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About Omaze
Charitable auctions are somewhat of an irony. Typically held at lavish venues, it’s considered a way for the super-rich to feel good about themselves.
That said, not many participants know that only a small percentage of the donation is actually made to the recipient. Is giving back an outdated activity? Not exactly, but the way it is traditionally handled is.
If you want to really make a difference, Omaze ensures that a big percentage of your donation makes to the designed grantee.
This charity auction allows donors to submit a portion of their money for a chance to win a grand prize. Boasting over 438k followers, Omaze has been featured in various media outlets, including InsideHook, Forbes, and The New Yorker.
Want to win big? Perhaps this online charity can give you a fighting chance. Keep reading, as in this Omaze review, I’ll take an in-depth look at the brand, its services, customer ratings, promotions, and more to help you decide if they’re worth checking out.
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Overview Of Omaze
Omaze began in a moment of disappointment. More specifically, co-founders Matthew Pohlson and Ryan Cummins just fell short of winning a major prize at a charity auction. The award? A memorable dinner with Magic Johnson and seats to the next Lakers game.
After the event was over, they speculated why the best experiences were the easiest to attain by the rich. This inevitably became the inspiration for Omaze in 2012: an online charity that aims to make auctioning fair game.
Over the years, Omaze has raised over $12 million for charity. They state that they’ll continue to provide users with an even playing field when it comes to winning prizes.
“We created a fundraising platform for a new generation of donors. We give everyone a chance to dream big and win once-in-a-lifetime prizes while helping to make the world a better place.”
Before I kickstart this Omaze review, let’s go over some initial highlights.
Highlights
- Donates over 15% to 60% of proceeds to charitable organizations
- Offers participants a fair chance to win prizes
- Publishes an impact update to inform users what charities were supported
- Considered a legitimate charity
- Positive customer reviews
There’s an air of exclusivity associated with charity auctions, which is assumably the last thing you’d associate with ‘paying it forward.’ In the dance of lavish ballgowns, wine, and hors d’oeuvres, it’s easy to mistake these types of events as another pretentious met gala.
If you’re only there to place your bids, curb your expectations. There’s a reason why charity auctions are stomping grounds for the rich.
Is it unfair? It’s an obvious yes. Thankfully, online charities such as Omaze realize the need to make charity auctioning a more level playing field. Moving forward, I’ll discuss how their services work as well as some prizes you can win next in this Omaze review.
Omaze Prizes Review
This isn’t a 2-cent stuffed toy that you’d get in a cheap crane game. Omaze prizes are worth thousands of dollars.
Considered a great way to give back to your community, it’s practically the literal definition of a ‘win-win’ scenario. Below, I’ll provide specifics to consider in this Omaze review.
What Can You Win on Omaze?
There are two types of awards offered by Omaze: a celebrity prize and a non-celebrity prize. A celebrity prize is relatively self-explanatory, as participants can enter for a chance to win a one-on-one dinner, a set visit, or premiere tickets with a featured superstar.
A non-celebrity prize entails vacation spots, cash, and cars. Offered in a limited time frame, participants must donate a select amount in order to get a chance to win big.
Currently, Omaze offers ten prizes that competitors can win. To keep things short and sweet, I’ll provide the deets in a list down below:
- A custom Mercedes Sprinter van (supports the Justin J. Watt Foundation)
- An eco-friendly Tesla Model X Plaid (supports REVERB)
- A $130K custom tiny home from Tru Form Tiny (supports the National Park Foundation)
- A custom BAJA Forged Ford Bronco (supports Pelotonia)
- A Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of America)
- A custom SpeedKore Dodge Demon (supports the Save The Music Foundation)
- A vacation in an overwater villa at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso (supports Charity Bomb)
- An all-electric Hummer EV Edition 1 (supports Rebuilding Together)
- $100K in November’s Big Dream Monthly Giveaway (supports Rock the Vote)
- A dream safari in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya (supports the Ol Pejeta Conservancy)
Does the Money From Omaze Go to Charity?
Absolutely! It’s worth mentioning that Omaze donates a different percentage of your proceeds depending on what prize you’re after. For instance, 60% of your funds will go to its intended recipient if you enter for a chance to win a celebrity prize.
For non-celebrity awards, the amount funnels down to 15%. Compared to traditional charity auctions, Omaze contributes more to those in need—considering that some of the proceeds are used to pay for advertising and content creation.
