Raffle Ticket Price Ideas: How Much Should Raffle Tickets Cost? Pricing Ideas, Bundles & Formulas for Fundraisers

It’s surprisingly easy to get stuck with raffle ticket prices. Most of us expect raffles to be cheap, or at least cheaper than what we’d pay for a donation or auction. Still, the price you choose actually depends on a few elements, from the kind of prizes you’re offering, to the audience getting involved.

Most single raffle ticket prices fall between around $1 or $10, schools and smaller nonprofits tend to charge less, sometimes using raffles alongside other fundraising strategies, galas might charge between $10 to $25 a ticket. Here you’ll learn how to price raffle tickets in a way that makes sense for your audience, when to bundle, plus how to increase sales. 

After all, a fundraising platform like PayBee can help with entry and payment management, but you still need to figure out the pricing math first.

TL;DR (Key Takeaways):

• Single raffle tickets usually cost between $1 and $5, especially at smaller school, church, or community raffles. General nonprofits might charge up to $10 per ticket.
• Galas, and premium events with more expensive prizes like cars or travel packages may charge $10 to $50 per ticket or more.
• Bundles, such as 5 tickets for $10 can increase revenue, but it’s worth remembering that every discount adds up.
• It helps to know your fundraising goals in advance. If you need $6,000 from 300 attendees, you need to try and earn $20 per buyer.
• Experiment with early bird incentives, and tiered packages to cater to various budget levels.
• Check local and state laws before you run a raffle, to make sure you’re not putting yourself at risk of any problems.

How Much Should Raffle Tickets Cost?

Reasonable raffle ticket prices vary depending on the kind of event you’re running. For most fundraisers, whether online or in-person, tickets cost between $1 and $10. The smaller the nonprofit or program, and the lower the goal, the less you need to charge. Larger events like galas or hybrid auctions might charge around $5 to $20 per ticket. 

Bigger prizes earn better prices, too. People don’t expect to pay $10 per ticket to win a board game or mug, but they’re happy to pay that for a pamper package, or a travel prize.

Two other things matter alongside prizes and event size, and those are your audience, and your bundling strategy. For your audience, start by looking at the size of the group you really expect to reach, what people have already paid to come, if you’re running a ticketed event, plus what kind of purchase is going to feel normal in that setting.

Bundles can make a purchase more appealing, but you need to think about discounting carefully. A $5 single with three for $10 gives people a clear nudge. A $5 single with ten for $20 gives away half the value before you know whether you can afford to.

A Simple Formula for Pricing Raffle Tickets

You might have seen a few free raffle ticket pricing calculators promising to make the planning process a little easier. Honestly, most of them tend to use the same formula. 

Minimum revenue per entry = (net fundraising goal + raffle costs) ÷ expected entries sold

That’s a fine calculation if you’re running a simple raffle with just one fixed ticket price, but things can get a little more complicated when you’re dealing with bundles or early bird discounts too.

It’s also worth calculating the average (ideal) purchase per buyer too.  

Required gross revenue = desired net revenue + total raffle costs

Required average checkout = required gross revenue ÷ expected buyers

That gives you a good example of what you probably need to charge, and earn to reach your fundraising goals. 

Count Every Raffle Cost

The problem with most casual raffle ticket pricing guides is they can underestimate or overlook what you’re really paying to run the event. Raffles are one of the cheaper fundraising options, but you do need to pay for printed tickets, permits if you’re running an in-person event, transaction fees, prize costs, plus any extra expenses like entertainment, food, or staff.

There’s also the cost for your software, if you’re using a fundraising platform to manage entries, payments, or other aspects of the event. Most tools do let you get started for free, but there are some extra fees. For instance, PayBee’s free plan has a 2% fee on electronic transactions.

Run The Numbers With Buyers, Not Attendance

Say you need your raffle to earn about $5,000. The prizes, and all the other costs will add about $750 to your total expenses, meaning you need to gross $5,750. You might expect five hundred people to attend, but maybe only 60% will actually buy anything.

So the math looks like:

$5,750 ÷ 300 = $19.17 per buyer

In that situation, a single $5 ticket price can still work, but you’ll probably need a bundle menu to pull the average purchase closer to around $20. 

After $750 in costs, the raffle nets $6,000, that gives you a decent outcome even if you’re not selling as quickly as you’d hoped. If the number of expected buyers goes down to around 40%, then the required average at checkout jumps up.

It’s worth keeping that in mind when you’re planning a raffle fundraiser, and erring on the side of caution if you can. 

Also, as a final sense check, projected gross sales should usually reach several times the prize’s fair market value. We’ll come back to that in a minute.

Raffle Ticket Bundle Pricing: Where the Money Is

Bundles make a huge difference to how much you can earn at a raffle fundraiser. People will still want the option to just purchase a single ticket, of course, but once they’re engaged in the event, bundles can entice them to spend a little extra. 

