Big prizes to be won in Rotary raffle

In just a few weeks, somebody somewhere is going to be the proud owner of a brand-new Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport worth more than $46,000.

Someone else will have themselves a gift voucher and travel goods valued at $5,550, while another person will be the recipient of a timely $2,000 fuel card.

Those are the top three prizes in the Rotary Club of Ballarat South’s Community Assistance Raffle, tickets for which are on sale until Friday 15 May.

There’s more – much more – and all the details are available at rcbs.org.au/2025-community-assistance-raffle-win-a-mazda-cx-5-and-more

The website has details of all the prizes and a list of all participating organisations to choose from.

Raffle coordinator Helen Newall said many people had bought multiple tickets, and the raffle had taken on greater importance this year because some were struggling with the cost of living while many organisations had found raising money difficult since the pandemic.

“We would say to everyone, by buying a ticket you’re not only helping yourself, you’re helping those not-for-profit organisations – and in a lot of instances it’s helping them to survive, because some of them are running very close to the wind with finances,” Newall said

“It’s not about the Rotary Club of Ballarat South, it’s about helping the community.”

The club has been running the raffle since 1992. It evolved through the club’s desire to help not-for-profit organisations raise money.

“A lot of smaller clubs didn’t have the wherewithal to run raffles with prizes; they were struggling to find ways to make money, so we came up with this idea – if we provide the prizes, we go out and invite not-for-profit organisations to…promote ticket sales,” Newall said.

She said for every $5 ticket sold, every registered organisation that sells that ticket retains 70 per cent or $3.50 of the price.

“So basically they get something for nothing. We’ve taken the prizes on board; we’ve borne the costs of those,” Newall said.

“It is purely up to them to go out and promote as many ticket sales as possible – and then they reap the rewards.”

More than 80 organisations have registered to participate this year. They are spread throughout Rotary District 9780, which covers an area incorporating 50 clubs from Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula, as far north as Swan Hill, and over the border to Millicent in south-east South Australia.

The raffle has traditionally used paper tickets, but this iteration is all-digital for the first time.

“With digital, as soon as the person buying the ticket scans the QR code, fills out their details and pays, they get a receipt – either on their phone or via their email address,” Newall said.

She said the club was hoping for a spurt in ticket sales with the approach of Mothers’ Day.

“We’re hoping that everyone wants to shower their mothers with the…tickets. That means she might get a wonderful gift instead of a box of chocolates,” she said.

Winners will be drawn on Saturday 23 May.