Explore our best raffle prize ideas, grouped by categories:
- Popular Raffle Prize Ideas for Adults
- Themed Gift Ideas for Raffles
- Inexpensive Raffle Prize Ideas
- Raffle Ideas for Kids
- Raffle Ideas for School Fundraising
What is a raffle?
Raffles are a simple fundraising game that anyone can hold at in-person events or online. Raffle ticket sales of individual prizes, baskets of goods, cash, or more can help raise more at your fundraising event or online.
Supporters buy one or more numbered tickets, and on event or campaign day, an individual pulls the ticket of the lucky raffle winner. The winner gets the prize, and the organization has an opportunity to spread the word about its mission, connect with donors, and collect contact information.
Each event and organization has unique needs. Your raffle must meet those needs and those of your donor base. You can do that with themed prizes, marketing ideas, and a focus on your mission.
How to run a raffle
The first thing you must do when running a raffle is determine your raffle's financial goals and make sure you comply with raffle laws in your state. You'll also want to form a team to help you develop good raffle prize ideas, find in-kind donations, and promote and sell tickets.
We've provided a step-by-step list of how to run a raffle below:
- Choose a theme for your raffle
- Create a list of potential raffle prizes
- Choose the date and time of your raffle
- Register with your state or local government
- Solicit raffle prizes
- Purchase tickets to use in your raffle
- Promote the raffle and big ticket items to your donor base
- Sell raffle tickets online and in person
- Ask event committee members to promote the raffle and sell tickets to their friends and family
- Come up with ways to raise more money at your raffle event
- Hold your raffle
- Draw the winning ticket
- Announce the winner at your event and online
- Share how much was raised
- Thank all volunteers and donors
- Add contact information from raffle tickets to your donor database
What makes a great raffle prize?
Big ticket items like a car or vacation can bring in a huge draw, but these items can be challenging to get. Other raffle items like gift cards and unique raffle basket ideas can get supporters excited. Choosing a great raffle prize for your organization depends on your donor base.
When you sit down with your raffle committee, ask yourselves who is likely to attend your event or purchase raffle tickets. The best ideas should apply to a larger audience if your raffle is online. If you're holding a children's event or a gala, your raffle prizes should match attendees' interests.
Where do you get raffle prizes?
Once you've finalized a theme for your raffle, you can create a list of potential raffle and raffle basket ideas. Ask if anyone on your event committee has connections with donors who can give these prizes. If not, it's time for your volunteers to ask local businesses. Your nonprofit board members should also use their connections to solicit raffle items.
Our Best Raffle Prize Ideas
Raffle ideas don't have to be expensive. Sometimes, the less expensive, the better because you can sell more tickets. We've listed raffle ideas for adults, children, and schools, as well as unique themes and inexpensive raffle ideas for all ages.
Most Popular Raffle Prize Ideas for Adults
Customized Items
Donors are always on the lookout for items that no one else has, so customized items can be a huge draw for adults. Artist renderings, personalized or engraved items, and anything with a personal touch can show you care about your donors and raise more money.
Alcohol
Whether your event is a wine tasting, beer fest, or pub crawl, a raffle basket of various bottles of wine or beer is best. Add a few glasses, food that matches the theme, and gift certificates to local wineries or restaurants, which can bring in plenty of ticket sales. Before selling tickets for this type of basket, make sure you are following all local alcohol laws.
Travel
If you can find it, a flight and hotel stay for two to a romantic city or beach is a fantastic raffle basket idea. Ticket sales for this type of raffle can go as high as $100 or more because people want a chance to win. Along with the flight and hotel stay, you can make a raffle basket with additional luggage tags, travel pillows, guidebooks, and more.
Adventures
If you're unable to solicit an expensive travel destination, you may be able to find a hiking, rafting, or skiing trip to include in your raffle. Collaborate with travel agencies or local adventure companies to see if they would donate. You can also see if you can find a donor that's willing to purchase the adventure or if you can sell enough raffle tickets to make the cost worth it.
Services with a local leader or celebrity
Another unique raffle prize idea is to raffle off a meal or activity with a local celebrity or government official. Lunch with the mayor, a personal chef for your family, or a photography session with a local artist can all draw the attention of adults in your community. You may even make more from this idea because you are hosting a charity raffle, and supporters don't want you to waste their donations on high-ticket items.