Bundles also make a lot of sense for certain types of raffles, like Chinese raffles where buyers want to spread their entries across a lot of different prizes. 

Usually, the middle bundle tier should be doing most of the attraction work, making people feel like they’re getting the best value for money. The smaller option is the easier upgrade, while the larger bundles appeal to committed supporters who were already keen to support the cause. 

The crucial part is making sure that your bundle strategy seems generous, without damaging your ability to reach your goal. For example, you might have something like this for a raffle at a school:

Something like that definitely makes your raffle ticket prices look more appealing to your attendees, but you need to make sure you can still make a profit if everyone decides to take advantage of the 50% off deal. 

I’d build the menu around the average checkout calculated in the previous section. If the fundraiser needs roughly $20 per buyer, a $5 single and three for $10 leaves the middle option too low. Five for $20 gives the buyer a clear upgrade and lands much closer to the target.

Estimating how many buyers will actually choose each option can really help when you’re figuring out how to price raffle tickets. 

Also, it’s probably a good idea to avoid huge offers, like a $100 stack for smaller fundraising events, as most people won’t be looking to spend that much.

Naming Your Tiers: Silver, Gold and Premium Packages

Bringing tiers into your raffle ticket pricing strategy can sometimes be helpful, particularly if you want to make the menu easier to scan. It’s similar to offering a bundle, but with tiers you tend to use specific names, and attach each level to a certain reward or value level.

Everyone knows the standard tier names like Bronze, Silver, or Gold, so you can still use those if you want the whole system to look familiar. 

Alternatively, you can get a little playful and use cause specific names. For a youth fundraiser run by a school, for instance, you might have Classroom Supporter and School Champion. Galas run by a healthcare group might stick with something like Silver or Patron. 

Make it easy to understand what each tier actually offers. A name like “Eco Warrior” for a raffle run by a conservation group might sound good, but it won’t earn a lot of sales if the buyer doesn’t know if it means they get ten entries in the same drawing, access to different prizes, or some extra reward, like dinner and drinks.

Also, as we mentioned before, early-bird deals can be excellent if you’re trying to generate more sales fast, particularly before a hybrid or online raffle event. Just make sure the dates and terms are figured out before the launch day. Same thing for VIP packages, if you’re running a raffle as part of a bigger experience. Make sure you explain the admission value, benefits, exact number of raffle entries the buyer gets, and anything else they need to know.

Matching Ticket Price to Prize Value

Now this seems pretty obvious, but the bigger your raffle ticket prizes are, the more you can reasonably charge per ticket. There’s nothing odd about expecting someone to pay $30 per ticket for a chance to win a weekend getaway. 

Simple themed baskets, like spa day, gourmet food, or movie night bundles can be worth around $20+, and still earn you around $2 per ticket. Limited-edition prizes, bespoke gifts, or experiences will tend to earn a higher per-ticket price. You could even create lists of different prizes with different price tiers, one tier might be dedicated to lower-cost prizes, the next one to mid-level rewards, and the last one to big premium wins.

What you really need to get right here is how you calculate the value of whatever you’re offering. For instance, a partner donating a weekend getaway to your cause might tell you it’s worth $3,000, but it might be worth a lot less to a potential buyer if they still have to pay for things like travel or resort fees. You need to think about what you’re going to pay for the prize, the overall market value, plus what the audience is going to think the prize is worth.

Most fundraising specialists recommend trying to aim for a gross ticket sales number that’s between about five and ten times the fair market value of the prize. For instance, a prize worth $2,000 should be able to bring in around $10,000 in sales, but you may aim for a lower profit if the prize was donated in the first place. 

Raffle Ticket Price Ideas by Event Type

The same raffle ticket prices won’t work the same way for different fundraising events. People expect to see different things at a PTA fair, black-tie dinner, or golf tournament, and you should keep that in mind when planning.

You might also choose prices differently depending on whether the raffle is the main thing you’re using for fundraising, or an add-on to something else, like a silent auction, or a fundraiser meal.

School, PTA, and Teacher Raffles

School raffles and similar community-led events will usually have a lower entry point, often because the same families might already be paying to take part in games or auctions, or buy food and drinks. It’s better to have a $1 single ticket price with a useful $10 family bundle than a  $5 minimum that makes parents choose which child gets to participate.

You can boost your chances of earning extra money outside of the raffle itself here with a few strategies. You might work with local businesses who can donate gifts for your prizes, and also offer food, drink, or services and experiences to bid on. 

Galas, Golf Tournaments, and Community Dinners

Galas and bigger events come with a starting price already. Most people are already paying $50 to $150 or more just to get a seat. They usually won’t be thrown off by the idea of a $20 raffle ticket, particularly if it comes with a decent prize, like a chef-prepared dinner or a spa break.

