///50/50 Raffle Updates
50/50 Raffle Updates 2023-04-21T21:36:34+00:00

50/50 Raffle Updates

Sales by Council
Buy Tickets
French

*** April 19 – 2023 Ontario Charity 50/50 Draw ***

April 19th, 2023

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Let’s finish with a big effort and promote sales toward our final grand prize draw.

Our final draw will be ‘live on the big screen’ on the last day of our State convention (Sunday April 30th at 10 am).

You can find everything related to our online 50/50 raffle at this link: https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/

The next raffle begins on September 1st, with no raffles during May, June, July or August.

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca


*** April 1 – 2023 Ontario Charity 50/50 Draw ***

April 1st, 2023

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Our progress in this first raffle in 2023 (289 participating councils).

Feb 15th: $8,730 from 104 councils
Ave daily sales $582/day

March 1st: $18,180 from 154 councils
Ave daily sales $649/day

April 1st: $25,460 from 171 councils
Ave daily sales $432/day

Let’s finish with a big effort and promote sales toward our final grand prize draw.

Our final draw will be ‘live on the big screen’ on the last day of our State convention (Sunday April 30th at 10 am).

You can find everything related to our online 50/50 raffle at this link: https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca


*** March 6 – 2023 Ontario Charity 50/50 Draw ***

March 6th, 2023

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

The feature charities for the first raffle in 2023 will be Food Banks and Ontario Special Olympics.

Our progress in this first raffle in 2023.

Feb 15th: $8,730  from 104 councils
Ave daily sales $582/day

March 1st: $18,180 from 154 councils
Ave daily sales $649/day

Let’s promote our next early bird on April 1st. We have a good momentum progressing.

Our final draw will be ‘live on the big screen’ on the last day of our State convention (Sunday April 30th at 10 am).

You can find everything related to our online 50/50 raffle at this link: https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca


*** January 10 – 2023 Ontario Charity 50/50 Draw ***

January 10th, 2023

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Councils are automatically included in every subsequent raffle and do not need to register for the next raffle. The next raffle begins on February 1st. The feature charities for the first raffle will be Food Banks and Ontario Special Olympics.

Training for the 50/50 raffle will be on Wednesday January 25th by zoom at 7:00 pm. Click link below to join.

Join Zoom Training Meeting. Entry into meeting will begin at 6:45 pm.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84651471103?pwd=L3AxR0ZxN3c5NGRPVTFHMjBTZVcwUT09
Meeting ID: 846 5147 1103
Passcode: 617271

2022 50/50 raffle year in review report:
Gross Sales $162,010 and Total Grand Prize winners $81,005. Total ticket purchase transactions 6249
Note: Feature Charities (Homeless Shelters, Food Banks, Ontario Special Olympics, Coats for Kids)

Ontario Charity Foundation Donations
Homeless Shelters $6,000 (Hamilton, Ottawa, Toronto)
Food Banks $4,500 (Sarnia, Sudbury, Thunder Bay)
Ontario Special Olympics $3,500
Coats for Kids $4,690

2021 50/50 raffle year in review report: Previously reported Jan 18, 2022
Gross Sales $280,790 and Total Grand Prize winners $140,395. Total ticket purchase transactions 10,678
Note: David Gelinas as State Treasurer took over as Director of the online 50/50 raffle on July 1st, 2021

Ontario Charity Foundation Donations
Martyrs’ Shrine (Midland) $9,000
ACBO $10,000
Coats for Kids $3,500
Hospices $14,500 (Dundas, Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Sarnia, Thunder Bay)

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

2023 January 10 Memo  – 2023 Ontario Charities 50/50 Draw


*** December 28 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Autumn Draw ***

December 28th, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Councils that want to join the State online 50/50 raffle need to contact me or the State office by Friday January 13th.

Councils are automatically included in every subsequent raffle and do not need to register for the next raffle.
If the contact person for the lottery, such as GK, has changed or you want to add a lottery chairman to our records for future correspondence, please contact me or Liane at the office.

Training for the 50/50 raffle will be on Wednesday January 25th by zoom at 7:00 pm. Click link below to join.

Join Zoom Training Meeting.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84651471103?pwd=L3AxR0ZxN3c5NGRPVTFHMjBTZVcwUT09
Meeting ID: 846 5147 1103
Passcode: 617271

Entry into meeting will begin at 6:45 pm.

Remember there is no online 50/50 raffle during the month of January. The next raffle begins on February 1st.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

2022 December 28 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Winter Draw


*** November 1 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Autumn Draw ***

November 1st, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Please refer to the sales charts and graphs to see what our sales were for this Autumn raffle dated November 1st.

Cheques for the Summer raffle were processed on November 1st. The State Board Foundation Directors approved 25% return to the councils.

Autumn Raffle Province Wide Drive

This will occur during the Remembrance Day weekend. All sales from 12:01 am on November 11th through 11:59 pm on November 13th, councils will have an opportunity to win extra prizes. I will award 3 councils with a restaurant gift card with hopes it will go to the council’s raffle chairman that promoted this weekend sales drive during the days leading up to this raffle drive weekend.

Everyone let’s promote this raffle drive for the days leading up to the weekend of November 11th. Ask your supporters to hold off their purchase until Friday Nov 11th but before midnight on Sunday Nov 13th.