Sports Memorabilia
Sports memorabilia and tickets are popular raffle prizes for adults and families. Your fundraising raffle can offer tickets to a game, jerseys, and signed cards or pictures from famous players. If you can find something from a popular team, this can bring in a good amount of money.
Live-Theater and Concert tickets
Adults are always searching for unique and fun date night ideas. Local theatre or concert tickets can raise funds, especially for a well-known artist. Adding a personal tour, a visit with the artist, or a weekend getaway will encourage people even more to purchase a raffle ticket.
Themed Gift Ideas for Raffles
Stick with your mission
Services or products that share your organization’s mission, including branded items with your logo, items made by your beneficiaries, or services people can’t find anywhere else, will be another draw. Get creative and find ways to promote these items.
For instance, parents always seek help with spirited children or ideas on what to do on a rainy day. If your nonprofit offers children's therapy services, raffle winners can receive a one-on-one appointment with an Occupational Therapist.
Holidays
A holiday theme is an easy and affordable raffle idea. You can do just about anything with this one. A raffle basket that has holiday décor, baking kits with cookie cutters, cookbooks, sprinkles, and outdoor winter activities is always a winner for the winter season. Since it's a holiday raffle basket, you can create a new one every season and include it in different events or create a raffle series to excite supporters.
Eat around the World
Travel can be too expensive for many, but one of the best ways to experience the world is with food and drinks. This raffle basket idea can include wine and spirits from various countries, food, recipes, tea, and cheese. You can include other treats from various cultures and countries, making this a themed basket everyone wants.
Crockpot Raffle Basket
Are you tired of the same old basket raffle? A unique take on a raffle basket is a crockpot. You can use the crockpot as the basket and add food items, drinks, and cookbooks. You can also create different themes with a crockpot. Do you want family-friendly meals, fondue, etc? Get those creative juices flowing and create a host of crockpot raffle baskets for all to enjoy.
Color Together
Children aren't the only ones who love to color. A coloring raffle basket theme can appeal to the whole family. You can find educational and fun children's coloring books everywhere. Since the coloring trend has also taken off with adults, creative-themed-coloring books of older TV shows or beautiful and intricate designs can be found online and in specialty stores. Add colored pencils, crayons, and paint to help donors connect with their creative side.
Golden Ticket
A Willy Wonka-themed raffle basket can include candy and tours of candy maker shops and factories. Instead of tickets, you can have fun selling chocolate bars and hide a golden ticket inside the wrapper. Design the basket with colors and pictures from the movies and books to add a touch of nostalgia.
Stay local
Every town has unique stores and services that are hidden gems. These local artists, home designers, and shops make your town what it is. Raffle baskets and entire fundraising events with a stay-local theme highlight these businesses and can help build long-term partnerships with their leaders.
Inexpensive Raffle Prize Ideas
Use what you have
Raffle prizes can be expensive, but there are ways to find raffle items for free. Donations from local businesses are excellent, but you'll likely get several gift cards that don't fit together. You can combine these gift cards with items from past events or products and services from your nonprofit to create raffle baskets or raffle prize ideas that fit your audience's unique interests.
Ask for donations
Don't stop with local businesses when asking for raffle basket gifts. Board members, donors, and volunteers may all have something to contribute. No Buy groups are a popular trend on social media. You can join a local no-buy group and ask for raffle gifts for your next fundraiser to see what they offer. You may be surprised by the unique and creative raffle ideas they come up with.
Unique antique and thrift finds
Have you ever found something so unique that you just had to have it? The best part of thrifting is finding something that no one else has for cheap. Spend a day at your local thrift store, antique store, estate, or garage sale to see what you can find. To find the most affordable stuff, visit on the last day of the sale. Don't be afraid to haggle or ask for a donation from sellers.
Plants and seeds
Nonprofits worldwide are working towards a healthier environment. These organizations can create environmentally-themed baskets for their next raffle. You can have a lot of fun with raffle ideas like this. How about a personal consultant coming to your home to show you how and what to plant for your wild garden? Include specially designed wildflowers and seeds for your location, and you'll have a raffle that draws a huge and passionate crowd.
