Most fundraising events leave raffle revenue on the table. Not because the prizes are wrong, not because guests don't want to participate, but because nobody is actively selling.
A digital raffle on GalaBid makes it easy for guests to buy tickets from their phones. But a phone link alone is passive. The events that consistently generate the highest raffle revenue are the ones where volunteers are on their feet, moving through the room, talking to tables, and making the ask in person. That is where the real money is.
This playbook is for the people doing that work. Whether you are briefing a team of volunteers for a gala dinner or stepping into that role yourself, here is everything you need to maximise raffle ticket sales from the moment guests arrive to the moment the draw is called.
Before the Night: Set Your Volunteers Up to Succeed
Get set up on GalaBid Volunteer Accounts
Every volunteer selling raffle tickets on the night should be logged into a GalaBid Volunteer Account on their device before the event starts. Volunteer Accounts are the engine that makes in-person raffle sales work. Through their login, volunteers can purchase raffle tickets on behalf of any guest, register new participants, accept payments by card, and enter cash sales directly into the platform so every transaction is captured and tracked in real time.
There are no paper tallies to reconcile at the end of the night. No cash tin to count. Every sale is recorded against the guest's account the moment it happens.
Make sure each volunteer has their device charged, their login tested, and a working internet connection confirmed before guests arrive. A brief run-through of the purchase flow during the pre-event setup is worth doing even for volunteers who are familiar with the platform.
Know the raffle inside out
Every volunteer should arrive knowing the prizes, the ticket price, the bundle options, and roughly how many tickets are available. Guests will ask. A volunteer who can enthusiastically describe what is up for grabs, explain that a bundle of six tickets for the price of four is available, and tell a guest their ticket numbers will arrive by SMS the moment they pay is far more persuasive than one who has to check their phone for the details.
Before the night, organisers should share a simple one-page brief covering the prize list with values, the ticket pricing and bundle structure, any compliance or draw timing details guests might ask about, and the key message you want volunteers to lead with.
Assign zones, not just roles
The most common mistake in volunteer raffle selling is having the whole team gravitate toward the same areas. Before the event, divide the room into clear zones and assign a volunteer to each one. At a gala dinner, this typically means one or two tables per volunteer.
Each volunteer is responsible for visiting every table in their zone at least twice during the evening: once during arrival and pre-dinner drinks, and once during dinner service. If ticket sales are slow in a zone, a third pass before the draw is called is worth making.
During the Event: How to Sell Table by Table
Start during arrival drinks
The best time to sell raffle tickets is when guests are relaxed, in a good mood, and not yet committed to anything else for the evening. That window is arrival drinks.
As soon as guests are in the room, volunteers should be moving. Do not wait for people to come to you. Approach each group with your tablet or phone ready and lead with enthusiasm for the prizes rather than a request for money.
A simple opening works well: mention the top prize, note that tickets are available now, and pull up the purchase screen as you explain the bundle options. The goal is to make buying feel easy and natural rather than like a transaction.
The conversation that sells
You do not need a script. But a loose framework helps, especially for volunteers who find cold approaching unfamiliar.
Acknowledge the cause first. Guests are at this event because they care about the organisation. Starting with a brief reference to what the raffle proceeds support, what the night is raising money for, puts the purchase in context and reminds people why they are there.
Then lead with the prize. "Have you seen what's up for grabs tonight?" is a better opener than "Can I sell you a raffle ticket?" People buy excitement, not obligation.
Then make the bundle the default offer. Rather than asking how many tickets someone wants, offer the bundle directly: "You can grab six tickets for [price], which works out better value than singles. A lot of people are going for that." Anchoring to the bundle consistently increases average spend per guest.
If a guest hesitates, do not push. Acknowledge that you will come back around later and move on. A guest who feels pressured will not buy, and may feel negatively about the event. A guest who is left with time to think often does buy when you return.
Accept cash without missing a beat
Some guests will want to pay with cash, particularly at seated dinner events where a physical transaction feels more natural than tapping a phone. GalaBid's Volunteer Accounts handle this without friction.
When a guest pays cash, the volunteer completes the purchase on their device on the guest's behalf, entering the guest's details and selecting cash as the payment method. The guest is registered in the system, their ticket numbers are issued, and the sale is captured. No separate cash log, no hand-written receipt books, no reconciliation headache at the end of the night.
This matters more than it might seem. At many events, a significant number of sales happen in cash, particularly from older guests or table hosts who prefer it. A team that can handle cash payments smoothly and quickly will sell meaningfully more tickets than one that fumbles or declines cash.
Make a second pass during dinner
The pre-dinner drinks window catches the enthusiastic early buyers. The dinner service is when you reach everyone else.
