It’s hard to believe another raffle year is upon us, and this will be my last as Raffle Chair, as I announced at the Wadena convention last summer. It’s been a great ride, and I have met so many wonderful people along the way. I hope that one of our members sitting on the sidelines all these years will step up and take up this vital fundraiser for the good of the sport and the Association. It is truly a great thing that we’ve built over the years… Yes, it involves a solid commitment and time on your part, but it can be an extremely satisfying position to serve in. I want to assist in training someone this coming year so they can learn the critical “inside details” of the job. You won’t be abandoned to fend for yourself knowing the ropes; I’m here to help and advise. Many of the tasks are sequential and are spread out over the year. The task order for preparing for the following year’s raffle starts shortly after the preceding one ends. September and October begin the selection and solicitation of donors and prizes, applying for our annual charitable gambling license. The BOD is then provided this information at the fall meeting. The next step is to arrange for our printing needs (tickets, letters), order envelopes, etc., in early to mid-November. When tickets arrive, we package the envelopes. At the winter meeting, we hand out keys to many members in attendance to save on postage, and after the meeting, we mail the remainder to the members via USPS. From the winter meeting until the summer convention, the primary task is sending additional tickets to the members who requested them.