How to run a charity raffle in the UK (2026 guide)

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Running a raffle is one of the fastest ways to raise money for your charity. Supporters buy tickets, you draw a winner, and your cause keeps the proceeds. Whether you are running it online, in person, or a mix of both, this guide walks you through everything: choosing a raffle type, registering under UK lottery law, setting ticket prices, selling online, promoting your event, and drawing winners.

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In this article:

• Raffle Revenue Planner

• How does a raffle work?

• Online raffles vs in-person raffles: what's the difference?

• How to run a raffle in 10 steps

• Run your raffle on Zeffy: here's how

• How much does it cost to run an online raffle?

• How UK charities use raffles

• Frequently asked questions

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Raffle Revenue Planner

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Use the planner below to model your raffle. Pick your type, set your ticket price and quantity, and see what you will raise. When you are ready, create it free on Zeffy.

Note: the planner below is currently displayed in US dollars. A pound-sterling version is in the queue. To model your raffle in £, multiply the output figure by your current exchange rate or use the 10-step guide below.

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Now that you have a target, let us walk through how to make it happen, step by step.

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How does a raffle work?

A raffle is a lottery-style fundraiser. Supporters buy numbered tickets, and one or more tickets are randomly drawn to win prizes. It is simple, familiar, and gets people excited to participate.

Here is the basic flow:

• Set up your raffle with tickets, pricing, and prizes

• Sell tickets online, in person, or both

• Draw winners at a set date and time

• Celebrate and share how the funds will make an impact

Charities use raffles to raise money for everything from youth sports equipment to emergency support programmes. They work because they are low-barrier (a £5 ticket feels easy to buy) and high-energy (everyone loves the chance to win).

Before you launch, you will want to check how UK lottery law applies to your raffle. Most charity raffles in England, Wales, and Scotland are registered as small society lotteries with the local licensing authority. More on that in Step 3 below, or jump to the Gambling Commission's small-society-lottery guidance.

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Online raffles vs in-person raffles: what's the difference?

Raffles used to mean a roll of paper tickets and a fishbowl at a community dinner. That still works, but most charities today run their raffles partially or fully online. Here is how the two compare:

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Why most UK charities are moving online

The short answer: you sell more tickets to more people with less work.

An in-person raffle is limited to whoever shows up. An online raffle reaches your entire email list, social media following, and anyone your supporters share the link with. A donor in another part of the country can buy a ticket at 11pm from their sofa. That is the reach you will never get with a paper ticket roll.

Online raffles also eliminate operational headaches. No printing, no manual numbering, no chasing cash, no 'I lost my ticket' conversations. Platforms generate numbered e-tickets automatically, process payments instantly, and track every sale in real time.

The best approach for most organisations is a hybrid. Sell online in the weeks leading up to your event to build momentum, then sell in person at the event itself. This way you capture both the advance online buyers and the impulse buyers in the room.

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What's different about running an online raffle?

If you have only done in-person raffles before, here are the things that change when you go online:

• You need a platform. This is where supporters will land, buy tickets, and receive their e-tickets. How to choose a raffle platform

• Check UK lottery law for online sales. Online ticket sales for small society lotteries are permitted in Great Britain, but the Gambling Commission has additional display requirements for remote lotteries (a licensed-status statement in a specified format, plus age verification, the minimum age to buy a lottery ticket is 18). Gambling Commission small-society-lottery guidance

• Your promotion shifts to digital channels. Email, social media, and your website become your main sales tools instead of foot traffic and flyers, though you can use QR codes on physical materials to bridge the two.

• E-tickets replace paper tickets. Buyers get a numbered digital ticket by email. No printing costs, no lost tickets, and much easier to audit.

• You can sell for longer. Instead of selling tickets only during a three-hour event, you can keep sales open for days or weeks. Longer selling windows mean more tickets sold.

• Drawing can be remote. You can livestream the draw on Zoom or a social channel, making it accessible to everyone who bought a ticket, not just those in the room.

Everything else, choosing prizes, setting prices, following UK lottery law, drawing fairly, works the same whether you are online, in person, or hybrid. The 10 steps below cover all three.

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How to run a raffle in 10 steps

Step 1, Set a clear fundraising goal

Start with a number. How much do you want to raise, and what will it fund? A specific goal ('£3,000 to send 15 young people to summer camp') does two things: it gives your team a target and gives your supporters a reason to buy tickets.

Use the revenue planner above to work backwards from your goal. Plug in different ticket prices and quantities until the net revenue matches what you need.

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Step 2, Pick your raffle type

Not all raffles work the same way. The right format depends on your audience, your event, and how many prizes you can offer.

Most popular types:

• Single prize raffle, One grand prize, simple to run. Best for high-value items such as holiday packages, electronics, or cash.

