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AMOE stands for "alternate method of entry." It is the free way to enter a sweepstakes, and it has to give free entrants the same odds and the same prizes as people who donate.
If you are setting up a sweepstakes, you have probably run into "AMOE" in a rules template and wondered what it asks of you. Here is the short version. A sweepstakes is not a workaround for raffle rules. It is its own category, defined by one rule: there must be a real, free way to enter, with the same odds as a paid entry.
For a small nonprofit, the hard part is not understanding that rule. It is getting the details right: the notice, the odds and the official rules. This guide explains each term in plain words, then shows what a working free entry looks like.
AMOE stands for "alternate method of entry" (you will also see "alternative method of entry"). It is the free way to enter a sweepstakes, such as a short online form, and it gives that person the same chance to win as someone who made a donation.
The word "alternate" can be misleading. It sounds like an optional extra. In practice, it is what makes a sweepstakes a sweepstakes. Supporters can still donate to enter, and that is how your drawing raises money.
For a small nonprofit: if your drawing has no free way in, it is not a sweepstakes, no matter what you call it.
Most US rules on games of chance look at three things together:
When all three are present, the activity is a lottery. Lotteries are a tightly controlled category, and a nonprofit can't simply decide to run one. Raffles also have all three pieces, which is why they come with their own set of rules that vary from place to place.
A sweepstakes removes the first piece. There is a free way to enter with the same odds of winning, so paying is never required to take part. Take away the payment requirement, and you no longer have all three pieces.
That is the whole idea. It is not a loophole. It is what the category is. Rules still vary by state, and each organization is responsible for following its own.
For a small nonprofit: the free entry is not optional. It is the reason your drawing counts as a sweepstakes at all.
"No purchase necessary" is the phrase that tells people a free way to enter exists. The free entry keeps the activity out of the lottery definition, and this notice discloses it.
In plain words, it means anyone can enter without giving money. You can invite people to donate. You can explain what their gift will fund. But you cannot make a donation the price of entry.
You will usually see the phrase in three places:
The notice has to be clear and lead to a real way to enter for free.
For a small nonprofit: make sure the notice and your official rules both point to the free entry. On Zeffy, both are added for you. The notice on your campaign page reads "No donation necessary to enter."
"Void where prohibited" means your sweepstakes does not apply anywhere the law doesn't allow it. If someone lives in a state where your drawing can't be offered, their entry doesn't count.
The phrase exists because sweepstakes rules differ from state to state. A few states add their own steps for large prizes. New York, for example, has registration and bond rules for sweepstakes with more than $5,000 in prizes. You can also choose to leave certain states out, as long as your official rules say who can enter.
Keep one thing in mind. "Void where prohibited" is a standard notice, not a shield. It does not replace checking the rules that apply to your organization and your supporters.
For a small nonprofit: include the phrase in your official rules, list who is eligible to enter, and still take a few minutes to check your own state's rules.
"Equal dignity" is a simple idea with a formal-sounding name. A free entry must be treated the same as a paid one. That means three things:
Here is the hinge: entry must be genuinely free for people who don't donate. You can suggest a donation, but you cannot require one.
In practice, a working free entry comes down to three pieces: a free entry form that actually works, official rules that describe it, and the same odds as a paid entry. You don't have to build any of them yourself. On Zeffy, all three come with every sweepstakes, as the next section shows.
For a small nonprofit: ask one test question before you launch. Could someone who never donates enter, and win just as fairly? If yes, you are treating free entries with equal dignity.
Building all of this by hand is a lot to ask of a volunteer. With Zeffy sweepstakes, the official rules and the free entry form come built in.
Sweepstakes sit in the same "Raffle & Sweepstakes" campaign type you would use for a raffle. When you reach "Pick your lottery type," Sweepstakes is selected by default and labeled "Recommended."
Here is how each free-entry piece shows up on your campaign:
| Free-entry piece | What it looks like on a Zeffy campaign |
|---|---|
| A real free way to enter | Anyone can claim a free entry through the free entry form. Zeffy allows one free entry per email per day, so someone who wants another one comes back the next day. |
| Same odds | A free entry has the same odds as a paid one. |
| Same prizes | Prizes cannot depend on the amount someone paid. |
| A visible free-entry notice | A "No donation necessary to enter" notice sits under the entry options on the campaign page. |
| A path to the free entry | The official rules are shown right on the campaign page, and the free entry form opens from them. |
| Written official rules | Zeffy writes the official rules for you from your campaign details, with the notice that no donation is necessary to enter or win. You can preview them before you publish. |
The rest of the drawing runs in the same place (see how to run a sweepstakes fundraiser for the full setup). Entries are numbered and emailed to each entrant automatically. You set a draw date, and on that date your organization picks the winner from all entries, free and paid, the way your official rules describe. Your prizes show at the top of the campaign page, with their photos.
Zeffy is a free all-in-one fundraising platform with a donor CRM built in, so every entrant, free or paid, lands on their own record in your donor CRM automatically, next to anything else they have given. Zeffy also sends a receipt for every transaction. On paid entries, there is no platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Ever.
Zeffy builds the official rules and the free entry into your campaign. Rules still vary by state, so check the ones that apply to your organization.
For a small nonprofit: you don't have to engineer the equal-dignity piece yourself. The free entry, the notice and the official rules come with the campaign, so your time goes into promoting the drawing.
AMOE is not a formality. It is the free, equal-odds way to enter that defines a sweepstakes. "No purchase necessary" tells people it exists. "Void where prohibited" covers the places where the drawing can't run. Equal dignity makes sure the free entry is real. Get those four pieces right and your sweepstakes rests on solid ground.
No. The free entry is what the law requires of every sweepstakes, not a giveaway of your revenue. In practice, a sweepstakes runs like any prize drawing: supporters enter with a donation to back your cause and for a chance to win your prizes. On Zeffy, every entrant lands in your free donor CRM with a receipt. And because Zeffy charges no fees, your nonprofit keeps 100% of every paid entry.
That depends on what your official rules say. On Zeffy, each email can claim one free entry per day through the free entry form. Someone who wants another one comes back the next day. Each free entry has the same odds as a paid one.
Many large sweepstakes you may have seen use a mail-in entry, but that is not the only format. On Zeffy, the free entry is an online form. It opens from the official rules, which are shown on the campaign page along with a "No donation necessary to enter" notice. Rules vary by state, so check the ones that apply to your organization.
Not on Zeffy. Zeffy writes the official rules from your campaign details, including the notice that no donation is necessary to enter or win, and you can preview them before you publish your sweepstakes.
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