Raffle Fundraising: Easy, Free Raffle Prize Ideas

What could be better than finding a free raffle prize idea for your raffle fundraiser?

Since the economy hasn't been doing too hot, fewer people are willing to donate to worthy charitable organizations. Which means, unfortunately, that many organizations have less money to work with.

However, people are even more likely to want to buy raffle tickets, because they'd rather win a prize than have to pay for it! So if you can find a way to get a free prize and then raffle it off, you can stand to raise a good amount of money for your cause!

Just check the rules about raffles that apply to your city, state, and organization - not all of them allow raffles!

Image by jking89 on Flickr.

Local Companies Can Help Your Fundraiser

All it takes to get a local company to donate a prize to your raffle is skill, persistence, and a little luck.

In many cases, companies are more likely to donate items than to donate money, because that way they get free publicity, and it also tends to cost them less. To encourage companies to donate free prizes to your raffle, make sure that they know you will mention the company name in all of your raffle advertising, on your website, etc.

Before you accept a donated prize, make sure that you understand the rules for doing so, including possible tax obligations.

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr.

There are few things better than well-crafted homemade items. It's evident how much love and time went into creating them. If you're lucky, you'll have people in your organization with the time and skills to produce things such as furniture, quilts, dolls, etc.

You can even hold events during which you produce the items you plan to raffle, so that people can come together and enjoy the process.

A Little Time Is Worth A Lot of Money

People love getting help, so another way to put on a raffle for free is to offer services as a prize. You can offer just about anything, from mowing lawns to washing cars.

An easy way to raffle a service is to provide the service at the place of the raffle. Car washing is a good example - you can clean the winner's car right away, without having to worry about transportation to and from the site where the services are to be performed.

Here are some other services. Note that some are better performed by professionals!

• Hair cuts

• Massages

• Lessons (guitar, singing, knitting languages, etc.)

• Manicures/Pedicures

Just make sure that you have the details of the service to be provided beforehand, and that you follow any pertinent rules or necessary safety precautions.

Image by Scoro on Flickr.

Another great idea for getting a free raffle prize is to have individuals donate items. Although a person might not be able to donate something as expensive or fancy as a company can afford to do, you can put these items together to make one amazing prize.

A fun way to do this is to have people contribute to a gift basket. The individual items could be homemade, or purchased for a small amount.

All you need is tickets to hold a 50/50 raffle! 50% of the funds you raise go to the winner of the raffle, and the other 50% go to the organization. You will need some items to hold a raffle of this type - a jar for tickets, a safe place to keep money, possibly a big piece of paper and markers to keep track of how much you raise - but there's a good chance you can get these items donated.

It costs very little to buy a roll of tickets that will last you a long time. Alternately, you can have someone donate tickets, or print them on your computer using handy templates such as the ones on this site.