Since we're on the topic, I want to post some FAQ's about my contests and giveaways. Each contest and giveaway differs slightly, so rules will be posted with each just in case this FAQ doesn't cover everything.
Q: What is the difference between your "contests" and your "giveaways"?
A: It isn't always obvious these days, but the difference is that my contests involve you having to actually do something in order to win. For example, the Epilepsy Poetry contest going on right now. You submit your poem, and a winner is chosen either randomly or by a team of judges in which I choose.
My giveaways are when I am literally just "giving away" something. It only involves you entering your name in a raffle, or tweeting me, etc. No writing poems, taking pictures, etc.
Q: How long do your contests run?
A: Contests usually run about 30 days. I like to give contestants time to complete the task and get it sent in to me.
Q: How long do your giveaways run?
A: Giveaways run according to the size/value of the item(s) being given away, and also according to how long my partner/sponsor would like it to run. No longer than two months, no less than 5 days.
Q: I live outside of the U.S.A., can I still enter?
A: I will specify with each contest/giveaway if it is open for those outside of the U.S.A. I have tons of viewers from other countries so I like to keep most of them open (as long as the winner is willing to go half-way on the shipping with me) for out of country. Sometimes I will even pay the shipping myself. It depends on how I'm doing financially and just how far away you are.
This also depends on the prize. For example, right now the prize is soap. I've tried to ship soap to Canada and I got a phone call about a gooey mess arriving in the mail. So I no longer take those chances!
Q: Will you ever give money as a prize?
A: I have and I will, but it is almost always in gift card form. This is to ensure that no one steals your prize (they are sent virtually) and it also ensures we can retrieve your prize if the code doesn't work, etc.
Q: How old do I have to be to enter a giveaway or contest?
A: I have a page called Children's Contests. Here, anyone ages 5-11 can enter these contests/giveaways. They run about every two months. For anyone over the age of 11, you can enter the regular contests.
Q: Can you tell if someone is cheating?
A: Absolutely! I have had people enter off of multiple computers within the same household. I strictly only allow one person per household to enter each contest/giveaway. When I see repeated IP addresses, I will remove that entry. I can also tell whether tasks were actually completed or not... So please be honest!
Q: What if I forget to give you my submission on time? Will you still take it?
A: I will still take it and show it off on the website (photos, poems, etc.) but it cannot be counted as an entry. This shouldn't be a problem, simply because I give a good three weeks time for submissions!
Q: How often will you have contests and giveaways?
A: I try to do a giveaway each month and a contest every three months at the most.
Q: I had the most points for your last giveaway, but I didn't win. Why did this happen?
A: (I had permission to post this answer, but I will not leave a name.) The reason why you did not win was because you did not fully perform tasks. When I pick the winner (person with most points) I check thoroughly to make sure they fully completed each task. If tasks are not completed, points are taken away. Here are some things you can do that can disqualify one of your entries:
- You may have followed a Twitter account and then unfollowed directly after, making that task invalid.
- Maybe you "liked" a Facebook page, but uniked it directly after, once again making that task invalid.
- Failing to comment on a blog post when you said you did.
- Failing to tweet about the giveaway when you said you did.
- Putting an incorrect URL, therefore now allowing me to see whether the task was completed or not.
Q: I live at home with several family members, and another member really wants to enter the contest. Is this acceptable if we let you know ahead of time?
A: Only one member from a household can "win" the contest. Multiple people can enter, just not from the same IP address (same computer). You may NOT add your points together, and each entrant will be chosen separately.
Q: Can two members of the same household win separate prizes?
A: No, like I mentioned, only one member of the same household can win.
Q: If someone is disqualified in a giveaway, how do you choose after that? Randomly?
A: No, I continue in order of who had the most points.
Q: What if there's a tie?
A: I usually allow for at least two winners. That way, ff there's a tie, I can randomly assign a winner to each prize.
These are all the questions I've received so far. If you have any more, please e-mail them to MandyKrzywonski@EpilepsyBlogger.org so the answers can be added to this page!
We're very excited about Purple Day! Our organization became aware of this grassroots movement through an employee of ours and we are holding a fundraising event at our office on the day of the event. Read more about our employee Amanda and how Grassroots Advocacy & Word of Mouth Improves Nonprofit Fundraising: http://www.miratelinc.com/blog/grassroots-advocacy-word-of-mouth-improves-nonprofit-fundraising/
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