Hitting the Trail and Riding Toward Fundraising Goals

4/23/2018

Anytime you’re on the back of a horse, teamwork is happening. However, Competitive Trail Riding (CTR) highlights the incredible relationship between horse and rider. All competitors in CTR complete a long-distance route—which often involves camping overnight—within a specific window of time.  To successfully complete one of these routes, riders must develop their horse’s fitness and fearlessness, and nurture their trust.

About The North American Trail Ride Conference

The North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC) sanctions competitive trail rides, and, says Bev Roberts, NATRC representative and Eventgroove customer, “We are a non-profit educational and family equine sport ​organization. We teach riders how to ride and care for horses covering long distances for multiple days. We do this through seminars, clinics, online instruction materials, and competitions held across the USA.”

The NATRC Raffle

A nonprofit organization, most of the work at NATRC is handled by volunteers. So, to help offseet costs, they hold an annual raffle. Its goal is to raise about $5,000, and the drawing is held at NATRC’s annual convention and awards banquet. Tickets are sold for $5 each or five tickets for $20. That’s pricing that Bev told us she and her raffle ticket-selling volunteers find most appealing to potential raffle participants. Additionally, NATRC limits the number of raffle tickets they order to about 1,000. As a result, the odds of winning are more reasonable while also ensuring sellers don’t become overwhelmed by the task.

The raffle prizes are terrific, and NATRC makes the drawing fun for the winner and beneficial for the prize donor.  NATRC has raffled off saddles, a trip to Peru’s Machu Picchu, a stay at a guest ranch, and gift cards. The donor, explained Bev, “receives advertising in our regional and national newsletters and websites, flyers, on the tickets themselves, and at the convention. Donors are invited to the convention, attend the banquet, draw the winning ticket and hand out the prize.”​ Incidentally, the best part of the raffle for the NATRC team is when the raffle winner is called!

Why NATRC Chose Eventgroove

Proud and pleased is exactly how all of us at Eventgroove feel that Bev and the NATRC keep choosing us for their raffle tickets! Their first order was in 2011, and Bev tells us this was because our raffle ticket templates were so easy to use.

Now, NATRC comes back because of our high-quality tickets at a great price, along with our efficiency, fast order turnaround, nonprofit discount, and friendly, helpful staff. How awesome is that?! Moreover, says Bev, “​Except for our Executive Director, all the work done in our organization is handled by volunteers. So anything we can do to save time and effort helps prevent volunteer burnout. One small way to do this is by sticking with one ticket printing company​ and one ticket design. When raffle time rolls around again, we just change the date and the prize(s) on our raffle ticket design and we’re ready to go.”

It’s Eventgroove’s goal to help our customers in any way we can! As a result, we spend a lot of time thinking how to make things easier for hard-working nonprofits like NATRC.