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Why raffle ticket sales strategy matters for your charity
Selling raffle tickets is a fee-maths problem disguised as a marketing problem. Most raffle platforms quietly skim 3 to 7% off every ticket. On a £2,000 raffle, that is £60 to £140 that never reaches your cause. The highest-leverage move is not a better promotional plan. It is running on a platform that charges £0.
Zeffy is the only 100% free raffle platform for UK charities: no platform fee, no transaction fee, no credit card fee, ever. That means the pricing maths (prize cost + expenses ÷ tickets) actually works the way your spreadsheet says it will, and the rest of this guide (pricing, channels, promotion, hosting) compounds on top of every pound landing in your account.
Most UK charities running a fete raffle, a Christmas draw, or a sponsored quiz are already stitching together three or four tools. A free platform that handles ticket sales, in-person tap-to-pay, and buyer records in one place changes the sums entirely.
This guide is built for small-to-mid charities running raffles under the £20,000 small society lottery single-draw cap, where a 3 to 7% platform bite materially reduces programme funds. You will learn how to price tickets, where to sell them, 11 promotion tactics, what UK raffle law requires, how to choose a platform, and a 9-step hosting checklist.
How to price raffle tickets to maximise revenue
Pricing balances affordability for supporters with the revenue you need to hit your target. There is no single right number, but there is a formula. Use the canonical Zeffy pricing formula:
(Fundraising Target + Total Expenses) ÷ Number of Tickets to be Sold = Ticket Price
As a quick starting point, most UK charities land on £1 to £5 tickets for small prizes, £5 to £10 for mid-tier prizes, and £20 or more for premium experiences, then use bundles like '6 for £20' or '12 for £30' to lift average order value. You might also run '50p tickets at the school summer fete' for lower-barrier entry. The right number depends on your audience and must clear your prize, platform, and event costs.
For the full method, including a free raffle ticket price calculator that runs the formula for you, see our guide on how to price raffle tickets, and match each tier to the right prize with our raffle prize ideas guide.
Where to sell raffle tickets: online, email, and in-person channels
The default for sub-£20,000 charity raffles is hybrid: sell online for several weeks, then in person at the event. Each channel has its own approach.
Online
Build a single dedicated ticket page with prize descriptions, drawing date, price tiers, and bundle options visible above the fold. Promote that page on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, depending on where your audience already follows you. Mobile-optimised forms typically convert better than desktop-only forms, so test your checkout on a phone before you launch.
Add custom questions on the ticket form to capture how buyers heard about the raffle and what cause-related interests they have, so you can segment for future appeals.
Email
Your existing list is the warmest audience you will find. Send an announcement when tickets go live, a midpoint reminder, and a final 48-hour push. Subject lines that work tend to be specific and value-led:
"24 hours left to enter the [Prize] raffle"
"6 tickets for £25, and your donation funds [programme]"
"Drawing this Saturday. Last chance to grab tickets."
Sell at your event, sister events, and high-traffic locations (with permission). Fewer supporters carry cash at community events these days, so a phone-based tap-to-pay setup keeps sales moving through the fete, quiz night, or Christmas fair. Two practical tips:
QR codes: Print one on every poster, table tent, and flyer that links to the ticket page. Place QR codes at eye level on tables, not on the floor or behind volunteers.
Tap to Pay on iPhone: Skip the hired card reader. Tap to Pay on iPhone turns a volunteer's phone into a contactless terminal that accepts cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
1. Top-seller prizes: A top-seller incentive (for example, a £25 gift card for the family that sells the most tickets) can drive household-level participation, especially in school-based raffles and PTAs.
2. Supporter perks: VIP experiences, behind-the-scenes tours, or exclusive merchandise for top ticket buyers raise the ceiling on what your most engaged supporters spend.
3. Early-bird deals: A discount or bonus entry for buyers in the first 48 hours moves urgency forward and gives you a strong opening-day signal.
Get creative
4. Countdown campaigns: Daily or weekly posts in the final two weeks (sneak peeks of prizes, deadline reminders) keep the raffle visible without exhausting your list. Use UK seasonal moments: autumn appeal, Christmas raffle, summer fete.