Announcement for Autumn Raffle:

The State Board approved another bonus, this time with a slight change. The council that sells the grand prize winner’s ticket will receive double value of the amount of their gross sales during that raffle but up to a limit of $1,000. For example, gross sales of $300 will earn a $600 bonus and gross sales of $500 will earn the full $1,000.00 bonus for the council that sells that grand prize ticket. That council will also receive the percentage of their sales determined by the State Board Foundation Directors along with all the other councils based on their gross sales.

Also, the State Board Foundation Directors have given me approval to purchase another 50/50 raffle license for 2023. There will be some changes and more to follow on this topic in future newsletter memos.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

2022 November 1 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Winter Draw


*** October 16 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Autumn Draw ***

October 16th, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Please refer to the sales charts and graphs to see what our sales were for this Autumn raffle dated October 15th.

The Autumn raffle now has 291 Councils participating. The feature charity is Coats of Kids. The early bird draws are November 1st and December 1st with the final draw on New Year’s Eve.

Our next State Board meeting is the weekend of October 28th so cheques for the Summer raffle will likely go out in early November.

Announcement for Autumn Raffle:

I am planning a Province wide raffle drive weekend for this Autumn Raffle. This will occur during the Remembrance Day weekend. All sales from 12:01 am on November 11th through 11:59 pm on November 13th, councils will have an opportunity to win extra prizes. I will award 3 councils with a restaurant gift card with hopes it will go to the council’s raffle chairman that promoted this weekend sales drive during the days leading up to this raffle drive weekend.

Everyone let’s focus on the first early bird draw for November 1st. Promote this for the next two weeks. After that promote for the raffle drive for the weekend of November 11th through November 13th.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
State Bursary Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

2022 October 16 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Winter Draw


*** August 16 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Summer Draw ***

August 16th, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Executive Secretary Mario Duguay has now issued all the cheques from the Spring raffle.

Councils must deposit the cheque into your charity account. No portion of the council’s profits from the online 50/50 are designated for administrative purposes and all of it must go toward charity. The feature charity was food for families or food banks but councils can donate to any charity listed on our license which is shown on our website on the lottery webpage.

For those looking for, I admit I didn’t send out my routine two week sales update for August 1st because I was in Nashville for the Supreme convention. See the August 15th sales graphs and charts to know where your council’s sales are currently.

Four new councils joined the online 50/50 raffle starting July 1st, which brings the total participating councils to 284. The State Board Foundation directors gave away a box of 500 business cards, with the QR code and council’s name, to the top 10 councils from the Spring raffle. Our hope is they distribute these 50/50 business cards to many people during the summer including at the summer festivals that brings out large numbers of people. These ten councils include; 1447 (Thunder Bay), 3881 (Oakville), 7689 (Markham), 7873 (Orleans), 8715 (Lancaster), 9005 (Ottawa), 10102 (Brights Grove), 10370 (Barrie), 11164 (Sarnia), 14446 (Oakville). Your State Board is doing all they can to help you achieve success with this online 50/50 raffle. The 140 councils that have no sales yet after 6 weeks, you must first help yourself and promote your URL link and QR code to your members and ask them to share your links with their friends and family. Consistency and persistent marketing efforts will achieve success. This is not, send out one email and you’re done.

The deadline for councils to join our next online 50/50 for the start of the Autumn raffle that begins on October 1st, is Friday September 16th. Just send an email to me or to Liane at the State office and we’ll get you on the list for training in late September. Current participating councils do not need to register again. You’re automatically added to every new raffle.

Announcement Reminder:

The State Board approved for the Summer online 50/50 raffle the council that sells the winning ticket will receive a bonus $1000 for charity purposes. The feature charity is Special Olympics Ontario for the Summer raffle.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
2022 August 16 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Summer Draw – PDF English


*** July 12 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Summer Draw ***

July 12th, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

By now you should have read the email announcing that brother Knight Chris Mika won the spring raffle grand prize and Council 1626 from Barrie received the bonus $1000 for selling that grand prize ticket.

The State Board has approved the councils share of 25% from the spring raffle. Brother Mario Duguay is on vacation this month so these cheques will not be processed until he returns to the office in early August.

Councils must deposit the cheque into your charity account. No portion of the council’s profits from the online 50/50 are designated for administrative purposes and all of it must go toward charity. The feature charity was food for families or food banks but councils can donate to any charity listed on our license which is shown on our website on the lottery webpage.

Every council that is participating in the online 50/50 raffle was emailed the summer raffle materials on June 28th and/or 29th. If you haven’t received that email please contact Liane at the State office. We provided posters in 8.5”x11” and 11”x17” sizes, in both English and French languages. If any council has a problem to make their personalized poster, please contact me for assistance.

Announcement:

The State Board approved for the summer online 50/50 raffle the council that sells the winning ticket will receive a bonus $1000 for charity purposes. The feature charity is Special Olympics Ontario.

The next 50/50 report for sales progress is expected after July 15th. Look in the State newsletter soon after that for my report.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
2022 July 12 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Summer Draw – PDF English


*** May 18 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Spring Draw ***

May 18th, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and raffle chairmen,

Currently, we have 155 councils with sales out of 280 participating councils leaving 125 councils without any sales. The big question is why we have so many councils that have given up trying to promote their URL link and QR code? Success is based on how often you council promotes your lottery URL link and QR code to your members and then asking them to share with their family and friends. It’s not difficult in any way, it requires consistency and persistent effort. Grand Knights let’s get your raffle chairmen inspired again.

Helpful hints: Note, email and social media is still the basic way to promote this online raffle.

