Get ready to create raffle baskets that match your donor base and inspire more people to buy a raffle ticket. Learning new ways to do an online raffle is an excellent addition to any nonprofit event.
In this article, we’ll give you a list of creative and unique raffle basket ideas and tips to ensure you find success.
The Best Raffle Basket Ideas
The best raffle ideas will delight your ideal donors and ensure compliance with your state's raffle laws. Review our full list of our favorite raffle basket ideas below.
Best Raffle Baskets for Galas
Best Raffle Baskets for Golf Outings
Best Raffle Baskets for School Fundraisers
Best Raffle Baskets for Motorcycle Runs
Unique Raffle Baskets
What is a Raffle Basket?
You may get lucky and receive beautiful gift raffle baskets from the sponsors for your event, but it’s more likely that you’ll struggle to make sure you’ll get the most out of each.
Thinking about new raffle basket ideas is an excellent way to combine a few in-kind donations to create an item that event attendees will pay more for. Once you’ve decided on the first two or three items in your themed gift baskets, you can make a theme, add more items, and design it to draw the eye.
Popular Raffle Basket Ideas for Galas
Event tickets for a fundraising gala are generally $100 or more. Supporters will spend more throughout the evening. The following raffle baskets are targeted towards adults with extra money to spend.
To reach more supporters during your Gala, you can also use raffle baskets to encourage more participation from all supporters. You can promote and sell raffle tickets for one or more raffle baskets online before your event and excite your entire donor base about this fundraiser. Stream the drawing on Facebook or YouTube to share this excitement.
Destination basket
A vacation to a unique destination will always bring in money for your raffle. If you’re lucky enough to know someone with a home and airline tickets you can use, you can sell raffle tickets at your Gala event or online for $100 or more.
During your first event committee meeting, you’ll want to ask volunteers if they have something like this to donate or if they know anyone. You may be surprised or find inspiration for other gift basket ideas.
The following items added to your raffle basket will increase the excitement for this basket idea:
- Travel toiletry kit
- Guidebooks for the chosen destination
- Noise-cancelling headphones
Gourmet food items and cookbooks from the destination
Wine Tasting
Another fun raffle idea is a Wine Tasting Experience basket. If you plan to host a Gala, wine tasting, or other adult-centered event, a wine raffle basket will be a big seller. This one is also easier to put together if you have a solid group of volunteers. Check out our article on raffle prize ideas for adults if you need more inspiration!
Ask event committee members to purchase or bring an unopened wine bottle for the basket. Board Members can also be an excellent solicitation option. You can combine white and red wines from various wineries and include various prices for your raffle prizes.
Once you have the wine basket, feel free to include a few complimentary items, like:
- Assorted cheese and crackers
- Cheese board and knife set
- Gift certificate to a winery or restaurant
Spa Day
A spa day raffle basket may not be unique, but it’s exciting enough to help you reach a large group of female donors. To get the most out of a spa day basket, you must include a gift certificate to a local spa.
Contact your organization's local spas and hair salons to request a gift certificate for one or two services as a raffle prize. You can send a request letter, but you’ll get a better response if you go in person. You’ll also want to ask your board members and event committee volunteers if they have any personal connections.
A basket filled with these goodies will increase the impact of your spa gift certificate.
- Face and body soap and lotion
- Bath salts, essential oils, and scented candles
- Robe and towels
- Gift baskets to tie it all together nicely
Grooming Kit
Women aren’t the only ones who want to look and feel good. A Grooming Kit basket is one of our popular and easy raffle basket ideas for a Motorcycle Run, Golf Outing, or Oktoberfest. You’ll once again get more men interested in this basket if it includes a shave and haircut at a barber shop, but there are several more raffle prize options you can add, including:
- Premium safety razor or electric shaver
- Shaving brush and stand
- Luxury shaving cream or soap
Pet Lovers
A pet lovers basket is an obvious choice if your organization is an animal shelter. If not, many of your Gala attendees may have furry friends they spoil as much as their children, potentially even more. You can create a raffle basket full of treats, grooming items, and more for these pet lovers.
Most suburban neighborhoods have a variety of pet stores to solicit. Ask for gift certificates and specific items that will help you build this pet basket. Keep your eye out for the following raffle prize items:
- Grooming and pet spa certificates
- Dog or cat bed
- Pet toys, leash, treats
- Photo session with a pet photographer
- Pet sitting
- A picnic basket filled with goodies for pets and owners
Tech Savvy
Women are historically the primary decision makers and targets for fundraising campaigns, but many men will pay for exciting tech items. The tech industry moves fast, so make sure you’re getting the newest or most popular items if possible.
Once again, your volunteers are the best solicitors for this type of raffle prize. Ask if they have any personal or business connections. You should also see if you have any online influencers who can provide these items and promote your raffle on their channel. Tech-lovers follow similar influencers for their advice.