Still, it’s worth differentiating between more “premium” events, and community dinners. Crab feeds or BBQs tend to need smaller numbers since volunteers are selling quickly between tables. Consider about $5 for a single here, and round bundles that make the value easy to see.

If the event is truly premium, it might be worth keeping the raffle simple, and adding some of the prizes to a silent auction instead.

50/50 Raffles

50/50 raffle pricing needs a different strategy, because half of the overall prize pot goes to the winner. The best formula is something like:

Required gross = (desired nonprofit net + costs) ÷ nonprofit share

So, if you need to bring in $3,000 after $200 in costs, you’d end up with something like this:

($3,000 + $200) ÷ 0.5 = $6,400

The winner gets one half of total income, you get the other half, pay your expenses, and still finish with the $3,000 you need. Do check the laws before you use this format though, as certain states bar ordinary 50/50 raffles outside of sports events. 

Virtual and Hybrid Raffles

Virtual, online or hybrid raffles can be great, because they give supporters more time to buy, and it’s easy to share the links with friends. You can also combine your raffle with a larger fundraising event, such as an online auction. 

People are usually buying fast when they’re online, so it’s generally a good idea to keep prices for single tickets low (usually under $10). Bundles and tiers are extra useful here too, especially if you’re combining a raffle with other events. 

How to Sell More Raffle Tickets at Every Price Point

The great news for fundraising teams is that you don’t necessarily need to cut your prices to virtually nothing to sell more tickets. All you really need is a plan. Cheap tickets need plenty of reach and visibility, while more expensive ones need to earn trust. 

These tips should help. 

Build the Sales Ask Around the Target Bundle

Don’t get volunteers to lead the pitch with the cheapest ticket unless that’s absolutely the kind of purchase your budget needs. If you need your average checkout to be around $20, give them a line they can use like, “Tickets cost $5 each, but most families are choosing five for $20.”

Track a few numbers while your campaign’s running:

• Number of buyers 
• Average checkout 
• Most-used bundle 
• Gross revenue against the pace needed to reach the goal 

If the average checkout is $12 when the plan requires $20, selling more $5 singles won’t help much. Usually, it’s a sign that you need to promote the bundle better, or improve the offer while your campaign still has time left.

Put Each Sales Prompt Where It Has a Job

There are plenty of creative ways to sell raffle tickets that go beyond grabbing supporters in-person. A QR code at the entrance to your event is a great way to grab the attention of early buyers. You could put cards on dinner tables for gala attendees. You might even have a final screen near the exit to grab a few add-on donations from people about to leave.

Give each placement a short message:

• At check-in: “Enter before you take your seat.” 
• At the prize display: “See the prize? Scan to enter.” 
• Near the bar or food line: “Five entries for $20.” 
• Before the draw: “Sales close at 8:45.” 

Also make sure it’s easy for people to use their mobile to get involved. Mobile earned about 52% of nonprofit website traffic in 2026, and it appeals to the kind of attendees that want to grab tickets quickly while they’re checking out other parts of your event.

Make the Prize Description Do Some Selling

A line like “Luxury Weekend Getaway, Valued at $3,000” might look good at first, but it really doesn’t give your supporter enough information. Where’s the getaway, what’s included, what else do they have to pay for?

Try something like:

“Two nights for two at Lake House Resort, including breakfast and a 60-minute spa treatment. Valid Sunday through Thursday until May 2027. Travel not included.”

Mix up your prize options too. You don’t have to stick exclusively to small prizes or big ones. You could have simple baskets for people on a budget, alongside bigger, exclusive prizes for donators who have a little more to spend.

Get the Ticket Design Right

Your ticket is evidence an entry exists, which means it needs a few crucial details, like the organization’s name, an entry number, drawing date, winner-contact process, plus maybe a little information about the potential prize.

Still, you don’t have to stick with standard, boring tickets. With an online template, you can turn your ticket into something that the attendee actually wants to keep. It can become a special memento of the day, almost as fun as the prize itself.

Promote Regularly, and Across Channels

People shouldn’t find out about your raffle on the day they visit the event. That way, they’ve got no time to budget before they actually get there. Use your own website, and social media platforms to show off the raffle tickets you’ll be selling, answer questions about the terms, or even give people a sneak peak of the prizes they can win. 

If you’ve run similar events in the past, you could even include videos or reviews from previous winners to make the whole experience more trustworthy. Also remember to use email, messaging, or social to send reminders about tiers and costs before the event itself. 

Keep One Record of What Was Sold

This isn’t the fun part of running a raffle, but it’s still important. You can end up with paper books, cash envelopes, online entries, volunteer sales, plus other details all spread in different places. The better option is to use a shared system where you can track everything. 

A fundraising platform like PayBee can help you out with everything from ticket management, to payment tracking, to making sure that the right people get the right prizes. It can also make it much simpler to learn from every raffle you run, with analytical tools that show you which tiers got the most attention, or which promotional methods worked best. 