  • First, utilize your 50/50 raffle posters with QR codes and set up at display tables in your community. This will get your council back into the public’s eye with an opportunity to redevelop those personal relationships we previously had in our community as some councils come out of this 2 year hibernation.
  • Second, display your 50/50 raffle posters in community boards in your town.
  • Third, this is an example from St Benedict Council 11164 from Sarnia and Grand Knight Leo Mayer. Print business size cards (or on regular paper cut to size) with the 50/50 Online Raffle artwork and QR code on one side and on the backside with the charities they intend to support. Hand these cards out when people cannot stop to chat, and they can scan at home in their leisure. They have proven success with this extra marketing effort!

Councils that want to join the State online 50/50 raffle, the deadline is Friday June 17th and you’ll be able to begin on July 1st with the Summer raffle.

Remember, the council that sells the final grand prize ticket in this Spring raffle will earn a bonus $1000. Just ask Council 12401 from Russell who won the $1000 bonus from the Winter raffle.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
2022 May 18 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Spring Draw – PDF English


*** April 27 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Spring Draw ***

April 27th, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and brothers,

I did not send out sales progress charts and graphs mid month because I was focused on the preparations for the State convention and with Easter with the family, it just slipped my mind. I’ll have sales charts and graphs next week to reflect the entire month of April.

The State Board provided a special convention draw for those attending the State convention last weekend. Those who purchased 50/50 raffle tickets between Friday and Sunday mornings received ballots toward $50 restaurant gift card.
The 4 winners include;

  • DD Dennis Mailloux Council 9222
  • GK Leo Mayer Council 11164
  • GK Patrick “Paddy” Byrne Council 2775
  • DGK Richard Blyth Council 2775
  • Congratulations brothers.

One of the topics during new business at the convention was the use of personal credit cards for online purchases at Supremes’ Knight Gear. Some knights offered advice to forget trying to get a credit card in the name of the council, which many banking institutions won’t provide for NFP organizations such as our councils. These knights gave us examples of secure cards or reloadable credit cards which would simplify everything with the use of these prepaid credit cards. This will help those who don’t want to use your personal credit card for purchases at Knight Gear. Anyway, it’s a suggestion from other knights that are using these type of reloadable prepaid credit cards. You’ll have to check with your banking institution for complete details on what they can provide to you.

REMINDER:
Applications for State Bursary are due by June 1st. We haven’t received any applications yet but it’s always busy in May.
Applications can be found at this link: https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/faith-in-action/community/bursary/
Please don’t delay and share this message with every member in your council this week.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
2022 April 27 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Winter Draw – PDF English


*** April 2 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Spring Draw ***

April 2nd, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and raffle chairmen,

The Spring 50/50 raffle began on Monday April 4th to allow Ascend to do some needed software upgrades and for them to make changes to the State Council’s 50/50 platform, by our request, to make it bilingual. The feature charity will be Food for Families for the Spring 50/50 raffle. Councils can support any charity they want as long as it’s listed on our website on the 50/50 page, hence lottery license.

The council that sold the winning grand prize ticket for the Winter raffle was Council 12401 from Russell. That council earns a bonus $1000 in addition to the percentage of their sales during the raffle. The grand prize winner was also a member of that council. Congratulations.

The Spring raffle incentive. The State Board approved the same bonus as the Winter, the council that sells the winning ticket of the final draw grand prize will earn a bonus $1000.00 for the council.

With outdoor and indoor restrictions now removed in Ontario, councils can utilize their raffle posters more. You can print them and stand at or be seated at tables in your community and display your poster. The QR code was placed on your posters for that purpose to make them interactive with cell phone cameras. This will get you back into the public eye with an opportunity to redevelop those personal relationships we previously had in our community as some of us come out of this 2 year hibernation.

Remember, we have 7 draws in each quarter raffle. Two early birds, each with three draws and the final draw. The best odds are those that purchase before the first early bird on May 1st. Let’s get busy and promote your council’s URL link and QR codes. Springtime presents us a terrific opportunity to get back into the public and this 50/50 raffle with our posters gives you a reason to get out there and be seen again.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
2022 April 2 Memo  – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle Winter Draw – PDF English


*** March 23 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Winter Draw ***

March 23rd, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and raffle chairmen,

Final Announcements for the upcoming Spring raffle:

The deadline has ended to join the Spring raffle. Everything behind the scenes is locked in with Ascend and pre-set to start for the Spring raffle.

For the purpose to conduct some necessary maintenance to the Ascend software that operates our online 50/50 raffle; the Spring raffle will be delayed by 3 days and will commence on Monday April 4th, at 8 am. The feature charity will be Food for Families for the Spring 50/50 raffle.

Training for the Spring 50/50 raffle is provided on Monday March 28th at 7:00 pm. See zoom link below.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87007936265?pwd=YS9PcGRnbXBOcStBdStNb3E0SHN1UT09

Meeting ID: 870 0793 6265
Passcode: 605269

Option: Dial by phone from your location:

1 647 374 4685 Toronto
1 647 558 0588 Toronto

The new councils joining the raffle have been contacted directly. Any council can join the training even for a refresher.

Remember, the Winter raffle incentive. The council that sells the winning ticket of the final draw grand prize will earn a bonus $1000.00 for the council. What council will it be?

Promote your council’s URL link and QR code these final days as we look toward the final draw on Thurs March 31st, at 11 pm.


