Draft:Omaze
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Omaze
Omaze is an entertainment company with a social purpose.[1]. It raises significant funding for charity organisations through its luxury-house prize draws in the UK, with a portion of the income raised going to charity.
American entrepreneurs Matthew Pohlson and Ryan Cummings established the organisation[2] in the US in 2012. It initially specialised in celebrity-experience draws, before switching focus to UK house draws in 2020[3]. Omaze has raised more than £51 million for good causes, as of August 2024.
History
[edit]Pohlson and Cummings met at Stanford University in the late 1990s.[4]
Both had an interest in film and, after graduating, Pohlson appeared in theatre in Los Angeles and the TV series Everwood (2004), Scrubs (2005) and Hollywood Dreams (2006)[5]. Pohlson and Cummings also collaborated as producers and writers on A Decade of Difference, a concert to mark the first decade of the William J. Clinton Foundation, which aims to strengthen global interdependence. It featured the likes of Bono, Matt Damon, Lady Gaga and Tony Blair[6].
In 2011, the pair attended a Boys & Girls Club of America charity event in Los Angeles[7]. The auction featured a chance to play basketball with Magic Johnson and attend an LA Lakers game with him. The event was attended by mainly high-net worth individuals and the Magic Johnson experience was auctioned off for $15,000[8].
This sort of figure was out of reach for Pohlson, Cummings and most other people. So the pair decided to create a model where the wider public could take part in such fundraising events[9]. In July 2012 they launched Omaze, which offered customers the chance to win dream experiences through sweepstakes, while also raising substantial funds for charities.
The pair were able to use their contacts in the entertainment industry to give anyone the opportunity to meet and take part in activities with celebrities as prizes. Omaze’s first big success was offering a chance to accompany actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul to a Breaking Bad screening in the iconic RV from the series. The sweepstake raised $1.7 million for Kind Campaign[10].
Omaze also partnered with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo[11], Oprah Winfrey[12], actors from Star Wars[13], Michelle Obama[14] and many other leading figures in entertainment, sport and politics.
Notable prizes included: wine-tasting with Jennifer Lawrence[15]; riding in a tank and crushing things with Arnold Schwarzenegger[16]; dinner with George Clooney at his Lake Como house[17]; winning a Lamborghini, receiving the keys from Pope Francis[18].
More than 350 charities[19], including Make-A-Wish, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, UNICEF, the Red Cross, and Team Rubicon benefited from the draws. Omaze funded a new ECMO ambulance for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre[20] and the creation of a $1 million community centre for People Assisting the Homeless[21].
Cummings stepped away from the business in 2018. Pohlson, feeling that the celebrity-experience model was losing momentum, launched the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in 2020[22], with then Omaze Senior Vice President International, James Oakes, alongside Mike Longden and Anoushka Millard. It featured a £1 million Cheshire property and raised £250,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
The Omaze Million Pound House Draw quickly became Omaze’s most successful project.
