In this article:
What is a calendar raffle?
Estimated Net Profit
£2,900
58% profit margin
Quick Reference: Profit Scenarios
Assumes £1,000 prize budget, £2/calendar printing, and £100 in other costs.
| Calendars Sold |
@ £5 |
@ £10 |
@ £20 |
@ £50 |
| 100 calendars |
-£800 |
-£300 |
£700 |
£3,700 |
| 250 calendars |
-£350 |
£900 |
£3,400 |
£10,900 |
| 500 calendars |
£400 |
£2,900 |
£7,900 |
£22,900 |
| 1,000 calendars |
£1,900 |
£6,900 |
£16,900 |
£46,900 |
A calendar raffle is a fundraiser where supporters purchase a numbered calendar that enters them into every draw during the raffle period. Unlike a traditional raffle where you buy tickets for a single drawing, a calendar raffle gives supporters multiple chances to win, daily, weekly, or monthly, all from one purchase.
Here is how it works:
- 1. Your charity or community group creates numbered calendars. Each calendar has a unique number printed on it.
- 2. Supporters buy a calendar. That number becomes their entry for the entire raffle period.
- 3. Drawings happen on a set schedule. You draw a winning number daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on your format.
- 4. Winners go back in the pool. Winning does not remove someone from future draws. One calendar can win multiple times throughout the raffle.
This is what makes calendar raffles different from regular raffles. Supporters are not buying a single shot at a single prize. They are buying ongoing excitement, a reason to check in every day or every week. That sustained engagement is invaluable for charities building community. The calendar itself doubles as a physical reminder of your organisation. It hangs on someone's wall or sits on their desk for weeks or months, keeping your mission visible.
Calendar raffle profit calculator
Calendar raffles have some of the best unit economics in fundraising. Before you launch, it is worth running the numbers so you know exactly what you are building toward.
Note: Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket purchases. HMRC treats a raffle ticket as a payment for a chance to win (goods or services), so do not add a 25% top-up to your revenue projections. See the legal section below for the full explanation.
Use the calculator below to estimate your profit based on your pricing, volume, and costs.
Quick reference: profit scenarios
The table below shows net profit across common ticket price points and sales volumes. Assumptions: £1,000 prize budget, £2 per calendar printing cost, and £100 in other costs (marketing, postage, supplies).
|
| 100 calendars | -£800 | -£300 | £700 | £3,700 |
| 250 calendars | -£350 | £900 | £3,400 | £10,900 |
| 500 calendars | £400 | £2,900 | £7,900 | £22,900 |
| 1,000 calendars | £1,900 | £6,900 | £16,900 | £46,900 |
Key takeaway: at £10 per calendar, you need at least 250 sold to clear a meaningful profit with a £1,000 prize budget. At £20 per calendar, 250 sales puts you at around £3,400 net. Pricing matters more than volume at smaller scales.
Real-world scenario examples
Here is how the finances play out in practice across three common scenarios:
Scenario 1: Small community group, modest goals
- 250 calendars sold at £10 each
- Prize budget: £300 (mix of donated and purchased)
- Net profit: £1,950 (78% margin)
Scenario 2: Mid-size charity, strong local business support
- 500 calendars sold at £10 each
- Prize budget: £0 (all prizes donated by local businesses)
- Net profit: £4,400 (88% margin)
Scenario 3: Active PTA or village-hall committee with a large network
- 1,000 calendars sold at £10 each
- Net profit: £6,900 (69% margin)
Note that £10,000 in ticket sales sits comfortably within the £20,000 single-lottery cap for a small society lottery. If your society plans to exceed £20,000 in a single draw, that tips into a large society lottery requiring a Gambling Commission operating licence.
The real power move is prize sourcing. Local businesses are often happy to donate prizes to calendar raffles because they get visibility on the calendar itself, in your social media posts, and at winner announcements. A restaurant donates a £50 gift card; you feature their logo on the calendar. Your prize budget could drop to £0, and your margin could exceed 90%.
|
| Calendars sold | 200 | 500 | 1,000 |
| Price per calendar | £10 | £10 | £20 |
| Gross revenue | £2,000 | £5,000 | £20,000 |
| Prize costs | £300 | £500 | £1,000 |
| Printing costs | £150 | £300 | £600 |
| Net profit | £1,550 | £4,200 | £18,400 |
These estimates are based on typical calendar raffle structures. Actual results vary by organisation size, location, and promotion effort. Always check your obligations under the Gambling Act 2005 and register with your local licensing authority before launching.