*** Feburuary 1 – 2022 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Winter Draw ***

February 1st, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and brothers,

Now is the time that Highschool senior students will begin to look for and apply for bursaries and scholarships.
I’m aware many councils offer their own bursaries to local students; I ask all Grand Knights to advertise the State bursary program too. State Board offers five bursaries valued at $1,000. The deadline for applications is June 1st so please mention the State bursary program over these next four months. It would be great to announce it at your general meetings, in your council bulletin or within council email correspondence. Maybe a council chairman could delivery a copy of the bursary to your local Highschool to make them aware of our annual bursary. Any efforts you do will be appreciated by those students that become aware of this State bursary and apply for it. Full details are found on the application.
Applications can be downloaded here: https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/faith-in-action/community/bursary/

By now Executive Secretary Denis LaSalle has emailed out the 2022 per capita invoices to every council. For any council that hasn’t receive it by now please do not remain silent. The GK or FS should contact me or Denis LaSalle at the State office to inquire.

The cheques for the 2021 Q4 50/50 raffle are also mailed out by this time. We currently have 276 councils participating in the Winter online 50/50 raffle. Any council that wants to join the next 50/50 raffle needs to contact me or the State office by Friday March 18th and indicate their desire to join. Currently participating councils do not need to re-register or notify us. You are automatically enrolled each subsequent quarter raffle.
You’ll be offered training but keep in mind new councils can only join at the start of the next quarter raffle so it’s important to contact us by the deadline. The next early bird draw is March 1st so advertise your council’s unique URL link and QR code to your members and ask them to share it with friends and family and use bcc.

Don’t forget to look back for the sales progress charts regularly, I post sales progress there on a biweekly basis and in the weekly State newsletters.
Updates & memos: (https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/50-50-raffle-updates/)
Sales by Councils: (https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/50-50-raffle-updates/50-50-raffle-sales-by-councils/)

Big reminder: the council that sells the final grand prize winner’s ticket will earn a bonus $1,000 during this Winter raffle.


*** 2022 January 3 – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

January 3rd, 2022

Worthy Grand Knights and raffle chairmen,

The Q4 final grand prize was $34,020 and the winner was John Dolan. The council selling the winning ticket was Stayner/Wasaga #15162. Our daily sales averaged $ 739/day for the 3 months of the Q4 raffle.

The results of the 2021 Q4 raffle are as follows (also see sales charts and graphs):

  • There were 263 participating councils in Q4.
  • There were 8 councils with over $1000 sales therefore earning a bonus 2% above the rest of the council’s return profit. These included (from #4 to #8) Thornhill #10531, Sarnia #1164, Orleans #7873, Ottawa #11726 & Ottawa #9005.
  • The top 3 councils and earning a bonus 5% above the rest of the council’s return profit include Richmond #13094, Kingston #9652 & Mississauga #11337.

Note: The State Board must have a meeting this month to review the Q4 results and determine the percentage to return to the councils. Please wait until that occurs, then Denis LaSalle and I will know profit amounts for councils and cheques will be issued.

Other data from Q4 include; 26 new councils joining above Q3 participating councils with 20 of them having sales in Q4.
There we 188 councils having sales in Q4 with 75 in total having zero sales.
Reviewing data from Q3, there were 237 councils participating with 163 having sales and 76 councils with zero sales. The final grand prize was $37,255 and the council selling that ticket was Dryden Council #5144.

Comparing Q3 to Q4 there were 50 councils that had no sales for six months both Q3 & Q4. I offered additional online training after the Q3 raffle and I’ll reach out to these councils again to see what is preventing them from advertising their council’s URL link and QR code and selling tickets to their members and friends.

The January through March 2022 online 50/50 raffle is named the Winter raffle and the feature charity for this quarter is homeless shelters. Councils can support any charity they choose, from the list on our website under our 50/50 license, but we hope our feature charity will draw more interest with your members and friends and is something the councils will also support.

We have 15 more councils joining our Winter raffle giving us a total of 276 councils participating.

The Winter raffle has a new special incentive. The sales bonus for this first 2022 quarter raffle is… drum roll please. The council that sells the winning ticket of the final draw grand prize will earn a bonus $1000.00 for the council.

This is very exciting because it gives every participating council a chance to earn even more money for charity.

Also remember, the early bird draws for the Winter raffle are February 1st and March 1st and the final draw on March 31st.

Finally, don’t forget to look back for the sales progress charts regularly, I post sales progress there on a biweekly basis and in the weekly State newsletters.

• Updates & memos (https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/50-50-raffle-updates/)
• Sales by Councils (https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/50-50-raffle-updates/50-50-raffle-sales-by-councils/)

Wishing you and your family a joyous, prosperous, and healthy year in 2022.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

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2022 January 3 Memo  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English


2021 MEMO

*** December 16 – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

December 16th, 2021

Worthy Grand Knights and raffle chairmen,

Our daily average sales continue to fluctuate every 2 weeks. The first two weeks we averaged $457/day, then after 4 weeks we averaged $1,012/day, at the six week mark $793/day, after 8 weeks we averaged $812/day and after 10 weeks we averaged $ 728/day.

Just a reminder of the bonus sales incentive for this fourth quarter raffle as we head toward the final draw on New Year’s Eve. Every council that achieves $1,000 or more of sales earns an additional 2% bonus above what the Board decides to give back to all the councils. Plus, the top 3 councils with the 3 highest sales earn a total bonus of 5% above the rest of the councils.
Note: the next State Board meeting is scheduled for the weekend of February 11th, 12th and 13th so we won’t have a decision until after that weekend.

The January through March 2022 online 50/50 raffle will be named the Winter raffle and the feature charity for this quarter is homeless shelters. I will disclose the other 3 raffle themes and feature charity in a future memo. Councils can support any charity they choose, from the list on our website, but we hope our feature charity will draw interest with your members and friends and is something the councils will also support.

