Raffle fundraisers can be an exciting way for non-profit Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) to raise funds, engage with their community, and increase awareness about their cause.
A successful raffle can generate significant revenue and can be a fun experience for everyone involved, so if you’ve never tried holding this type of fundraiser, this post will give you all the information you need to do so.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on how a non-profit organization can run a raffle fundraiser effectively and raise lots of money in the process!
Understand the Legal Requirements
Before planning your raffle, it’s crucial to understand the legal requirements in your jurisdiction since raffles are not permitted everywhere.
For example. Here in Ohio, only 501c3 non-profit organizations can hold raffles or games of chance.
You’ll need to check your state’s laws to get clarification or just ask Google!
Raffle laws vary by country, state, and sometimes even by city, so be sure you do your due diligence to understand the relevant laws and comply with them.
Obtain all necessary licenses or special permits and follow any local regulations regarding ticket sales, prize offerings, and winner selection.
This step is more than a best practice and is really essential to avoid legal issues that could otherwise arise if this step is skipped.
Plan Your Raffle Fundraiser
Effective planning is the key to a successful raffle fundraiser.
Decide on the type of raffle you want to conduct, such as a traditional raffle where tickets are sold for the chance to win a prize or prize basket or a 50/50 raffle where the cash prize is half of the ticket sale proceeds.
Consider the following elements:
- Raffle Prizes: Start asking potential donors for contributions for the raffle well in advance of the fundraising event.
You’ll want to ask anyone you know who has a business, whether it’s within your school community, but especially outside the walls of the school and collect as many great prizes as possible.
You can even ask the local government officials, like the Mayor’s Office for donations for the city pool or pother city-run attractions and events.
Securing an attractive variety and number of prizes, including big-ticket items and smaller prizes too, will encourage ticket sales.
Collect prize donations from local businesses, PTO members or by purchasing prizes.
Know that high-value, desirable prizes can significantly boost ticket sales, so consider combining smaller value prizes into themed baskets that will draw more interest and drive sales.
Local businesses will quite often donate gift cards or gift certificate for their store or restaurant, so you can combine the donations with physical items to create really enticing themed raffle baskets.
Check out this post for a slew of ideas for raffle basket themes for inspiration for combining prizes in a creative way to add up to a more valuable and attractive prize.
Ultimately, aim to get as many physical prizes and gift certificates donated as possible since the cost of the prizes your group purchases will decrease your profit margin. - Ticket Pricing: Set a ticket price that balances affordability with your fundraising goals.
Consider offering discounts for purchasing multiple tickets to encourage larger purchases.
After all, $25 for 6 tickets will add up a lot faster than just offering one ticket for $5 since the discount offers a greater value and isn’t too high of a number to give most people pause about buying a set of tickets.
Different ticket price amounts can be just as beneficial to your fundraiser’s bottom line as the kind of prizes you offer.
Set the price too high or low and you might not meet your fundraiser income goal. - Sales Channels: Plan how and where you will sell the raffle tickets.
Don’t limit your options by only offering in person ticket sales or by making people contact the Fundraising Chair to get purchasing information.
Use the tools available in today’s digital world by setting up a sales page through your Square site, website or other online fundraising platform. - Timeline: Establish a timeline for your raffle, including the start and end dates for ticket sales, the drawing date, and how and when winners will be announced.
The earlier you start planning this and give folks an idea of what’s coming for this fundraising cause, the better!
Promote Your Raffle
Promotion is key to maximizing participation in your raffle.
Use a mix of marketing strategies to reach potential supporters:
- Social Media: Create engaging social media posts and even video content that highlights your prizes, and the specific cause you’re supporting and raising money for.
The excitement and interest generated by this sort of publicity can go a long way to ensuring your raffle is a success and you raise a lot of money for your organization.
Don’t rely on word of mouth alone to inform family and friends about the raffle.
Schedule multiple messages across all of your PTO’s social media platforms, including Facebook Groups to get the highest number of eyeballs on your fundraiser as possible. - Email Marketing: Send updates and reminders to your organization’s email newsletter list, encouraging recipients to buy tickets and share the raffle with friends.
- Messages from School: Ask the School Secretary to send out messages to all students and families about the raffle fundraiser before and during the ticket sales period.
- Tell Teachers: Ask that teachers promote your fundraiser to their students and families.
You can even run an incentive program where the teachers can win prizes if they generate ticket sales. - Internal Organizations: Make sure that the other PTOs and organizations in your school district, such as the Alumni Association, Band Boosters, Athletic Boosters and Teacher’s Union, etc., all know about the raffle fundraiser.
Parents of former students are likely to support your cause, even if they no longer have a child attending the school. - Local Media: Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV channels to get coverage for your raffle, especially if you have high-value or unique prizes.
Local media is always looking for local interest stories to share with their interest, especially when it comes to kids and education, so leverage this! - Community Partnerships: Partner with local businesses or community groups to sell tickets or promote the raffle.
Check out this post for 21 ways to publicize your event for additional ideas for spreading the word about your raffle fundraiser.
Custom Tickets
Note that custom pre-printed tickets that are individually printed with a unique number really aren’t necessary for a modern fundraising raffle.
This step adds only an overhead expense that will eat into your profits.
Instead, use an online program to hold a virtual raffle.
Holding an online raffle also eliminates needing to track cash and physical money.
And a virtual raffle can open up the fundraiser beyond a target audience in your immediate area to family and friends who live anywhere in the world.
And you don’t have to ballpark the number of tickets you need to get printed either.
Hold the Raffle
Ensure the drawing to choose the winning raffle tickets is conducted fairly and transparently and document the process just in case any questions arise.
Many organizations use random number generators for the raffle drawing to draw tickets in public to determine winners, even for in-person events.
Screen shots with the winner’s number or name to further instill confidence in fair results.
This level of transparency will encourage participants to buy tickets for your next event, even if they don’t have a winning ticket!
Bottom line, make sure the drawing process is well-documented and complies with any legal requirements since ignorance of the lawn’t an excuse, even in the case of charities and non-profit organizations like PTO and PTAs.
Announce Winners and Distribute Prizes
Promptly announce the winners after the drawing, adhering to the timeline you’ve previously communicated.
Ensure winners are notified according to your rules and distribute prizes according to local laws and regulations.
Publicizing the winners and the amount raised can also boost transparency and trust in your organization and set the stage for profitable raffle fundraising efforts in the future.
Follow Up and Evaluate
After the raffle, be sure to thank participants, donors, volunteers, for their support and participation.
Also, take some time to evaluate the success of the raffle by comparing the amount raised against your goals and analyzing what worked and what could be improved for the next time around.
Use the forms in the Fundraising Success Kit to capture the process you followed to run the raffle and make suggestions for improvements for future Vice Presidents of Fundraising and Ways and Means Chairs.
Recommended Resources
Ready to dive more into the work of PTO and school fundraising, but wish you could have a plan of action ready at your fingertips?
Time to learn more about the Fundraising Success Kit!
It’s never been easier to hold highly profitable school fundraisers using these customizable strategies and step by step plans that work for every type of parent group, and any type of fundraiser, from a traditional catalog to A-thon Fundraisers and everything in between.
This resource is guidance plus a complete plan walking through the entire process of fundraising for your school, including a publicity plan, templates, forms and a planner kit to help you get outrageously organized in a snap!
Over to you!
Raffle fundraisers can be a powerful tool for non-profits to raise funds and engage their community.
By carefully planning the raffle, adhering to legal guidelines and requirements, leveraging effective promotion strategies, and conducting the event transparently, your organization can maximize its fundraising potential while fostering a positive, engaging experience for participants.
Happy fundraising!
