The Colleen Ritzer Memorial Fund was established in 2014 following the passing of Colleen Ritzer, a young and much-loved teacher at Danvers High School in Massachusetts. The Fund honours Colleen’s memory by providing scholarships to students who plan to become teachers.
Each May, the community comes together for Step Up for Colleen, an annual 5K walk and run that has been held since the Fund began. In recent years, a raffle has become part of the event, helping raise additional funds for the scholarship program.
Traditionally, raffle tickets were sold in person when participants collected their race materials. While this gave attendees another way to support the Fund, it required a great deal of work and limited participation to people who could be there in person.
Moving the raffle online with GalaBid gave the volunteer team a simpler way to manage it and allowed them to promote it through social media and email, reaching supporters beyond the event itself.
“When we switched to GalaBid this past year, it just made everything so much easier and it got our raffle a lot more exposure from people who weren’t coming to see us in person.”
Kristen Walsh, Director of Public Relations for the Colleen Ritzer Memorial Fund, shares what the team learned from its first online raffle, how it sourced around 30 prizes and the practical steps that helped make the campaign work.
A Memorial Fund Supporting Future Teachers
The main annual event for the Colleen Ritzer Memorial Fund is Step Up for Colleen, a 5K walk and run held on the first weekend in May.
In recent years, the Fund added a raffle to the event, giving participants the opportunity to buy tickets when collecting their race materials.
The Limits of an In Person Raffle
The original raffle worked, but it also created a great deal of manual work. Sales were concentrated around packet pick-up (this is when people taking part in a running event collect their race materials before the event e.g. race bib), which meant participation was largely limited to people already attending the event.
“In the past, our raffle was in person, which sounds great, but the logistics were a pain, and there was a lot of legwork.”
By moving the raffle to GalaBid, the Fund could promote it through social media and email. Supporters no longer had to be at packet pickup to enter, giving the campaign a wider audience and the team more room to grow the raffle in future years.
Fundraiser takeaway If raffle sales depend on one physical location or a short collection window, moving online can extend the campaign to supporters who cannot attend in person.
Trying GalaBid as a Supporter First
Kristen first encountered GalaBid when she bought a ticket in a raffle run by another local nonprofit, the Sidney Olson Rainbow Fund. Because she was already considering an online raffle, the experience gave her a useful test of the supporter journey.
“I had wanted to move our raffle online, so I almost did it as a test to see how it worked. And it was super easy.”
Afterwards, Kristen asked the Sidney Olson Rainbow Fund about its experience. The recommendation was positive, so she opened an account for the Colleen Ritzer Memorial Fund. The ability to fulfil some prizes digitally was another practical advantage for a volunteer team.
“The less legwork, the better when you’re running a big raffle.”
Fundraiser takeaway: Before choosing a platform, set-up a test campaign and run through the user experience. You can also speak to another fundraiser who has used it or read online reviews from other fundraisers.
Choosing Prizes People Want to Win
Prize sourcing remained the most time-consuming part of the raffle. Kristen focused on experiences such as event tickets, museum tours, hotel stays and concert tickets. The final selection included around 30 prizes, ranging from goat yoga to a boxing club membership.
“I like to focus on experiences. I like things people can win where they’re actually doing an activity, so that’s always my focus.”
Her approach starts with local research. She searches for businesses and organizations that accept raffle donation requests, including sports teams, hotels and concert venues. Rather than sending a general email or social media message, she checks how each donor prefers to receive requests. Many have a formal application process and ask for details such as nonprofit status and event size.
“A lot of companies get a lot of inquiries, but if you actually follow their preferred steps, you’re much more likely to get an item.”
The team also considered whether to bundle prizes. Bundles can be appealing, but keeping prizes separate gives entrants more choice and creates more winners. For this raffle, the Fund generally listed prizes individually.
Fundraiser takeaway: Look for experience-based prizes in your local area and follow each donor’s stated application process. Decide whether bundling adds value or simply combines prizes that appeal to different people. If you’re struggling to source items a third party item provider, like GalaBid, can be a big help.
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Support When Questions Come Up
A first online campaign comes with practical questions. Kristen used GalaBid’s chat support, managed by real people, several times while learning the platform and valued receiving clear answers when she needed them.
“The customer service is really good, and they always get me an answer, so that’s refreshing.”
With the first online raffle complete, the team now understands the process and can build on it next year.
The Fund is also using GalaBid for a golf ball drop, in which supporters buy a numbered ball before a helicopter drops up to 1,000 balls over a golf course. The ball that lands in the hole wins the prize.
Fundraiser takeaway For a first campaign, choose a platform with responsive support. The questions answered this year become time saved when the event runs again.
Key Lessons for Fundraisers
Extend the raffle beyond the event
An online raffle allows supporters to participate even if they cannot attend packet pickup or the main event.
Test the supporter experience
Enter another organization’s campaign before launching your own, then ask the organizer what worked for them.
Focus on appealing local experiences
Sports, hospitality and entertainment businesses can provide prizes people are excited to win.
Follow the donor’s process
Use the company’s donation form and provide the information requested instead of relying on a general message.
Plan prizes around your audience
List prizes separately when they appeal to different interests or when you want to create more winners.
Make support part of the decision
Responsive help can reduce the learning curve and make the first campaign easier to manage.
A Stronger Foundation for the Next Raffle
The Colleen Ritzer Memorial Fund’s first online raffle reduced the pressure of in-person sales and made it possible to reach supporters through email and social media. It also gave the team a repeatable process for future events.
With the platform in place and the first year’s lessons behind them, Kristen and the Fund can focus on growing participation and raising more for scholarships in Colleen’s name.