• Multi-prize / basket raffle, Multiple prizes that supporters can enter to win individually. Great for events with donated items from local businesses.

• 50/50 raffle, Half the ticket revenue goes to the winner, half to your charity. No prize sourcing needed since the prize is the pot. In the UK, a 50/50 draw is legally a small society lottery, subject to the same registration requirements and the £25,000 maximum-prize rule. It is culturally less common than in North America, but entirely legal when properly registered. How to set up a 50/50 raffle on Zeffy

• Calendar raffle, Tickets correspond to dates. Prizes are drawn daily, weekly, or monthly over a set period. Keeps supporters engaged over time. Full calendar raffle guide

• Reverse raffle, The last ticket drawn wins, not the first. Builds suspense, especially at live events. How reverse raffles work

• Tombola, A UK-native format where tickets are drawn from a container at an event. Typically runs as an incidental non-commercial lottery (tickets sold and draw conducted entirely at one event), so no registration is required.

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Step 3, Register your raffle under UK lottery law

This step is not glamorous, but it is important. In the UK, a charity raffle is legally a lottery under the Gambling Act 2005. Before you sell a single ticket, you need to know which category applies to your draw.

Three routes for UK charities:

• 1. Small society lottery (most charity raffles), Register with your local licensing authority (your local council). This covers any lottery where ticket sales in a single draw will be under £20,000 and annual aggregate sales are under £250,000.

• Registration fee: £40 initial / £20 annual renewal

• Single-draw ticket sales cap: £20,000

• Annual aggregate cap: £250,000 across all lotteries by your society

• At least 20% of proceeds must go to your good cause

• Maximum single prize: £25,000

• Submit a return to the local licensing authority within 3 months of the draw

• Source: Gambling Commission, small society lotteries

• 1. Incidental non-commercial lottery (at-event draws, no registration), If tickets are sold and the draw is conducted entirely at one event (a fete, dinner, or awards night), no registration is required. This covers classic tombolas and dinner raffles. The moment you sell tickets in advance or outside the event, this exemption no longer applies.

• 1. Large society lottery (above the small society caps), If projected ticket sales exceed £20,000 in a single draw or £250,000 annually, you need an operating licence from the Gambling Commission itself, not just local council registration. Most small-to-mid charities will not reach this threshold.

For online raffles (remote lotteries): the Gambling Commission has additional display requirements for lotteries conducted online, including a licensed-status statement in a specified format and age verification. The minimum age to buy a lottery ticket is 18.

Scotland and Northern Ireland: Small society lottery rules apply across Great Britain under the Gambling Act 2005. If your charity is based or operating in Scotland, register with your local Scottish council. Northern Ireland operates under separate legislation (the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (NI) Order 1985); NI-based charities should contact their local district council.

The Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice (current version effective 1 November 2025) also governs how you promote the raffle, including online channels (Section 9).

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Step 4, Set your budget and ticket pricing

Your budget comes down to three things: how many tickets you will sell, what you will charge per ticket, and what your prizes cost.

Typical raffle ticket pricing:

• Small community raffle: £1 to £5 per ticket

• Mid-size charity raffle: £5 to £20 per ticket

• High-value prize raffle: £20 to £100+ per ticket

A common approach is to price tickets at 5 to 15% of the prize's retail value. If you are raffling a £200 gift card, £2 to £3 per ticket feels right.

Bundle pricing works. Offering deals such as '5 for £8' or '3 for £25' encourages people to spend more per purchase. Many organisations find that 30 to 40% of buyers take the bundle when one is offered.

Want to play with the numbers? The revenue planner at the top of this page lets you model different ticket prices, bundle deals, and prize budgets to find your sweet spot. Also check that your projected ticket sales stay under the £20,000 single-draw cap before you launch.

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Gift Aid and raffle tickets

HMRC does not allow Gift Aid on raffle ticket purchases. The reason: the buyer receives something in return for their payment (a chance to win), which HMRC treats as goods or services. Gift Aid only applies to genuine donations where the donor receives nothing of material value in return.

If a supporter would like to make a Gift-Aid-eligible donation alongside their raffle entry, that donation must be separate, voluntary, and accompanied by a completed Gift Aid declaration. The Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) may apply to any parallel cash or contactless donation collection at the same event, provided each individual donation is £30 or under and within the scheme's £8,000 annual cap.

Source: gov.uk, Donating to charity: Gift Aid

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Step 5, Source prizes and sponsors

Your prizes can make or break a raffle. The good news: you do not always have to pay for them.

Where to get prizes:

• Local businesses, Restaurants, salons, gyms, and shops often donate gift cards or products in exchange for exposure. Frame it as a partnership, not a handout.

• Your network, Ask trustees, volunteers, and past donors. Someone always knows someone.