“Everybody dreams of a new house,” Pohlson commented in October 2022. “We said: ‘OK, let’s try it [in the UK] for the first time.’ [It] just worked incredibly well.”[23]
Omaze decided to focus entirely on this house draw model in 2023 and moved its head office from Los Angeles to London. Omaze does not currently operate in the US. Pohlson has said that house draws can raise twenty times as much money as celebrity sweepstakes, despite requiring much the same amount of work[24]
As of September 2024, Omaze has given away 29 houses, all worth more than £1 million. Locations include Somerset, Cheshire, Cornwall, the Lake District and London. The UK draws, which also include cars and cash prizes, have generated more than £56 million for national charities including Teenage Cancer Trust, British Heart Foundation, The Prince’s Trust, the NSPCC, GOSH Charity, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Research UK, RSPCA, Blood Cancer UK, Global’s Make Some Noise, Dogs Trust, Marie Curie, RNLI, Macmillan, Breast Cancer Now, NHS Charities Together, WWF-UK, the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, BBC Children in Need, Prostate Cancer UK, London’s Air Ambulance Charity and the RSPB and local charities including Cornwall Rural Housing Association, Hackney Foodbank, Well Communities, Holt Youth Project, Glaven Caring, FORCE Cancer Charity, Kensington & Chelsea Foundation, Colehill Community Library, Wilmslow Youth and East Cheshire Hospice.Worldwide. Omaze has generated more than $225 million since its 2012 inception. [1]
Matthew Pohlson is currently Omaze CEO. [1]
James Oakes is Chief International Officer, responsible for growth in overseas markets and leading the UK operation. In 2017, James led a Zeal Group $2 million investment in Omaze and attended several Omaze board meetings before agreeing to join the board on a permanent basis in 2019. He devised the UK house prize model over a drink with Pohlson.[25]
Mike Longden joined the company in 2019 as Senior Marketing Consultant, International, to establish the Omaze brand in the UK and help launch the Omaze Million Pound House Draw. He is now the VP of Marketing for Omaze.
Anoushka Millard joined Omaze in 2019, helping to launch the Omaze Million Pound House Draw in 2020 as Senior Director of Operations, International. Her role includes overseeing all house selection, acquisition and interior design, as well as determining Omaze’s charity partners. She is now VP of Property and Partnerships.
Draw model and regulations
[edit]Omaze offers houses, cash and has offered cars as prizes during each prize draw. The cars are often awarded as early bird-entry prizes. Seventeen per cent of gross income from entries goes to charity, irrespective of costs. A minimum donation of £1 million is guaranteed for every charity partner.
Omaze is regulated as a prize draw operator. Entrants are able to enter the competition via a paid entry route online or alternatively by post for the cost of a stamp. The postal entry route is displayed prominently alongside paid-for options on marketing material, in line with the requirements of the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) and Advertising Standards Authority guidance.
Customers have several options when purchasing entries. These currently include purchasing 15 entries for £10, 40 entries for £25 and 320 entries for £150. Subscriptions, which can be cancelled at any time, include £10 a month for 30 entries and £50 a month for 320 entries.
The chances of winning a house draw depend on the number of entries received. For postal entries, each individual entry is coded and entered into a database by an independent scrutineer, Civica. Omaze uses a randomised draw engine to select a winner from these combined entries.
Winners have 96 hours to claim their prize and Omaze will make every effort to contact them within this timeframe. If the prize remains unclaimed, Omaze will move on to the next winning entry code on the list.
Omaze has measures in place to ensure vulnerable customers are not at risk, including:
- A spend cap of £500 per customer, per month.
- Messaging and brand guidelines which avoid overstating the likelihood of winning or encouraging a sense of urgency, and prohibit advertising money motives for entering.
Omaze is subject to a number of other regulatory frameworks in the UK, including being a registered commercial participant with the Fundraising Regulator and complying with all relevant marketing and consumer protection requirements in the UK.[1]
UK house draws
[edit]The first UK campaign offered a chance to win a four-bedroom house, with a hot tub and self-contained home-office, in Cheshire, worth £1,000,000. It launched in March 2020 and closed in November 2020. The winner was Ian Garrick. The draw raised £250,000 for its charity partner, Teenage Cancer Trust.
Omaze committed to raising £1,000,000 for the charity within the next three years, something it achieved in 2022 when the Marbella Superdraw—which offered a chance to win a Marbella holiday home—raised £800,000 for the trust.
Of the 29 houses that have been won, five have been located in London and four in the Cotswolds, with the rest in locations throughout the United Kingdom—including Cornwall, Cheshire, the Lake District, Scotland—and Spain.
