What Is a Raffle? & How to Run Your Own Online
What is a raffle, and how does it work? A raffle is a fundraiser where numbered tickets are sold in exchange for the chance to win one or more prizes. They’re fun and affordable and get people excited about the possibility of winning big.
A common way to fundraise for charities, nonprofits, or religious organizations, raffles can provide amazing and fun opportunities to raise money.
At Raffle Rocket, we provide a user-friendly online platform to run your raffle, which can be used in conjunction with Bid Beacon for online auctions and CommuniBee, making fundraising event management easy.
What Is a Raffle?
A raffle is a method of raising money by selling numbered tickets for a chance to win a prize. The more tickets a person purchases during a raffle, the better their chances of winning the available prize(s). Conversely, the more tickets your organization sells, the more funds you will raise.
A single ticket or numerous tickets (depending on the number of prizes you offer) are drawn at random. Raffle entrants who hold the winning tickets receive the corresponding prizes. If you’re running an online raffle, our system will draw the winner for you. If you’re holding an offline raffle, you’ll draw winners by hand or using a raffle generator outside of Raffle Rocket.
Using Raffle Rocket makes running online raffles for nonprofits and other organizations easy, as our platform allows you to promote, sell, and track tickets.
How Does a Raffle Work?
Once you’ve answered the question of what is a raffle and have determined that you want to go ahead with one, you’ll want to get a raffle license. There are different eligibility rules for different jurisdictions, and while Raffle Rocket is supported in Canada, the United States, and Australia, you should do an online search for the name of your state or province and “raffle eligibility” to make sure you can host one.
From there, register with Raffle Rocket, and our team will review your eligibility so that you can go live with your raffle as soon as possible.
Raffle Rocket allows for up to two million tickets per raffle, and guests who purchase tickets through our platform will have their tickets emailed to them. You can promote your raffle by email, social media, flyers, or direct mail.
Determining winners is as simple as drawing ticket numbers. Winners will be notified automatically and can collect their prizes.
Types of Raffles
There are three main types of raffles, each with its own benefits and supported by Raffle Rocket:
- 50/50 Draws: Running an online 50/50 raffle is a great, easy way to fundraise. It’s simple, really, as online 50/50 raffles offer the chance for the winner to take home 50% of the total funds that are raised. Raffle Rocket provides a personalized landing page that displays the total amount increasing as more tickets are purchased.
- Non-Cash Prize: Participants buy tickets for the chance to bring home an amazing prize, whether that be a trip, sports tickets, a car, or a gift basket. Through Raffle Rocket, early-bird and grand prizes are also supported.
- Cash Raffle: This is exactly what it sounds like, as these raffles offer participants in your online raffle the opportunity to win a lump-sum prize. Unlike a 50/50, your organization doesn’t give away 50% of the money it raises through ticket sales. Instead, the prize is only what was initially guaranteed.
Benefits of Raffles
Raffle Rocket makes it simple to run raffles, allowing your organization to easily run a fundraiser that engages supporters, creates some buzz, and brings in money.
- Low Cost of Entry: While the prizes can be substantial for raffles, the cost of entry doesn’t have to be high. All anyone needs to do is buy a ticket to participate, but when lots of people participate, the funds your organization raises can add up fast.
- Easy Integration: Depending on your goals, you might also consider running a silent auction with Bid Beacon alongside your raffle. Having multiple fundraisers running simultaneously means more people can participate. In that case, CommuniBee will be your greatest ally to manage your fundraisers all in one place.
- Easy to Run: Raffle Rocket’s platform is designed to make running a raffle simple. Once you’re set up, it’s often as easy as promoting your raffle to get people excited. They can buy tickets online and will be informed if they win automatically through email.
Who Are Raffles For?
Raffle Rocket runs online raffles for nonprofits, charities, and faith-based organizations that are eligible to run raffles in their jurisdiction.
Raffle Rocket is fully certified to run raffles in Alberta and has plans to be certified in more provinces soon. For other jurisdictions, you can still use Raffle Rocket’s platform, but the draw must be conducted offline. Once you draw your winner, enter those details in Raffle Rocket for email announcements to be sent automatically.
Raffle Rocket is also available in 14 American states. Please view our certification status by jurisdiction to see if you’re eligible to use our online draw capabilities.
How to Do an Online Raffle
1. Get a License
Raffle Rocket can be used to run raffles for nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and charities. You’ll need to provide a raffle license, and the requirements will depend on the jurisdiction. Your first step should be to determine what those requirements are and then apply for a license. For organizations in Alberta who are looking to apply for an over $20,000 raffle, we can help make the application process easier. Contact us to learn more.
2. Register with Raffle Rocket
Once you’ve got your license, setting up your online raffle with Raffle Rocket is easy. If you’ve already got your license, prizes, and ticket details organized, the Raffle Rocket registration process can be completed in as little as 15 to 20 minutes.
Our team will then review your raffle details, which takes between 1-2 business days, and if approved, you can then start to sell tickets. Our team is happy to guide you through anything you may not know about how to do an online raffle.
3. Promote Your Raffle
The more people buy tickets for your raffle, the more funds you will raise. That makes it important to promote your online raffle. People can’t buy tickets if they don’t know about your raffle event, after all.
Whether you choose to promote your raffle through email, social media, flyers, or direct mail, Raffle Rocket has tools to help. Be sure to highlight the prizes that are available, whether that be in an online 50/50 raffle, a cash, or non-cash prize. Explaining the process can also be helpful for anyone wondering, “Can you sell raffle tickets online?”
4. Sell Tickets
Guests who purchase tickets through Raffle Rocket will be emailed their ticket numbers, making it easy for them to keep track of their purchases. Buying tickets is easy through Raffle Rocket, but if tickets are purchased through cash payments or any other form of payment outside of Raffle Rocket, they can be manually added.
Have a team of ticket sellers? Setting them up in Raffle Rocket gives them unique share links to track their individual sales. Purchasers can also select a ticket seller they want to support prior to making a purchase. This makes it great for organizations who want to introduce a little friendly competition amongst their team.
5. Draw a Winner
Once your raffle is over, it’s time to pick a winner. In jurisdictions that permit online raffles, our system will automatically draw a winner for you. For offline raffles, a manual draw using physical tickets or an approved Random Number Generator in your jurisdiction can be used. Once a winner is confirmed, they’ll be automatically informed by email.
Elevate Your Fundraiser with Raffle Rocket
Even if you have never participated in a raffle and are wondering what a raffle is like to run, the good news is they’re easy to understand and, with Raffle Rocket, simple to organize. Our online platform makes it easy for a range of organizations to create a raffle and raise money for their cause.
Still have questions? Email [email protected]. Ready to kickstart your fundraising? Get started online.
FAQs About Raffle Fundraisers
What is the difference between a raffle and a draw?
The primary difference between a raffle and a draw is that a raffle requires the purchase of a ticket to enter, whereas a draw is typically free to sign up for.
What is the purpose of a raffle?
Much like any game, a raffle offers participants the opportunity to win great prizes. In an online 50/50 raffle, that would mean winning 50% of the money that’s raised through raffle ticket sales. There can also be cash prizes and non-cash prizes.
Do you need a license for a 50/50 raffle?
For most jurisdictions, the short answer is yes, you will need a license for a 50/50 raffle. Keep in mind that the requirements vary depending on jurisdiction so please check with your local gaming authority if you are unsure.
Start setting up your own online raffle fundraiser!
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