Raffle Process

[SteveColes]

I have now looked at how it was done last fall. And I see nothing wrong from a techncial standpoint. Bas wrote an excellent subsystem to enter the CC transactions, generate the numbers AND email the buyers with their numbers and produce sales-reports as necessary. I have actually checked the numbers that were generated and they were unique. That leaves only a few places that things could have created numbering problems.

• The physical numbers that were placed in the jar were not the same as the system generated. Wrong roll, started with wrong number, etc.
• The tickets that were sold at the picnic were from a different roll and the was an overlap.
• When there was no winner present, the wrong report was used to figure out who a number was sold to. I mention this, because someone said that barbara had to enter the numbers into quicken or something like that.

Some simple rules that should help and these shouldn't be coming from me, but I''ll state what I feel they must be.

1. There must be only one ticket roll and it must be treated as though it was money, Because it is.
2. That roll must stay in a single person's possession from the day we start selling tickets until the end of the drawings (and probably a few more days just in case).
3. The day before the raffle selling starts, the roll holder (a new position of staff :rotflm:??) will inform whoever on staff is going to be responsible for the technical side., Webmaster or Admin) of the first ticket number on the roll to be used.
4. After online sales are closed, the technical person will inform the roll holder of the last number sold.
5. The roll holder will then take all the ticket stubs from the first sold to the last sold and place the appropriate half in the pick jar. The other half of those tickets should be destroyed.
6. The technical person will generate the final online sales report in hard copy and bring it and several copies to the picnic.
7. At the picnic, raffle sales will proceed using normal raffle procedures, but all tickets must come from the same roll that has been in the custody of the roll holder.
8. Only the Sales report generated on our server will be used to determine who bought a winning ticket that was sold on line.

There does not seem to be any reason for the numbers to be entered into quicken or generated by quicken. Any receipt sent from quicken MUST NOT have any ticket numbers on it, only dollar amounts.

 

[b4man]

I appreciate the simplicity of your outlined proposal for the Raffle process.

As I explained earlier in another conversation, the screw up was mine! I mistakenly assigned numbers to some buyers from the wrong role. QuickBooks doesn't assign the numbers, the data entry person tells QB what to send. I got my numbers from an excel spread sheet Rob created and from the site's data base and promptly confused the two.

I looks to me like your plan would alleviate at least one problem, being the decision of which roll to get a number from.

Again, thanks Steve.

 

[SteveColes]

I appreciate the simplicity of your outlined proposal for the Raffle process.

As I explained earlier in another conversation, the screw up was mine! I mistakenly assigned numbers to some buyers from the wrong role. QuickBooks doesn't assign the numbers, the data entry person tells QB what to send. I got my numbers from an excel spread sheet Rob created and from the site's data base and promptly confused the two.

I looks to me like your plan would alleviate at least one problem, being the decision of which roll to get a number from.

Again, thanks Steve.

There does not seem to be any reason for the numbers to be entered into quicken or generated by quicken. Any receipt sent from quicken MUST NOT have any ticket numbers on it, only dollar amounts.

Barbara, do you agree with that paragraph? Becuase now I think that is actually the most important point.

Everyone, can I get an Amen to the procedure above.?

Rob
Cathy
Tracy
Trent
Dennis
Andy
Baraba
Bas
Chad
Ethan

A grudging OK wil do:gar-La;

 

[Bas]

A grudging OK wil do:gar-La;

meh

 

[b4man]

Barbara, do you agree with that paragraph? Becuase now I think that is actually the most important point.



Yes, I agree!

 

[TracyP]

Amen

 

[toolman]

Look's Good To Me..

 

[ehpoole]

Given that I'm new to this, I'll accept whatever works for the rest of you.

If we have issues, then we'll learn from them and address them in the next raffle.

 

[cskipper]

Amen - I thought the "Thanks" would count as acknowledgement when I had nothing to add.

 

[McRabbet]

I am in favor of the process you've outlined, except we need a solution for one aspect -- how should we handle Mail-in ticket purchases and then assign their ticket numbers? We have used a second set of numbers for those in the past to cover purchases by non-members (e.g., I have sold tickets at Westen NC Woodworkers Association meetings) or for people who still do not trust online credit card purchases but would mail a check. As we know, that caused confusion last fall for Barabra. We also have cash sales at the picnic (easy to add to the existing roll numbers from the online series because online ticket sales close a few days before the picnic and last year we did not overlap, but started with the next number in sequence) and at events like the Hickory Klingspor event in the fall. We need a method to add those cash sales (we sold $500 at last years picnic).

The only way I can see to have just one roll of tickets is to assign Mail-in Numbers after the close of online sales adding on to the last of those numbers unless there is a method to "plug in" a mail-in check sale to Bas' procedure during the raffle sales period. An email to the purchaser would also be necessary so they get a record of their number before the drawing.

Traditionally, the Events Director purchases and holds the ticket roll and provides the starting ticket number to the Webmaster. Since I believe we should be prepared in advance, I recommend that Dennis purchase a new roll immediately (1000 count) and provide the first number to Tracy.

Bas' subsystem produced a spreadsheet that was essential at the Picnic and at the Fall drawing) to find winners quickly from the larger block sold before the event. I have created a spreadsheet we've used at two past picnics that generates ticket numbers as they are sold at the picnic (seeded from the last ticket sold online) and those two lists have allowed us to announce winners accurately and rapidly.

 

[SteveColes]

Let me think about the points you bring up. I suppose I might have time to add an admin function to allow for manual entry of mail in sales.

As far as spread sheets, I am sure a spreadsheet can be created from sales DB. If that is what you want to work from then that is easy. How are you generating it. I'm not sure more than one person should be playing with the DB directly.

Anyway, I'll think about as I converting the sales program.

I am in favor of the process you've outlined, except we need a solution for one aspect -- how should we handle Mail-in ticket purchases and then assign their ticket numbers? We have used a second set of numbers for those in the past to cover purchases by non-members (e.g., I have sold tickets at Westen NC Woodworkers Association meetings) or for people who still do not trust online credit card purchases but would mail a check. As we know, that caused confusion last fall for Barabra. We also have cash sales at the picnic (easy to add to the existing roll numbers from the online series because online ticket sales close a few days before the picnic and last year we did not overlap, but started with the next number in sequence) and at events like the Hickory Klingspor event in the fall. We need a method to add those cash sales (we sold $500 at last years picnic).

The only way I can see to have just one roll of tickets is to assign Mail-in Numbers after the close of online sales adding on to the last of those numbers unless there is a method to "plug in" a mail-in check sale to Bas' procedure during the raffle sales period. An email to the purchaser would also be necessary so they get a record of their number before the drawing.

Traditionally, the Events Director purchases and holds the ticket roll and provides the starting ticket number to the Webmaster. Since I believe we should be prepared in advance, I recommend that Dennis purchase a new roll immediately (1000 count) and provide the first number to Tracy.

Bas' subsystem produced a spreadsheet that was essential at the Picnic and at the Fall drawing) to find winners quickly from the larger block sold before the event. I have created a spreadsheet we've used at two past picnics that generates ticket numbers as they are sold at the picnic (seeded from the last ticket sold online) and those two lists have allowed us to announce winners accurately and rapidly.

 

[Bas]

As far as spread sheets, I am sure a spreadsheet can be created from sales DB. If that is what you want to work from then that is easy. How are you generating it. I'm not sure more than one person should be playing with the DB directly.

That's how I did it, via phpAdmin.