Peta O’Brien is not only one of our Ambassadors for Brisbane Coastrek, she is also a BIG fundraiser. Across the two events she has participated in, Peta has already raised over $16K! So, what is her secret to such amazing fundraising and is it hard to do?
What gave you the idea to do a raffle for fundraising?
I chose to do a Raffle because I was trying to think of what people would like. At the end of the day, people are happy to donate to Beyond Blue or support me but if they can do that and maybe walk away with a prize it’s a nice way to pay it forward, everyone loves to win something.
How did you get the first prize when you first ran the raffle?
A friend who has a business donated the first prize, then it made me think maybe other businesses would like to help my cause to raise money for mental health awareness and Beyond Blue - it was easy after that. In 2021 I just wanted three prizes I ended up with 28. This year I wanted to double the prizes and then people were handing me prizes, I have over 70!
Who do you approach for prizes?
I like to offer a good variety of prizes to attract as many different people as possible. So I’ve got everything from pampering prizes, tool kits, hotel stays and fun prizes for kids..
Last year a girlfriend of mine won the tool package. At first I thought, “Oh no!”, but she was absolutely over the moon – she paid it forward and made other people in her life very happy.
What hints or tips do you have for someone else wanting to run a raffle to do their fundraising?
Try to support your local community and small businesses – if they are happy to donate make sure you give them a plug on your socials. I know it’s not easy but all you can do is ask – they might say no but at least you tried!
Also, make sure you have your paperwork sorted - you need to have a letter of request for donation and a Fundraising ID from Beyond Blue.
I also think it's important to say why you are fundraising and the benefit it brings to the community.
What is the most you have raised from running the raffle?
In 2021 I raised just on Raffle Ticket Sales alone $6220, I only had the raffle run for 6 weeks!
Was running the raffle easier than asking people to sponsor you?
Last year I had a lot of people sponsor me early but when the raffle started they also bought tickets. I have found this year, people are waiting for me to do my raffle and buy extra tickets instead of sponsor direct.
On the day of the raffle draw, make it a fun family event, and when you have all the prizes all setup, people see the prizes and buy more tickets.
If you didn’t run the raffle, what would be your next go to for fundraising?
All I can suggest is find something you're good at, or something you find easy to do, to make it fun to fundraise. It might be making something - if you can knit – make and sell scarves, I’m a chef, so last year I did a brownie drive, and I love the idea of having a girls night in..
This year I did a money board – it was a bit of effort to organise, but once it’s set up it was easy. I did a board 1-100, you buy a number for $10 each – a bit like a lucky dip.
I also offered fuel vouchers – not surprisingly, I sold the whole board in 2 weeks! With this idea, if you have friends interstate they can participate too.
Whatever you do to raise funds for your Coastrek journey, make it something you can enjoy with friends and family and everyone will get something out of it!
Do you have an inspiring fundraising story? Contact us HERE so we can inspire others with your story?