How much can you make? Results by format and ticket price
Your raffle format (daily, weekly, or monthly draws) affects both your prize budget and your supporter engagement. Here is how each format compares.
|
| Daily (31-day) | Every day | 31 prizes | £10–£20 | Holiday months, high-energy communities | £2,000–£5,000 |
| Weekly (52-week) | Every week | 52 prizes | £15–£25 | Year-round community engagement | £4,000–£10,000 |
| Monthly (12-month) | Once per month | 12 prizes | £20–£50 | Larger prize budgets, premium campaigns | £5,000–£20,000+ |
| Hybrid (daily + monthly jackpot) | Daily + monthly | 31–52 small + 1 big | £20–£30 | PTAs, band boosters, civic groups | £5,000–£12,000 |
Weekly formats tend to hit the best balance: enough draws to maintain excitement, manageable prize sourcing, and a ticket price that is easy to justify. Monthly formats work well when you can land a few high-value prizes (think weekend getaways, electronics, or experience packages) that justify a £15 to £40 calendar price.
Daily formats are high-energy but require more logistics. If you have an active social media presence and a team that can post winners every day, daily draws generate strong engagement.
UK pricing benchmarks by format: daily £8 to £15, weekly £12 to £20, monthly £15 to £40, hybrid £15 to £25. Keep in mind the £20,000 single-draw cap for small society lotteries, a popular daily raffle sold at scale could approach this limit, so track cumulative ticket sales carefully.
6 creative calendar raffle ideas
Not all calendar raffles look the same. Here are six proven formats to match your community, your timeline, and your goals.
1. 365 days of giving
A full-year daily drawing, one winner every single day for 365 days. This is the marathon version. Keep daily prizes in the £10 to £25 range and save larger prizes (£100 and above) for the first of each month. This keeps costs manageable while maintaining excitement. Be aware: a 365-day raffle with strong sales could approach the £20,000 single-lottery cap for a small society lottery, which triggers a Gambling Commission operating licence requirement.
2. 52 weeks of local business
A weekly drawing for an entire year, with every prize sourced from local businesses. Each week highlights a different business: a bakery, a leisure centre, a bookshop, a restaurant. It is part fundraiser, part community celebration. Approach businesses with a clear value proposition showing how many calendars you plan to sell. The visibility angle sells itself: their name on 500 or more calendars in local homes. A natural fit for village halls, town-centre charities, and community foundations.
3. Christmas countdown calendar
A 30-day December calendar with daily draws leading up to Christmas or New Year. This taps into the natural excitement of Advent and makes a great gift. Prizes can be seasonal: gift hampers, tree decorations, hot chocolate kits. Start selling in early November and position it as a gift that gives back.
4. New year, new you
A January wellness-themed raffle with weekly or daily prizes related to health and self-improvement. Think leisure-centre memberships, yoga class passes, healthy meal kits, wellness subscriptions, or fitness gear. January is when local gyms and health-food shops are actively looking for new customers, and they will often donate prizes in exchange for visibility.
5. Back-to-school autumn raffle
A September calendar (the start of the UK school year) with daily or weekly draws featuring school supplies, family experiences, and child-friendly prizes. Perfect for school PTAs and youth-focused charities. Think backpack bundles, bookshop gift cards, and family cinema passes. Most UK school PTAs are registered charities or HMRC-recognised, so they qualify as non-commercial societies for small society lottery purposes. Sell at school registration events, back-to-school evenings, and through parent email lists.
6. Foodie's year
A 12-month calendar with one big monthly food-related prize. Restaurant gift cards, cookery class vouchers, gourmet food hampers, meal-kit delivery subscriptions. Use British calendar cues: summer fete feasts in July, harvest hampers in September and October, mince pies and mulled wine in December, Burns Night in January. Feature each month's restaurant or food producer prominently on the calendar design to attract higher-value prize donations.
How to run a calendar raffle: step-by-step guide
Step 1: Choose your format and theme
Decide on your timeline (daily, weekly, or monthly draws), duration (one month, a quarter, or a full year), and theme. Match it to your community. A school PTA might go with the back-to-school autumn raffle. A community foundation might choose 52 weeks of local business.
Consider your capacity honestly. A 365-day raffle means 365 drawings. If you are a small team, a monthly or weekly format is far more sustainable and easier to manage alongside other fundraising work.