Here are a few areas to focus and items to include in your raffle basket:
- Gaming computers, laptops, or tablets
- Speakers
- Online courses and books
- Store gift cards
Best Raffle Basket Ideas for Golf Outings
Golf outings are popular nonprofit fundraisers, but they’re not always the best option for raffle drawings because there are fewer attendees.
On the other hand, golf is still a popular sport, so if you can find enough quality prizes, you can use these ideas at golf outings and sell them to a larger audience online and off.
Foursomes
Golf outings are generally held at private golf clubs because these are the locations that golfers want to play. Golf foursome packages give the raffle winners the chance for four of them to play again on this course with their own golf cart and a few other perks at the private club.
To increase the appeal of this raffle basket, you can also add the following items:
- Gift cards to equipment and pro shops
- Club cleaning kits and brushes
- Golf ball washer for the golf cart
- Range Finders and GPS Devices
If you are hosting a golf outing at a private club, ask for this donation in exchange for their sponsorship. You are paying a lot to use their location and allowing them to advertise their club with a new audience. Most clubs will happily provide a foursome gift certificate in exchange for your event.
Practice Makes Perfect
Even if your organization doesn’t host an annual golf outing, you can get supporters excited by unique golf items in a raffle basket. Online raffles or virtual golf outings allow everyone to play and purchase tickets regardless of their location.
It’s best to find enough golf items that appeal to people everywhere, like:
- Golf mats and indoor putting green
- Golf swing training aids or a practice net
- Golf bag or shoes with cleats
- Golf course guides
Your nonprofit can solicit items like these from donors or sports stores. You can also visit private and public golf clubs and ask for these items in exchange for promoting their course for your virtual golf outing.
Exciting Raffle Basket Ideas for School Fundraisers
Unlike Galas and Golf Outings, School Fundraisers can bring in a large audience. These events are family-friendly, and your raffle baskets must be too.
School supplies
Do you know how expensive school supplies are? Supplies for a single child can cost a family over $100. Imagine if you have more than one! Parents will be willing to pay for a $10 or $20 raffle ticket to lower this cost.
If your school, PTO, or PTA wants to raise money for the upcoming school year, you can solicit companies like Walmart, Target, Office Max and other local stores for these items.
Make sure you offer a school supply basket that covers most of the school supply needs for every grade, including:
- Durable and stylish backpack
- Notebooks (lined and unlined)
- Three-ring binder with dividers
- Pens, pencils, and highlighters
- Stickers and other art supplies for fun
Experiment kits
Look to the sciences for the perfect raffle basket that will excite both parents and children. With the growth of STEM, a raffle basket of experiment kits can encourage participation from both.
You can sell raffle tickets for this type of basket at different events and online for $5 to $20. The goal is to sell as many tickets as possible, so promote the raffle everywhere and find various ways to reach out to parents and the community.
You can solicit local and national stores, museums, and donors to create a science basket for kids of all ages with the following items:
- Microscope or telescope
- Subscription to popular science magazines or to a science kit
- Kids lab coats
- Tickets to science museum
School Spirit
A school spirit raffle basket can help your school excite and raise money from the community. This raffle basket shouldn’t cost anything for your school since the items are things you already have on hand, but raffle items should be nice enough to interest people with little knowledge of your organization.
- School apparel (t-shirts, hoodies, caps, scarves)
- Temporary tattoos and face paint with school colors
- Sports memorabilia and school event ticket donations
- Mugs, water bottles or keychains
One way to encourage more community involvement in this raffle is to ask local stores to promote it and sell tickets. Create flyers and posters, and PTA/PTO members can contact stores and businesses on your behalf. You’ll also want to share the raffle on your website, send emails to parents, and promote it on your social media accounts.
Birthday in a box
Let's add to the raffle basket ideas that excite parents and kids with a birthday basket. Once again, these items are not expensive and can be solicited from local stores or donors, or you can shop for them yourself. Raffle tickets for a birthday basket won’t sell for much, think $1-$5, but if you find a popular enough theme, you can build a lot of excitement.
Your basket should include the following items:
- Balloons in different colors and shapes
- Balloon inflation device and balloon arch display
- Streamers, banners, and confetti
- Birthday candles, cake toppers, and decorations
- Plates, cups, and napkins with birthday theme
- Party favors (toys and trinkets, party hats, poppers)
- Gift cards to restaurants or kid-friendly activities
Let’s Go Fly a Kite
A kite-making raffle basket is a unique and affordable idea for children’s events. You can host this raffle at any fall, spring, or summer outdoor event, and sell raffle tickets for $10 to $15 and include a quality kite along with the following kite-making supplies:
- DIY kite making kits with various designs
- Craft supplies for design (paint, markers, stickers)
- Snacks and Refreshments
- Outdoor picnic basket (blanket, plates, cups, and utensils)
- Beach towels
S’mores Delights
Everyone loves eating s’mores next to a campfire. This raffle basket is appealing and affordable for all ages. You can solicit items from local stores or donors and sell tickets for this basket at $5 or $10.
