Where I grew up in Pennsylvania, the groups always do lottery fundraiser. This type of fundraiser is based on the teh Daily Number Lottery number. Each person who buys a ticket gets assigned a a three digit number, and then if that number comes up in the Daily Number Lottery they win the allotted prize.
They can cost anywhere from $5-10 per ticket for a month or $20 for a full year. You can have special days be bonus prizes (like weekend days or holidays, or even game days) where they win more than the standard prize. I calculated how much you can raise from this fundraiser and it was based on a 2-month calendar, with the winner getting $50 per weekday & $100 on Saturdays.
You do have to sell 1000 (000 to 999) tickets to maximize your
Incoming $20 per calendar $20000
Winning 2960
Cost of Calendars 200
PROFIT $16,840
Assumtions:
1. Need to sell 1000 tickets 000-999
2. Price per ticket = $20
3. Weekday payout - $50 per day
4. Saturday payout - $100
5. # chosen is based on Daily Number which is Monday-Saturday
If you don't sell all the tickets, you might lose out (unless those numbers unsold actually end up being daily numbers so you don't have payout either). Plus, you have to consider your organization and whether they'd support or approve any type of "gambling" which I suppose this can be considered.
Where I grew up, it's really easy to sell because it's so common & anyone would rather spend $10 or $20 if they have a chance to win the money back and then some vs. buying some cheap candy or wrapping paper, you know.
I couldn't sell this idea to my daughter's band; they instead do the high labor fundraisers like dinners and such, that have a much lower rate of return.
This is a website that I found that explains it and sells the supplies.
http://www.sportsinfomedia.com/productdetail.asp?id=16
Good luck -- hope the kids make it to Disney to make magical memories!!