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A wonderful way to raise money for pretty much any cause is through raffle prizes. Tons of creative raffle ideas exist, and they can generate excitement around your cause. This excitement leads to even greater donations, and even more fun when the numbers are finally called. Now, it’s up to you to decide what kind of raffle gift ideas you want to work with. Choose from this list of 33 popular raffle prizes.
What makes the most successful raffle basket ideas?
Explore our full list of the best raffle basket ideas, and dive into specific prize inspiration grouped by categories below:
Each event and organization has unique needs. You can delight a lucky raffle winner in a fundraising event they won't forget when you know our donor base well. You can do that with themed prizes, marketing ideas, and a focus on your mission.
How to Choose Raffle Prizes Based on Audience Demographics
So, where do you start? First, think about your audience. Who are you raffling prizes off to? What does your audience want? If you have mostly women, you can choose from among popular feminine products like spa gift cards, wine subscriptions, or travel packages. For men, consider sports-themed prizes, restaurants or eateries, or tents and camping gear. Obviously, these are generalizations, but you get the idea. Once you have a list of your attendees, you can start managing your contacts.
You can also decide what kind of raffle to hold based on the cause. If you’re raising money for kids, you can raffle off coloring experiences or theme park tickets. If the cause is for animals, raffle off visits to a local zoo or wildlife safari. The key is to create a theme around your audience or cause and then choose popular raffle prizes to match your demographic. These are your best practices for creating themed raffle baskets.
St. Mark Catholic School Attains 227% of Their Fundraising Goal
As just one example, the students at St. Mark Catholic School in Cleveland were charged with selling $5 raffle tickets to raise funds for the school. The prize was a golden ticket, which was a luxury item that the single winning raffle ticket could enjoy.
By both getting the students involved in selling the tickets and gifting a luxury item, the school was able to generate more buzz and raise more revenues.
In the end, the school exceeded its goal by 227%.
Raffles work!
What Kind of Grand Prize Raises the Most?
Big ticket items like a car or vacation can bring in a huge draw, but these items can be challenging to get. Other raffle items like gift cards and unique raffle basket ideas can get supporters excited. Choosing a great raffle prize for your organization depends on your donor base.
When you sit down with your raffle committee, ask yourselves who is likely to attend your event or purchase raffle tickets. The best ideas should apply to a larger audience if your raffle is online. Again, if you're holding a children's event or a gala, your raffle prizes should match attendees' interests.
Raffle ideas don't have to be expensive. Sometimes, the less expensive, the better because you can sell more tickets. We've listed raffle ideas for adults, children, and schools, as well as unique themes and cheap raffle ideas for all ages.
1. Use what you have
Donations from local businesses are excellent, but you'll likely get several gift cards that don't fit together. You can combine these gift cards with items from past events or products and services from your nonprofit to create raffle baskets or grand prize ideas that fit your audience's unique interests.
Board members, donors, and volunteers may all have something to contribute. No Buy groups are a popular trend on social media. You can join a local no-buy group and ask for raffle gifts for your next fundraiser to see what they offer.
3. Unique antique and thrift finds
The best part of thrifting is finding something that no one else has for cheap. Spend a day at your local thrift store, antique store, estate, or garage sale to see what you can find.
4. Plants and seeds
How about a personal consultant coming to your home to show you how and what to plant for your wild garden? Include specially designed wildflowers and seeds for your location, and you'll have a raffle that draws a huge and passionate crowd.
5. Made by your beneficiaries
Hand-made items from beneficiaries can help tell your nonprofit’s story and the stories of those you help. Raffle prizes like these entice donors to buy tickets.
Themed Raffle Baskets
As we discussed earlier, you can also come up with creative raffle ideas around a theme. This theme could be related to school spirit, a company mission or cause, or a favorite pastime. Themes get people excited and engaged, which makes them write bigger checks.
6. Stick with your mission
Services or products that share your organization’s mission, including branded items with your logo, items made by your beneficiaries, or services people can’t find anywhere else, will be another draw. Get creative and find ways to promote these items.
For instance, parents always seek help with spirited children or ideas on what to do on a rainy day. If your nonprofit offers children's therapy services, raffle winners can receive a one-on-one appointment with an Occupational Therapist.
7. Holidays
A basket that has holiday décor, baking kits with cookie cutters, cookbooks, sprinkles, and outdoor winter activities is always a winner for the winter season. Since it's a holiday basket, you can create a new one every season and include it in different events or create a raffle series to excite supporters.
