How to Run an Online Raffle Successfully in 7 Simple Steps
Searching for new fundraising ideas?
In a world that now allows for more remote and hybrid event options, smart nonprofit organizations have adapted their fundraising efforts to include events like virtual raffles or donation-encouraging sweepstakes… forgoing the paper tickets of the past and broadening event reach.
Is your team looking to do the same? If so, you’re in the right place.
Online raffles can be one way to set your nonprofit apart and raise funds without the added stress of in-person, auction-style events.
There are a few simple steps you need to keep in mind if you plan on hosting one, which I’ll cover in-depth below:
Overall, online raffle drawings offer a fun, user-friendly way to engage a larger audience and raise money without the stress and logistical challenges of traditional raffles or in-person events.
If you’re looking to host raffles as part of your nonprofit fundraising efforts, this step-by-step guide will show you how to do a raffle online successfully.
💡 Did you know? 4aGoodCause makes online fundraising events simple with easy-to-use features. Plus, its intuitive donor management and recurring giving tools help turn one-time attendees into lifelong supporters. See it for yourself.
1. Understand local laws and legal requirements first
Before jumping into your fundraiser, it’s critical to understand the raffle laws that govern online fundraising in your area.
In the U.S., each state has different legal rules regarding ticket sales and even how to do a raffle without tickets.
Some states may require specific licenses for online charity raffles, while others may have restrictions on the types of prizes you can offer.
Check your local laws carefully and consult with your legal team to ensure your raffle event complies with all requirements. (We’re not legal pros here, so make sure to do this first!)
A solid understanding of local legal requirements will help you avoid potential pitfalls that would hinder a successful raffle.
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2. Choose exciting raffle prizes
The key to any good raffle is offering appealing raffle items. The prizes you choose could make or break participation.
Your organization serves a targeted purpose, and that purpose attracts a specific donor type. Make sure to think through the following when choosing raffle prizes:
Who is your target donor?
What’s the age demographic of your donor audience?
Do many of your donors have children or grandchildren?
What does your target donor audience enjoy?
How and where do they spend their time?
These questions will help you choose enticing prizes that appeal to your core group of donors.
For example, if you have many donors that prioritize family life, put together a few prizes they can do with the children in their life. If you have an audience that favors of-the-moment culinary trends, make sure to offer several prize options that please the taste buds.
Depending on your fundraising goals and ticket price, you can raffle off big-ticket items like vacation getaways or even vehicles.
Alternatively, smaller prizes such as themed gift baskets, electronics, or exclusive experiences like winery tours or dinner parties also work well. Cash prizes are an option, too. In a 50/50 raffle, the winner takes home half of the ticket sales and your nonprofit keeps the rest, so there’s nothing to solicit. (Just confirm your state allows it first.)
Pro tip: Considering a silent auction? At 4aGoodCause, we suggest the online bidding site 32auctions.com to our clients. And no, we don’t get paid for this mention. There are zero affiliate links in this article! We just like this platform.
3. Solicit raffle prizes
If your nonprofit doesn’t already have access to prizes, don’t worry. Nonprofit organizations often secure raffle prizes by working with local businesses, board members, or larger corporations.
Start by reaching out to your board members, volunteers, or supporters to ask for donations such as timeshares, memberships, or event tickets they may already have.
Celebrity meet-and-greets (or even virtual custom messages), local sporting event tickets, signed gear from an athlete or musician, or unique experiences can be donated by supporters or sponsors to help reduce your upfront costs.
Then, approach local businesses, public figures, and larger businesses with a clear and specific ask. Use email marketing systems or templates you already have in place to communicate your needs effectively.
By securing prizes through partnerships, you’ll save on costs and can highlight the support of your community sponsors on your raffle page.
This approach also strengthens your organization’s relationships with local businesses. It’s a win-win!
4. Set up your online raffle platform
The backbone of any online raffle is a reliable online fundraising platform.
Online fundraising platforms like 4aGoodCause make it simple to host raffles by taking care of processing payments, managing ticket sales, and managing donors long-term.