So, how do you enter a charity auction? It’s relatively straightforward. First, you must choose what prize you’d like to win. From there, participants must select how much they want to donate. Chances are organized into entries.
For example, those who choose to contribute $203 to win a Tesla Model X are given 2,000 entries. If you can only afford $14, that’s totally cool too. In that case, you receive 200 entries instead.
Who Is Omaze For?
Aside from fine-print eligibility, anyone can participate in Omaze charity auctioning. It’s considered an easy way to support nonprofit organizations, given that participants can do it from the comfort of their own homes.
Plus, Omaze gives users a fair chance of winning one of their grand prizes. From sports cars to tropical vacations, competitors are offered a wide selection of charity bids to choose from.
Omaze Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
According to thousands of participants, Omaze definitely puts the ‘amaze’ in amazing. The brand doesn’t publish comments on its official website, so I thought to include some outside sources to beef up this Omaze review. I’ll feature the ratings down below:
- TrustPilot: 199.3k reviews with 4.7/5 stars
- The Better Business Bureau: 131 reviews with 4.2/5 stars
Considering that only a select few win Omaze prizes, it’s impressive to see thousands of users voicing their recommendations—even if they weren’t victorious.
Easy to use and inspiring in its company mission, participants shared positive experiences in using their services.
“Omaze is a wonderful competition as its so easy to enter.I took a particular interest in the lake district cottage as its supporting the dog trust, with having a Husky its one of my favourites. To live in the lakes would be a dream come true,” one Trustpilot user wrote.
“Well, although I never expected to win, my family and I were incredibly lucky, surprised and overjoyed to win one of their grand prizes…….a house. The entire Omaze team was as helpful and friendly as they could possibly be. They all seemed to be as excited for us as we were,” one user wrote on BBB.
For more in-depth insight, I turned to independent blogs to include in this Omaze review. Most of the sources I found speculated the legitimacy of the brand’s services. Websites such as SlideBean offered a fair critique of the online charity.
“Like most lotteries and raffles, the chances of winning are low. Add to that that Omaze is open about making money. And, yes, the money goes to good causes. But so much gets lost in the way that we ask ourselves: is it a charity? Is Omaze a scam? Not necessarily. It’s a business that gives out spare change to charities. Is that wrong? You tell me,” via a statement made by SlideBean.
Of the thousands of positive testimonials made for Omaze, there seems to be a bit of controversy surrounding the credibility of their services. Obviously, online charity auctions are susceptible to skepticism, which is why I thought it best to address some negative feedback next in this Omaze review.
Is Omaze Legit?
Omaze is an online charity that donates a significant amount of its proceeds to non-profit organizations. In return, participants are given a chance to win one of their grand prizes.
From the get-go, it seems too good to be true. Hundreds of users were skeptical about the legitimacy of their services, given that they don’t contribute the full amount to in-need recipients.
Aside from this, some participants reported issues in donating their money to select grand prizes. Others noted frustrations with the brand’s customer service. All in all, Omaze is still a legit company to support, considering that they’re backed by dozens of celebrities. Plus, there’s a significant amount of Omaze winners published on the brand’s website.
Is Omaze Worth It?
Giving back to your community isn’t as difficult as Omaze makes it out to be. Arguably, the easiest way to contribute is to donate to your chosen non-profit without the need for a third party.
That said, Omaze provides incentives for participants in the form of grand prizes. Relatively easy to enter, it definitely imbues that good feeling associated with charitable donations.
All in all, I can recommend this service in this Omaze review for those curious about online charity auctions. I suggest starting off with a small amount as a low-risk starting point.
Omaze Promotions & Discounts
At the time of writing this article, I found no promotions or discounts to include in this Omaze review.
How To Enter an Omaze Sweepstakes
To participate in the Omaze Charity auction, you simply need to choose what prize you’d like to win and how much you’re willing to donate. Afterward, participants must fill out some personal information as well as their preferred form of payment.
FAQ
Who owns Omaze?
Omaze is owned by co-founders Matthew Pohlson and Ryan Cummins.
What are the odds of winning Omaze?
According to the brand’s website, “The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Entry Period.”
Can you sell the Omaze house if you win?
I can happily report in this Omaze review that winners are free to use their prizes as they wish.
How many times can I enter Omaze for free?
Participants can enter as many times as they wish, but Omaze caps each entry to only 6,000.
How To Contact Omaze
For inquiries unrelated to this Omaze review, you can contact the brand through email at [email protected].
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