8. Eat around the World
Travel can be too expensive for many, but one of the best ways to experience the world is with food and drinks. This raffle basket idea can include wine and spirits from various countries, food, recipes, tea, and cheese.
A unique take on a raffle basket is a crockpot. You can use the crockpot as the basket and add food items, drinks, and cookbooks. You can also create different themes with a crockpot. Get those creative juices flowing and create a host of crockpot raffle baskets for all to enjoy.
10. Color Together
A coloring raffle basket theme can appeal to the whole family. Since the coloring trend has also taken off with adults, creative-themed-coloring books of older TV shows or beautiful and intricate designs can be found online and in specialty stores. Add colored pencils, crayons, and paint to help donors connect with their creative side.
11. Golden Ticket
A Willy Wonka-themed raffle basket can include candy and tours of candy maker shops and factories. Instead of tickets, you can have fun selling chocolate bars and hide a golden ticket inside the wrapper. Design the basket with colors and pictures from the movies and books to add a touch of nostalgia.
12. Stay local
Local artists, home designers, and shops make your town what it is. Raffle baskets and entire fundraising events with a stay-local theme highlight these businesses and can help build long-term partnerships with their leaders.
Unique Prize Ideas
But what if you want to get a little crazy, think outside of the box, and wow your donors? This is where unique raffle gift ideas come in. When you can surprise and delight people, you can get them to spend a little, or a lot, more.
13. DIY crafts
Moms looking for a fun way to keep their kids busy will want the chance to win a DIY craft raffle basket. Raffle basket ideas like designing your dolls' dresses, tie-dye, lego sets, and painting and art supplies have a better chance to excite moms and their kids.
14. Tents and camping
A tent and camping raffle prize offers adventure and activity all in one. Build a raffle basket with a tent, sleeping bags, and other camping supplies for children and adults. Another way to do this is with a holiday twist.
15. Tickets
Tickets to an amusement park, water park, zoo, or museum are another easy way to get donors' attention. Theme park tickets can be pricey, and the retail value will likely be more than the price of a raffle ticket. Another raffle prize idea you can offer is season tickets or a reserved parking space.
Most parents let their children play games on their phones. Many also buy games and consoles to keep their kids busy. The newest console can cost hundreds of dollars. With that in mind, you can sell raffle tickets for one console and a few games for $50 to $100.
17. Musical Instruments
Musical instruments aren’t cheap, and parents will jump at any opportunity to cut this cost, whether searching for used instruments at garage sales or entering a raffle to win a new one. Parents can purchase a raffle ticket for $20 and win a new instrument and some entry-level music pieces and feel like it's money well spent.
18. Travel games and activities
Traveling with kids can be a struggle, but families can make the ride easier with portable games, coloring sets, books, and other on-the-go entertainment. Nonprofits can offer these prizes and a gift card or two to local gaming and bookstores at their next family-friendly raffle.
19. Science Kits
Another family-fun activity is a science experiment like a volcano with baking soda, seed germination, or a rainbow in a jar. Science kits are hands-on activities parents can use to educate their children and form stronger bonds.
Raffle Ideas for Kids
Finally, it’s so often about the kids, right? We’re raising funds for their school, like St. Mark above. Maybe they need support for their sports team. Or maybe it's a childhood illness we’re trying to eradicate. Because there are so many great causes for kids, there are so many popular raffle prizes for kids as well.
20. Helpful Services
Your school can offer other fundraising raffle ideas: tutoring, music or dance lessons, and private language classes. Parents and students looking for extra help will get excited by the chance to win a few extra hours of college prep support.
21. Sporting Equipment
Schools are responsible for educating children, but sports like football, soccer, baseball, and tennis are equally important. One way to help parents afford sports equipment is with a raffle. You can raffle off individual or multiple prizes containing sporting equipment for one lucky winner.
22. School Spirit
Hats, sweatshirts, water bottles, and tote bags with the school logo are cheap for your school to come by. These items can be raffled on their own or connected with old-school items and pictures from the past.
23. Tickets to school events or VIP parking
Tickets for school events are harder to come by than you may think. If your school excels in specific sports or can excite the community with a quality musical or show, you can offer tickets for your next fundraising event.
24. Customized Items
Donors are always on the lookout for items that no one else has, so customized items can be a huge draw for adults. Artist renderings, personalized or engraved items, and anything with a personal touch can show you care about your donors and raise more money. You can even add gift certificates to small businesses that personalize gifts, like Etsy.
25. Alcohol
Whether your prize is a wine tasting, beer fest, champagne date night basket, or pub crawl, a basket of various bottles is best. Add a few glasses, food that matches the theme, and gift certificates to local wineries or restaurants, which can bring in plenty of ticket sales. Before selling tickets for this type of basket, make sure you are following all local alcohol laws.
