How to Sell Raffle Tickets: Proven Tips to Maximize Sales

Selling raffle tickets sounds simple enough, just print some tickets, set a price, and wait for buyers to come rushing in. But successful raffles that raise serious money rely on a lot more than just simple luck, they rely on a smart sales strategy. Whether you’re fundraising for a nonprofit, school, sports team, or local cause, knowing how to sell raffle tickets effectively can be the difference between a small take and a record breaking fundraiser.

• Why raffles rock: Low setup costs, high engagement, and quick returns.
• What you’ll learn: From permits to pricing to online tricks, we’ve got you covered.
• Big trend for 2025: Hybrid raffles by blending in-person and online sales for maximum reach.
• Your next step: Pick one tip from this guide and test it at your next event.

Selling Raffle Tickets in 9 Easy Steps

To successfully sell all your tickets in order to hit your goals, you’re going to need a solid plan of action. That’s what we’ve outlined below, a solid action plan we have seen successful nonprofits use to sell sometimes sell as many tickets as they wanted. This is a strategic outline and if you follow it, there should be no reason you too can’t sell all the tickets you need to accomplish your financial goals.

1. Start with a Clear Goal and Prize Strategy

The first two decisions you need to make from the start are, how much does your charity need to raise and what prizes are you going to use to entice them into buying your raffle tickets? Both of these are equally important as they’re the basis of your entire event. Let’s say you need $2,000 for new soccer uniforms or $10,000 for a community center upgrade. Now you have an idea of how many tickets you’re going to need to sell in order to reach your goal. Then decide on what would inspire your community to actually buy the tickets. Forget about the same old gift baskets. Spenders today want experiences like a weekend getaway, concert tickets or a private cooking class with an amazing local chef. Then offer different ticket levels to hook everyone like $5 for one shot or $20 for five. This setup pulls in bigger sales without scaring off small donors. This may seem obvious, but unless you clear on all of these points, you’re going to run into trouble right from the start. So remember to:

• Set your number: Decide your fundraising target to guide ticket pricing.
• Pick hot prizes: Experiences like trips or event passes beat generic items.
• Tier your tickets: Try $5 for one, $20 for five to boost average buys.
• Act now: List three prize ideas and reach out to donors this week.

2. Make It Super Easy to Buy Tickets

Next you’ll want to make buying your tickets super easy! Whether in person or online because if buying a raffle ticket feels like a hassle, they simply won’t do it. The trick is to meet donors where they are, on their phones, at your events, and even at their kitchen tables.

Online sales: Our digital raffle ticket platform handles everything from payments to drawing winners and can really give your event a leg up. You can add a QR code to your flyers, emails or social media posts so people can scan and buy in seconds. It’s fast, it’s simple, and it works. If you’re not using QR codes yet, you’re leaving money on the table.

Mobile-friendly: Most donors will see your raffle on their phones, so make sure the process is smooth and all of your donation pages are mobile friendly. And be sure you actually test your checkout page on a smartphone and even a tablet if you have one. If it takes more than a minute to go through the process of buying, change something. Think one tap, not ten clicks.

In-person: Selling things in person is always a great way to make sales, especially for a nonprofit fundraiser. So always try to get volunteers to sell tickets old school, at places like community events, sports games, or church gatherings. Sometimes people just want to hand you cash and get a ticket on the spot. Keep them in your pocket, car and event table as you never know when the opportunity will pop up.

The bottom line is simply don’t force people to jump through hoops! Give them options and make buying a ticket super simple and you’ll sell more tickets without pushing harder.

3. Price Raffle Tickets Effectively for Maximum Sales

Pricing your raffles tickets means you’re trying to find the sweet spot between making it a no brainer while also having people feel as though they’re getting a bargain yet selling enough to cover your funding shortcomings. Start with a clear plan! Add your fundraising goal to your costs (like printing or prizes), then divide by how many tickets you think you’ll sell. Say you need $2,000 and expect to sell 1,000 tickets; that’s $2 per ticket. Keep it simple but smart. Offer tiers to pull in more cash like offering $1 for one ticket and $5 for six, or even $10 for a bundle of 15. But again, see how your pricing effects your overall fundraising goals.

