How to Run a 50/50 Raffle Fundraiser

What is a 50/50 raffle?

A 50/50 raffle is one of the simplest and most effective fundraising formats. Participants buy numbered tickets, a winner is drawn at random, and the total pot is split evenly: half goes to the winner and half goes to your organization. No prizes to procure, no donated items to chase down, no display tables to set up. The prize is cash, and it grows with every ticket sold.

The format is popular at sporting events, school fundraisers, charity galas, community festivals, and church events. A room of 200 people buying $20 tickets creates a $4,000 pot — $2,000 for the winner and $2,000 for the organization. No procurement, no shipping, no leftover inventory.

This guide covers everything you need to plan and run a 50/50 raffle that maximizes revenue, stays legally compliant, and keeps participants coming back.

How a 50/50 raffle works

The mechanics are straightforward, which is part of the appeal.

Sell tickets. Set a price per ticket or offer bundle pricing. Each ticket has a unique number. Buyers keep one half (or a digital confirmation) and the other half goes into the drawing pool.

Build the pot. Every dollar from ticket sales goes into a single pool. Announce the running total periodically to build excitement and drive late sales. A visible pot tracker on a screen or whiteboard is one of the most effective tools for a live event.

Draw a winner. At the designated time, draw one ticket at random. The winner receives 50% of the total pot. Your organization keeps the other 50%.

The prize scales with participation. A small community dinner with $800 in ticket sales produces a $400 winner and $400 for the organization. A stadium event with $30,000 in sales means $15,000 for each side. The structure works at every scale.

Why 50/50 raffles raise more than you expect

Zero prize costs. The prize is funded entirely by ticket sales. Every dollar collected is split between the winner and the organization. Your gross-to-net ratio is unmatched by any other raffle format.

The pot is visible. When participants see the pot growing in real time, they buy more tickets. A displayed pot of $3,000 means someone is walking away with $1,500, and that number motivates fence-sitters to buy in.

Social pressure works in your favor. At live events, people see their friends buying tickets. The combination of a growing pot, a shared experience, and the low commitment of a $10 or $20 ticket makes participation feel like a given rather than a decision.

Repeat purchases are common. A guest who bought one ticket at the start of the evening often buys three more when the pot hits $5,000 and the drawing is 20 minutes away. Unlike a traditional raffle where the prizes are fixed, a 50/50 pot that keeps climbing gives people a new reason to buy every time they check the total.

Legal considerations for 50/50 raffles

50/50 raffles are regulated as charitable gaming, and the rules vary significantly by jurisdiction. Ignoring them can result in fines, forced refunds, or legal liability.

Check your state or provincial laws. In the US, some states allow 50/50 raffles for registered nonprofits with a permit, some cap ticket prices or prize amounts, and a few prohibit them outright. The National Council of Nonprofits publishes a state-by-state overview of charitable gaming regulations.

Get permits early. Many jurisdictions require a raffle license or gaming permit. Application timelines range from days to weeks, so apply early and keep a copy on file.

Understand tax obligations. Cash prizes above $600 generally require the winner to report the income, and your organization may need to issue a 1099 or W-2G form. For prizes above $5,000, you may be required to withhold federal taxes at the time of the draw. Consult your accountant before the event.

Set age and residency requirements. Most jurisdictions require participants to be 18 or older. If you sell tickets online, restrict purchases to jurisdictions where your raffle is legally permitted.

Keep records. Document tickets sold, revenue collected, the drawing method, winner identity, prize payout, and permit details. These records protect your organization in a regulatory inquiry and simplify future applications.

How to price 50/50 raffle tickets

Pricing is the single biggest lever for revenue. The goal is a price low enough that almost everyone participates, but high enough that the pot reaches an exciting number.

Set a baseline price. For most fundraising events, $10 to $25 per ticket is the sweet spot. A $10 ticket at a community event feels effortless. A $25 ticket at a gala feels equally reasonable. Match the price to the formality and audience of your event.

Offer bundle pricing. "1 ticket for $20, 3 for $50" gives buyers a reason to spend more than planned. The discount should be meaningful — 15 to 25 percent off the per-ticket price. Bundle pricing consistently increases average spend per buyer by 30 to 50 percent.

Consider a cap. Selling a limited number of tickets creates scarcity. "Only 300 tickets available — your odds of winning half the pot are 1 in 300" is a compelling pitch. Uncapped raffles maximize the pot instead, which is its own form of excitement.

Announce the pot early and often. Nothing sells tickets like a growing pot. Announce the running total every 15 to 20 minutes at a live event. For an online 50/50 raffle, display the current pot prominently on the ticket purchase page. Let the math do the selling.

How to promote a 50/50 raffle

Promotion should start one to two weeks before a live event or three to four weeks before a standalone online raffle.

Lead with the potential payout. "Someone is winning $2,500+ cash" is a stronger message than "Buy 50/50 raffle tickets to support our cause." Put a dollar figure in every piece of promotion.