Step 2: Set your pricing and prize structure
Most UK calendar raffles price between £10 and £25 per calendar. The right price depends on your community and your prize value.
- £10 per calendar: accessible to almost everyone, high volume potential
- £12 to £15 per calendar: a good middle ground for quality prize packages
- £20 to £25 per calendar: works when prizes are substantial (electronics, experiences, larger gift cards)
Map out your full prize list before you start selling. Supporters want to know what they could win. Remember that Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket sales, so your revenue projection should not include a Gift Aid top-up.
Step 3: Design and print your calendars
Your calendar needs to look good enough that people actually want to hang it up. Include:
- Your charity or society's name, logo, and a brief mission statement
- The unique raffle number, prominently displayed
- Draw dates and prize descriptions
- Sponsor and business logos if you have sourced donated prizes
- The mandatory small society lottery information (see legal section below): name of the promoting society, ticket price (which must be the same for all tickets), name and address of the promoter, date of the draw, and the name of the local authority the lottery is registered with
Use tools like Canva for design and a local print shop for production. Budget roughly £1.50 to £3.00 per calendar depending on quantity and quality (UK A4 colour printing benchmarks).
Step 4: Sell calendars
Five tips to maximise sales:
- 1. Set a goal and track it publicly. 'We have sold 312 of our 500 calendars' creates urgency and drives late sales.
- 2. Mobilise your volunteers. Give each trustee or volunteer a pack of 20 calendars to sell through their personal networks. This is a natural fit for peer-to-peer fundraising.
- 3. Sell at community venues. Village fetes, WI meetings, school PTA events, church halls, farmers' markets, local rugby or football club fixtures, and community-centre coffee mornings are all strong selling opportunities.
- 4. Use social media. Post countdown updates, feature prizes, highlight sponsors. Make it feel exciting and worth sharing.
- 5. Offer online purchasing. Use a platform like Zeffy to sell calendars online and reach supporters who cannot buy in person.
Cash is dying at UK community fundraising. Accept card payments via tap-to-pay at fetes and door sales so you do not leave money on the table. Many supporters no longer carry cash and will walk past without a card option.
Step 5: Run the draws and announce winners
Make each drawing an event. Even a 30-second Facebook Live video of you pulling a number from a hat builds excitement. Tag winners (with their permission), congratulate them publicly, and remind everyone that their number stays in the pool for future draws.
Keep a public log of winners on social media, your website, or a shared document. Transparency builds trust and keeps people engaged. You can pair Zeffy with any online raffle generator to conduct your draws.
Step 6: Thank supporters and share results
When the raffle ends, close the loop. Share your total raised, what the funds will support, and a genuine thank-you to every participant, sponsor, and volunteer. Submit your post-lottery return to your local licensing authority within 3 months of the final draw (a legal requirement for small society lotteries). This close also sets you up for next year: a strong finish makes the next raffle easier to launch and easier to sell.
Calendar raffle rules and legal requirements
This is the section most organisers skip, and the one that can stop your raffle before it starts.
UK law: calendar raffles are small society lotteries
In the UK, a calendar raffle where tickets are sold to the public in advance is legally a lottery under the Gambling Act 2005, regulated by the Gambling Commission. Most charity and community-group calendar raffles fall into the category of small society lotteries.
The good news: you do not need a Gambling Commission licence for a small society lottery. Instead, you register with your local licensing authority (your council). (Gambling Commission, licences for small society lotteries)
The key limits and requirements for a small society lottery are:
- Registration fee: £40 initial registration, £20 annual renewal
- Single-draw cap: ticket sales must not exceed £20,000 in any one lottery
- Annual aggregate cap: total ticket sales across all your lotteries must not exceed £250,000 in a year
- Minimum to good cause: at least 20% of proceeds must go to the society's purpose
- Maximum single prize: £25,000
- Post-draw return: submit a return to your local licensing authority within 3 months of the draw
If your ticket sales in a single draw exceed £20,000, or your annual aggregate exceeds £250,000, you need a Gambling Commission operating licence (a large society lottery). Most small charities and community groups will stay well within the small society lottery limits.
Incidental non-commercial lotteries (where tickets are sold and the draw takes place entirely at a single event, for example a school fete tombola on the day) need no registration at all. A calendar raffle almost never qualifies as incidental because tickets are typically sold in advance of any draw.
Gift Aid does not apply to raffle tickets
This is the most common UK planning mistake, so it deserves its own callout.
