How Can I Accept Money for a Raffle Online?
A raffle is a fundraising event where people purchase tickets in the hopes of winning various prizes. There are strict laws regarding raffles in all states, and a raffle is illegal in Arkansas, Kansas and Hawaii. Before holding a raffle for your organization, you must make sure you meet all the qualifications set by your state. It is illegal to sell raffle tickets online in some states.
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Instructions
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Review the guidelines for running a raffle in your state. Make sure that you can legally sell raffle tickets online in your state. Some states require signatures from the buyer and seller on the tickets, and this makes it so you cannot sell the tickets online.
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Register the raffle with your state, if you are required to do so by law. Some states have stricter guidelines for raffles and limit an organization to having just one or two a year. A raffle must be run by a nonprofit organization in most states.
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Set up a website for your raffle. If your organization already has a website, just add the raffle ticket page to your already existing website. The page should list the prizes you are offering, the amount of the tickets, and the date the raffle ends. If you are required to post winners by your state laws, then you should list the date you will post the name of winners.
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Open an online merchant account that will accept payments from credit and debit cards. If you already have an online donation option on your website, you can simply link to that for the purchase of the tickets. Some online merchant accounts will not allow you to sell raffle tickets; be sure to read the Terms of Use agreements before you set up online ticket purchase options. You also can use a ticket seller to sell your raffle tickets.
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Design the ticket to print out with the purchase of a raffle. Many states have specific guidelines that must be included on a raffle ticket for it to be legal. Include all the information required by your state. The winner will need to present the ticket to claim the prize.
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Create flyers that advertise your raffle, and include the website address to purchase tickets. Sending out an email to the nonprofit's contact list advertising the raffle also can drum up sales.
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Tips & Warnings
There are many strict laws surrounding raffles, and you must be sure you are in compliance before beginning the raffle or your raffle can be shut down.
PayPal does not allow you to sell raffle tickets, and if it finds that you have used it for this purpose, your account may be closed.
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