A raffle is a type of fundraiser where people pay a small amount of money to have the chance to win a larger prize. The prizes range from cash to goods and services like cleaning services, babysitting for an evening, a free car wash, trips or home improvement projects. Generally, there are five to ten prizes, one of which is the grand prize. Typically, a lot more tickets are sold than the number of prizes available. A raffle is a fun way to raise funds for your organization and give back to the community at the same time.

The first step is to decide how you want to sell your tickets. You can make them yourself or purchase them from a company that specializes in printing them. Purchasing them from a reputable company will lessen the workload for your volunteers and help to minimize the risk of fraud.

If you are making the tickets yourself, make sure to use a template that is clearly marked with the cost of the ticket and when the drawing will take place. The more information you include, the more likely someone is to buy a ticket. Including the name of the organization and its contact details on the ticket is also helpful for future promotional purposes.

You will need a secure, visible receptacle like a fishbowl or large glass jar to hold the ticket stubs once they are purchased. It is also a good idea to have a pens on hand so that purchasers can write their name and telephone or email address on the ticket. A small sign that says, "Please deposit your ticket stub here" is helpful, too.

If people are required to be present for the drawing, make this clear on the ticket as well as at each sales table. Otherwise, you may find that people are not willing to part with their hard-earned money for the chance of winning. You can choose to draw the winner manually from a transparent receptacle such as a fishbowl, lottery wheel or an empty bottle of water, or you can use a random name picker such as ours. Make sure that you have an impartial person to do the drawing and set a time limit on how long the winner has to claim the prize.

As the event draws to a close, tally the proceeds and send out thank-you notes to all of the purchasers, merchants and volunteers who helped out. Keep a file with all of the important data, including a list of winners, a list of donors and a summary of each table's performance. The next year, it will be much easier to do the raffle if all of this information is in one place and can easily be retrieved.