Fundraiser Raffle Drawing
For the parish picnic, the school fair and the youth group fundraiser. Enter the ticket numbers you sold, list the prizes, and draw each winning number live on the big screen, fairly and without repeats.
- Winners appear here as you draw.
50/50 Raffle Calculator
In a 50/50 raffle the prize is a share of the ticket money, usually half, and the rest goes to the cause. Enter what you took and the split you announced.
Amounts are rounded down to the cent for the winner; any remainder stays with the cause. Some places cap 50/50 prizes or require the split to be printed on the ticket, so check the rules where you are.
How to Run a Fair Raffle Drawing, Step by Step
Close sales and count the stubs
Agree a time when sales stop and announce it. Collect every book of tickets, count what was sold, and note any book that went unsold or came back unpaid. The numbers you enter above should match the stubs in the drum exactly.
Enter the ranges and the prizes
Type the sold numbers as ranges, such as 1-300, 501-560. Put unsold or voided tickets in Leave out. List the prizes in the order you will announce them. The counter shows how many tickets are in the drum, which should match your count.
Put it on the big screen
Connect a laptop to the projector or the hall TV so everyone sees the same number at the same moment. Ask someone who did not sell tickets, a board member or a volunteer from the audience, to press Draw. People trust a draw more when the organiser is not the one pressing the button.
Draw one prize at a time
Read the prize, press Draw, read the number twice, and wait for the holder to bring the stub. If nobody claims it, follow the rule you announced, for example a fresh draw for that prize after three calls.
Keep and share the record
Print or copy the results, sign them with your witness, and post them in the newsletter, the bulletin or the group chat so people who left early can check their tickets.
How the Drawing Works
Every ticket number in your ranges, minus the ones you left out, goes into a virtual drum. When you press Draw, the page picks one of them with crypto.getRandomValues, the secure random number source built into your browser, using a method that gives every ticket exactly the same chance. The rolling numbers you see for about two seconds are for the room; the winning number is chosen the moment you press the button.
A drawn ticket leaves the drum, so it cannot win again, the way it works with a real drum. If your rules allow one ticket to win several prizes, turn on A ticket can win more than one prize and every ticket stays in for every draw. Duplicate ranges are merged, so typing 1-100 twice does not double anyone's chances.
Everything runs on your own computer. No ticket numbers, prizes or results are sent anywhere, and the page works for the whole evening without signing in.
Raffle, Bingo or Prize Wheel: Picking the Right Game
Most church and community fundraisers use one of three games. They raise money in different ways and suit different evenings.
| Game | Best for | Free tools |
|---|---|---|
| Raffle | Selling tickets for weeks before an event, donated prizes, a big moment at the end | This page, the giveaway wheel |
| 50/50 raffle | Sports nights and fairs where there are no donated prizes; the pot grows as people buy | The 50/50 calculator above |
| Bingo night | A full evening of play for families and seniors, with entry fees and small prizes | Bingo card generator, bingo caller |
| Prize wheel | Booths and stalls, where each spin is paid for and prizes are small | The prize wheel |
Many events combine them: bingo through the evening, the raffle drawn at the interval, and the 50/50 announced last while everyone is still in the room. The guide to hosting a bingo night covers running order, card counts and how long games take.
Prize Ideas That Raise More
Ask for experiences, not things
A local restaurant's dinner for two, a round at the golf club, a family photo session or a week of lawn mowing from the youth group often sells more tickets than a gadget, and costs the donor less.
Make one prize the story
A handmade quilt from the sewing circle, a cake from the parish's best baker, a reserved parking spot for a month: prizes with a person behind them get talked about, and talk sells tickets.
Bundle small donations
Ten small items on a table look scattered. Grouped into themed baskets, such as movie night or garden day, they look generous and are easier to draw.
Thank donors out loud
Name each donor when you draw their prize. Businesses donate again when they are thanked in front of the community they serve.
A Word on the Rules
Raffles count as lotteries in most places, so they are regulated. In the United States each state sets its own rules, and many allow raffles only for qualifying nonprofit organisations, sometimes with a permit or a limit on prize values. In the United Kingdom raffles fall under the Gambling Act 2005, and some small raffles held during an event, with tickets sold only on the day, can run without a licence. Online ticket sales are often treated differently from paper tickets at an event.
This page is a drawing tool, not legal advice. Before you sell tickets, check with your diocese or denomination office, your state or local authority, or the Gambling Commission in the UK. Our article on whether a giveaway wheel is legal explains the difference between a free giveaway and a paid raffle.
Raffle Drawing Questions
How do I draw raffle tickets fairly without a drum?
Can I leave out tickets that were not sold?
Should the grand prize be drawn first or last?
How does a 50/50 raffle work?
What if the winning ticket is not claimed?
Is it legal to run a raffle at church?
Does this page store our ticket numbers?
Planning a bingo night too?
Print unique bingo cards for every player and call the numbers on screen with the free bingo caller.