• Use the formula: (Goal + Expenses) ÷ Expected Tickets = Price.
• Offer tiers: $1 single, $5 for 6, $10 for 15 to boost sales.
• Know your audience: Charge less for schools, more for upscale events.
• Try dynamic pricing: Use apps to adjust prices based on demand.
• Act now: Draft your ticket prices and test a bundle deal at your next event.

4. Use Social Media to Drive Buzz

No one’s going to buying anything if they don’t know about your raffle! So you need to get the word out as far and wide as possible. And no other communication channel gives you the reach that social media does. Plus you can use it to per-announce your raffle and prizes, and keep the momentum building right until the end.

Show off the prize. Hopefully you secured some great prizes, even if you had to use consignment for a cool prize. Now it’s time to show it off. You want people to imagine having the prize so they buy. Snap a photo or even create a video of the prize sitting in someone’s living room or in use like having a shiny bike leaning against a porch or a gift basket spread across a kitchen table feels real and tempting. Don’t just tell people what they could win, let them see and experience it.

Create urgency. Run countdown posts like, “Only 3 days left to grab your raffle tickets!” People often scroll but when they see something is coming to an end they’re more likely to stop and act. Add a ticket link right in the post so they don’t have to hunt for it.

Go live. A quick livestream showing the prize in real time can work wonders. Walk around the item as you answer any questions on the spot. Don’t forget to show your excitement as your energy will really shine through the camera. It’s not polished marketing but rather it’s personal and that’s why people will respond more.

Get your team involved. Ask your board members, volunteers and friends to share posts from their own accounts to gain more reach beyond your organization’s usual audience. Just think how a single parent sharing your raffle with their PTA group can mean dozens of new ticket sales.

The key here is consistency. Don’t just post once and hope people remember. Keep the buzz alive with regular updates and reminders until the last ticket is gone.

5. Empower Your Team of Sellers

If you’re trying to do everything yourself, you’re going to quickly burn out not to mention seriously handicapping your event. But a small army of motivated sellers? That’s how you consistency multiply sales.

Recruit your network. Ask your volunteers, fellow students or your team members to help sell tickets within their own circles of family and friends. A teenager selling to their soccer team’s parents, or a volunteer sharing at work can open doors you’d never reach alone.

Make it easy for them. Hand your sellers simple scripts and digital tools so they don’t have to figure it all out for themselves. Something as short as, “Hey, my team is running a raffle to support [cause]. Tickets are $5, and you could win [prize]. Want one?” works, although it should be a little more involved than that. Then make it even easier by giving them a handful of tickets or a QR code they can share with people and let them buy with one tap of their phones. The less friction, the more sales.

Add a spark of fun. Everyone loves a little friendly competition, so run mini contests for your sellers and offer small prizes like a gift card or free pizza for the top ticket seller each week. Even small rewards help keep everyone’s momentum high even though bragging rights are often prize enough.

Don’t pressure your people into some hard sales tactic. That’s not at all the point. Rather, you’re just giving them the tools and encouragement they’ll need to effectively sell the tickets. When your team feels empowered, your raffle sells itself.

6. Tell a Story Behind the Raffle

Storytelling is still one of the best proven sales techniques ever. And people rarely buy raffle tickets just for the chance at a prize. They buy because they believe in why the raffle exists. That’s the heart of your pitch, why you’re trying to raise the money n the first place and what problems it will solve. That’s your story.

Make it personal. Instead of saying dry like, “All proceeds go to new uniforms,” try, “Our team has been practicing in mismatched hand-me-downs, and this raffle helps us finally buy uniforms that fit.” Suddenly it’s not about a prize anymore, rather it’s about kids feeling proud when they walk onto the field. Far more impactful!

Show the impact. If you’ve raised money before, show how your success actually helped someone in a meaningful way by sharing short stories or testimonials that put faces to the cause. A parent explaining how your fundraiser eased their family’s burden in some meaningful way or a photo of students using new laptops bought with raffle funds hits home in a way numbers alone never will.

Repeat it everywhere. Put the story on your flyers, weave it into social posts and make sure every volunteer selling tickets knows how to share it in their own words. Whether it’s, “This raffle helps us rebuild the community playground” or “Every ticket sold helps fund cancer research,” consistency is key.

Awesome prizes may be what gets people’s attention, but it’s the story that makes people care.

