Raffles have been effective for fundraising and generating enthusiasm since biblical times. The Old Testament notes that Moses used a lottery to distribute the land west of the Jordan River. The Hun Dynasty, circa 1000 BC, developed a lottery game in which players picked numbers 1–80 to fund public works, including the Great Wall of China.
Community groups and local nonprofits have raised funds with raffles while winning public support for project goals for generations. The usual scenario goes like this: The group receives donated prizes from sponsoring businesses, sells tickets, then draws the winning matches. Usually, the drawing is a big gathering, and from start to finish, it’s a person-to-person operation, entirely offline.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made that sort of raffle impossible — at least for the time being. Charities and community groups, however, need funding at least as much, and probably more, than they did before the pandemic. Raffles, like so much else about our daily lives, have to move online to adapt.
Pro Tip
Sell raffle tickets online with Jotform! Create custom payment forms to get paid instantly from any device.
Organizing an online raffle
The magic of a raffle is the combination of altruism (players buy tickets to support a worthy cause) and aspiration (players are genuinely excited to win the prizes). The first element of a successful raffle is offering prizes worth far more than the price of the ticket. Ask businesses that already support your organization to donate a prize (it may be tax-deductible) and help sell tickets through their online channels.
Once the prizes are lined up, start selling tickets. Start with a compelling email campaign to motivate your supporters to buy tickets for themselves and sell to their friends.
To collect entries, you can customize this Jotform raffle registration form template to suit your needs. It’s easy for ticket purchasers to complete, and it captures all of a purchaser’s contact information to build your email list for future fundraising. And with the Jotform raffle ticket PDF template, you can quickly create raffle tickets with the information from the registration form.
Streamline ticket sales with Jotform Store Builder
Even better, you can create a simple online storefront to sell raffle tickets using Jotform Store Builder. You can put together a professional-looking online store quickly and easily — no coding necessary — with one of our 100-plus store templates, and even collect payments through one of our 25-plus supported payment gateways.
Build your store with exciting images of raffles being drawn, photos of happy winners, and other compelling imagery. Jotform Store Builder can help you create a space for people to connect with your brand like they would curbside at your local grocery store.
Take advantage of great features such as:
- Drag-and-drop interface. Build your store by simply dragging and dropping various elements and 80-plus widgets.
- Product lists. Add purchase options and descriptions so customers know exactly what you offer. For example, you may want to offer different tiers of raffle tickets that either grant access to more than one prize or increase the chance of winning certain prizes. Or you may have several raffles going on at the same time and need to list multiple types of tickets that clearly indicate which raffle they apply to.
- Brand customization. Upload your logo, set the color scheme, and include a tagline or other elements to truly make the store your own and familiarize your customers with your cause.
- Easy sharing options. Once you’ve built your store, it’s time to share it. Have a website? Embed it on there so visitors can learn more about your organization and purchase raffle tickets at the same time. Handing out flyers? Add a QR code so people can scan it to visit your store. Use email marketing? Include a link to your store in your fundraising emails and newsletters.
With Jotform Store Builder, you can offer your donors a convenient way to support your cause. Start building your store today with one of the 100-plus Jotform Store Builder templates.
Taxes and regulations
Offline raffles are generally so small and local that they fly entirely under the radar in terms of regulations and taxes. Who knew your softball team’s raffle to pay for new uniforms is subject to state anti-gambling laws and federal taxes?
An online raffle obviously has a much greater chance of being noticed by authorities, so it’s best to do your homework. Raffles are entirely illegal in Alabama, Hawaii, and Utah, and Georgia requires you to register your raffle with the sheriff. Each state has an association of nonprofits that can counsel you on your relevant state laws.
As for federal taxes, let’s simply say it gets very complicated very fast. Businesses that donate prizes might be able to deduct the cost of tangible prizes but not services. If your raffle is for a few pizzas, you probably don’t have any tax worries, but with substantial prizes it gets more complex.
Nonprofits must report any raffle prizes valued at 300 times or more the price of the winning wager if the prize value is more than $600 (less the amount paid for the ticket). If the prize value exceeds $5,000 (think island vacation or new car), the nonprofit must withhold 25 percent from the winnings. If the charity does not obtain the winner’s Social Security number on a taxable raffle prize, it must withhold 28 percent of its own raffle income as backup withholding.
If your organization is registered as a section 501 nonprofit, you should review this comprehensive guidance from the IRS.
While an online raffle is potentially more complicated than what your organization is accustomed to, it does offer more potential benefit. Even a rudimentary online marketing campaign is likely to reach a much larger audience. This increases your general community support — and it boosts your chances of winning the support of larger benefactors.
