In 1992/1993 the Community Assistance Raffle was launched by the Rotary Club of Ballarat South to provide funds to community associations. The goal of the raffle was to provide a risk free, fund-raising opportunity to non-for-profit organisations and leverage the funds donated to community organisations by the Rotary Club of Ballarat South. The Rotary Club of Ballarat South provided prizes and the community organisations sold the raffle tickets.
The benefit to the organisations selling the tickets is that the prizes have considerable value, all licensing and organisation of the raffle is handled by the Rotary Club of Ballarat South. This allows many smaller organisations to access a raffle in scope that may be beyond their resources to organise. Each year the Rotary Club of Ballarat South subsidised the raffle to the tune of $20,000. These funds were multiplied by around eight times as a benefit to the participating clubs.
Initially 143 organisations participated in the raffle and generated $156,121 for the participating clubs.
In the following years, the raffle continued to grow, with more organizations participating and higher ticket sales. For instance, in 1993/94, 179 organizations sold 84,492 tickets, raising $168,984 . The raffle’s success was attributed to word-of-mouth endorsements and the dedication of the raffle committee members. By 1995/96, the raffle had achieved a record income of $187,544 with 148 participating organizations .
Various prizes were offered over the years, including cars, travel vouchers, and shopping sprees. The major prize often included a Ford Fairlane or a similar vehicle, which was displayed at selling sites to attract ticket buyers . The raffle’s geographical reach extended from Melbourne to Hopetoun, Bordertown to Terang, and Ocean Grove to Daylesford .
The sheer volume of tickets meant a large rainwater tank had to be converted into raffle barrel. The winning ticket was usually drawn by the Mayor of Ballarat at the Ballarat market, a.k.a, Trash n Trivia market operated by the club. Prizes have been won by locals but also people throughout the State
Despite some fluctuations in participation and ticket sales, the raffle consistently raised significant funds for the participating organizations. For example, in 1996/97, 155 organizations sold tickets worth $189,588 , and in 1998/99, 139 organizations raised $196,539.
The raffle faced challenges, but it continued to adapt and innovate. In 2004/05, the first prize was changed from a Ford Fairlane to a Ford Territory AWD, which proved to be extremely popular. In later years new prizes were introduced, such a Commodore, Kia, Mazda 3, Ford Escape and other brands, a $5,000 fuel voucher, a travel voucher and more.
Over the years, the raffle raised substantial funds for various clubs and organizations. By 2006, the total amount raised had reached $2,541,534 .
The COVID pandemic meant that the raffle had to go into recess for two years, much to the disadvantage of the selling organisations who were dependent on the money raised.
The figures generated by the Community Assistance Raffle are impressive with almost $5,000,000 given to participating non-for-profit organisations since the Community Assistance began in 1992. The money raised has been distributed widely and has been vital for the continued survival of the participating clubs.
The Future
In 2025 the Community Assistance Raffle is going on-line. No more paper tickets and cash. This will reduce the workload for the participating clubs as they will not need to distribute tickets, collect cash and return the ticket stubs to the RCBS.
We are moving with the trend to make everything electronic, especially as many people no longer carry cash.
Tickets sales can be made anywhere displaying the unique URL code, giving the raffle the ability to reach a greater buying audience and raise more funds for the participating clubs. Tickets can still be sold in person at events using a flyer showing a QR code that the purchaser can scan with their phone.
We believe this will have a great boost for ticket sales.