcohol service. Designed for event hosts who are holding reception-type events in a rented facility. A valid liquor permit or license must be in place for service of alcohol.
Events with live entertainment OR sports DO NOT qualify for this policy.
Note: DJ’s are not considered as live entertainment

https://www.palcanada.com/index.php/en-us/event-hosts/party-alcohol-liability

So just click here to fill out their simple online application, or feel free to shop around. Definitely ask your hall if they offer it though, as this could save you some time and money.

They can give a raffle ticket to the person running the Golf Putt Challenge game for example vs. actual money and get a shot at it.  Just like they do when you go to a town fair – you give them money, they give you game tickets, and that is how you play their games.  The other way around things from what we have heard, is to not give away money as a prize, but instead an actual tangible prize.  If it is donated then even better!

One other important thing to note, is that they say Games of Skill are good but Games of Chance are bad.  So games like Hockey Shootout, Hole in One, Bra Pong, Bean Bag Toss – these all requires skill.  Other games like the Wheels and Plinko are all won by chance.  With that said, the Crown & Anchor and Plinko, are our most popular rentals, so figure that one out!

A spokesperson from the AGCO was quoted saying that Games of Skill are acceptable as well as a few other ideas:

As for games of chance and 50-50 tickets, she said people holding a stag and doe can try different ones (games of skill are allowed) or an auction, or simply charge more for tickets.

So that is why it is important to ask the hall if they have a gambling license because then you are permitted to run raffles.  In this article, they are quoted saying that there are 5 ways to make money at your fundraiser:

– Ticket Sales
– Donations
– Silent Auctions – get prizes donated, but no liquor bottles.  You can get LCBO or Beer Store gift certificates and have people write their bids down on a piece of paper. Try to get the Bride’s side bidding against the Groom’s side to increase the bid amounts
– Live Auction (same as above except with a lively auctioneer!)
– Games of Skill – not chance (putting contests, scoring contests, nailing the log, guessing how many jelly beans in a jar etc.) and then all of the funds raised through these methods go directly to the Bride and Groom

So now that we have cleared that all up for you, are things clear as mud now?!

How Many Prizes Should I Get

• Be weary of one thing – sometimes people think the more prizes, the better.
• It always looks impressive when the prize tables are absolutely loaded with loot.
• Consider that it takes time to draw a ticket for a prize, so more prizes mean more time drawing, and guests can become agitated.
• If you have a lot of smaller prizes, consider consolidating them into “Prize Packs” or letting the DJ give some away for spot dances – a great way to get your guests up dancing and enjoying themselves.
• A good problem to have, is that you have TOO many prizes to give away.
• If this is your case, then use these prizes for games, rather than giving away money.
• Plan to have 1 huge Grand Prize, 2-3 smaller but still big prizes, and then a Raffle Table of about 20 -30 prizes.  You can consolidate some of them into baskets as we mentioned before.  Too many, and it will take too long to coordinate.  Too little, and nobody will want to buy tickets!
• Consider renting our Raffle Containers as you see pictured above. Keeps things neat and tidy!

One of our past Stag & Doe hosts held her own event in June 2018, and 99.9% of her prizes were donated — so pretty much… All. Of. Them. She bought an LCBO gift card for the toonie toss, but besides that, she was not out of pocket for anything. She worked hard for months getting prizes, heard a quadrillion “NO’s”, but her persistence paid off. Definitely get help though, as it’s a huge undertaking. Good luck with requesting Donations for Fundraisers — see our other pages to help with Writing your Donation Request Letters and how to ask!

It is a good idea to draw a couple of prizes publicly and either have the DJ announce the other winners in between songs or rent our Dry Erase Boards to post the winning numbers silently. This is a good way to keep the sale of Raffle Tickets going, as your guests will be constantly reminded about the prizes people keep winning. As the night goes on, the prizes get more expensive and more appealing, thus encouraging people to stay longer and spend more money.

Another idea is to have people write their names on the Raffle Tickets before they put them in a Raffle Container. This way, the announcer does not have to read the numbers eight times before people hear him correctly, they will understand a person’s name much easier and it will go faster.  Also, if they are not there anymore, you can get them the prize another day.  So people don’t have to stick around…. however you kind of want them too!  The longer they are there for, the more they will spend on drinks and games, so you choose what is best.