Made by your beneficiaries
Does your nonprofit organization support women or men in third-world countries? Hand-made items from beneficiaries can help tell your nonprofit’s story and the stories of those you help. Raffle prizes like these entice donors into buying tickets. Donors are inspired by the items and the chance to support the individuals who make them.
Raffle Ideas for Kids
DIY crafts
Moms looking for a fun way to keep their kids busy will want the chance to win a DIY craft raffle basket. Raffle basket ideas like designing your dolls' dresses, tie-dye, lego sets, and painting and art supplies have a better chance to excite moms and their kids.
Tents and camping
A tent and camping raffle prize offers adventure and activity all in one. Build a raffle basket with a tent, sleeping bags, and other camping supplies for children and adults. Another way to do this is with a holiday twist. You can purchase or create your own Christmas tee-pee tree that children can experience from various angles, and families can use it year after year.
Tickets
Tickets to an amusement park, water park, zoo, or museum are another easy way to get donors' attention. Theme park tickets can be pricey, and the retail value will likely be more than the price of a raffle ticket. Another raffle prize idea you can offer is season tickets or a reserved parking space.
Video Games
New studies have said that gaming isn’t harmful and can be helpful for small motor skills and other growth skills. This is great news since most kids want to play video games. Most parents let their children play games on their phones. Many also buy games and consoles to keep their kids busy. The newest console can cost hundreds of dollars. With that in mind, you can sell raffle tickets for one console and a few games for $50 to $100.
Musical Instruments
Public schools ask children to start a new musical instrument in late grade school or junior high. Musical instruments aren’t cheap, and parents will jump at any opportunity to cut this cost, whether searching for used instruments at garage sales or entering a raffle to win a new one. Parents can purchase a raffle ticket for $20 and win a new instrument and some entry-level music pieces and feel like it's money well spent.
Sweet Treats
What kid doesn't love candy? Raffle prize baskets of cookies and candies can't go wrong. Another way to catch the eye of supporters with a sweet tooth is with massive candy bars or a visit to a local candy factory.
Travel games and activities
Traveling with kids can be a struggle, but families can make the ride easier with portable games, coloring sets, books, and other on-the-go entertainment. Nonprofits can offer these prizes and a gift card or two to local gaming and bookstores at their next family-friendly raffle.
Raffle Ideas for School Fundraising
Books
Scholastic book sales are common at schools nationwide because parents and kids constantly look for more things to read. Your school has access to more books than other organizations and can create exciting and educational book raffles based on characters and themes that children in your school love. Dual-language schools can take this raffle idea even further and offer books in English and other languages like Spanish, Polish, and Chinese.
Family Game Night
Games are one of the best raffle basket ideas for school fundraisers because they can excite parents and children. Raffle ticket sales for family-friendly games can be sold for $10 to $50, depending on the amount and quality of the games.
Science Kits
Another family-fun activity is a science experiment like a volcano with baking soda, seed germination, or a rainbow in a jar. Science kits are hands-on activities parents can use to educate their children and form stronger bonds. Your nonprofit can create your own science kits or buy them online and sell raffle tickets for your next school fundraiser.
Tickets to school events or VIP parking
Tickets for school events are harder to come by than you may think. If your school excels in specific sports or can excite the community with a quality musical or show, you can offer tickets for these events at your next fundraiser.
Helpful Services
Your school can offer other raffle ideas: tutoring, music or dance lessons, and private language classes. Parents and students looking for extra help will get excited by the chance to win a few extra hours of college prep support.
Sporting Equipment
Schools are responsible for educating children, but sports like football, soccer, baseball, and tennis are equally important. The cost for families to put their kids in sports is unaffordable for many. One way to help parents afford sports equipment is with a raffle. You can raffle off individual or baskets of sporting equipment.
School Spirit
Hats, sweatshirts, water bottles, and tote bags with the school logo are cheap for your school to come by. These items can be raffled on their own or connected with old-school items and pictures from the past. Your school can also combine school spirit items with special days with a favorite teacher or principal.
Bring your Raffle to Life with Zeffy
A charity raffle can help promote your nonprofit, raise money, and collect contact information for new and existing supporters. Running a raffle takes several steps, but with a hard-working support team, you can find the best raffle items for free or at affordable prices. Create your raffle now with Zeffy free raffle platform.
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