• Cash or experience prizes, Cash prizes (such as a 50/50 pot) require no sourcing. Experience prizes (a dinner with a local dignitary, a behind-the-scenes tour) are free to create and highly distinctive.

Important: Under small society lottery rules, no single prize can exceed £25,000. Check your prize value before advertising it.

When prizes are donated, every pound of ticket sales goes directly to your mission. In the planner above, set the prize budget to zero to see the difference.

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Step 6, Choose your raffle platform

You need somewhere to sell tickets, track participants, and manage your raffle. Your options vary a lot in cost.

What to look for in a raffle platform:

• Quick setup (minutes, not hours)

• Online and in-person ticket sales

• Automatic e-ticket generation with unique numbers

• Multiple ticket types and bundle pricing

• Real-time sales tracking

• Donation acknowledgement and receipt handling

• A price that does not eat into your fundraising

UK raffle platforms compared:

Most raffle platforms charge a percentage in platform fees plus payment processing on top. On a £2,000 raffle, even a 5% fee means £100 that never reaches your cause.

• Zeffy, 100% free for charities. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee. Full raffle and ticketing tools, Gift Aid handling, and donor management included.

• GalaBid, UK-strong mobile bidding and raffle module, used widely at gala dinners and golf days. Current UK fees: see the Zeffy vs GalaBid comparison.

• Givergy, UK-based 'Keep it FREE' model where donors optionally cover fees. Strong at charity galas; donor-covered model means your charity sees more of the revenue.

• Raffall, UK-specific raffle platform. Uses an unusual buyer-pays fee model (the ticket buyer rather than the organiser pays the platform's service charge). Verify current terms on raffall.com before committing.

• JustGiving, Not a dedicated raffle tool. Its default ~17% suggested tip prompt is the most-criticised pattern in UK fundraising press. Not recommended for raffle management.

Many small UK charities currently use Ticket Tailor for ticketing, JustGiving for donations, and a separate CRM, three paid subscriptions for what Zeffy does in one free platform.

Zeffy is the only 100% free raffle platform for UK charities. No platform fees, no transaction fees, no credit card fees. Your charity keeps every penny raised.

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Step 7, Set up your raffle

Once you have chosen your platform, it is time to build your raffle page. Here is what to include.

On your raffle form:

• Raffle name and description

• Prize details (with photos if possible)

• Ticket types and prices (including any bundle deals)

• Start and end dates for sales

• Drawing date, time, and method

What must appear on your tickets

Under small society lottery rules, every ticket must show:

• The name of the promoting society (your charity's name)

• The price of the ticket (all tickets must be sold at the same price; every ticket must be paid for before entry)

• The name and address of the member of the society responsible for promoting the lottery

• The date of the draw

Online platforms such as Zeffy generate numbered e-tickets automatically. Each buyer receives a unique, scannable ticket with a QR code delivered to their email. No printing, no manual numbering.

Source: Gambling Commission, small society lotteries

Verify the current statutory wording against the Gambling Commission page before you publish your tickets.

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Running online and in-person sales together? You can. Zeffy lets you reserve a ticket number range for paper tickets (say, 1 to 500) and start online tickets at 501. Every ticket has a unique number regardless of how it was sold. Managing hybrid raffle sales

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Step 8, Promote and sell tickets

Your raffle will not sell itself. Here is what works.

Online:

• Share on social media with prize photos and a direct link to buy

• Email your donor list (past supporters are your warmest leads)

• Add a banner or link to your website

• Ask trustees and volunteers to share with their networks

In person:

• Sell at your offices, community events, or a local market

• Use Zeffy's Tap to Pay on iPhone for on-the-spot card payments, no dedicated card reader needed, no cash handling

• Print flyers with a QR code that links directly to your online raffle form

• Partner with local businesses to display promotional materials

One consistent theme from small UK charity fundraisers: cash is dying at community events. Volunteers selling raffle tickets at a fete or quiz night increasingly find donors do not carry cash. Tap-to-pay from a phone means you can accept card payments on the spot without paying for dedicated contactless-donation hardware.

What gets people to buy:

• Make the prize visible and exciting

• Create urgency ('Only 200 tickets available' or 'Sales close Friday')

• Show progress ('We are 60% to our target')

• Offer bundles ('3 for £25, best value')

If you are using Zeffy, you can send automated reminder emails to supporters who have not purchased yet, and schedule follow-ups before the drawing date.

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Step 9, Draw the winner

This is the fun part. A few things to keep in mind.

