Summary Steps To Holding A Raffle

Raffle Ticket Fundraiser Summary Steps

For Holding a Raffle

Set Your Goal. How much money are you trying to raise?

Determine the Prizes. Have members of your group contact their employers, acquaintances and vendors for donations for the raffle. Offer to print the donor’s name on the raffle tickets. Convince the potential donor that the donation is good for the community and good for business. If you can’t get the raffle prizes donated, you should be able to purchase them at or below cost.

Determine the Drawing Date. Allow at least one month to sell your raffle tickets.

Establish the Price for the Raffle Tickets. Ask your friends about raffle tickets they have bought in the past. How much would they pay for a raffle ticket to win one of the prizes you will be offering? How many raffle tickets need to be sold in order to meet your goal?

Organize Your Volunteers. Get a realistic estimate as to how many raffle tickets each can sell. Will this meet your goal? If not, get better prizes or change the purchase price of the raffle tickets.

Order the Raffle Tickets. Raffle tickets should be perforated and numbered on each end. Order at least 20% more raffle tickets than your estimated sales. Ordering the raffle tickets is the easiest part of your fundraiser. You don’t want to run out. We only charge $30 for each additional thousand raffle tickets. If your raffle tickets only cost $1 each you would only have to sell an additional 30 tickets to pay for an extra 1000 raffle tickets.

The Day of Your Raffle. Here are some points to consider to make the event run smoothly and painlessly:

Call for last minute sales. Make sure the “last call for raffle tickets” is announced for all to hear. Announce to the crowd how many raffle tickets were sold.
Select someone from the crowd – not one of your immediate staff members – to pull the raffle tickets out and call out the names. Choose a child, a senior citizen, or someone with “appeal” to your audience.
If participants do not have to be present to win, be prepared to contact the winners in a timely manner. Announce to the crowd the name of the person who bought the winning raffle ticket.
Don’t forget to thank everyone for their support! Make them feel good about supporting your cause, even if they did not win. Tell them how many raffle tickets were sold and how much was raised. Explain what the money will be used for, how much it is needed, and how very much it is appreciated. You might consider asking for additional donations at this point.
Remember also to thank your ticket sellers and other volunteers. They’re the ones who made your event happen. Be sure to show them your appreciation as well. If you have offered a prize for the person who sold the most raffle tickets, present it at this time.
Keep the stubs from the raffle tickets. You can use the information to build your mailing list. If you are planning another raffle, these people will probably buy raffle tickets.