The State office emailed the new 2022 50/50 lottery license to all the councils on December 8th and I did the same, on December 9th, to the new councils joining our raffle. This was done early to give all the councils plenty of time to deliver a copy of the license to their municipality office. Every council will receive the new Winter poster next week and the new councils joining us will also receive their unique URL link and QR code. The Winter raffle begins at 8:00 am on January 1st.

The Winter raffle also has a special incentive. The sales bonus for this first 2022 quarter raffle is… drum roll please.

The council that sells the winning ticket of the final draw grand prize will earn a bonus $1000.00 for the council.

This is very exciting because it gives every participating council a chance to earn even more money for charity.

Finally, don’t forget to look back for the sales progress charts regularly, I post sales progress there on a biweekly basis and in the weekly State newsletters.

Wishing you and your family a holy and Merry Christmas season.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
December 16 Memo  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English / French


*** September 8 – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

September 8th, 2021

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

A reminder of this opportunity to raise charity funds for your council.

October 1st is the launch of the fourth quarter (Q4) 50/50 raffle, and we are seeking more councils that wish to participate in the State online 50/50 raffle. Just send an email to the State office and indicate your council wants to join in the fourth quarter online 50/50 raffle (stateoffice@ontariokofc.ca). Please do this by Wednesday September 15th.

Training for the new councils to the State online 50/50 raffle is provided on these two dates.

Saturday September 25th at 9:00 am (beginning entry at 8:45 am) click here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83039462244?pwd=eW53Yjd0KzFUUGR5MGM4b3VGWVpFZz09

Tuesday September 28th at 7:00 pm (beginning entry at 6:45 pm) click here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88410854609?pwd=a09tcm5rRC83ZWFRSVpPeDVBRTJZUT09

For the 220 council’s currently participating in the online 50/50 raffle you do not need to register again to participate in the next Q4 raffle or any future quarter raffle. Your council’s unique URL link will continue to work, and all sales tracked by the Ascend software each quarter.

Don’t forget to look back for the sales progress charts on a biweekly basis.

Remember, when we send your council’s share from the profits of the online 50/50 raffle each quarter, you must deposit it into your council’s charity account.

Final reminder: The Q3 final draw is Thursday September 30th at 11:30 pm. Continue to promote your council’s URL link to everyone you know.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
September 8 Memo  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English / French


*** September 1 – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

September 1st, 2021

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

As we enter the last month of the State Q3 online 50/50 raffle, everyone must continue to promote your council’s unique URL code as we get closer to that final draw on September 30th.

October 1st is the launch of the fourth quarter (Q4) 50/50 raffle, and we are looking for more councils that wish to participate in the State online 50/50 raffle. It’s easy to participate and requires very little time compared to the amount of work related to the previous paper based lottery ticket sales. Just send an email to the State office and indicate your council wants to join in the fourth quarter online 50/50 raffle (stateoffice@ontariokofc.ca). Please do this by September 15th. We plan to provide an online training session one evening in the last week of September. Look for the date of this training in a future newsletter report this month.

For the 220 council’s currently participating in the online 50/50 raffle you do not need to register again to participate in the next Q4 raffle or any future quarter raffle. Your council’s unique URL link will continue to work, and sales tracked by the Ascend software.

Don’t forget to look back for the sales progress charts on a biweekly basis.

Remember, when we send your council’s share from the profits of the online 50/50 raffle each quarter, you must deposit it into your council’s charity account.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
September 10 Memo  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English / French


*** August 10  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

August 10th, 2021

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

I want to point out the locations on the State website to find additional information regarding the online 50/50 raffle including memos and sales charts. I plan to update the sales progress charts on a biweekly basis.

Links to bookmark include:

Continue to promote your council’s URL link to your members and ask them to share with their family and friends. Remember that it will require persistence to catch people’s attention and eventually achieve better sales for your council. The next early bird draw is September 1st and the final grand prize draw on September 30th for Q3. Keep these dates in mind when you advertise your council’s URL link.

If your council has determined which charity you plan to support from your share of the funds from this online 50/50 raffle, then maybe it would be beneficial for you to mention this to your members and supporters when you ask them to support our online 50/50 charities raffle.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
August 10 Memo  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English / French


*** July 22  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

July 22nd, 2021

Worthy Grand Knights and Financial Secretaries,

Regarding the State online 50/50 raffle, the State Board has approved the participating councils share of 25% from the 2nd pilot and the cheques will be mailed soon, if they haven’t already been, by the time of this report.

Councils must deposit the cheque into your charity account. No portion of the council’s profits from the online 50/50 are designated for administrative purposes and all of it must go toward charity. Historically, we had that ability in the previous paper based lottery and the State office sent out separate cheques for this reason but not for this online raffle.

There were 19 councils involved with pilot 1 and 92 councils for pilot 2. Currently for the third quarter raffle, Q3, there are 220 councils involved. Phone calls made this happen and I appreciate brother Denis LaSalle’s and Liane Dumas’ assistance with helping me call every council. We already have 9 signed up to join for Q4 so please do not hesitate to contact the office before mid September if you wish to participate in the fourth quarter online raffle.

