Looking for out-of-the-box, creative ways to raise funds for your non-profit? Stuck on how to bring a unique twist to your next fundraising gala? A wine pull may be just the thing you need! It can be a smart way to increase your donations and funds raised without doing anything too taxing or pricey.
But what is it, why is it effective for raising funds, and how can you run your own wine pull? We’ll answer all these questions below to give you a kickstart into the wonderful world of wine for fundraising.
A wine pull is a fundraising activity or method to complement an auction, gala, or another fundraiser. It works much like a silent auction or raffle where attendees buy a ticket for the opportunity to win a wine bottle.
You organize a wide range of wine bottles on a wall, table, or shelf. These must be covered in wrapping paper, a bag, a box, or another container that hides what kind of wine it is.
Attendees can then pick a random bottle from the collection. A lucky participant may pull an expensive bottle worth aging. Another may find a bottle that costs even less than what they paid for the pull. Either way, they can go home with or instantly uncork a bottle of wine!
The anticipation of reeling in a big win or gambling away their money will be enough to tempt people into playing. So you can be sure that this will be a popular activity that few will want to refuse.
On average, the entry price for a pull is about $25. It’s not too expensive that people would rather not sign on, however, you can still make a significant amount of money from it. With just ten entries, you can make up to $250.
Finally, a wine pull requires very little effort and won’t become an additional strain on your resources or event-planning time. It’s easy to put together and manage and your guests can enjoy their wine immediately at their tables.
Setting up a wine pull table or wine wall is no challenging task. You can do it with very little hassle and tailor it to your event and available resources. Here are the basic steps to follow when planning the pull:
You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on the wine bottles you use for the pull. There are many ways for you to spend very little or next to nothing on the wine for your pull. For one, you can approach local vineyards, stores, and supermarkets for donations. Offer them advertising space by listing them as event sponsors in exchange for a few cases of wine. Another option could be asking shops for discounts on bottles you purchase if they can’t afford to simply give you the bottles.
Your organizational network can also come in handy for sourcing the wines you will use. Ask your volunteers, employees, board members, and other internal supporters if they have any bottles to donate.
You can also ask past donors to give money for you to buy the wine or to donate bottles. Alternatively, you can make a bottle of wine the entrance fee to another event you host in preparation for the pull.
The important thing during this step is to look at the community you live in for help and leverage your existing network.
Once you have the bottles, you need to find ways to decorate them so guests don’t know what bottle they’ve picked. Get creative with your bottle decor by matching it to your party colors and the fundraiser theme.
You want to make sure the wine pull stands out and draws attendees to participate.
For the wine pull sign-up, you can have two options – digital and manual sign-ups. Participants should be able to sign up digitally before the event. You can use digital auction software to manage this process, so guests can purchase their wine pull tickets online and make payments, too.
Our auction software enables you to sell tickets for the wine pull using our raffle or admission tickets features.
If any guests want to participate but don’t sign up before the event, this digital sign-up method is also available for mobile devices. So, they can still buy a ticket on their smartphones while at the event.
To get people excited about the wine pull and buying tickets before, you need to include it in your event advertising. For example, if you’re hosting a silent auction you can add a small notice on your poster reading, “Plus a special wine pull! Just $25…”
Make it clear that the wine pull is its own fundraising section requiring separate payment. That way, people know to budget for a ticket beforehand or payment on the night.
You can also build hype around the fundraising activity by sharing some of the more expensive wines you’ve sourced for the pull. Share the name, wine type, and price of the bottle. You may even draw some wine enthusiasts to your event just because of the pull.
Finally, do not limit the wine pull to the beginning or end of the night. Allow people to step up to the table or wall throughout the night to select their bottles. They can then choose to collect it at the end of the night or enjoy it at their table immediately.
Witnessing people pick their wines, celebrate their pull, and some uncork and enjoy at their tables may invite others to participate, too.
A wine pull is an awesome fundraising activity to help you bring in a different audience, raise more money, and add a little spice to your event. Uncork a whole new element for your events! We guarantee it will be just the pairing you need for your auctions and other fundraisers.
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