5. Local influencer or trustee partnerships: A short post from someone with a relevant local audience can outperform a paid advertisement. Give them an image, two sentences of copy, and the ticket link.
6. Live streams and virtual events: A 15-minute prize reveal stream gives buyers a reason to tune in and a moment to share the link.
Tap into your network
7. Past supporters: Use your supporter management tools to follow up with past supporters first, then invite ticket buyers to your next campaign after the draw. They convert at multiples of cold traffic.
8. Local businesses: Ask shops, cafes, and gyms to display posters with QR codes. Offer recognition on your promotional materials in exchange.
9. Trustees and volunteers: Give them a one-page kit (graphics, suggested captions, the link) so sharing takes 30 seconds, not 30 minutes.
Communicate clearly
10. Spell out the value: State the prize, the price, the drawing date, and where the money goes in every post and email. Confusion is the silent killer of ticket sales.
11. Tell the cause story: A short video or photo essay about the programme the raffle funds turns a ticket purchase into an act of support, not a lottery bet.
Follow UK raffle law before you sell a single ticket
Charity raffles in the UK are regulated activities under the Gambling Act 2005, overseen by the Gambling Commission. Getting the legal framework right before you sell a single ticket protects your charity and your supporters.
Small society lotteries (the standard route for most charity raffles)
If you plan to sell raffle tickets in advance to the public, your raffle is legally a small society lottery. You do not need a Gambling Commission licence, but you must register with your local licensing authority (council) before selling. The key rules:
Single-lottery cap: no more than £20,000 in ticket sales per individual lottery.
Annual aggregate cap: no more than £250,000 across all lotteries run by your society in a year.
Proceeds rule: at least 20% of proceeds must go to the society's good cause.
Maximum single prize: £25,000.
Post-draw return: submit a return to your local council within 3 months of the draw.
These figures are current as of 2026 based on the Gambling Commission's small society lotteries guidance; re-verify the live page before registering.
Incidental non-commercial lotteries (no registration needed)
If your tickets are sold and your draw takes place entirely at a single event (for example, a fete tombola, a dinner raffle, or a school summer fair), it is an incidental non-commercial lottery and requires no registration at all. This is the simplest option for one-off in-person fundraisers.
Remote (online) lotteries
Running your raffle online, or selling tickets remotely before the event, adds an additional Gambling Commission requirement: your promotional materials must include a licensed-status statement in a specified format. Check the Gambling Commission guidance for the exact wording.
Large society lotteries
If your raffle exceeds £20,000 in ticket sales per draw, or £250,000 in annual aggregate, you will need an operating licence from the Gambling Commission directly. Most small charities will not reach this threshold.
Gift Aid does not apply to raffle tickets
A common question from UK charities: Gift Aid does not apply to raffle ticket purchases. HMRC treats the ticket as payment for a chance to win (goods/services), not a gift (HMRC Gift Aid guidance). Receipts still matter for supporter trust and your own bookkeeping, and you will need accurate buyer records for the post-draw return to the council.
Three UK jurisdictions
The Gambling Act 2005 is UK-wide, but registration happens at the local licensing authority level in each jurisdiction. England and Wales charities register with their local council (Charity Commission for England and Wales); Scottish charities register with their local Scottish licensing authority (OSCR); Northern Ireland charities register locally (CCNI). A charity registered in England and Wales must register separately with OSCR before operating in Scotland.
If your raffle exceeds £20,000 in ticket sales or £25,000 in a single prize, contact the Gambling Commission or your local council's licensing team before launching.
How to choose a raffle platform (free vs. paid options)
Choosing a platform is the single decision that most affects how much of every ticket pound reaches your cause. Evaluate platforms against these criteria:
1. Fee load on a £10 raffle ticket. Platform percentages and per-transaction fees compound across hundreds of small tickets. On a £2,000 raffle, a 3 to 7% platform skim is £60 to £140 that never reaches your cause.
2. Raffle-specific mechanics. Numbered e-tickets, per-ticket QR codes, and bundle and tier pricing are essentials, not extras.