Please continue to promote your council’s unique URL code along with the designed poster to all your council members and ask them to share with their family, friends and co-workers. Everyone’s combined efforts will get our State online 50/50 raffle known by more people in Ontario each and every day. Highlight one of the charities that your council plans to support which are listed in the information area of the State webpage for the online 50/50 raffle. Click the link to go there directly: https://ontariokofc.ca/programs/50-50-raffle/

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
July 22 Memo  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English / French


*** July 2  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

July 1st, 2021

Worthy Grand Knights,July 1st is the launch of our third quarter Q3 full-out province-wide State 50/50 online raffle and is now open for every council to participate in and receive a share of the profits proportionally to the funds that are raised through their council’s assigned URL link. Welcome to all the new councils that joined this State lottery raffle.I wish to thank brother Jamie Libaque for his leadership qualities to launch this new State 50/50 online raffle through the first six months with the first and second pilots. I would like to remind everyone that brother Jamie also helped the State Board with the previous Charities lottery that on the onset of the pandemic was extended by six months which had certain challenges for everyone too. A job well done by brother Jamie. Of course, brother Denis LaSalle, Liane Dumas, Anna Kocmarek and Ani Kaluzny at the office played a vital role in our success too. Thank you.State Deputy Marcel Lemmen has appointed me as the State 50/50 online raffle director during his tenure. I will provide monthly updates to the progress of the earnings of the 50/50 raffle using graphs and charts in my reports. Look for this toward the last week of each month in the State newsletter. I also plan to routinely share best practice tips and suggestions from other successful councils that participated in the first two pilots. These ideas should help councils market their own council’s URL link to get it out far and wide so that together we can succeed and earn charity funds.

Councils that have not joined this State 50/50 online raffle yet, you will have another opportunity for the fourth quarter Q4 raffle starting October 1st. In the meanwhile, every member in Ontario has an opportunity to participate in this new State 50/50 online raffle and I encourage you to extend an invitation to your family, friends and co-workers to visit our State website and support the Ontario Charities Foundation at this link: https://www.kofcontario5050.com/

Our 50/50 online raffle provider, Ascend Fundraising Solutions, accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express.

Fraternally,

David Gelinas
State Treasurer
50/50 Online Raffle Director
statetreasurer@ontariokofc.ca

—–
July 1 update  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – PDF English / French


*** May 20  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

To: Grand Knights, Financial Secretaries, Council Lottery Chairman

Date: May 20, 2021

Subject: 50/50 Raffle Update May 20, 2021


  • Pilot # 1 is now closed. Cheques were mailed to each of the 40 vendor Councils; the payout approved by the State Board was 25%. A report was filed to the AGCO.
  • Pilot # 2 continues to show positive results; it runs until June 30th.
    • Council engagement is very good. At the start of the Pilot # 2 we had 52 registered Councils, which added to the 40 of the first Pilot (continuing) brings the total to 92. At the time of this Update there are 89 Councils actively selling tickets.
    • Top selling Councils (as of May 20) are:
      • Kingston Council 9652: $2,710
      • Oshawa Council 8549: $2,360
      • Oakville Council 14446 : $2,160
      • Chatham Council 1412: $2,120
      • Sarnia Council 11164: $1,980
      • Thunder Bay 1447 :$1,600
      • Ottawa Council 10617: $1,570
      • Orangeville St Peter of the Apostles 8851: $1,530
      • Orleans Divine Infant 7873: $1,170
      • Newmarket St Thomas of Villa Nova 10586: $1,080
      • Richmond Hill Oak Ridges 13094: $1,030
      • Please click here to see graph with all Councils with Sales over $500
    • Total sales (as of May 20, 2021) are $57,140 (more than $1,000/day)
    • The winners for the Early Bird Prizes of May 14 are:
Prize Winner Selling Council
$500 Rita O’Neill Totenham Sacred Heart 4120
$250 Frank McGoldrick Ottawa St. Vladimir the Great 9957
$250 Peter Corcoran Orleans Divine Infant 7873

There will be additional Early Bird Prizes on June 4

  • The rollout schedule is as follows:
    • Pilot # 3 – Jul to Sept : open to all Councils in Ontario
    • Pilot # 4 – Oct to Dec : open to all Councils in Ontario
  • The State Office staff and myself continue to receive and respond to numerous calls from Councils

What is next? Preparing for the July-Sept Raffle

√  We encourage Councils that wish to participate as Vendor Councils in the July-Sept Raffle to send us an email, including the name of the contact person.

Please respond by June 15, 2021 to allow sufficient time for Training and arranging for your  Council unique link

  In the meantime please review the latest presentation material posted on the College of Knowledge, click College of Knowledge 50/50 Raffle resources.

  Last but not least …….

Buy Tickets

or visit www.kofcontario5050.com

Fraternally

Bro. Jaime Libaque
State Director – Charities 50/50 Raffle
50/50 Project Manager

May 20  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – English / French Downloadable PDF