The highest value property given away to date is a £5,000,000 luxury warehouse conversion in Victoria Park, Hackney, London in August 2024.[1]
Full list of UK houses
[edit]
| House | Value | Winner | Charity Parner | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cheshire House | £1,000,000 | Ian Garrick, Lincolnshire | Teenage Cancer Trust | 2020 |
| The London House | £3,000,000 | Marilyn Pratt, Greater London | British Heart Foundation | 2020 |
| The Cotswold House | £2,500,000 | Darren Wordon, Somerset | Prince’s Trust | 2021 |
| The Devon House | £3,000,000 | Glen Elmy, West Midlands | NSPCC | 2021 |
| The Wimbledon House | £3,500,000+ | Heekyoung Jin, London | GOSH Charity | 2021 |
| The Ascot House | £3,500,000+ | Becca Pott, London | Cancer Research UK | 2021 |
| The Lake District House | £3,000,000 | Catherine Cawardine, Shropshire | Alzheimer’s Research UK | 2021 |
| The Cotswolds House | £3,500,000+ | Susan Havenhand, Somerset | RSPCA | 2022 |
| The Cornwall House | £3,000,000 | Uttam Parmar, Leicestershire | Blood Cancer UK | 2022 |
| The Kent House | £2,500,000 | Jade, Midlands | Global’s Make Some Noise | 2022 |
| The Marbella House | £2,000,000 | Mark, Devon | Teenage Cancer Trust | 2022 |
| The Lake District House | £2,500,000 | Grant Carson, Glasgow | Dogs Trust | 2022 |
| The London House | £2,500,000 | Kevin Johnson, London | British Heart Foundation | 2022 |
| The Cornwall House | £4,500,000 | June Smith, Essex | Marie Curie | 2023 |
| The Cotswolds House | £3,500,000 | Will Satherley, Cardiff | NSPCC | 2023 |
| The Yorkshire House | £1,900,000 | Eliza Yahioglu, London | Blood Cancer UK | 2023 |
| The Norfolk House | £4,500,000 | Daren Bell, Dorset | RNLI | 2023 |
| The Devon House | £2,000,000+ | Simon Williams, West Sussex | Macmillan Cancer Support | 2023 |
| The Scotland House | £3,500,000+ | Jon, Berkshire | Breast Cancer Now | 2023 |
| The London House | £5,000,000 | Oceanne Bell, London | NHS Charities Together | 2023 |
| The Somerset House | £3,000,000 | Michael Maher, Bedfordshire | RSPCA | 2023 |
| The Mallorca House | £3,000,000 | Graham Dunlop, Hampshire | Alzheimer’s Research UK | 2023 |
| The Cotswolds House | £3,000,000 | Sarah Stocks, Essex | GOSH charity | 2024 |
| The Cornwall House | £3,000,000 | Rose Doyle, Birmingham | WWF-UK | 2024 |
| The Cheshire House | £3,500,000+ | Kevin Bryant, Devon | Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK | 2024 |
| The Dorset House | £2,500,000 | Chris Milnes, West Yorkshire | BBC Children in Need | 2024 |
| The Surrey House | £3,000,000 | Rachel Reid, Invernesshire | Prostate Cancer UK | 2024 |
| The London House | £5,000,000+ | Hilary McMagnus, Nottinghamshire | London’s Air Ambulance Charity | 2024 |
| The Cornwall House | £4,500,000 | Lisa Morgan | RSPB | 2024 |
| The Yorkshire House | £2,500,000+ | TBC | Mencap | 2024 |
| The Devon House | £2,000,000+ | TBC | CALM | 2024 |
Promotion
[edit]Omaze house draws are promoted through TV, video-on-demand, organic and paid digital and social media, radio, cinema, outdoor and affiliate marketing.
Actress, presenter and voiceover artist Jo Pickard[26] is the main face and voice of Omaze UK. She has been with the brand since launch, fronting all television campaigns and main digital assets, such as winner “door knock” films and the charity funds-raised reveals.
In 2022, Omaze started creating additional digital assets for social media, with Freya Melling as the presenter. Freya is a freelance real estate consultant in London.
In 2023, Omaze hired Paul Rees[27] as a co-presenter to Pickard, due to the growth of the company and increased number of house draws. Rees is a professional motor-racing driver who originally appeared in advertisements for Omaze’s early bird car prizes.
