A raffle is one of the simplest, most effective ways to raise money and add excitement to an event: sell numbered tickets, draw a winner, award a prize. But running one well, and legally, takes a bit more than a roll of tickets and a bucket. This guide walks through how to run a raffle step by step, from the rules and prizes to promotion and the draw.

First: Know the Rules Where You Are

Before anything else, understand this: raffles are a form of gambling, and they are regulated. Many places restrict who can legally run a raffle, often limiting them to registered nonprofits or charitable organizations, and require a license or permit, caps on prize values, and rules about how proceeds are used and reported.

The specifics vary widely by country, state, and even city, so check your local laws and, if you are a nonprofit, your registration and permit requirements before you sell a single ticket. This guide is a practical overview, not legal advice, when in doubt, confirm the rules with your local regulator or a qualified advisor. Getting this right protects your organization and your cause.

Step 1: Set Your Goal and Prize

Start with what you want the raffle to achieve, a fundraising target, added excitement at an event, or both, and build backward.

Then choose prizes that will actually sell tickets. A great raffle prize is desirable, easy to picture, and worth far more than a single ticket, a big-ticket item, an experience, a getaway, or a bundle of donated goods. Donated prizes are ideal because they keep your costs down and your proceeds up. One strong grand prize, sometimes with a few smaller runner-up prizes, usually beats a long list of minor items.

Step 2: Price Your Tickets

Raffle pricing usually works best with simple tiers that nudge people to buy more: one ticket for a small price, and a bundle (say five or ten tickets) for a discount. The bundle is what drives your revenue, because it makes buying more feel like a deal.

Set the price low enough that saying yes is easy, but do the math against your goal: estimate how many tickets you can realistically sell, and make sure the numbers add up to your target after the prize and any costs.

Step 3: Decide How You'll Sell Tickets

You can sell raffle tickets a few ways, and many raffles use more than one:

• In person at an event, with physical tickets or a mobile checkout at the door.
• Online in advance, so people can buy before the event and you build momentum.
• A mix, promoting online sales ahead of time and selling more at the event itself.

Selling online widens your reach beyond the room and lets you capture buyer contact info for future outreach, which is especially valuable for a nonprofit building a donor base. Wherever you sell, track every ticket so the draw is fair and your reporting is clean. If your raffle runs alongside a ticketed event, handling both from one system keeps everything simple, which is where nonprofit ticketing and a flexible event ticketing platform help.

Step 4: Promote the Raffle

A raffle only works if people know about it. Promote it the way you would any event:

• Lead with the prize. The prize is your hook, so feature it everywhere.
• Use the audience you own. Email and text your supporters, past attendees, and donors first, they are your most likely buyers.
• Create urgency. A clear deadline and a countdown to the draw drive last-minute sales.
• Enlist your community. Board members, volunteers, and partners can each sell to their own networks.

For more ways to build buzz, our fundraising event ideas guide has tactics that pair well with a raffle.

Step 5: Run the Draw and Follow Up

On draw day, keep it transparent and fun. Draw the winning ticket publicly, or livestream it if the raffle ran online, so everyone trusts the result. Have your rules ready: how the winner is notified, how long they have to claim, and what happens if they cannot be reached.

After the draw, thank everyone who bought a ticket, announce the winner, and, crucially, report your results as required if you are a nonprofit. Then follow up with buyers, they just showed they support your cause, so keep them on your list for the next event or campaign.

How Seatfun Helps

If your raffle is part of a larger ticketed event or fundraiser, Seatfun lets you sell event tickets and manage the whole night from one platform, capturing buyer and attendee data you own so you can follow up with supporters afterward. It is built on one idea: we are a partner, not a platform, with the flexibility and hands-on support that fundraisers and nonprofits need. (For the raffle itself, always follow your local rules on licensing and prizes.)

Bottom Line

To run a raffle: first confirm the legal rules where you are, since raffles are regulated and often limited to registered nonprofits, then set a clear goal and a desirable prize, price tickets in simple tiers, sell them in person and online, promote hard by leading with the prize and using the audience you own, and run a transparent draw with clean follow-up. Done right, a raffle is a simple, high-impact way to raise money and energize an event.

Request an invite to Seatfun and run your event and fundraiser from one platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you run a raffle? Confirm the legal rules in your area first, then set a fundraising goal and choose a desirable prize, price tickets in simple tiers (single and discounted bundles), sell them in person and online, promote by leading with the prize and using your owned audience, and run a transparent public draw with clear rules and follow-up.

Are raffles legal? It depends on where you are. Raffles are a form of gambling and are regulated, often limited to registered nonprofits or charities and requiring a license or permit, with rules on prizes and proceeds. Laws vary widely by location, so always check your local regulations before running one. This is general information, not legal advice.

How much should raffle tickets cost? Price them low enough that buying is easy, and offer a discounted bundle (like five or ten tickets) to encourage larger purchases, since bundles drive most of the revenue. Set the price by working backward from your fundraising goal and a realistic estimate of how many tickets you can sell.

What makes a good raffle prize? A good raffle prize is desirable, easy to picture, and worth much more than a single ticket, like a big-ticket item, an experience, a getaway, or a donated bundle. Donated prizes are ideal because they keep costs low. One strong grand prize usually sells better than many small ones.