*** April 26  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

To: Grand Knights, Financial Secretaries, Council Lottery Chairman

Date: April 9, 2021

Subject: 50/50 Raffle Update April 2021


  • Pilot # 2 was successfully launched on April 2nd and will continue until June 30th.
    • Council engagement is very good. At the start of the Pilot # 2 we had 52 registered Councils, which added to the 40 of the first Pilot (continuing) brings the total to 92. At the time of this Update there are 77 Councils actively selling tickets.
    • Top selling Councils (as of April 26) are:
      • Kingston Council 9652: $2,200
      • Oshawa Council 8549: $1,760
      • Oakville Council 14446 : $1,690
      • Ottawa Council 10617: $1,550
      • Chatham Council 1412: $1,490
      • Sarnia Council 11164: $1,420
      • Thunder Bay 1447 :$1,130
      • Please see graph at the end with all Councils with Sales over $500
    • Total sales (as of April 26) are $33,000 (24 days worth of sales, more than $1,000/day)
    • The winners for the Early Bird Prizes of April 23 are:
      • Brian Marley – $500 – Council 1626 (Barrie)
      • Michael Gorman – $250 – Council 13094 (Oak Ridges)
      • Tom Grochmal – $250 – Council 1412 (Chatham)
      • There will be additional Early Bird Prizes on May 14 and June 4
  • The rollout schedule is as follows:
    • Pilot # 1 – Jan to Mar : Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Elliot Lake, Guelph, Orillia, Midland, Barrie
    • Pilot # 2 – Apr to Jun : above plus North Bay, Timmins, Bradford, Newmarket, Collingwood, Thorold
    • Pilot # 3 – Jul to Sept : all Councils in Ontario
    • Pilot # 4 – Oct to Dec : all Councils in Ontario
  • The State Office staff and myself continue to receive and respond to numerous calls from Councils

What is next? Preparing for the July-Sept Raffle

  We encourage Councils that wish to participate as Vendor Councils in the July-Sept Raffle to send us an email, including the name of the contact person.

  In the meantime please review the latest presentation material posted on the College of Knowledge. Click College of Knowledge 50/50 Raffle resources.

  Last but not least …….

Buy Tickets

or visit www.kofcontario5050.com

Fraternally

Bro. Jaime Libaque
State Director – Charities Lottery
50/50 Project Manager

April 26  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – English / French Downloadable PDF

*** April 09  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

To: Grand Knights, Financial Secretaries, Council Lottery Chairman

Date: April 9, 2021

Subject: 50/50 Raffle Update April 2021


Background

Pilot # 1 run from January 20th, 2021 to March 31st, 2021
o Council engagement has been very good. The Pilot started with 19 Councils and by the time it closed, had 40 Councils actively selling tickets.

  • Top seller Councils are:
    • Orillia 1428 : $3,860
    • Barrie 1626 : $1,890
    • Barrie 10370: $1,490
    • Sudbury 6074: $940
    • Maryhill 6024: $86

o Total sales were $48,290; the jackpot was $24,145. The grand Prize winner was Bro. George Livingston, from Council 1428 (Orillia)
o There was an Early Bird draw of $2,500 on February 14th . The winner was Bro. John Rock from Council 4916 (Cambridge)

Pilot # 2 was successfully launched on April 2nd and will continue until June 30th.
o Council engagement is good. At the start of the Pilot # 2 we had 52 registered Councils, which added to the 40 of the first Pilot (continuing) brings the total to 92.

  • There were two Training Sessions (March 22 and March 27) about 130 people attended.

o Top selling Councils (as of April 9) are:

  • Thunder Bay Council 1447: $600
  • Kingston Council 9652: $560
  • Oshawa Council 8549: $510
  • Ottawa Council 9005: $350
  • Barrie Council 10370: $270

o Total sales (as of April 9) are $7,400 (7 days worth of sales)
o There will be Early Bird Prizes on April 23, May 14 and June 4

The rollout schedule is as follows:

o Pilot # 1 – Jan to Mar: Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Elliot Lake,
Guelph, Orillia, Midland, Barrie
o Pilot # 2 – Apr to Jun: above plus North Bay, Timmins, Bradford,
Newmarket, Collingwood, Thorold
o Pilot # 3 – Jul to Sept: all Councils in Ontario
o Pilot # 4 – Oct to Dec: all Councils in Ontario

• The State Office staff and myself continue to receive and respond to numerous calls from Councils

What is next? Preparing for the July – September Raffle

 We encourage Councils that wish to participate as Vendor Councils in the July-Sept Raffle to send us an email, including the name of the contact person.

 In the meantime, please review the latest presentation material posted in the College of Knowledge

March 23 and 27 – 50/50 Raffle Council Training Webinar (Phase 2)
• Training Session Webinar slideshow presentation by Jaime Libaque (PDF)
• Watch webinar on March 27, 2021, please click here (then press the play button).
• Watch webinar on March 22, 2021, please click here (then press the play button).
• Poster for Council English / French (Note: To edit the council name, number and the assigned link, just please click on the line. When printing, you will be prompted to this message: “Your margins are pretty small. Some of your content might be cut off when you print. Do you still want to print?” Please select “YES”.

 Last but not least . . . . . . .

Buy Tickets

Fraternally

Bro. Jaime Libaque
State Director – Charities Lottery
50/50 Project Manager

April 09  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – English / French Downloadable PDF

Knights of Columbus Ontario Charities Foundation

Rules of Play for 50/50 Electronic Raffle:

1. The lottery will take place online in a series of quarterly draws. Proposed draw schedule:

  • January 20,2021- draw date on April 1st, 2021
  • April 2nd, 2021- draw date on June 30, 2021
  • July 1st, 2021- draw date on September 30, 2021
  • October 1st ,2021-draw date on December 31, 2021

There will also be an “Early Bird” draw for $ 2500 on February 14, 2021

2. All tickets will only be sold to people who are 18 years of age or older.

3. Must be in the province of Ontario at the time of purchase.

4. Tickets are:

15 Tickets for $ 10.00
40 Tickets for $ 20.00
100 Tickets for $ 40.00

5. Tickets will be available only online on Ascend’s landing page.

6. Tickets will be sold using an electronic raffle system supplied by Ascend Fundraising Solutions

7. After buying, patrons will receive a confirmation e-mailed with their 50/50 registered numbers from a Random Selection System. No specific numbers can be given as numbers are generated randomly.