How to draw fairly:

• Use a random method: random number generator, physical ticket pull from a container, or a raffle drawing tool

• Have a witness or second person oversee the draw

• Record or livestream the drawing if you can (especially for online raffles)

• Announce the winner publicly and contact them directly

Important: Zeffy does not include a built-in winner drawing tool. This is by design. The Gambling Commission expects the draw to take place separately from the ticket sales platform. You can export your full participant list from Zeffy's dashboard and use any random name or number picker to select the winner. More on drawing a winner

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Step 10, Report, thank, and follow up

The raffle does not end when the winner is drawn. This step is where you turn one-time ticket buyers into long-term supporters.

Right after the drawing:

• Announce the winner and share the results publicly

• Contact the winner with prize claim instructions

• Thank every participant, including those who did not win

Within a week:

• Run your financial report: total revenue, total costs, net raised

• Submit your small society lottery return to your local licensing authority within 3 months of the draw (the return must show total ticket sales, prize values, expenses, and the amount passed to your good cause)

• Note: raffle ticket purchases are not Gift Aid eligible (HMRC goods/services rule). Sponsors making separate cash donations may qualify for Gift Aid if they have paid enough UK Income Tax and have completed a Gift Aid declaration. For further guidance on gifts in kind from prize donors, see the Charity Tax Group.

Participant data: handle all donor contact details under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Any marketing follow-up emails must comply with PECR and the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Fundraising Practice (current version effective 1 November 2025), including the charity soft opt-in requirements. Confirm ICO accessibility at ico.org.uk before adding UK GDPR guidance to your own donor communications.

For next time:

• Add every participant to your supporter database

• Note what worked and what did not (which ticket price sold best, which promotion channel drove the most sales)

• Send a follow-up email sharing how the funds will be used, this is what turns a one-time ticket buyer into a repeat donor

Zeffy handles donation acknowledgements automatically and exports detailed sales reports in one click, so you are not manually chasing data after the event.

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Run your raffle on Zeffy: here's how

Setting up a raffle on Zeffy takes about 5 minutes. Here is the quick version.

1. Create your raffle form

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2. Configure tickets and pricing

Add your ticket types (individual, bundle, early bird). Set quantities, prices, and any purchase limits. Zeffy generates sequential e-tickets automatically. Start tickets at a custom number

3. Add custom questions

Running a multi-prize raffle? Add a question such as 'Which prize would you like to be entered for?' so you can filter entries by prize at drawing time. Multi-prize raffle setup

4. Customise and share

Match your form to your brand colours and logo, then share the link anywhere: social media, email, your website, or as a QR code on flyers.

5. Track sales and draw your winner

Watch sales in real time from your dashboard. When it is time to draw, export your participant report and use a random name or number picker to select the winner. Need a tool for the draw? Use our free online raffle generator, paste your names or ticket numbers and spin to pick a winner. Zeffy tracks every ticket sold, every payment processed, and every acknowledgement generated.

What's included (all free):

• Scannable QR e-tickets sent automatically to every buyer

• All payment methods: credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Direct Debit, bank transfer, cheque

• Tap to Pay on iPhone for in-person sales

• Automated reminder emails

• Customisable confirmation and thank-you emails

• Donation acknowledgement generation

• Real-time sales dashboard and exportable reports

• Discount codes

• Early bird pricing with expiration dates

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How much does it cost to run an online raffle?

That depends on your platform. Here is what you would actually pay on a £2,000 raffle.

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Estimates based on published rates verified at time of writing; UK platform pricing changes frequently. Platform fees may be subject to VAT. GalaBid fees: see Zeffy vs GalaBid for current UK rates. Raffall fees: verify current buyer-pays terms on raffall.com before committing.

Zeffy covers all transaction and credit card processing fees through optional donor contributions. Your charity never pays a penny.

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How UK charities use raffles

UK charities of all sizes run raffles throughout the year. The formats that come up again and again are:

• PTA Christmas hamper raffles, a primary school or secondary school PTA sells tickets for a hamper of donated items in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Usually an incidental non-commercial lottery if tickets are sold and the draw takes place on the last day of term; a small society lottery if tickets are sold in advance to families outside the school premises.

• Village-hall and community-group prize draws, summer fetes and autumn fundraising evenings, often with donated prizes from local traders. The tombola format (draw from a container at the event) is a perennial favourite at fetes, with no registration needed as an incidental non-commercial lottery.

• Sports-club end-of-season cash raffles, football, rugby, and cricket clubs selling tickets through the season for a cash prize at the end-of-year dinner. As soon as tickets are sold to the public in advance, the small society lottery route applies.

• Church and faith-group seasonal draws, Christmas and Easter draws with donated goods or experience prizes; typically small society lotteries registered with the local council.

All of these formats run on Zeffy. There are no platform fees, no hidden charges, and every penny raised stays with the cause.

A real UK Zeffy raffle case study is in progress through our case-study programme. If your charity has run a raffle on Zeffy and would like to share your story, get in touch.

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Frequently asked questions

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