How to Make Raffle Tickets: Numbered E-Tickets and DIY Fallbacks (2026)

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Table of contents

• Why most nonprofits don't need to "make" raffle tickets anymore

• How to create raffle tickets online (step by step)

• How to make raffle tickets with numbers

• 4 ways to make raffle tickets (comparison)

• What information must be on raffle tickets

• How Special Olympics Idaho runs fee-free raffles on Zeffy

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Why most nonprofits don't need to "make" raffle tickets anymore

In 2026, "how do I make raffle tickets?" is mostly the wrong question. The real one is: "do I even need to design and print paper tickets?"

For most nonprofits, no. Your raffle platform should auto-generate a numbered e-ticket with a unique QR code and the buyer's info the moment someone purchases, and email it to them automatically. Paper-and-Canva is a legitimate fallback for the handful of states (like California) that legally require physical tickets. It is not the default workflow, and it certainly is not what should anchor a 2026 how-to guide.

So this guide is structured around three paths:

• 1. The modern default: numbered e-tickets, generated automatically by your raffle platform.

• 2. The legal fallback: paper tickets via Canva, Word mail-merge, or a print shop, for states that require physical tickets.

• 3. The compliance layer: state-by-state requirements, which decide whether you need path 1, path 2, or both.

Before you choose, do one thing: check your state's raffle rules. If you are in California, you legally need physical tickets and you will use the fallback. If you are in most other states, you can run the whole thing online and skip the printer entirely.

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How to create raffle tickets online (step by step)

Here is what the modern flow looks like on Zeffy. You build the raffle form once, and every ticket is generated for you.

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Step 1: Create your free raffle form

Sign up for a free Zeffy account and create a new raffle form. Add your prize description, your nonprofit's name, the drawing date, and your ticket prices (single tickets and bundles, for example 1 for $5 or 3 for $10). The form is your raffle's home page, where buyers land to purchase.

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Step 2: Enable numbered tickets

Zeffy handles the numbering automatically, eliminating spreadsheet maintenance, mail-merge setup, and the risk of duplicate numbers. Each ticket also gets a unique QR code, which makes day-of-drawing scanning and tracking simple.

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Step 3: Customize the form (not the ticket)

This is where the workflow differs from Canva. On Zeffy, customization happens at the form level: you set colors, upload your logo, add prize images, and write the prize copy. The individual e-tickets are generated automatically in a consistent format. You are not dragging fonts onto a ticket; you are styling the page that sells them.

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Step 4: Share the form and let tickets generate

Share your raffle form link by email, on social media, or as a QR code on a flyer at an event. Every time someone buys, Zeffy emails them a numbered e-ticket with their unique number, QR code, and buyer info. You see real-time sales in your dashboard.

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Step 5: Sell in person too, if you want

If you also want to sell at an event, in a lobby, or door-to-door, you can sell tickets in person with Tap to Pay, no terminal needed. Tap a buyer's card or phone to your iPhone or Android, and the same numbered e-ticket gets emailed to them on the spot.

You skip the printer, the scissors, and the lost-ticket conversations on drawing day.

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How to make raffle tickets with numbers

The most common version of this question on Google is "how to make raffle tickets with numbers." There are three real answers in 2026, in order of how much work they cost you.

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1. Let your platform number them for you (default)

Zeffy auto-generates a unique number on every e-ticket. There are no spreadsheets to maintain, no mail-merge to run, and no risk of two buyers receiving the same number. If your state allows digital tickets, stop here. This is the answer.

Start a free numbered raffle on Zeffy's free online raffle platform.

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2. Word mail-merge with a number sequence (paper fallback)

If you are in a state that requires physical tickets, the cheapest DIY path is Microsoft Word's mail-merge feature paired with an Excel column of sequential numbers (1, 2, 3, … 500). Design one ticket layout in Word, merge in the number column, and print on perforated stock or a standard sheet you cut down. Plan for an hour of setup and a printer that does not jam.

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3. Canva's bulk-create feature (paper fallback)

Canva's bulk-create feature lets you upload a CSV of ticket numbers and generate a Canva design per number in one batch. It is more visual than Word and easier if you want a designed ticket, but the bulk-create feature lives on Canva's paid tier. Useful for a one-time large raffle; overkill if you are running raffles regularly.

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How to print raffle tickets (if you have to)

If your state requires physical tickets, print on perforated raffle ticket stock (most office supply stores carry it) or on standard cardstock that you cut down. Two practical notes:

• Size: 2 x 5.5 inches and 2 x 7 inches are common in practice, but there is no universal standard. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits standard ticket-holder bowls if you are drawing in person.

• Numbering: print sequentially, not randomly, so you can confirm no numbers were skipped or duplicated.

And if you want a hybrid (physical tickets at the event, online sales the rest of the time), you can run the online form on Zeffy and use printed tickets only at the event itself.

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4 ways to make raffle tickets (comparison)

The four real methods nonprofits use in 2026, side by side.

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Recommendation for nonprofits: start with the online platform unless your state's raffle rules force you onto paper. The free, automatic numbering and emailed e-tickets eliminate the operational drag that makes most raffle organizers dread the next one. If your state requires physical tickets, layer Word mail-merge or Canva on top, and keep the online form for any sales you can do digitally.

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What information must be on raffle tickets

Exact requirements vary by state, so the most important step is to check your state's raffle laws before you sell a single ticket. That said, the following is the working checklist that covers most jurisdictions. If your raffle platform handles the digital ticket for you, most of these fields populate automatically from the form.

• ☐ Nonprofit's legal name

• ☐ Unique ticket number

• ☐ Ticket price (and any bundle pricing, e.g., 1 for $5 / 3 for $10)

• ☐ Drawing date and time

• ☐ Drawing location (or "drawn online" if applicable)

• ☐ Prize description and approximate retail value

• ☐ Organization contact info (address, phone, or website)

• ☐ License or permit number, where required by state law

• ☐ Age restriction language, where required (often 18+ or 21+)

• ☐ Detachable stub, where required (some states mandate a tear-off section on physical tickets)

State rules also decide bigger questions: which types of organizations can run a raffle, how proceeds must be used, prize value caps, recordkeeping requirements, and whether digital tickets are even allowed. For pricing the tickets themselves, our guide to pricing raffle tickets covers single, bundle, and tiered pricing with examples.

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How Special Olympics Idaho runs fee-free raffles on Zeffy

Special Olympics Idaho, the Idaho chapter of Special Olympics, supports athletes with intellectual disabilities through year-round sports training and competition. Raffles are part of how they fund travel, training, and events.

On Zeffy, the chapter has sold 8,675 tickets across 306 fee-free forms, raising $223,805 in total GMV, including a Toyota 4Runner raffle, all without paying a platform fee, transaction fee, or credit card fee. Every ticket was generated automatically with a unique number, sent to the buyer by email, and tracked in real time.

That is the difference between "making raffle tickets" and running a raffle: the tickets are a byproduct of the platform, not a separate project on your task list.

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