3. In-person ticket sales support. Tap-to-pay on a phone versus hiring a card reader changes setup cost and volunteer logistics.
4. Buyer confirmations and supporter records. Automated buyer confirmations should flow into a supporter list, not vanish after the draw. You will need those records for your local council return.
5. Setup speed. A volunteer-led raffle cannot wait for a sales demonstration. You need signup-to-live-ticket-page in under an hour.
6. Fits UK charity licensing. Your platform should support the small-society-lottery workflow. Numbered e-tickets and buyer records make your local authority return straightforward.
Criterion
Zeffy
Typical paid raffle platforms
Fee load on a £10 ticket
£0 (no platform, transaction, or credit card fee)
~£0.29 to £0.69 per £10 ticket (2.9% to 6.9% range)
Numbered e-tickets, QR, bundles
Built in
Varies by plan
In-person ticket sales
Tap to Pay on iPhone, no card reader
Often requires rented hardware
Receipting + donor records
Automated confirmations; buyer records in donor management
Varies; some are payment-only with no list
Setup friction
Free signup, no demo, live page in under an hour
Demos, contracts, or paid onboarding common
Most raffle platforms charge somewhere between 3% and 7% per ticket once you combine platform and payment-processing fees. On a £2,000 raffle, that is £60 to £140 that never reaches your cause. The free option exists, and it is a deliberate product choice, not a stripped-down tier.
Selling raffle tickets with Zeffy
Zeffy handles raffle ticket sales end-to-end: numbered e-tickets with unique QR codes, bundle and tier pricing, Tap to Pay on iPhone for in-person sales at the event, automated reminder emails before the draw, and buyer records that flow into supporter management for post-draw follow-up. All of it on the only free online raffle platform built for UK charities, with no platform fee, no transaction fee, and no card fee.
Zeffy supports the record-keeping small society lotteries need for their post-draw return to the council, and operates within Fundraising Regulator expectations under the Code of Fundraising Practice (in force since 1 November 2025).
One note on scope: Zeffy does not include a built-in winner-drawing tool. That is a deliberate compliance choice. Gambling authorities require the draw to take place separately from the sales platform, so we keep them apart by design.
How to host a raffle: 9 steps from setup to winner selection
Use this as a working checklist. Time estimates assume a small-to-mid raffle (under £20,000 in expected revenue). For the complete walkthrough, from choosing a prize to running the legal draw, see our full guide on how to do a raffle.
1.Research UK raffle licensing (about 30 minutes to 1 hour). Check whether your raffle falls under a small society lottery (register with your local council before selling tickets) or an incidental non-commercial lottery (no registration needed if tickets are sold and drawn entirely at a single event). Check the Gambling Commission small society lotteries guidance. If you operate in Scotland or Northern Ireland, also confirm registration with your local licensing authority there. File any required paperwork before promoting.
2.Define your target and timeline (1 hour). Set the revenue target, the programme it funds, the launch date, and the drawing date. A 4 to 6 week sales window is typical.
3.Decide raffle format (30 minutes). Standard prize raffle, multi-prize draw, or 50/50 raffle. Each has different prize cost and compliance profiles. If you are considering a split-the-pot style raffle, check the small-society-lottery proceeds ratio (at least 20% to the cause) with your council first, as the prize structure may require approval.
4.Select prizes (1 to 2 weeks). Solicit donated prizes from local businesses first; budget for the rest. Match prize tiers to ticket price tiers.
5.Choose your platform (under 1 hour to set up). Pick the platform that scores best on the six criteria above. Zeffy's free online raffle platform goes live in under an hour with no demonstration or contract required.
6.Set ticket prices and bundles (30 minutes). Use the pricing formula and bundle tactics from the pricing section above.
7.Set up automated buyer confirmations (15 minutes). Configure confirmation emails so every buyer gets a record at purchase. Note that raffle tickets are not Gift Aid eligible in the UK, because the donor receives a chance to win. Receipts still matter for buyer trust and your own bookkeeping, and you will need accurate records for the local council return (HMRC Gift Aid guidance).
8.Build and launch your promotion (1 week). Posters, flyers, social posts, the email announcement, and the in-person sales plan. Schedule reminder sends for the midpoint and final 48 hours.