Once guests are seated and the meal is underway, volunteers should return to their zones and visit each table again. The atmosphere is different now. Guests are more settled, conversations are flowing, and the evening has momentum. This is often when a table host who seemed uninterested during drinks decides to buy a round of tickets for the whole table.
During dinner, the MC should be making periodic announcements from the stage reminding guests that raffle tickets are still available and that volunteers are circulating. These announcements act as prompts that make your table visits land better. When a guest has just heard about the prizes from the stage and a volunteer appears at the table moments later, the timing feels natural rather than intrusive.
Use the leaderboard and screens to your advantage
If GalaBid's leaderboard is running on the event screens, the raffle's progress may be visible to the room in real time. Point this out at tables. "You can see the ticket count going up on screen" or "We're getting close to selling out the first wave of tickets" creates a sense of scarcity and momentum that encourages guests who have been deferring to act now.
Ticket availability, whether displayed or mentioned, is one of the most effective nudges in raffle selling. When people believe they might miss out, they buy.
Target the tables most likely to buy in volume
Not all tables are equal. Tables occupied by corporate sponsors, board members, major donors, or table hosts who bought multiple seats are typically your highest-value opportunities. These guests have already committed to the event at a meaningful level, which signals engagement and capacity.
Without being exclusionary to other tables, it is worth prioritising a slightly longer conversation at these tables. A table host who buys a bundle for every person at their table of ten is worth far more than ten individual single-ticket purchases across the room, and they often will if asked directly and warmly.
Make one final pass before the draw is called
In the 15 to 20 minutes before the raffle draw is announced, make a last round of the room. Many guests who said they would think about it earlier in the evening will be ready to commit now. The impending draw creates urgency that earlier in the night did not exist.
Volunteers should also check with tables that had no takers earlier. Guests who were deep in conversation during the meal or who arrived late may not have been approached yet or may have been distracted when you came by. A final, friendly visit before the draw closes the remaining sales.
What to Say When Guests Ask Questions
"I already bought tickets online."
Great. That means they are already entered and engaged. Acknowledge it warmly, and mention the bundle option if they only bought a small number. "That is brilliant, you are already in. Did you get a bundle or just a couple? We've got a six-ticket bundle that's popular tonight if you wanted to boost your chances."
"What are the prizes?"
Know your top two or three prizes by heart and lead with the most exciting one. Have an image on your device ready to show if you can. A guest who can see a prize is far more likely to buy a ticket for it than one who hears a generic description.
"How does it work?"
Keep it simple. "You buy your tickets now, your numbers are sent straight to your phone by text or email, and we draw the winners up on screen later tonight. If your number comes up, you'll know immediately." The transparency of a live on-screen draw is genuinely reassuring to guests who have had negative experiences with poorly run raffles in the past.
"Can I pay cash?"
Yes. Pull up the purchase screen, enter their details, and select cash. Simple.
"I'll grab some later."
Note which table they are at and come back. Do not let this be the last interaction.
The Draw: Make It a Moment
Once ticket sales close and the draw is called, your job as a volunteer shifts. You are no longer selling. You are supporting the room experience.
GalaBid's Raffle Projector Display runs the draw on the big screen, with each winner's name and ticket number revealed live as it is drawn. The MC takes over and the room watches together. This is the payoff for all the work you and your fellow volunteers have done during the evening.
Make sure anyone at your tables who has not yet received their ticket numbers by SMS or email can check their GalaBid account on their phone. If a winner at your table is drawn and they are not looking at the screen, let them know.
Winners are also notified automatically by email or SMS the moment they are drawn, so nobody genuinely misses out on finding out. But the in-room moment of a name appearing on the big screen is worth sharing, and a volunteer who helps create that experience for their tables makes the whole event feel better managed and more memorable.
After the Night: What to Track
After the event, GalaBid's reports give you a full breakdown of raffle ticket sales by volume, revenue, and payment method. This data is useful for future events: which selling windows generated the most sales, how much came from cash versus card, how bundle take-up compared to single-ticket purchases.
If certain tables or zones consistently outperformed others, that is worth understanding. It may reflect the financial profile of the guest list at those tables, the quality of the volunteer in that zone, or the timing of visits. Any of these insights can sharpen the approach next time.
Setting Your Team Up on GalaBid
If you are organising an event and want to get your volunteer team set up on GalaBid Volunteer Accounts, the process is straightforward. You create the volunteer login in your campaign dashboard and share the access details with each team member before the event. Full guidance is available in GalaBid's help centre at support.galabid.com, and the GalaBid support team is available via live chat and WhatsApp if you need help configuring your raffle or getting volunteers ready to sell.
To see the full raffle feature in action, visit galabid.com/raffle or access the live demo campaign.
Running a raffle at your next event? Start your free GalaBid campaign or book a call with the team to get set up.
