Would you raffle a free massage?

[Malec Archen]

 There is a charity event that I am involved in and they are raffling off prizes.  A lot of vendors are involved and many donate gift baskets.  I was wondering if it would be okay to make  up a spa basket and then include a free 1/2 massage or reflexology treatment.  Does this sound cheesey?  Can I make it a woman's only gift? Feedback would be great.  Thanks, Janet

 

[uaktags]

Would you raffle a free massage?

You could make it a woman OR a man's gift, but if you're wanting it solely for women, have the announcer say it's for women or men's wives / girlfriends / mothers / sisters.It doesn't sound cheesy at all. I think you should go for it! Also allow them to upgrade to an hour for a price.

 

[Alelvehes]

I think its an awesome idea not only does it help out your charity but it also gets your name out there!  Have fun with it!

 

[Bluemoon]

Would you raffle a free massage?

Yes definately. I'm also doing the same in a chiro's office offering a free 1/2 hour massage by doing a drawing right before Thanksgiving. And to all those who put their name and numbers in the bowl I am going to call and offer a discount.

 

[sdheed707]

Would you raffle a free massage?

It sounds fine, but don't expect too much out of it.We do these charity give-aways almost every month, and it rarely, if ever turns into a client or gift sale.Just think of it as a charitable contribution and tax deduction

 

[Froggies angel]

Would you raffle a free massage?

a local church just had a silent auction, and asked me to donate some services (the money is going to thier programs for children) I agreed. It was the best marketing strategy! The day after the auction, I had several women come in, back to back. They had bid on the items, had not won them, but came in anyway to book appnts! I didnt do this to generate business, but I would do it again in the future because of the turnout. Good things happen when you DO good. And your work with the charitable organization will surely lead to good things. BEst of luck!

 

[asambrano752]

As other posters have noted, I wouldn't be looking at this as a major marketing strategy.......look at it as a donation.  Sometimes the person who wins never calls to redeem their gift.  Other times they are only interested because it's free and at other times you may get a client out of it.  If money has been raised to benefit a charity and you've helped, then you're ahead already.....anything else is a bonus!This is a great time of year for it.  It's the season of giving.  In addition, it gets your name out there for more to see.  

 

[Benny Commo]

Would you raffle a free massage?

If a man gets the gift you could always do seated massge on him. Head, neck and shoulders. But I like Jeff's idea about having the announcer say it that way.

 

[Raynee Daiz]

Thanks,   I think I will go ahead and do it.  I wasn't sure because I have never seen it done.   It isn't that I prefer to massage women, but since I don't have my own office and will be doing this as an outcall; I would prefer to massage a woman I don't know then a man I don't know. Janet

 

[irishgreenc16]

At our office we give out GC to charities and for fundraisers. While your TIME may not be deductable, your SERVICES are. The value of the service you provide is deductable as long as it is to a charitable organization. What I mean by that is if the GC you donate to the organization is redeemed, the value of that service can be deducted.  However, you can not  deduct your time if you go to a fund raising event and donate your time doing chair massage while you are there. In the first instance you are providing a service, but in the second you are providing your time.

 

[Scooby69]

Thanks for the clarification.  I guess since I am just starting up I haven't given any thought to the taxes yet.  

 

[Randy F]

Yes, raffling off a free massage definitely couldn't hurt. It keeps you in practice, and allows you to give towards a good cause, plus it might get you added business. I have given towards silent auctions many times. When I gave to one particular auction, I was invited to a black-tie affair because of it. Unfortunately, I couldn't make the gala event but can you imagine the prospective clientele I could have gotten if I could have been fortunate enough to go? I have recently taken a new directive for my business to promote new customers. I've taken a small fishbowl into various hair/nail salons for people to drop in their business card to win a free 1-hour massage. I have had several people drop their cards in and I will be calling them all to see if they're interested in buying gift certificates for the holidays and see if they'd like to be added to a mailing list for future specials. Also, an upscale apartment complex is interested in me coming around the holidays and provide a day of chair massage at discounted prices to drum up business for myself. I'll probably raffle off a massage there as well--it can't ever hurt any growing business and it's a great way to get your name out there.  Be well,Jen

 

[Tearany]

pete,   But your comment is saying that you can't deduct time spent in donating blood.  Read in business mastery.......it's referred to as, pro bono work.  I don't think donating a gift certificate to a charity is pro bono work, but the book says it is.  It's referred to as ......helping a needy individual, support a specific cause or group.  these services are considered an act of goodwill.  Will have to check with my CPA.  It just doesn't sound right.  After all, a barter is taxed by IRS.  It's like IRS wants to nickel and dime us to death.  I just can't understand how donating something of value is not tax deductable.  

 

[Vanessa M]

There was a big discussion about this previously, but I can't find it, so no link I think it is a tax deduction for RelaxandRejuvenate because RelaxandRejuvenate doesn't actually provide the service, an employee is paid to provide the service.  If you are a solo operation, time doesn't cost you anything (yeah, right) and it isn't a tax deduction.

 

[Petra]

Only out-of-pocket expenses for charitable donations are tax deductible... that would be your actual printing/paper costs for gift certificates, wholesale cost of merchandise, and anything you pay employees when the gift certificates are redeemed.I've donated gift certificates to raffles and auctions several times.  It's been more of a "positive energy" benefit for me than a business builder.   Not many gift certificates redeemed and not many repeat visits, but it still felt worth it.

 

[Tanner R]

Would you raffle a free massage?

so then would trading massage with another therapist count as a barter?

 

[Bart]

Superspagirls,

Yes techically trading massages is a barter, and is therefore taxable. But then some pay for and it deduct it, so I feel its a horse a piece. Hair dressers cut each others hair, but dont keep track of that for tax purposes either. Can you imagine getting busted by the IRS because of trading??? Maybe the will try to catch you in the act and bust the door down while you are giving the trade massage??

t046

 

[Yay Nicholas is here!]

When giving to charity raffles and the like, give because you want to, not because you expect to get business back. It has never turned into a client for me (at first, I'd hoped it would). It is still a good way to get your name recognized, so when someone does want a massage they'll remember you. I still donate gift certificates for charities/organizations I feel strongly about - massage is a strong motivator to get people buying raffle tickets and raise money for your charity!

 

[?? Kitty ??]

I have donated gift certificates for charity events, but have now changed my gift. I also do outcalls, and one sent me quite a distance to give a free massage, to someone who had absolutely no interest in becoming a client. That caused me to rethink it - it was a huge cost in my time and effort. Now I give a gift bag with a t-shirt (long sleeved in winter) with my logo ironed on, nice, rose-scented candle with my label on that, and the bag is a nice canvas bag that also has my logo ironed onto it. It actually has been very well received.

It's all also tax-deductible, but my reason for going this route is to save myself the headaches of a GC being redeemed that is very inconvenient. This is also easier for folks to transfer if they choose not to use it themselves.