“
We are a small nonprofit with minimal staff, so a platform like 4aGoodCause has provided us with a professional, streamlined system for online donations. Our rep is amazing and always responsive.
Melanie R. Carroll
Executive Director, Angel Flight SC
How to Set Up an Event Registration Page (Perfect for selling raffle tickets)
You’ll want to look for a platform that works with a trusted payment processor, such as Stripe, Apple Pay, or Authorize.net, to accept credit card payments securely. Compare transaction fees while you’re at it, since every fee comes out of what you raise.
Pro tip:Payment processing for nonprofits can be really confusing. But 4aGC makes it simple, and we offer free payment processing audits to help you find the best option (and save the most on fees). Book a demo and mention the audit.
Set up your raffle page with a user-friendly design that includes clear ticket purchasing instructions, your nonprofit’s mission, and engaging visuals of your raffle items.
Make sure your online raffle page includes the rules of your raffle, ticket price details, and an Order Now button for easy access to ticket sales.
Bonus? Make sure donors know where the funds are going. A simple note about how your event is connected to an overall fundraising campaign is usually sufficient.
5. Promote your raffle event
To attract a larger audience and sell more online raffle tickets, promote your event across multiple channels. Leverage social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to create engaging posts with eye-catching visuals (a free design tool like Canva works well here) and countdowns to the raffle draw.
If your nonprofit organization serves a cause that is hyperlocal, share the event in local community groups, like your neighborhood’s Nextdoor page or your city’s subreddit. Printing flyers or table signs for an in-person event? Add a QR code that links straight to your raffle page.
Email marketing campaigns are another powerful way to drive ticket purchases.
Create email campaigns that announce and follow up about the event, remind supporters about ticket sales deadlines, and share updates on your fundraising efforts.
Additionally, encourage your board members, volunteers, and supporters to spread the word through their networks. This kind of peer-to-peer outreach puts your raffle in front of people your own channels would never reach.
“
We use 4aGoodCause for all of the Y’s online campaigns, including asking board members to create their own pages and fundraise on our behalf. I had never done this before, so Ron walked me through creating a landing page with pre-loaded content. It was so easy!
Meg Tedesco
River Crossing YMCA (formerly the YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties)
A little friendly competition among your team—such as seeing who can sell the most tickets—can also help drive sales.
6. Sell raffle tickets online
Selling tickets is the most critical part of any raffle fundraiser. With all this hard work you’re doing to promote the event, you’ll also need to make sure your online raffle ticket sales process is seamless and straightforward.
Use a fundraising page that offers features like automated notifications and real-time updates for donations (aka raffle entries).
Highlight your organization’s goals and the impact donors can have, making those giveaway prizes you worked hard to secure a bonus rather than the sole focus.
Set your ticket price strategically based on your fundraising goals and the value of your raffle items.
For example, offering tiered pricing or ticket bundles—such as $10 for onea single ticket, $25 for three tickets, or $50 for 10 tickets—can encourage supporters to buy more tickets.
💡 Did you know? With 4aGoodCause, you can set up your fundraising campaign page to sell anything at any price, so you have countless ways to customize your raffle, ticketing tiers included. Learn more about our hassle-free fundraising pages.
7. Conduct the raffle draw
Here’s the fun part!
When it’s time to end the raffle and select your raffle winners, transparency is key. Use a random number generator like Random.org to select the winning ticket number fairly.
Host the draw live via social media or virtual events to build excitement and engage your supporters. Livestreaming your raffle drawing on platforms like YouTube, Facebook Live, or Instagram Live can create an element of excitement and build trust with your audience.
Announce the raffle winners through email, your nonprofit’s website, and social media platforms.
Be sure to follow up with personalized thank-you messages to all participants, as this can strengthen relationships for future fundraising efforts.
But don’t stop there. After all, this is just the beginning!
Your raffle should be the start of a long-term relationship with potential recurring donors—not a one-off event.
Transform raffle ticket sales and one-off event attendees into recurring monthly donors with the Monthly Giving Toolkit.
