It starts with sending out an informational letter to all the merchants the week after Thanksgiving that tells about the upcoming event and how it works: Each business is asked to give a gift certificate or gift card from their business. It can be in any amount of their choosing, from $5 and up. The response was overwhelming with 98 percent of the businesses contacted participating in the event. Each club member is given a list of 6–8 businesses each to contact and pick up the certificates and cards.

   

Next we start selling tickets for the Bonanza mid-November (each club has different colored tickets) and we sell until mid December. Tickets are also sold at some of the businesses, too. Tickets are $10 each.

   

Mid December we collect all tickets sold by the clubs, and we pull two names, in a live Facebook event, to receive thousands of dollars in gift cards and certificates to use at our town stores. Last year two winners received over $1,000 each to spend in our local shops! What a Christmas present!

   

Each service club keeps the ticket money sold by their organization. Our Optimists club alone made over $2,600 from this fundraiser! It is a win-win for all; The service clubs earn money for their projects and the merchants get people into their stores for the holiday season!

   

This is a great fundraiser that any club can do.