A successful fundraiser shouldn’t be a crapshoot, and the critical first step is arming your team with a strong, consistent brand to be used before, during and after the event. WaterTower Theatre harnessed the power of that philosophy when they choose the theme “Viva Las Vegas!” for their annual gala and silent auction campaign. With crooning genius Max Vontaine as their entertainment, they decided that this year’s invitation should resemble a record album featuring this Sinatra-esque singer, with some hip sixties colors and style added. The invitation itself is shaped like a record with the event information on the record sleeve.  

Including a raffle with your fundraiser campaign is a great way to reap extra income beyond those who can attend your event, and tying your raffle theme to your event brand assures widespread recognition of the event.

WaterTower Theatre’s grand prize in this year’s raffle is a trip for two to the Rat Pack city of choice, Las Vegas. Additional prizes include a 2-night pure relaxation stay at the Hilton Anatole including spa treatment at the luxurious V Spa, and a night out on the town for four in Addison. As an additional incentive, the raffle allows everyone to hedge their bets by making every ticket purchaser a winner. The back of each raffle ticket includes an instant win of a $15 gift certificate for Kenny’s Italian Kitchen so the purchase of a $10 raffle ticket has an automatic $15 payoff!

WaterTower reinforced their event brand with casino-style decorations and signage. They raise a large portion of their event contributions through the live auction at their gala, and the design of the auction’s bid paddle was pure genius! WaterTower wanted a paddle that reinforced the event brand but clearly displayed the bid number for the auctioneer. The result is a vinyl record-style design that was both thematic and affordable. Rainmaker replicated the event logo and printed it on CD labels which were affixed to inexpensive black plastic plates purchased from a local party retailer and – voila! - instant record paddles. The bid number was printed on large mailing labels and affixed to both sides of the paddle so they would be easily seen by the auctioneer.

WaterTower Theatre’s 2012 Gala event on Saturday, February 18, is guaranteed to see lots of action.  There’s still time to purchase tickets to this year’s event by contacting Greg Patterson, Director of Development, at 972.450.6227 or write gpatterson@watertowertheatre.org. 

If you prefer an instant win raffle ticket, you can buy one online or call Rachel Mazzanti, Development and Marketing Associate, at 972.450.6275 or email rmazzanti@watertowertheatre.org and she’ll mail your Kenny's Italian Kitchen coupons to you immediately. 

And if you’d like us to help make you a high roller at your next event, call our Firestarter Lisa Bare at 214.827.0770 ext. 105 or email her at Lisa@RainmakerAdv.com.