26. Travel
If you can find it, a flight and hotel stay for two to a romantic city or beach is a fantastic raffle basket idea. Ticket sales for this type of raffle can go as high as $100 or more because people want a chance to win. Along with the flight and hotel stay, you can make a raffle basket with additional luggage tags, travel pillows, guidebooks, and more.
If you're unable to solicit an expensive travel destination, you may be able to find a hiking, rafting, or skiing trip to include in your raffle. Collaborate with travel agencies or local adventure companies to see if they would donate. You can also see if you can find a donor who’s willing to purchase the adventure or if you can sell enough tickets to make the cost worth it.
28. Services with a local leader or celebrity
Another unique raffle prize idea is to raffle off a meal or activity with a local celebrity or government official. Lunch with the mayor, a personal chef for your family, or a photography session with a local artist can all draw the attention of adults in your community. You may even make more from this idea because you are hosting a charity raffle, and supporters don't want you to waste their donations on high-ticket items.
29. Sports Memorabilia
Sports memorabilia and tickets are popular raffle prizes for adults and families. Your fundraising raffle can offer tickets to a game, jerseys, and signed cards or pictures from famous players. If you can find something from a popular team, this can bring in a good amount of money.
30. Live-Theater and Concert tickets
Adults are always searching for unique and fun date night ideas. Local theatre or concert tickets can raise funds, especially for a well-known artist. Adding a personal tour, a visit with the artist, or a weekend getaway will encourage people even more to purchase a raffle ticket.
31. Books
Scholastic book sales are common at schools nationwide because parents and kids constantly look for more things to read. Your school has access to more books than other organizations and can create exciting and educational book raffles based on characters and themes that children in your school love.
32. Family Game Night
Games are one of the best raffle basket ideas for school fundraisers because they can excite parents and children. Raffle ticket sales for family-friendly board games can be sold for $10 to $50, depending on the amount and quality of the games.
33. Sweet Treats
What kid doesn't love candy? Raffle prize baskets of cookies and candies can't go wrong. Another way to catch the eye of supporters with a sweet tooth is with massive candy bars or a visit to a local candy factory.
Sell raffle tickets and raise more with Zeffy
That’s it! You can choose from among any of these creative raffle ideas, or come up with one of your own. The goal, in the end, is to get your attendees excited about your cause and have a great time at your event. In-person raffles generate so much energy, and you can build up to that energy by getting your raffle up and running now.
A charity raffle can help promote your nonprofit, raise money, and collect contact information for new and existing supporters. Running a raffle takes several steps, but with a hard-working support team, you can find the best raffle items for free or at affordable prices. The key is to choose prizes that resonate with your audience and create a sense of urgency and excitement. Whether you’re offering unique experiences, exclusive items, or gift baskets packed with sought-after products, the right prize can make all the difference.
Additionally, marketing your raffle effectively is crucial. Use social media, email newsletters, and word-of-mouth to spread the word. Engaging visuals, compelling storytelling, and limited-time promotions can boost participation. The more people hear about your raffle, the more tickets you’ll sell, increasing the overall success of your fundraiser.
By leveraging a user-friendly platform like Zeffy, you can simplify the process and maximize your impact. With no platform fees, Zeffy ensures that all the money raised goes directly to your cause. Why wait? Start planning your raffle today and take advantage of this powerful fundraising tool to make a meaningful difference for your nonprofit!
FAQs
Affordable prizes can be just as exciting as big-ticket items. Think about DIY crafts, thrift store finds, plants and seeds, or unique experiences like a personal consultation or even lovely handmade items from donors.
Always keep your audience in mind. For adults, you can offer wine subscriptions, event tickets, or travel packages. For kids, look for toys, theme park passes, or educational kits. Lining prizes up with your cause and donor preferences will help increase engagement.
A great idea is to reach out to local businesses for donations or ask board members and volunteers for contributions. Also, you could join “No Buy” groups on social media or maybe repurpose items from past events. So many companies and individuals are eager to support a good cause.
Use everything you’ve got. Get on social media, focus on email marketing, and make sure to utilize word-of-mouth to promote your raffle. Create a sense of urgency with limited-time promotions, and be sure to highlight the value of your prizes. If you can, offer online ticket sales to reach a broader audience.
How to Do an Online Raffle: 11 Easy Steps for Fundraisers
Learn how to create a virtual raffle and increase fundraising for your nonprofit. Get our step-by-step guide and the best tools for hosting an online raffle.