HMRC treats a raffle ticket as a payment for goods or services (the chance to win a prize), not as a charitable donation. That means the 25% Gift Aid top-up cannot be claimed on raffle ticket sales. (HMRC, Gift Aid)
Your charity can still handle Gift Aid on separate donations added at checkout, and Gift Aid applies normally on your donate page and other fundraising appeals. Just do not factor it into your raffle revenue projections.
Who can run a calendar raffle?
The Gambling Act 2005 uses the term non-commercial society for the type of organisation that may register a small society lottery. A non-commercial society is one established and conducted for charitable purposes, for participation in or support of athletic sports or games, for cultural activities, or for any other non-commercial purpose other than private gain.
In practice, this means:
- Registered charities (registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland, or CCNI in Northern Ireland) qualify. (Charity Commission · OSCR · CCNI)
- Unincorporated community groups also qualify in many cases, including PTAs, community sports clubs (CASCs), village halls, and Neighbourhood Watch groups, provided they are not established for private gain.
- Companies and individuals acting in a personal capacity cannot register a small society lottery.
If you are not yet a registered charity but run a community group for a non-commercial purpose, you can still run a calendar raffle as a small society lottery, as long as you meet the non-commercial society test.
Minimum age
Society lottery tickets under the Gambling Act 2005 may only be sold by, and to, persons aged 16 or over. This applies to calendar raffle calendars sold in person and online.
Online (remote) sales
You do not need a remote gambling operating licence to sell small society lottery tickets online, provided your total ticket sales stay within the £20,000 single-draw and £250,000 annual limits. Above those thresholds, a remote operating licence is required. Standard ticket-content requirements still apply to online sales.
Mandatory ticket content
Every calendar (or ticket) for a small society lottery must carry the following information. Without it, the lottery is not lawfully constituted:
- Name of the promoting society
- Ticket price (must be the same for all tickets in the lottery)
- Name and address of the promoter (a named individual who is a member of the society)
- Name of the local authority the lottery is registered with
Key rule: winners stay in the pool
Under UK small society lottery rules there is no statutory requirement to remove winners from future draws. A calendar raffle's core feature (one number remaining in every draw throughout the raffle period) is lawful, but the rules of the lottery, including the fact that a number stays in the pool after winning, must be printed on the ticket or calendar and disclosed on all promotional material. The Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice (effective 1 November 2025) expects all fundraising, including raffles, to be run openly, honestly, and respectfully. (Fundraising Regulator, Code of Fundraising Practice)
Scotland and Northern Ireland
The Gambling Act 2005 framework applies UK-wide. Scottish charities also register with OSCR; charities in Northern Ireland register with CCNI. Small society lottery registration is still with the local licensing authority in each nation.
Sample prize list by budget
Prize sourcing is the single biggest lever for profitability. Here is what a realistic prize list looks like at three budget levels, with specific examples your team can use as a starting point.
Budget-friendly: under £500 total prize budget
These prizes work well for 31-day daily draws or 12-week weekly draws with smaller communities.
- £25 to £50 restaurant gift cards (approach 10 to 15 local restaurants)
- Coffee shop bundles (£20 to £30 value: bag of beans, travel mug, gift card)
- Bookshop or craft shop gift cards (£25 to £50)
- Cinema tickets (2-pack, approximately £30)
- Hair salon or barbershop gift cards (£30 to £50)
- Car wash packages (£20 to £40)
- Branded charity merchandise (T-shirts, tote bags, mugs, no cash cost if you have stock)
- Supermarket gift cards: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S (£25 to £50)
Total budget tip: With 12 donated prizes averaging £30 each, your cash prize cost is £360. Approach 12 to 15 local businesses and aim for 80 to 100% donation coverage.
Mid-range: £500 to £2,000 total prize budget
This tier works well for 52-week raffles or monthly draws with more established communities.
- Spa day packages (£100 to £150)
- Weekend hotel stays (donated or purchased, £150 to £300)
- Sports or concert tickets (2-pack, £75 to £200)
- Local experience packages: cookery class, wine tasting, pottery session (£80 to £150)
- Electronics accessories: wireless earbuds, phone chargers (£50 to £100)
- Leisure-centre or gym memberships (1 to 3 months, £60 to £150)
- National Trust or English Heritage day passes (£30 to £80)
- Afternoon tea vouchers for two (£50 to £100)
- Pet grooming packages (£50 to £75)
- Supermarket or meal-delivery subscription (1 to 3 months, £60 to £150)
Total budget tip: Mix 3 to 4 purchased anchor prizes with 8 to 10 donated items. A £200 spa package combined with 10 donated restaurant and experience prizes keeps your cash outlay under £500 while delivering a strong prize list.