It’s worth the follow-up. The average recurring gift on 4aGC is $55 a month, compared to $24 a month industry-wide (per M+R’s benchmarks), so even a handful of ticket buyers who become monthly donors can outlast the raffle itself.
Real-world examples of successful online raffles with 4aGoodCause clients
Keeping the steps above in mind, here are some bonus tips from a real-world raffle held by 4aGoodCause clients Heartland Dental Foundation.
(Along with a few extra ideas on how they were able to spread the word for effective online raffles!)
The secret sauce in their successful endeavor? Ongoing communication and email outreach.
“The Heartland Dental network is very generous; we raised more than $50,000 [through the raffle]. Most of that came in the last 24 hours,” explained the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation team.
“The fundraising committee kept the momentum going with weekly emails to the entire network and emails to regional leaders. [Heartland’s] network structure has a steady flow of communication and they love the cause they’re supporting.”
Bonus: For those not interested in raffle tickets, the foundation offered online donation options. This opened up the potential for additional funds raised during the campaign.
Final tips for hosting a successful raffle online
For a truly excellent raffle event, consider these bonus tips:
Offer additional donation options: Not everyone may want to buy raffle tickets. Include an option for direct online donations on your raffle page to capture more supporters.
Incorporate case studies: Highlight examples of how your past raffle fundraising efforts have directly impacted the needs in your community. Include how the funds will be used and how increased giving levels can help your organization meet those needs sooner.
Streamline your setup: Integrations across your digital fundraising efforts can help cut the clutter of your work. Fundraising solutions that offer text message notifications and email receipts can help build trust.
💡 Pro tip: Your email marketing software, like Mailchimp or Hubspot, should allow you to set up templates you can modify and use again for future raffle events, so you’re not reinventing the wheel each time. And bonus: 4aGoodCause integrates easily with Mailchimp.
Frequently asked questions about running a raffle online
Do you need a dedicated tool to sell raffle tickets online?
Not necessarily. Dedicated raffle software and raffle apps like RallyUp are a good option if raffles are a big, recurring part of your calendar. They’re often built around extras like promo codes and automated drawings.
If your raffle is one piece of a bigger fundraising plan, a fundraising platform with event ticketing pages can do the job and keep ticket buyers, donors, and monthly givers in one place. (That’s how our 4aGC clients run their raffles.) Either way, look at the total cost and at what happens to your supporter data once the drawing is over.
How do you pick a winner fairly when the raffle is online?
Every entry needs an equal chance, and the draw should be one your supporters can watch. Start by exporting your ticket list so every single ticket has its own number. Someone who bought 10 tickets gets 10 entries.
Then use a free online raffle generator or random picker (Random.org is one) to make the random selection, ideally on your livestream. Drawing for more than one prize? Look for a “remove winner” option, or take that ticket off the list yourself, before you draw again.
Prefer a physical draw? Print stubs for each online entry and pull one from a drum on camera. However you draw the winner, write the method into your raffle details ahead of time so everyone knows it’s a fair draw.
Are online raffles worth it? You bet.
Whether it’s a school fundraiser, a gala add-on, or a standalone campaign, hosting an online raffle is a great way to expand your fundraising and reach potential donors beyond in-person attendees.
Unlike traditional raffles or in-person events, online raffles offer flexibility and scalability, making them ideal for virtual events and hybrid fundraising campaigns.
With the right raffle setup and effective promotion through social media and email marketing, your nonprofit can run a successful raffle to help meet your overall fundraising goals.
Looking to set up online raffle ticket sales for your nonprofit? We’d be happy to help you start fundraising.
Book a free meeting with us today to learn more about how 4aGoodCause can simplify your fundraising efforts and grow your event attendee list into long-term recurring givers.
Ronald Pruitt
Ronald is the President and Founder of 4aGoodCause, the fundraising CRM that makes recurring, monthly giving a breeze for small nonprofits.
For over 25 years, Ronald has had the joy of doing what he loves, building online solutions that make a difference in the world. He’s helped raise millions of dollars online for small nonprofits across the country. Connect with Ronald on LinkedIn.
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