9.Run the draw and announce the winner. Follow the small-society-lottery draw procedure set out in your registration. Notify the winner privately first, then announce publicly. Follow up with all supporters using a thank-you message and an invitation to your next campaign.
Across 100,000+ charities and £2 billion raised, small UK charities running fete raffles, Christmas draws, and split-the-pot style raffles use Zeffy to keep every ticket pound with the cause. When you are selling raffle tickets to fund a programme, the platform you choose decides how much of every ticket pound gets there. From numbered e-tickets and QR generation to bundle pricing, automated reminders, Tap to Pay on iPhone, and supporter records that survive the draw, Zeffy is built so the pricing maths actually works the way the spreadsheet says.
Yes. Most UK charity raffles use a hybrid approach: sell tickets online for several weeks to reach supporters who cannot attend the event, then sell in person on the day. Use a single ticket page for both channels so all buyer records stay in one place. For in-person sales, Tap to Pay on iPhone lets a volunteer accept contactless payments on their phone without hiring a separate card reader.
Set a fair ticket price using the (target + costs) ÷ tickets formula. Build a dedicated ticket page with the prize, price, drawing date, and cause story above the fold. Email your existing supporter list three times: at launch, at the midpoint, and in the final 48 hours. Run in-person sales at the event with QR codes on every poster and a tap-to-pay option for supporters who no longer carry cash.
You can promote your raffle on Facebook, but run the actual ticket sales through a compliant raffle platform rather than through Facebook itself. Meta's policies generally prohibit gambling-style transactions on the platform. Under UK small society lottery rules, your promoting society must be registered with the local council and tickets must be sold through a compliant channel. Promote on Facebook; direct supporters to your dedicated ticket page to buy.
School raffles in the UK are typically run by the parent-teacher association (PTA) or a school fundraising committee. If tickets are sold and drawn entirely at a school event (such as a summer fete or Christmas fair), it is an incidental non-commercial lottery and needs no registration. If you are selling tickets in advance, register with your local council as a small society lottery. Keep ticket prices accessible (£1 to £2 works well for school audiences) and use bundle deals to lift average spend.
Use the pricing formula in reverse: divide your fundraising target by your ticket price to find the minimum number of tickets you need to sell. For example, a £2,000 target at £10 per ticket requires 200 tickets sold. Print or generate enough to allow for slow movers, and use numbered e-tickets so you never run short and every entry is traceable for the post-draw return.
Most UK charity raffles price tickets between £2 and £10, with bundles like '6 for £20' or '12 for £30' lifting average order value. Use the formula (fundraising target + costs) ÷ number of tickets to find your baseline price. Match the price to the prize value: £1 to £5 for small or tombola prizes, £5 to £10 for mid-tier prizes, £20 or more for premium experiences. A lower individual ticket price with an attractive bundle tends to sell more volume and is more accessible at community events.
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Keep reading :
Nonprofit guides
How to Make Raffle Tickets: A Guide for UK Charities (2026)
Learn how to make raffle tickets for a UK charity raffle in 2026. This guide covers numbered e-tickets on Zeffy, Word mail-merge, Canva bulk-create, and print shops, alongside UK small society lottery rules, the Gambling Commission's ticket requirements, a Gift Aid callout, and a side-by-side comparison of all four methods.
How to Price Raffle Tickets for Your Charity: A UK Guide (2026)
Choosing the right price for your charity raffle tickets involves balancing your fundraising target, prize value, audience affordability, and UK legal caps. This guide walks through pricing strategies, the step-by-step formula, small society lottery rules under the Gambling Act 2005, and why Gift Aid never applies to raffle ticket purchases.
How to run an online raffle for your charity in 2026 (UK guide)
Raffles are one of the quickest ways for UK charities, PTAs, village halls and community groups to raise funds. This step-by-step guide covers the legal framework under the Gambling Act 2005, how to register a small society lottery with your local council, what must appear on your tickets, and how to promote and close your raffle correctly, all in plain English, with links to the relevant Gambling Commission and HMRC guidance.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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