Since the Devon 2021 house, each property has had a main ambassador who represents each charity partner.
Full list of ambassadors
[edit]| House | Ambassador | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The Devon House | Dame Esther Ranzen | 2021 |
| The Wimbledon House | Jason Isaacs | 2021 |
| The Ascot House | Ronan Keating | 2021 |
| The Lake District House | Stephen Tompkinson | 2021 |
| The Cotswolds House | Eleanor Tomlinson | 2022 |
| The Cornwall House | Dame Penelope Wilton | 2022 |
| The Kent House | Mylene Klass | 2022 |
| The Marbella House | Matty Lee MBE | 2022 |
| The Lake District House | Nathan Sykes | 2022 |
| The London House | Dr Charmaine Griffiths | 2022 |
| The Cornwall House | Claire Richards | 2023 |
| The Cotswolds House | Lemar | 2023 |
| The Yorkshire House | Celia Imrie CBE | 2023 |
| The Norfolk House | Joanna Scanlan | 2023 |
| The Devon House | Larry Lamb | 2023 |
| The Scotland House | Kaye Adams | 2023 |
| The London House | Ellie Orton | 2023 |
| The Somerset House | Joanna Page | 2023 |
| The Mallorca House | Hilary Evans | 2023 |
| The Cotswolds House | Tom Felton | 2024 |
| The Cornwall House | Alistair McGowan | 2024 |
| The Cheshire House | Heather James | 2024 |
| The Dorset House | Jill Scott MBE | 2024 |
| The Surrey House | Colin McFarlane | 2024 |
| The London House | David Beckham OBE | 2024 |
| The Cornwall House | Deborah Meaden | 2024 |
| The Yorkshire House | Jodie Whittaker | 2024 |
| The Devon House | Romesh Ranganathan | 2024 |
Controversy
[edit]In June 2021, it was reported in the Daily Mail[28] that the Cheshire House 2021 was in a location prone to flooding and the property had flooded in October and December, the previous year.
Omaze questioned the flooding claims for October and said that the December problem was due to a blocked culvert on land adjacent to the property and a period of exceptionally heavy rain. Omaze commissioned a civil engineer specialising in flooding to address the problem.[29] It said the winner experienced no issues, before eventually selling the home.
A promotional video for the London House 2023, spoke of a “roaring fireplace” feature. This attracted negative coverage in The Guardian[30], particularly because the draw’s charity partner was British Heart Foundation (BHF).
Jemima Hartshorn, founder and director of Mums for Lungs, was quoted as saying that BHF’s decision to raise money this way was “regrettable and highlights a lack of awareness of the link between wood-burning, air pollution and health”.
Omaze countered that it took its environmental responsibilities very seriously and was reviewing the issue, to see if any action was needed. The BHF also conducted a review. Omaze took the decision to remove from its promotional materials any images featuring functioning open fires.
There were claims[31] that the Devon House 2021 was in danger of slipping off the cliff it was built on. Omaze responded that it carried out extensive professional surveys, searches and inspection prior to purchasing the house. None of them revealed any concerns relating to cliff erosion.
A class-action lawsuit was filed[32] against Omaze in August 2021, in the Northern District of California, alleging fraud, false advertising, and unjust enrichment.
The plaintiffs wanted “to stop Omaze from continuing to operate illegal lotteries and mislead the general public into believing (among other things) that most, if not all, of their ‘donations’ are going to charity when, in fact, the overwhelming majority of their ‘donations’ are pocketed by Omaze.”
