CharityVillage® Research: Break-open tickets, lotteries pay off for hospitals

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Break-open tickets, lotteries pay off for hospitals
By Joe DeKort,
July 3, 1995; Canadian FundRaiser

Hospitals are usually associated with the standard methods of fundraising - the philanthropic approach, with support coming usually from people who donate to the object or mission of the charity. In the case of hospitals, the donors are usually users of the hospital's services, or their families have received extraordinary care.
For this reason, you would hardly expect hospitals to turn to gaming to fundraise. Think again. Both Marie Kordos, administrator for the Hospital Equipment Lottery Project for People (H.E.L.P.P.) and Sue Carruthers, V.P. & Chief Development Officer for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, have charitable gaming success stories for the hospitals they represent.
Kordos points out that "HELPP did not start as a traditional fundraiser for auxiliaries, but it has become one. For some small hospitals, it is difficult to fundraise on a large scale. HELPP puts them into the game."
HELPP is a break-open ticket lottery program, established in 1989 by the Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario (HAAO). Not only does the hospital benefit from the sale of the tickets, but HAAO channels all profits from the HELPP ticket program back into the health care system. The HELPP lottery ticket has unique hospital symbols on the face of the ticket- the ambulance, wheelchair, crutches, bed pan and the "H" letter. Each ticket costs 50 cents, with prizes going as high as $100. After five years of full operation, HELPP has earned over 13.1 million dollars for 187 hospitals in Ontario.
HELPP Revenue for Ontario Hospitals

1991 $1.6 million
1992 $2.1 million
1993 $2.7 million
1994 $3.1 million
1995 $3.8 million
Kordos believes that hospitals need to present opportunities for all segments of the community to be able to support its health facility. "What other fundraising program allows participation for only fifty cents?" she asks. "Over seventy-five percent of the tickets are purchased by hospital staff, and the rest by visitors and patients. Incredible as it seems, a small community hospital, Lake of the Woods in Kenora, raised over $150,000 selling the HELPP tickets last year."
Last year also saw HELPP introduced into fourteen Alberta healthcare facilities, through the support of the Alberta Healthcare Auxiliaries Association The result: $60,000 raised for hospital equipment and volunteer training. Kordos sees British Columbia as the next step.
Sue Carruthers agrees that charitable gaming introduces opportunities for people who do not usually donate to a healthcare facility to do so. After only six weeks of sales, for example, the Hospital for Sick Children completely sold out the one hundred thousand tickets in its recent lottery, making a net profit of $5.2 millions.
Prior to launching the lottery, with its one-million-dollar grand prize, the hospital surveyed its donors. None of the major donors surveyed thought that having the lottery would have a negative effect on their future donations. They also indicated that they would not likely buy a ticket! Most annual donors surveyed indicated that they would continue to give their regular donation to the hospital, and a few indicated that they would buy a ticket. Most ticket buyers were first time donors to the hospital!
"Not only have we raised a substantial amount," said Carruthers, "but also we've attracted a list of new donors to include in our annual giving program. Our lottery is also a public relations event that built awareness of the Hospital. People had a positive reaction towards Sick Children's Hospital."
Marie Kordos also supports the public relations aspect of charitable gaming. "The design of the ticket informs people what they are supporting, and all of the HELPP ticket profits go back into healthcare."
Both Marie Kordos and Sue Carruthers agree that charitable gaming has its place in a hospital fundraising program, and the public relations side benefit is a bonus. The lottery programs are affordable by the public, they stress, and attract new donors to the hospital.