[Charlug] Computer Raffle

[Ken]

As a nonprofit, we can conduct a computer raffle to gain publicity, get site visitors interested in attending at least one meeting, involve prize winners in the club by offering support for their prize Linux boxes, publicize the club by branding the prize computers with CharLUG and Linux logos.
   
  First we need corporate donors to give us several decent computers to offer as prizes.  We should give away 3 to 5 units, once a month, at our meeting. If there are several computers as prizes for each drawing, it will give people more hope of winning, and not be an obvious exploitation. In order to win a computer, participants must be present at the meeting for the drawing--no exceptions. Hopefully, this will increase attendance, if only temporarily. If we can get the people to the meeting and they wont stay... well, that's another problem. Photos of prize computers are posted on CharLUG site.
   
  Participants should understand that CharLUG expects the prize computer to stay in the Linux camp.  We remove any vestige of M$ branding from the computer. We use stencil, template, and spray paint to permanently brand the case as a Linux box. We use our collective expertise to make it difficult to put Windows on this box. We offer support to the winner, in the form of a separate Support mailing list.  Or if we dare, we put the winners on our member mailing list, and allow/encourage support questions.
   
  Online Entry forms available at charlug.org.  Entrant must give name, valid email address, must consent to receiving email promotions from CharLUG, with oppportunity to opt out later. The entry form could double as a questionnaire. This information may be the most valuable thing we get from the raffle. In particular, a mailing list of prospective members.
   
  A specific and appropriate Linux distribution is associated with each individual prize computer. The choice of distribution could be left up to the CharLUG member who is responsible for configuring the box in preparation for the raffle. (Any box between 300 and 500 MHz gets Vector Linux 5.8--trust me on this.)  There could be a space on the entry form for the participants to express a preference in distribution. There would need to be representation from the KDE camp, say SUSE 10.2.  Ubuntu 6.06 or Linux Mint 2.1 to represent GNOME. Just keep in mind that the prizes are going to noobs, so pick a friendly distro.
   
  If we ever decide we need money, we could run an auction (legal?) or a sale (aka donation) instead of a raffle.
   
  Computer Raffle: rough sketch
   
  Ken
   
   
   
   
   
   

 
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