Are Raffles Legal? Rules Every Fundraiser Should Know

One quick thing to keep in mind before you run any kind of raffle, is that there are rules. Raffles are classed as gambling under state law, even if you’re a tax-exempt organization. 

What makes things complicated is that the rules depend on the state you’re in. Some limit the prize you can offer, or restrict online sales or cash rewards. Some might not allow for the kind of bundle or tier structure you were going to use too. 

For instance, in California, eligible nonprofits need to register to run a raffle, and they have to show that 90% of the raffle earnings go towards a charitable purpose in the state. Online raffle operation is prohibited, though, and most charities won’t be able to run a 50/50 raffle.

In Texas, qualified groups can hold up to four raffles per year, but they can’t offer cash prizes, and purchased prize value needs to be under $75. Elsewhere, in Washington, your standard tickets can’t cost more than $100, and you can’t sell tickets online or over the phone. You also need a specific raffle licence and controls in place to run a bundle.

Check online first:

• Is the organization eligible to run a raffle? 
• Does it need to register or obtain a license? 
• Can tickets be sold online, by phone, or outside the state? 
• Are discounted bundles and bonus entries allowed? 
• Is there a ticket-price or prize-value cap? 
• What information must appear on the ticket? 
• Who can sell tickets, and how must the draw be recorded? 

Remember, federal tax rules will still apply if the state approves your event, and your raffle ticket prices. The cost of a ticket isn’t something that counts as a charitable deduction, and larger prizes might require specific forms (W-2G) for reporting. You’ll also need to keep in mind that winnings worth more than $5,000 can be subject to 24% federal withholding.

If a raffle doesn’t fit with your local laws, or the rules make things too complicated, then there are plenty of raffle alternatives you can use for fundraising instead. It’s better to change the event then end up in serious trouble.

Note, this is general fundraising guidance, and not legal or tax advice. Always check the rules where your organization operates, as well as anywhere you’re going to be selling tickets.

Running Your Raffle on PayBee

Figuring out how to price raffle tickets can be difficult enough, but once you’ve got the pricing ironed out, you also need somewhere to run and manage the event. Fundraising software like PayBee helps a lot with the admin work. You can create separate ticket options using templates, apply multipliers to bundles, manage basket raffles where buyers divide entries between prizes and more. 

You’ll also be able to take advantage of features that make running the whole event easier, from tap-to-pay and mobile checkout options with secure payment processing, to reporting tools, watch party options for virtual events, plus guest management tools.

Probably the best thing about PayBee is it keeps everything in the same place, you track tickets, payments, and manage your entire event in the same toolkit. That takes a lot of pressure off your team, and helps you to run something that feels a lot more accessible to your audience.

Start with a free demo of PayBee here. 

FAQs

How much should raffle tickets cost for a fundraiser?

It depends on the type of fundraiser, your audience, plus the value of the prize. Tickets can cost between $1 and $35 per entry, with schools and community groups often charging less than organizations running golf tournaments or gala events. A good strategy is to start with the audience, the value of the prize, plus the amount you need to earn from the event, and work backward.

What’s the best raffle ticket bundle pricing?

A bundle should seem like good value to your audience, without stopping you from achieving your earning goals. For instance, if one entry costs about $5, offering a pack of 5 for $20 reduces the price to about $4 per ticket, while still giving you a decent income. Offer a range of smaller bundles, mid-level bundles, and higher bundles to appeal to more audience members.

How many raffle tickets should I print?

Base the number of raffle tickets you print on the number you need to sell, and the number of attendees you expect to get. For instance, if you’re trying to bring in $6,000 in sales, and each ticket costs $4, then you need 1,500 tickets to sell. It’s usually a good idea to add a few more onto that number, just in case you end up getting more traction than you thought.

Can I sell raffle tickets online?

It depends on the laws in the region where you’re running your raffle, and where you’re selling your tickets. For instance, California allows for online advertising, but you can’t actually sell raffle tickets over the internet. Washington also stops you from selling tickets over the internet or telephone. Check the state rules before you start planning the event.

How do I price a 50/50 raffle?

Start with one your organization needs to keep after you’ve paid the costs of running the event. For instance, if you want to end up with $3,000 and you have $200 in expenses, then you need a full pot worth around $6,400. That means $3,200 can go to the winner, and the other half comes to you, giving you enough for your goal income, and the expenses.

What’s a good profit margin on a raffle?

It’s usually easier to choose a net dollar target than a margin for a raffle. A raffle where people are trying to win a donated vacation can keep most of its sales revenue and still raise less cash than a car raffle with a lower margin. Pay attention to the money left over. An impressive 90% margin on $1,000 raises $900. A messier 55% margin on $20,000 leaves $11,000 for the cause.