Raffle & Draw Log
Tickets sold, who bought them, and the money reconciled at the end.
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| Draw date | [date] |
| Price per ticket | $ [amount] |
| Sold by | [name] |
| Ticket numbers | Buyer | Count |
|---|---|---|
| [add one sale per line] |
What is a Raffle & Draw Log?
A raffle log records which ticket numbers went to whom, what money came in against each book, and how it all reconciles at the end. Two volunteers counting a cash tin at a school fair without one will not agree, and neither will be able to prove anything. It is also the document you produce if somebody asks how the draw was run and whether the winning number had actually been sold.
Schools and parent associations run raffles at fairs and concerts; sports clubs, churches, scout groups and village halls run them for equipment and repairs. Charities run larger draws with printed ticket books and a dozen sellers. Workplaces run Christmas draws. The log matters most where several people sell from separate books over several weeks and the money comes back in instalments, which describes very nearly every fundraising raffle anyone has ever organised.
Raffles are gambling, and gambling is regulated everywhere — this is the one section to read before selling a ticket. In Great Britain small fundraising draws run under the Gambling Act 2005, usually as incidental or small society lotteries, and a small society lottery must be registered with the licensing authority. Australian states and territories issue their own permits by prize value; Canadian raffles are licensed provincially; US rules are set state by state and some states restrict them heavily; India regulates lotteries state by state. Check yours.
The log is a record, not a permission. It does not make an unregistered draw lawful, and keeping good records will not cure a missing permit. It is not the terms of the draw either — the prizes, the draw date, the ticket price and who may enter should be published separately, before selling starts. And a raffle ticket is generally not a donation for tax relief purposes; if donors ask, point them to the tax authority rather than issuing a receipt that implies otherwise.
What to put in a Raffle & Draw Log
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Event name | For example: Trade Open Day 2026 |
| Date | Free text |
| Price per ticket | For example: 2.00 |
| Sales | One per line: Ticket numbers | Buyer | Count |
| Currency | Free text |
| Signatory name optional | For example: K. Srinivasa Rao |
How to write a Raffle & Draw Log
Number the books before anyone sells
Print or buy books with unique, sequential ticket numbers, and log every book number against the person who took it before it leaves the room. Unnumbered or loose tickets make the whole exercise pointless, because a returned stub cannot then be told apart from one that was sold. Record the date issued and the number of tickets in each book.
Record buyer, ticket range and amount
For each sale, log the buyer's name, a phone number or email, the ticket numbers sold and the amount taken. Contact details are not bureaucracy — a winner who cannot be found is the most common way a small raffle goes wrong. Where a seller records on the stub instead, the stub must carry the same information legibly before it goes into the drum.
Reconcile each book to cash
When a book comes back, count the sold stubs, count the unsold tickets, and check both against the cash handed over. Sold plus unsold must equal the book total. Two people count, both sign the log, and the cash goes straight into the tin or the bank. Do not accept a book back without the unsold tickets still in it.
Publish the rules before selling starts
Write down the prizes, the ticket price, the draw date, time and place, who is eligible to enter, how a winner will be contacted and what happens if they cannot be. Print it on the ticket or on the poster. Changing the prize or the date after tickets have been sold is the fastest way to turn a fundraiser into a complaint.
Draw in public and record it
Draw at the advertised time in front of witnesses, ideally with someone independent pulling the stubs. Log each winning number, the prize, the winner's name, the date they were contacted and the date the prize was handed over, with a signature where the prize is substantial. File the log with the stubs and the banking record for as long as your organisation keeps its accounts.
Common mistakes
- Selling loose tickets that are not tied to a numbered book, which makes it impossible to prove afterwards that the winning number was ever sold.
- Letting one person hold the stubs and the cash with nobody counting alongside them, which leaves an honest volunteer with no way to demonstrate they were honest.
- Taking no contact details, so an unclaimed prize sits in a cupboard and the draw ends in an argument rather than a photograph.
- Changing the prize, the price or the draw date after tickets have gone on sale, which invites refund demands you have no fund to meet.
- Selling tickets before checking whether a permit, licence or registration was needed, which can mean refunding the proceeds and leaving the organisers exposed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to run a raffle?
Often, and it depends where you are and how large the draw is. Great Britain distinguishes incidental lotteries held at an event from small society lotteries, which must be registered with the local licensing authority. Australian permits are issued by state or territory, Canadian raffles are licensed provincially, and US rules are set state by state with some states restricting them entirely. Check with your regulator before selling.
How do you record raffle ticket sales?
Issue numbered books and log which book went to which seller. For each sale record the buyer, contact details, ticket numbers and amount taken. When the book returns, count sold stubs plus unsold tickets against the book total and against the cash, and have two people sign. Keep the log, the stubs and the banking record together for as long as your organisation keeps its accounts.
How do you run a raffle at a school fair?
Check first whether your draw needs registration where you are, then publish the prizes, ticket price, draw time and eligibility before selling anything. Use numbered books, log each seller's book, and reconcile cash to stubs as books come back. Draw in public with a witness, log the winning numbers, and record when each prize was handed over. Bank the takings the same day where you can.
What happens if the raffle winner cannot be contacted?
That is why the rules should say in advance what happens: a stated period to claim, then a redraw or the prize going to a named alternative use. Publish it with the other terms and record your attempts at contact in the log. Where a raffle is licensed or registered, the regulator or your permit conditions may impose requirements too, so check them before deciding anything.
Can we sell raffle tickets online?
Sometimes, and it is the part of the rules that differs most. Online and remote sales can fall under separate licensing regimes even where the same draw would be fine sold in person, and some permits explicitly limit sales to a single event or venue. Check the position with your regulator before advertising, and keep the same numbered-book discipline for any tickets sold electronically.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.