7. Create Scarcity and Urgency

When people feel like they can put something off, they will. And in many cases, they simply end up forgetting. And if supporters feel like they can buy your raffle tickets any ol’ time, they’re probably going to end up not buying at all. So make a clear end date and let people know it.

Set a deadline. Make the end date clear from day one. Instead of, “Tickets on sale this month,” say, “Ticket sales close at midnight on March 15.” When people know a definitive date, it gives them a reason to buy now instead of later.

Limit the supply. Announce that only a set number of tickets are available will be available no matter the number, say 500, 1,000 or whatever fits your goal. This provides scarcity and when buyers realize the odds are better and tickets could sell out, they move more quickly. It’s the same reason a concert sells out in hours while a “whenever” event drags on for weeks.

Keep reminding them. Send emails and post on social media while asking your team to spread the word as the clock winds down. A message like, “Just 2 days left to grab your raffle tickets!” or “Only 47 tickets left, don’t miss out,” makes procrastinators finally hit the buy button.

Urgency isn’t pressure, it’s simply clarity. You’re just letting everyone know they have a window and if they don’t step in, it’ll close. That’s often all it takes to turn interest into action.

8. Combine Online and Offline Promotion

Sure, you can sell your raffle in the parking lot of your neighborhood grocer, but you’re seriously limiting your chances of selling out. Selling both in-person and online gives you the ability to see half way across the world! Or to the lady down the street that can longer walk and is bedridden, yet would still love to have a chance at winning your prize.

Start with email. If you have a newsletter, drop in a big, clear button that says “Buy Raffle Tickets.” Try to keep your communications simple and straightforward, just one short paragraph explaining the prize and the cause, then the button. Don’t bury it under three paragraphs of updates or they’ll just delete the mail.

Lean on local businesses. Ask coffee shops, gyms or community stores to display a poster with your QR code, or even sell tickets at your behalf at the counter. A deli owner who keeps tickets by the register could move dozens just from regulars grabbing their lunch, so ask your supporters for connections.

Show up at events. Local high school football games, churches or special nights at community centers are all great ways to reach people in a comfortable format. Just have your tickets in your hand on full display and start letting them know they could win something cool as well as help out a great cause. You’ll be surprised how many people will open their wallets.

The magic happens when online buzz fuels offline action, and vice versa. For example, one of your supporters sees your tickets on their Facebook feed and buys one, then they see one of your volunteers at a volleyball game and buys a five ticket bundle. That overlap is where momentum builds fast.

9. Follow Legal and Ethical Guidelines

Even as a nonprofit, there are still rules and regulations you must follow or you can quickly find yourself in trouble. Some states in the USA count raffles as a form of gambling and have strict rules on who can sell raffle tickets and how much the prizes can be worth. This comes down to state laws so you’re going to need to do your own research depending on where you live.

Check the laws first. Raffle regulations vary a lot depending which state and even country you incorporated and are running your raffle. Some states require a permit while others limit the size of the prizes you’re allowed to give away and a few even ban raffles altogether unless they’re run by nonprofits. For this sort of information it’s best to scan your local governmental websites to see the specifics for the state or country you plan to hold your raffle.

Be clear about the money. Donors want to know where their dollars are going and so does the government. If the raffle funds a new clinic for human trafficking victims, say so. Be upfront about where the money is going to build transparency both with your donors and local law enforcement to stay out of trouble.

Keep it fair. Document the drawing process and make sure it’s as fair as possible and no one can feel cheated. Whether you pull names out of a hat in front of a crowd or use a digital randomizer, you need to make it crystal that every ticket has an equal shot of winning with no preferences. It’s also a smart move to ecord the drawing or invite community members to witness it both to demonstrate everything is fair, and to use later as content. Fairness isn’t just an ethical question, it’s what allows people to feel comfortable enough so they keep coming back for your next raffle.

The takeaway? Treat your raffle like a promise. Follow the rules, stay honest, and give everyone a fair chance. That’s how you raise money today and build trust for tomorrow.

Promoting Your Raffle and Key Tactics for Maximum Ticket Sales

Promoting your raffle is always half the battle. You need people to know you even have the event going on, so you’ll need to use every way you can think of to get the word out. And don’t just post on Instagram and hope people are going to notice and think you’re going to sell out. You need to use a mix of offline and online tactics.

