Raffle tickets are a way for nonprofits to raise money, promote their cause, and find new donors. They work by appealing to people’s desire to get something for less than it’s worth. The nonprofit gets donated goods and services to use as prizes, usually five to ten items or experiences, and sells tickets at least as much as the prize costs. The more tickets sold, the higher the chances of winning a prize.

It’s important for nonprofits to know that raffles are regulated and may not be allowed in all locations. Many municipalities have specific rules for how to run a raffle and require the organization to publish these rules online and on any marketing materials used to advertise the event. In addition, some states have laws that prohibit raffle ticket sales.

To ensure the fundraiser is compliant, nonprofits should work with their local attorney to create a formal raffle and to learn what regulations apply in their area. They also need to decide how they will sell tickets. Some organizations will hire a professional fundraising company, like Greater Giving, to handle the process for them. This helps with compliance, but it can be expensive.

Once a plan for the raffle is in place, the nonprofit should begin recruiting volunteers to sell tickets. Ideally, the nonprofit can find individuals who have an intimate connection to the cause and are willing to make a personal sales pitch to friends and family. This is an important strategy to implement, as it increases the chance of the fundraising event reaching its goals.

Another key strategy is to recruit volunteers from the community and to reach out to local businesses that may want to donate a prize. These are more likely to be larger companies that would have a large network of potential donors and can make a bigger impact than a single person selling tickets in a coffee shop or at a church service.

Before the fundraising event, the nonprofit should set a target for how many tickets it will sell, and then assign each volunteer a number of tickets to sell. This can be a great motivating factor to increase sales, especially when the nonprofit announces how close they are to their goal in a weekly email.

At the event, the raffle will be a high-energy part of the program, and the excitement of winning can keep people highly engaged throughout. The nonprofit can even have a celebrity or other prominent individual at the event reach into a raffle drum and choose the winner.

It’s important for the organization to export all ticket stub and donation information into a spreadsheet (Greater Giving makes this easy!) before the date of the drawing. It’s also important to have a database that identifies duplicate tickets so the correct prize can be awarded. The nonprofit should not send the tickets through the mail, as this is against postal law and can result in your bulk mailing permit being revoked.