Advice re: Raffle

[RLDubbya]

I'm pulling together a raffle which will benefit The MPN Research Foundation (MPNResearchFoundation.org).

My idea is to raffle off a customized Gayle Bradley 2 folder. I'm looking for feedback in the following areas:

-Is there a better choice than a GB 2? I am leaning towards that because it's popular, and because scales can be easily made and installed.
-What would be a good ticket price? $10? $25? $35?
-Should ticket sales be limited to each person / household so that I don't have somebody purchasing 10 tickets to increase their odds?
-Should customizations be such that the knife can easily be returned to stock?
-I'm trying to emphasize the "official colors" of myelofibrosis, the cancer I have and in which MPN Research Foundation specializes. Those colors are red and orange. I was thinking of having the blade black-coated, and installing custom red / orange scales. Thoughts?

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[paladin]

Since it's a raffle for charity, what difference does it make if some individual bought up , say , 10 x $5 tickets?

I like your idea of fair play, but it's a raffle, and the primary idea is to raise money. The only drawback I can see is that it might slow down ticket sales if prospective ticket buyers realized someone was buying tickets in bulk.

GB2 is pretty readily customizable, and I'd keep the factory handles bundled in as part of the raffle package. So I think that's a good choice.

I'd say tickets around $5 or $10 would be optimal ... where you sell them, however, will be more important than price. Targeting your advertising would be key, IMHO. Non Knife People would not want to enter the raffle even if you gave away tickets for free, think about it.

Some great craftsmen hang out here on the Forum. Lot's of great guys over @ BladeForums, also. Since it's for a good cause, maybe they'll donate / discount some of their fees.

Good luck, keep us posted, and please submit photos of the final raffle prize!

[jdw]

I love my GB1 and I have yet to handle a GB2 but they get great reviews as well.
My dad is battling cancer and I would bet that there are a significant number of people on this board
who could empathize. Best wishes!

[mb1]

My advice would be to stick to a model with a stainless blade since you don't know the type of owner the winner will be. If they don't keep that M4 wiped down and/or oiled, it could surprise them with rust not knowing any better (potentially).

Just a thought. I would love to win a GB2 btw!

Edit: above assumes this is a raffle local to you. If it's a forum raffle, bring it on!

[RLDubbya]

Thanks - I've already been getting estimates from knifemakers associated with BF; I'm also guessing that my primary audience will be BF members, and perhaps another forum or two.

My concerns: a person who only has the cash for one ticket knows that somebody else could well buy 10 tickets, would she/he be likely to say "I don't stand a chance, these aren't fair odds?"

The prize: do we want the GB2 to be able to completely revert to stock? I would ship all stock parts to the winner as part of the package, and if they ever needed cash, they could revert the knife to stock. However, I think that a black blade would look pretty darned cool with red / orange scales. I'm on the fence with this one.

Tickets at $5 is probably too low. I'm easily going to have $500 wrapped up in the prize.

Again - thanks for your feedback!

Since it's a raffle for charity, what difference does it make if some individual bought up , say , 10 x $5 tickets?

I like your idea of fair play, but it's a raffle, and the primary idea is to raise money. The only drawback I can see is that it might slow down ticket sales if prospective ticket buyers realized someone was buying tickets in bulk.

GB2 is pretty readily customizable, and I'd keep the factory handles bundled in as part of the raffle package. So I think that's a good choice.

I'd say tickets around $5 or $10 would be optimal ... where you sell them, however, will be more important than price. Targeting your advertising would be key, IMHO. Non Knife People would not want to enter the raffle even if you gave away tickets for free, think about it.

Some great craftsmen hang out here on the Forum. Lot's of great guys over @ BladeForums, also. Since it's for a good cause, maybe they'll donate / discount some of their fees.

Good luck, keep us posted, and please submit photos of the final raffle prize!

[RLDubbya]

My advice would be to stick to a model with a stainless blade since you don't know the type of owner the winner will be. If they don't keep that M4 wiped down and/or oiled, it could surprise them with rust not knowing any better (potentially).

Just a thought. I would love to win a GB2 btw!

Edit: above assumes this is a raffle local to you. If it's a forum raffle, bring it on!

It will be forum-based, with enthusiasts as the target audience.