Premium: £2,000+ total prize budget
This tier supports monthly draws with high-value prizes or a 12-month calendar with big monthly anchor prizes.
- Weekend getaway packages (£300 to £600)
- Airline vouchers or Trainline gift cards for a UK rail break (£200 to £500)
- iPad, tablet, or laptop (£400 to £800)
- Smart home devices (£100 to £200)
- West End theatre tokens or tickets for two (£100 to £250)
- Season tickets to a local sports team (£200 to £600)
- Golf foursome at a premium course (£200 to £400)
- Home improvement gift cards: B&Q, Wickes, Homebase (£100 to £300)
- High-end restaurant tasting menus or chef's-table experiences (£200 to £500)
Total budget tip: At this tier, one or two anchor prizes drive the calendar's perceived value. A £500 weekend getaway as the monthly January prize justifies a £25 to £50 calendar price and can push total revenue well past £10,000 for 500 calendars sold.
|
| Mosier School PTA | 31 Days of Amazing Prizes | £10 | £7,571 | Daily Facebook winner announcements |
| North Ridgeville Band Boosters | Calendar raffle | Not specified | £5,543 | School community network |
| Elizabeth Seton Center | Two calendar raffles (combined) | Not specified | £4,182 combined | Scaled second raffle ~4x first |
| Billerica Holiday Festival | Calendar raffle | Not specified | £3,858 | Holiday season timing |
Real results: what UK groups typically raise
The figures below are illustrative ranges based on typical calendar raffle structures run by UK charities and community groups. They are not audited results.
- Small community group (weekly format, 3 months): £1,500 to £2,500 net, with 200 to 300 calendars sold at £10 each and a mostly-donated prize list.
- Mid-size charity (weekly format, 6 months): £3,000 to £5,500 net, with 400 to 600 calendars sold at £10 to £12 each and local business prize sponsorship.
- Active PTA or village-hall committee (daily or monthly format, full year): £5,000 to £15,000 net, depending on calendar price, prize quality, and the depth of the local business community.
The single biggest variable is prize sourcing. Groups that approach local businesses for donated prizes, offer logo placement on the calendar in return, and have an active social media presence to amplify winner announcements consistently outperform groups that fund all prizes from the ticket revenue.
Free calendar raffle template
Planning your calendar raffle from scratch takes time. A ready-to-use template means you can skip the blank-page problem and start selling faster.
The free Google Sheets calendar raffle template below includes:
- Numbered calendar grid (customisable for any month or year)
- Participant tracking (name, number, payment status)
- Winner log with draw dates
- Revenue and cost tracker with automatic profit calculation
Note: the template displays amounts in dollars. Duplicate the sheet and update the currency cells to £ before sharing it with your team.
If you want a designed printable version to hand out at events or post to supporters, use Canva's free nonprofit plan to customise a calendar layout, add your raffle numbers, and export as a print-ready PDF. Include your charity's name and registered number, draw dates, prize descriptions, sponsor logos, and the mandatory small society lottery information (promoting society name, promoter name and address, local authority the lottery is registered with, and the ticket price). The more complete it looks, the easier it is to sell.
Calendar raffle best practices
1. Be transparent about everything
Post your rules, prize list, draw schedule, and how funds will be used before you start selling. Transparency is not just good ethics, it drives sales. People give more when they trust where the money goes. The Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice (effective 1 November 2025) requires raffles to be run openly and honestly. (Fundraising Regulator, Code)
2. Source prizes from local businesses
This is the single biggest lever for profitability. Donated prizes mean higher margins and stronger community ties. Approach businesses with a clear value proposition: 'Your logo on 500 calendars in local homes, plus social media shoutouts at every drawing.'
3. Use social media as your engine
Post before, during, and after. Count down to launch. Announce winners daily or weekly. Show behind-the-scenes footage of the draw. Share supporter messages. Tag winners and sponsors. Make it a running story, not a one-time announcement.
4. Register with your local licensing authority first
Before you sell a single calendar, register your small society lottery with your local council. This is a legal requirement under the Gambling Act 2005 for any calendar raffle where tickets are sold to the public in advance. The fee is £40 for initial registration, £20 for annual renewal. You can also find further guidance on running a UK raffle in the how to run a raffle guide, and on the Gambling Commission's small society lottery page.
