My brother-in-law has said that a lottery ticket is really a stupidity tax. While I know that logically he is right, I buy them from time to time.  Usually, it is when I am in a store that sells lottery tickets and it is over $100 million.  That turns out to be approximately 5 times a year. Yes, I will pay the $10 stupidity tax in exchange for the possibility, hope and fun with which it comes.

This is not the only $10 that I will basically throw away this year. Other times will include:

• Taking my kids to any place where they win tickets for prizes (recently it was a neon orange inflatable smiley face emoticon for only $40!)
• Buying bottled water (I try not to but every time I do I think that is one strike against the environment and one strike against my wallet.)
• That pair of jeans that almost worked but not quite and now it’s too late to return.
• The lipstick I buy and lose within a week.
• ________fill in your waste here_______

Then, there are my donations. It is kind of like the lottery – I am giving someone money and getting possibility and hope in return. Sometimes I think it is fun, depending on the nonprofit.

How can you help prospects see that giving to charity = hope, possibility and fun?

One way is to use a social media campaign to offer them the lottery dream of hope and possibility. If they match what they have or would have spent on lottery tickets (a $2 donation is still a small initial gift – but it is still an initial gift). Offer them pictures of the possibilities their “lottery ticket” will provide. And tell them why it feels like winning the lottery for your beneficiaries.

And they will have health benefits too!

As I have referenced before, giving has physical benefits for the donor.  You can explain to every prospect that their gift has the potential to improve their own sleep, digestion, memory, learning, appetite, motivation AND counteract the effects of stress hormones. Yes, you can give them access to 3 naturally-created, feel-good hormones (aka Dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin) for just $25.

Ok, that is more than a lottery ticket. But it is less than an inflatable at skee ball.