As one of Grays Harbor’s most anticipated annual non-profit fundraisers, the Polson Museum’s Red Car Raffle is just weeks away from its big drawing date on Dec. 28.
For the 16th time in 22 years, the Polson will be giving away a shiny new vehicle to one lucky winner. The drawing will take place at the museum on Saturday the 28th at 1 p.m. The public is invited to attend the drawing though the winner need not be present to win.
The raffle started in 2002 after Museum Director John Larson learned of a similar vehicle raffle being conducted by the Lynden Pioneer Museum. Larson interviewed Lynden’s Director Troy Luginbill to learn about the details of successfully operating a higher-end raffle and soon the Polson was ready to start what has become its signature annual fundraiser.
In the state of Washington, not-for-profit organizations are the only entities allowed to conduct raffles and if the total value of prizes offered in a calendar year exceeds $5,000, the raffle needs to be licensed with the Washington State Gambling Commission.
Back in 2002 when the Polson ran its first raffle, the museum applied for and received a Class D license which capped the total gross raffle proceeds at $50,000. In those days, new cars cost significantly less than today and the Polson was able to purchase a nicely appointed “Torch Red” Ford Mustang for just shy of $19,000. Factoring in the costs of ticket printing, fuel, insurance and secondary prizes, the Polson was able to net just over $28,000 that year.
In all their early raffles, the museum capped total sales to 2,500 tickets at $20 each, increasing the total to 3,000 in 2017 as the price of new vehicles continued to climb and the fundraising math no longer worked. When the pandemic put a halt to public gatherings in 2020, the Polson put the Red Car Raffle on hold for three years given the unpredictability of attendance at the annual events that are essential to the museum to attend to sell tickets.
With the pandemic in the rear view, the Polson decided to re-launch the raffle in 2023 with an entirely new structure that dramatically improved the odds for ticket buyers and increased much needed operating revenue for the museum.
With updated Washington State Gambling Commission rules allowing tickets to be sold at $100 each, the Polson dropped the total number of tickets to 1,000 and subsequently has been able to offer even more premium vehicles.
With the upgraded 2023 “Big Bend Edition” Ford Bronco Sport and now the “Black Freedom Top” Jeep Gladiator 4×4 this year, the Polson has offered its most expensive grand prizes to date.
As the Polson considers what prizes to offer each year, their formula has stuck with three constants: a brand new vehicle as the grand prize complete with manufacturer’s warranty, the sales tax, license fee and title transfer costs fully covered, and the vehicle’s color red.
The museum has deduced that just about every adult over the age of 18 has a universal desire to someday own a brand new vehicle, especially if that machine can be had for as little as $100.
In 16 years of holding this raffle, some interesting statistics have emerged. Eleven of the vehicles have been won by residents of Grays Harbor County, which is a nearly 70% rate for local winners, a percentage that closely mirrors the percentage of overall ticket sales to locals versus tourists.
A statistic that continues to baffle museum staff is that no female has yet had her name drawn for the grand prize, though statisticians would wager that this trend is bound to be broken sooner than later.
As the final two weeks of this year’s Jeep Gladiator raffle get underway, the Polson has yet to reach its fundraising goal of selling all 1,000 tickets. As this story goes to press, the museum has a little over 100 tickets remaining.
With Christmas nearing, Museum Director Larson hopes that many of the remaining tickets will become stocking stuffers Christmas morning. The museum has historically set the drawing date as the Saturday following Christmas to accommodate such gift giving.
Since 1976, the Polson Museum has served the community with a mission to preserve, present and promote Grays Harbor history. All of the Red Car Raffle proceeds support museum operations and is the institution’s single largest annual revenue source.
While the popular Red Car Raffle is a fun way for people to support the Polson, it is just one piece of the museum’s financial income pie. Annual memberships, a growing endowment, steady visitor admissions, museum store sales, an annual giving campaign, rents from a museum-owned apartment building and miscellaneous other income all combine to fulfill the museum’s operating budget.
Remaining raffle tickets can be bought at the museum Wednesdays to Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays noon to 4 p.m., or by phoning the Polson at 360-533-5862. Additional information on this year’s raffle can also be found at the museum’s website: www.polsonmuseum.org/2024Raffle.pdf.
