Over the last ten weeks, the world has changed dramatically with fundraising events and normal life coming to a grinding halt. This has left many charities feeling lost and struggling to gain donations whilst trying to keep their services running for many patients and their families. The lockdown has left many feeling thankful for the […]

If you read last weeks’ blog, you will probably remember that we took the time to properly introduce to some of our incredible local charity partner’s. This week make a smile lottery is continuing where we left off, so without further ado, here is an introduction to our charity partner’s – part 2. Tenovus Cancer […]

If you keep up to date with make a smile lottery on social media, you may have noticed a few weeks ago we gave you a brief introduction to some of our incredible charity partners. On this week’s blog, we are giving a more in-depth insight into who our partners are and what they do […]

In this weeks’ blog, the make a smile lottery team decided that we should take a trip down memory lane and think back to our successes and where we came from. Now more than ever is the perfect time to take some time out and reflect on some brilliant memories, so we thought we’d share […]

Despite everything around us feeling like it has come to a grinding halt, local charities are working harder than ever before to ensure they are able to keep their doors open to their visitors and patients during the pandemic. A lot of volunteers are unable to work which means organisations who heavily rely on voluntary […]

The Covid-19 pandemic is becoming deeply concerning for the UK as well as globally. Despite the UK being heavily restricted, charities remain open to deliver their care and support to hundreds of families. Due to being partly funded, they need your support now more than ever. Many local charities have had to cancel their fundraising […]

Fancy A Game? Hopefully you’re getting luckier and luckier playing Make A Smile charity lotteries? I think we should take this opportunity to really practise finding that illusive lucky streak. If you’re having a bad run of luck then get stuck into some of these games and lets change your path. If you’re already a […]

Do you have a lucky object? It might be some item tinged with nostalgia gifted by a relative. Maybe something with the blessing of a celebrity or famous superstar. It could just be a pair of pants that are worn on Saturday afternoon causing your football team to yet again secure another win. For the […]

Fingers crossed, let’s grab a 4 leaf clover and make sure that horseshoe is pointing at the heavens! It could be you or it might not be. In fact it probably won’t be. But you’ve got to be in it to win it right?! It’s commonly know how unlikely it is to win the national […]

The charity and giving landscape is ever changing. Research and new technologies are constantly offering up more efficient and reliable ways to make every cent, pence or pound work better. Closer oversight has meant that charities need to maximise the amount of money going directly to the cause in question. From dropping change into a […]

If you’re thinking of having your own lottery it’d be useful to know who might play it. It is valuable to know which demographics are likely to support you. Knowing about age ranges, gender and socio-economic group should inform your marketing choices. The introduction of the National Lottery really brought lotteries in general into focus […]

What Is A Lottery? Make A Smile are here to help out with lotteries for your charity but there are other varieties of lottery that can run legally in the UK. A lottery is a fun way of raising money that works. Everyone wants a chance to win and if the cost of entry is […]

We asked one of great volunteers, Richard, some quick questions so you can get to know him a bit. Our volunteers work tirelessly for Make A Smile and we wouldn’t be able to function without the support of people like Richard and his colleagues.   What’s your background? I have run my own business as […]

1. trust Be part of a charity lottery network to gain trust. When potential players of your lottery see the other established charities that are using the lottery provider they are more confident in the integrity of the product. Being linked to other brands has plenty of positive benefits. The web of links that will […]

Are you one of those people? The ones that seem to just win things, often. You enter a few competitions here and there and get lucky. Maybe you always get the best prize in the raffle at work too? Are scratchcards just no challenge anymore? too many £50 wins? Are you a lucky lottery winner? […]

Sometimes you’ve got no time for an elaborate fundraising idea. Maybe time is short, the idea has just been sprung on you or there is simply too much else going on. Sometimes leaping in and brainstorming some quick fundraising ideas is the best option. Less deliberation and quick action can get you to where you […]

The ever-changing money raising landscape has altered massively in last 5 years. The meteoric rise of data thirsty mobile devices and social apps has forever changed the face of how people communicate and connect. Raising money has gone from a physical activity with printed material and feet on the ground to rapid trends, shared info-graphics […]

Welcome to our very first ‘making smiles’ blog entry for make a smile lottery – helping your local charity raise vital funds through our weekly lottery draw. We cannot believe that at the time of writing this over 7 months have gone and 31 draws since the first make a smile lottery draw on Friday […]