You can sell raffle tickets for this basket at any event, but school fundraisers give you the opportunity to reach a larger audience. You can even combine this idea with a movie night basket.
When soliciting items for this basket, be sure to find quality pieces that you can’t find everywhere, including:
- Extendable marshmallow roasting sticks
- Fire pit or indoor smores maker
- Gourmet chocolates, marshmallows, graham crackers, and cookies
- Cookbook of s’mores recipes
- Hot chocolate mix and specialty coffees
- Cozy blankets
Self-Care and Mindfulness
Don’t forget the parents when creating baskets for your next school fundraiser. A self care kit can help parents feel appreciated and give them another reason to give. This can be an affordable basket to create with free babysitting and a chance to try out a local yoga class.
Add the following items to increase the appeal:
- Yoga mat
- Bath bombs and accessories
- Baking mixes and a french press
- Essential oils
- Teas or other hot drink mixes
- A gift card to local coffee shops with a journal to reflect
Popular Raffle Basket Ideas for Motorcycle Runs
Like golf outings, motorcycle runs target a smaller audience, but if you choose the right raffle basket themes, you can get a lot of excitement from event attendees and the community.
Adventure Bikers
Motorcyclists are passionate about quality items. They want to look cool, but they also want them to work. If you’re riding for a day around town or getting ready for a ride across country, you want gift basket ideas that keep you safe and comfortable, like:
The best part of this raffle basket idea is it isn’t limited to motorcyclists. Most of the items on this list can be used by anyone, with raffle prizes like:
- Tent
- Saddle bags
- Motorcycle backpack
- Sleeping bags
- Campfire cooking tools
Unique Raffle Basket Ideas
A unique raffle basket can help you raise funds online and off with any audience. Tickets for these baskets can range from $1 to $100.
Get Well Soon
Do you ever wish you had a basket of goodies for when you get sick? This may not be something nonprofits think of when hosting an event, but a basket of feel-good items can be a popular idea if you find enough unique items.
You can encourage raffle ticket sales with single entries for this basket at $5 or $10 for a group of 3. We’ve listed a few ideas, but the fun of this basket is it can include anything.
- Vitamin C and Echinacea
- Honey, Tea, and a gift certificate to Starbucks for a “Medicine Ball Tea”
- Fun cozy socks
- Board games, movies and books to keep them from getting bored
As Seen on TV
Everyone has seen those “As seen on tv” commercials. There are unique and sometimes useful items. There are even stores that sell these items. Why not join the fun and create an “As seen on tv” basket for your next raffle. This can be a fun idea if your event is before Christmas.
It’ll give a supporter an excellent White Elephant gift. Some ideas for this basket include:
- Snuggle or cozy blanket
- Copper chef cookware
- ShamWow Towels
- My Pillow
- Magic Bullet Blender
- Pocket Hose
- Magic Mesh
DIY Family History Kit
Genealogy is a popular hobby for many, especially with the influx of DNA kits. Historical museums and other nonprofits can create a DNA family history basket that excites supporters and encourages them to connect with their past.
The following items can be found online or at craft stores. To increase the appeal of this basket, you can also include a session with a professional genealogist or subscription to ancestry websites like 23andme.
- Large, decorative family tree chart
- Books on genealogy and tracing family roots
- Acid-free paper and photo-safe sleeves
- Historical maps (for bonus points)
- Equipment to record family stories
Errand Basket
It’s a common problem for nonprofits to collect gift certificates from local businesses. The problem is they may not fit with your other event raffle baskets, so what can you do with them? A unique way to combine gift certificates is to make an Errand basket of items anyone can use, including:
- Dry cleaning
- Groceries
- Haircut
- Local businesses
- Gardening basket
- Meal subscription kits
- House cleaning kits and supplies
- Add a personal organizer and planner
Local Hidden Gems
Another way to combine business gift certificates is to create a local hidden gems basket full of family friendly raffle prizes. You can turn unwanted items into an adventurous package for local supporters with a curated tour and gift cards from shops and local restaurants. Here are a few other items you can include to drive raffle ticket sales:
Here are a few other items you can include to drive raffle ticket sales:
- Handmade products from local artists
- Vouchers for local experiences
- Tickets to your next fundraising event
- Ticket for local concerts
- Gourmet snacks from local businesses
- Restaurant gift cards
More Raffle Basket Ideas
Ready to Bring the Best Raffle Basket Ideas to Life?
To get the most out of the raffle basket ideas and tips we’ve shared, you can use Zeffy to create customized website pages and increase raffle ticket sales. You can add your logo, colors, and custom banner and sell raffle tickets individually or in bundles of multiple raffle tickets. Start selling your raffle tickets now for free with our raffle software!
A few other interesting articles to enhance your raffle basket fundraiser:
A few other interesting articles about fundraising and raffles:
Raffle Rules by State: Legal Guidelines for 501c3