5. Submit your post-lottery return on time
After the final draw, submit a return to your local licensing authority within 3 months. Include your gross receipts, expenses, prizes awarded, and how the proceeds were applied to your good cause. Keep ticket sale records and prize values for your files. This is both a legal requirement and evidence of the open and honest practice the Fundraising Regulator's Code expects.
6. Follow up with every buyer
After the raffle, email every calendar holder with your results, the impact the funds will support, and a genuine thank-you. Include a link to donate further or sign up for your next event. Your raffle buyers are now warm leads for future fundraising.
7. Build in UK trust signals
Display your registered charity number on the calendar and your sales page (or state clearly if you are an unregistered non-commercial society). Display the Fundraising Regulator badge if you are a member. Print the local authority registration number for the small society lottery on every ticket. UK supporters look for these signals before they buy. (Charity Commission register · Fundraising Regulator)
8. Handle data protection correctly
If you capture buyer names, addresses, and email addresses to run the draw and announce winners, you need a lawful basis under UK GDPR (usually consent or legitimate interest), a privacy notice that supporters can read before they buy, and secure record-keeping. The Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice covers data protection requirements. For further guidance, visit the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
9. Plan for next year on day one
Keep detailed notes on what worked and what did not. Track which prizes generated the most excitement, which sales channels performed best, and what your actual costs were. The second raffle is always easier and more profitable.
How to start your calendar raffle on Zeffy
Zeffy is used by 100K+ charities and community groups that have raised over £2 billion globally, with no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no credit card fee. Your organisation keeps every pound you raise. Supporters can add an optional contribution to Zeffy at checkout, but that is entirely their choice. Zeffy is 100% free for UK charities.
Here is what you get with Zeffy's raffle tools:
- Built-in raffle setup: custom ticket types, pricing tiers, and descriptions
- Online and in-person sales: share a link for online purchases or use Zeffy at live events
- Automatic email confirmations and ticket records sent to every buyer instantly, no manual reconciliation
- Gift Aid handled correctly: raffles are excluded by HMRC, so Zeffy does not apply Gift Aid to ticket purchases
- Supporter management: track who bought calendars, follow up easily, and build your supporter list for future fundraising
Getting started takes about 10 minutes. Create your free account, set up your raffle, and start selling.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to run a calendar raffle in the UK?
You do not need a Gambling Commission licence for most charity calendar raffles. If you are selling tickets to the public in advance, your raffle is a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. You register with your local licensing authority (your council) rather than the Gambling Commission. Registration costs £40 initially and £20 for annual renewal. If your ticket sales in a single draw exceed £20,000, you cross into large society lottery territory and will need a Gambling Commission operating licence. (Gambling Commission, small society lotteries)
What is the minimum age to buy a calendar raffle ticket?
Society lottery tickets under the Gambling Act 2005 may only be sold by, and to, persons aged 16 or over. This applies both to in-person sales and online sales. Make this age restriction clear on your calendar and any promotional material.
Can I sell calendar raffle tickets online?
Yes. Small society lotteries do not require a remote gambling operating licence for online sales, provided your ticket sales stay within the small society lottery limits (£20,000 per single draw, £250,000 annually). Standard ticket-content requirements, including displaying your local authority registration number, still apply to online sales.
How do I collect payments for a calendar raffle?
You can collect payments in person (cash, cheque, or card via a tap-to-pay reader) or online through a fundraising platform such as Zeffy. Cash is declining rapidly at UK community events, so having a card payment option at fetes and door sales is increasingly important. Zeffy handles online ticket sales at no cost to your organisation and sends automatic confirmation emails to every buyer.
What should I do with unsold calendars?
Unsold calendars reduce your revenue but do not change your legal obligations. Some organisers return unsold calendars to a central pool and either sell them at a discount in the final week or destroy them with a record kept for the post-lottery return. Do not carry unsold numbers across to a new lottery period without starting a fresh registration. Keep a record of the total number of calendars printed and sold for your licensing-authority return.
Does Gift Aid apply to calendar raffle ticket sales?
No. HMRC treats a raffle ticket as a payment for goods or services (the chance to win a prize), not as a charitable donation. Gift Aid cannot be claimed on raffle or lottery ticket purchases. Do not add a 25% top-up to your revenue forecast for ticket sales. Your charity can still process Gift Aid on separate donations made at checkout or through your donate page. (HMRC, Gift Aid)
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