Sell online before the event. Open online ticket sales one to two weeks in advance. Early sales build the pot before the event starts, so the first live pot announcement is already exciting. An online raffle platform handles ticket sales, payment processing, and pot tracking in one place.

Use text and email together. Send a dedicated email announcing the raffle with a direct link to buy. Follow up with a text message reminder 48 hours before the draw — text messages outperform email for time-sensitive calls to action. A "Pot is at $4,200 — drawing in 2 hours" message drives last-minute sales that email alone will not.

Empower your volunteers. Give sellers a short script, a shareable link, and a reason to hustle. Position in-person sellers at high-traffic spots: the entrance, the bar, near the restrooms.

Announce the pot at the event. The emcee should call out the running pot total at least three times before the drawing. Each announcement drives a wave of additional sales. "The pot is at $3,800. Someone in this room is about to win nearly $2,000. Tickets close in 15 minutes."

Running the draw

Use a verifiable random method. For a live event, drawing a ticket from a container in full view of the crowd is the gold standard. For an online raffle, use a platform with a certified random number generator and a full audit trail. momoGood handles random selection automatically with a complete audit trail.

Build the moment. The draw should be a production: a countdown, a drumroll, a pause before reading the number. Before pulling the winning ticket, announce the total pot and the exact winner's share. "We sold $8,400 in tickets tonight. Our winner is taking home $4,200, and $4,200 goes directly to our programs."

Pay the winner promptly. Hand the winner a check or cash at a live event. For an online raffle, transfer the prize within 48 hours. Speed builds trust.

Thank every participant. Send a follow-up message to all ticket buyers — thank them, share the total raised, and tell them what the funds will support. For more on follow-up strategy, see our complete how to run a raffle guide.

50/50 raffle variations

The basic format is effective on its own, but variations can increase revenue, reach new audiences, or extend the fundraising window.

Online 50/50 raffle

Runs entirely through a digital platform — participants buy tickets from their phone, the pot grows in real time, and the draw is conducted digitally. Online raffles extend the sales window from one evening to one or two weeks, giving the pot more time to grow. They also include supporters who cannot attend in person.

Multi-day 50/50 raffle

Run the raffle over several days or a full week. Popular at conferences, festivals, and corporate giving campaigns. Daily pot updates serve as natural promotion: "Day 3 — pot is at $7,200 and growing. Drawing is Friday at 5 PM."

Progressive jackpot 50/50

Carries forward any pot from the previous drawing if it does not reach a set threshold. A $2,000 pot that missed a $3,000 threshold rolls into next month, creating growing excitement over time. Works well for organizations that run monthly or quarterly events.

Reverse 50/50 raffle

Tickets are drawn and eliminated one at a time until one remains. The last ticket standing wins the pot. This slower, more theatrical format is ideal for sit-down dinners where you want sustained entertainment throughout the evening. Each elimination builds suspense, and participants with remaining tickets often receive small perks as the field narrows. Reverse raffles typically charge $50 to $100 per ticket because the extended experience justifies the premium.

Split-the-pot variations

Not every raffle needs an even split. Some organizations run 60/40 or 70/30 in the organization's favor. Others award multiple prizes from the winner's share — first place takes 25 percent, second takes 15 percent, third takes 10 percent — increasing the number of satisfied participants and moments of excitement.

Tips for maximizing 50/50 raffle revenue

Start selling early. Pre-event online sales build the pot so the first live announcement hits with momentum.

Display the pot in real time. A visible, updating pot total is your most powerful sales tool. Every time a participant sees the number climb, the raffle becomes harder to ignore.

Time the draw for maximum sales. Place the draw after dinner or during a high-energy moment. Announce a firm closing time for ticket sales 30 to 45 minutes before the draw to create urgency.

Pair it with another format. A 50/50 works alongside a silent auction, a traditional raffle, or a fund-a-need appeal — capturing participants who will not bid on auction items but will spend $20 on a shot at cash. An events and auctions platform that manages everything in one place simplifies logistics.

Bundle with other raffle offerings. Sell combo bundles: "$30 gets you one 50/50 ticket and three prize raffle tickets." For inspiration on what to pair with your 50/50, see our best raffle prize ideas guide.

Run it regularly. A one-off 50/50 raffle is good. A monthly or quarterly 50/50 becomes a tradition that participants anticipate and budget for. Regular raffles build a growing list of engaged supporters you can reach for future campaigns and events.

Use the right platform. For anything beyond a small community event, a purpose-built raffle platform handles ticket sales, real-time pot tracking, random drawing, winner notification, and reporting automatically. momoGood's raffle tools are built for nonprofits: compliant by design, simple to set up, and integrated with the rest of your fundraising stack. Talk to our team to see how it works.

After the draw, momoGood AI helps you make the most of every ticket buyer — scoring supporters based on engagement, composing personalized thank-you messages, and identifying the participants most likely to give again. Learn more about momoGood AI.