The court issued an order dismissing the case in February 2022.[33]
Honours and awards
[edit]British Heart Foundation Corporate Partner of the Year, 2023[34]
Working Together Prize NSPCC Corporate Impact Awards, 2022
Special Recognition Winner, Altogether Unstoppable Awards Teenage Cancer Trust 2022
Finalist, Marketing Partnership of the Year, Third Sector Business Charity Awards 2022[35]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "About Omaze UK | How the Million Pound House Draw Works". Omaze UK. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Welch, Andy (2023-04-04). "Too good to be true? What it is really like to win a £3m dream home". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Written evidence submitted by Omaze to DCMS Committee Inquiry into Gambling Regulation".
- ^ Welch, Andy (2023-04-04). "Too good to be true? What it is really like to win a £3m dream home". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Matthew Pohlson | Producer, Actor, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years of the William J. Clinton Foundation - Production & Contact Info | IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ X (2019-09-15). "He lost a chance to shoot hoops with Magic but found a calling". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Mega, Laurie (2022-08-04). "Lessons on Living (And Dying) From Omaze Founder Matthew Pohlson — Exclusive". Foundr. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Mega, Laurie (2022-08-04). "Lessons on Living (And Dying) From Omaze Founder Matthew Pohlson — Exclusive". Foundr. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (2013-09-19). "'Breaking Bad' Stars Raise Over $1 Million for Charity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Carter, Courtney (2015-10-07). "Raise Money for Charity and Meet Cristiano Ronaldo with Omaze!". Impakter. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Hall, Christine (2020-08-13). "Omaze Lands $30M Series B Toward Goal Of Raising $1B For Charities". Crunchbase News. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2017-04-11). "'Star Wars: Force For Change' & Omaze Kick Off 40th Anniversary Of Sci-Fi Franchise With New Charity Campaign". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Hall, Christine (2020-08-13). "Omaze Lands $30M Series B Toward Goal Of Raising $1B For Charities". Crunchbase News. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Eads, Lauren (2017-08-18). "Jennifer Lawrence invites fans on wine tasting tour". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (2014-03-12). "Arnold Schwarzenegger invites you to ride in his tank and crush things for charity". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "George and Amal Clooney offer fans the chance to dine with them at Italian home". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Glatz, Carol (2018-12-05). "Pope's white Lamborghini up for raffle; winner gets trip to Rome". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Bernstein, JIll (October 2020). "Meet the for-profit business model that's raised over $130 million for charities". Fast Company.
- ^ Mathew, Viju (2020-08-14). "How Omaze's Innovative Approach to Charity Lets It Give Away Amazing Cars—and Raise Money Doing it". Robb Report. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "You Could Win a Custom Tiny Home by Donating to This Charity". House Beautiful. 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Whitworth, Damian (2022-10-25). "The man who raffles mansions and dates with the A-list". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Whitworth, Damian (2022-10-25). "The man who raffles mansions and dates with the A-list". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Jazz Shaper: Matt Pohlson". Mishcon de Reya LLP. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Murray, James (2023-11-16). "Omaze house draw: The top dogs (and cats) for charity fundraising". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "JO PICKARD". JO PICKARD. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Paul Rees Racing". Paul Rees Racing. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Parry, Gemma (2021-06-22). "The horror stories behind million pound properties won in prize draw". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Williams, Tom (2021-06-23). "Family's £2,500,000 new home won in prize draw 'built in valley that floods'". Metro. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Ungoed-Thomas, Jon; Stoneman, Justin (2023-01-08). "'A roaring fireplace': the polluting raffle prize promoted by the British Heart Foundation". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ North, Nic (2023-08-26). "The £3m Omaze 'James Bond hideaway'... 6ft from the edge of a cliff". Mail Online. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ Young-Powell, Abby; August 2021, Jessica Abrahams // 19 (2021-08-19). "Luxury fundraiser Omaze confronts 'illegal lottery' allegations". Devex. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Federal Court Dismisses Illegal Lottery Claims Against Omaze, Emphasizing Adequacy of Fundraiser's Alternative Means of Sweepstakes Entry". Ifrah Law. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Heart Hero Awards 2023 Results". British Heart Foundation. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
- ^ "Results 2022". Business Charity Awards. Retrieved 2024-09-30.