8. The winning ticket number will be selected by a Random Number Generation (RNG) system from all raffle numbers sold for the draw.

9. The amount of the 50/50 will be posted online at www.ontariokofc.ca

10. The winning number will be announced online at www.ontariokofc.ca

11. The winner may claim their prize by contacting the Ontario Charities Foundation at: 1-800-759-0959, or by email at: stateoffice@ontariokofc.ca. The ticket may then be brought to the Knights of Columbus Ontario State Council, 201-393 Rymal Rd West, Hamilton, ON L9B 1V2 at an agreed upon time for ticket verification. Winners must have the original winning ticket and no copies. All payments will be made by cheque.

12. The winning ticket holder has 6 months in which to claim their prize from the date of the draw their ticket was purchase for.

13. The winner must provide his/her name, address, and phone number with picture identification for our report sheet.

Download PDF: Rules of Play for 50/50 Electronic Raffle download PDF

*** January 5  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle ***

January 2021

Worthy brothers,

Further to the November 2020 announcement of the new 50/50 on-line raffle for 2021, the purpose of this communique is to inform you of the status of the first 50/50 Pilot of January 2021-March 2021.

Background
The Ontario State Council, the State office and a committee presided over by Brother Jaime Libaque, has been reviewing and finalising the details for the 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Raffle.

After several months of deliberations, the Ontario KOFC board of Directors adopted a digital raffle for 2021. This will consist of a 50-50 Raffle with 4 draws in 2021.

  • Two professional companies (Village Media-marketing and Ascend-technical solution), with experience on on-line fund raising have been contracted.
  • A license from the AGCO has been obtained

The first 50/50 raffle draw is scheduled for January – March 2021. The sale of tickets will start on January 20, 2021 and conclude on March 31, 2021. This will be a pilot, with limited participation of Councils. The pilot project will help us refine the existing procedures for the subsequent draws.

  • The marketing company has recommended selected markets, where they have presence:
    • Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Elliot Lake
    • Orillia, Midland, Barrie
    • Guelph, (Kitchener and Cambridge added)

Information Session and Training

The first information session was conducted via Zoom on December 28th, with 65 participants. Training will be provided in the next few days for the participating Councils.

The presentation material is available at the following link
https://ontariokofc.ca/knights/college-of-knowledge/
https://ontariokofc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/5050-Info-Session-Dec-2020-Jaime-Libaque-Denis.pdf

You could also watch the 55 min Dec 28 video on the 50/50 at
College of Knowledge – Ontario Knights Of Columbus (ontariokofc.ca)

Reminders

If you become involved in the sales of tickets, your council will enjoy the same privileges as you did in the previous paper-based lottery, and receive a similar percentage of the revenue, proportional to your sales.

We would like to encourage maximum participation councils, whether you participated in previous draws or not. The on-line 50/50 is a project which can be utilised during these COVID 19 pandemic times to generate some much needed funds for the Councils.

Vivat Jesus

Jaime Libaque
State Charities Lottery Director
50/50 Project Manager

January 5  – 2021 Ontario Charities 50/50 Online Raffle – Downloadable PDF

*** November 10 Update: Announcement on 2021 On-Line 50/50 Raffle ***

Brother Knights

The purpose of this letter is to announce, on behalf of the State Board Officers, in conjunction with the State Charities Lottery Director, a change to the 2021 Charities Lottery. Specifically, effective 2021, the Ontario Knights of Columbus Charities Lottery will be a quarterly ONLINE 50/50 raffle.

Background
As you will appreciate, the COVID-19 restrictions have made our traditional paper-based lottery impractical. The profit margin between a prize board combined with an inability to sell tickets at commercial outlets is both too low and critically unpredictable. As a result, the State Board requested our State Charities Lottery Director to complete an in-depth review of our current practices with options for the future.

After a three-month review, our Charities Lottery Director and State Board Officers agreed that the best way forward to increase profit margins while providing some financial stability to the Charities Lottery program was through a quarterly online 50/50 raffle.
To that end, working with our State Deputy, Board members and the Executive Secretary, we have selected a Technology firm to administer the lottery and a Marketing company to promote the lottery online. Both have experience in on-line fundraising.
A Pilot project will be launched soon, followed by a province-wide on-line 50/50 raffle which will be explained at our next State Council convention in 2021. Tickets will be sold either online through a link on a website or using hand-held devices. Both forms of transactions are secure and protect your private information in compliance with all legal requirements for a licence in Ontario.

SUMMARY
Online raffles are the way of the future and it is critical that the Knights of Columbus in Ontario establish raffle presence before the online raffle market is saturated with similar raffles from other not-for-profit and charitable organizations.

As we embark on this new format let us never forget that the Knights of Columbus in Ontario have contributed to the welfare of this province for almost 125 years. This ability has come from a sound leadership and a shared vision of fraternity among its membership combined with its ability to adapt to the changing environment. Adopting the quarterly online 50/50 raffle in 2021 is but one more stepping stone the Knights of Columbus in Ontario are adopting so that they may continue to help our communities in a COVID-19 environment and many years after.

Over the next few weeks more details will be communicated to both Pilot project participants and to all Councils during the State Council convention in 2021. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact either Jaime Libaque by email Jaime.libaque@rogers.com or by phone (416) 456-7084 or the State Office.

Let’s welcome the next phase of Charities Fund-raising!

Bruce Poulin
State Treasurer
50/50 Project Sponsor

Jaime Libaque
State Charities Lottery Director
50/50 Project Manager

Find out what your local knights are doing.

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