Start simple by putting up eye catching flyers in places people actually stop and look like local coffee shops, libraries and community boards. Online use story telling like we discussed above to connect with people and inform them on what your raffle is about and why it’s important. Use messaging like “Every ticket helps us put more books in kids’ hands.” A good story connects people to your cause and makes them more likely to share.

Don’t forget to include urgency in your communications, it can really boost sales. A quick reminder like, “Only 48 hours left to grab your ticket!” can motivate people to buy right then and there if they think they may miss out. And never underestimate your own email list. Craft impactful emails with clear calls to action and a quick story to get some quick sales.

7 Tried-and-True Tactics

1. Post flyers – Use bright, clear designs and place them in local hotspots.
2. Share stories online – Highlight the real impact of your cause to spark shares.
3. Add urgency – Use countdowns or “limited tickets left” reminders.
4. Team up locally – Cross-promote with nearby shops, cafés, or gyms.
5. Tap influencers – Partner with a trusted local voice for affordable reach.
6. Email your list – Send a short, direct message with a clear ticket link.
7. Act now – Post one piece of raffle content today to start the momentum.

Emerging Trends to Sell raffle Tickets for 2026 and Beyond

Things are always changing, even good old raffles. And while things may be straight forward offline, online things are really moving forward. Platforms like Paybee are pushing what can be done with online raffles and offer clients ways to create, sell, monitor and have donors pay for tickets all one one easy to use platform. Then there all kinds of tools like leaderboards, countdown timers and fundraising trackers to make everything even more fun and interactive. Then there’s gamification, making both your communications and events even more fun by turing parts into interactive games people can play and interact with.

The next big thing that is definitely going to have a major impact on all charities is Artificial Intelligence. Think automatic chatbots answering “How do I buy a ticket?” in seconds or apps suggesting ticket bundles based on past buys. You can even use AI platforms like ChatGPT to create all your advertising and even create a complete email series for you in seconds. That’s some serious power and if you aren’t already playing around with these tools, you better start or you will fall behind very quickly!

Looking ahead into the near future, virtual reality draws could let supporters “attend” a prize reveal from their couch while creating some serious buzz. It’s amazing how this technology is going to change what we think of virtual today. And while this is still in it’s infancy, those nonprofits that find ways to immerse this tech into their fundraising are going to be well ahead of the curve.

But don’t get overwhelmed, just start with one of these and start getting familiar with all their possibilities. See how it can be used in your own workflow than go on to the next. Here are the biggest trends we see now to choose from:

• Go hybrid: Combine online and in-person sales to reach more people.
• Use AI tools: Add chatbots for quick replies and personalized ticket offers.
• Offer green prizes: Choose sustainable rewards to attract younger donors.
• Try virtual reality: Host immersive online draws for extra excitement.
• Act now: Pick one trend, like a hybrid setup, for your next raffle.

Conclusion

Selling raffle tickets isn’t just about luck! You really do need a strategy if you want to sell out and secure the funding you need. On top of that you also need preparation and consistent promotion to really bank big. From choosing irresistible prizes to pricing smartly, from empowering your team to telling stories that connect, every step helps you move closer to selling out. The most successful raffles aren’t created by accident, they’re the result of proper planning, creativity and persistence.

Remember, people aren’t just buying a chance at a prize, they’re buying into your mission and the positive impact the perceive will happen due to their support. So make it easy for them to buy tickets while making the event exciting and meaningful. If you put our tips into action, your raffle can raise the funds you need and leave your supporters eager to join again next time.

Common Questions on Raffle Tickets

1. Do I need a license or permit to run a raffle?

Yes, in many states and countries raffles are regulated. Always check local laws before selling tickets.

2. How should I price raffle tickets?

Use your fundraising goal and expected sales to set a base price. Bundles like “$5 for one or $20 for five” often sell best.

3. What kind of prizes sell the most tickets?

Experiences like trips, concerts or classes usually outperform generic gift baskets. Choose prizes that excite your audience and they’ll purchase more.

4. Can I sell raffle tickets online?

Yes, many platforms like ours allow it, but regulations vary. Some areas restrict online raffles, so confirm your local rules first.

5. What’s one mistake to avoid when selling raffle tickets?

Making it hard to buy your tickets. Always keep the process as simple as possible, think one tap buys or in-person sales to make it an easy sale.

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