How do you organise a raffle for your association, step by step?
Organising a raffle requires authorisation from the town hall, then follows four stages: gathering the prizes, obtaining the authorisation, selling the tickets, then holding the prize draw. If your game stays within a small circle with modest stakes, it is in fact a traditional loto, which does not require authorisation: the rules are different.
With Donoor ticketing, you create the event, sell your tickets online and on site, then export the list of participants to prepare the draw.
Do you need authorisation to organise an association raffle?
Yes. Any lottery open to the public, including a raffle, must be authorised in advance.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who can apply for authorisation | An association whose statutory purpose is charitable, sporting, cultural, scientific or educational, and non-profit |
| To whom the application is addressed | The mayor of the commune where the association has its registered office (the Préfet de police in Paris) |
| Which form | Cerfa form no. 11823 |
| Which supporting documents | The association's articles of association for a first application; the last financial statement if the issue capital exceeds €7,500 |
| Response time | 2 months; without a response from the administration, the application is deemed rejected |
| Expense cap | Organisation costs, including the purchase of prizes, must not exceed 15% of the issue capital |
The issue capital is the price of one ticket multiplied by the number of tickets put on sale: it is this amount, and not the money actually collected, that determines which documents must be provided. Above €30,000 of issue capital, the mayor decides after obtaining the opinion of the departmental or regional director of public finances, who checks in particular the association's budgetary balance, the seriousness of the project and the exceptional nature of the raffle: it must not become the association's main source of income.
Important: organising a raffle without authorisation, or outside the conditions set, exposes you to a fine of €90,000 and up to 3 years' imprisonment. An online raffle open to the public on the internet is prohibited; the game must take place in person.
Choosing your prizes carefully
The prizes in an association raffle follow the same rule as those in a loto: never sums of money, and no cash refunds. Beyond this limit, you are free to offer whatever you wish, and their value is not capped.
| Permitted prizes | Prohibited prizes |
|---|---|
| Objects, products, holidays, show tickets, non-refundable vouchers | Sums of money, securities or vouchers redeemable for cash |
Local shopkeepers and businesses in your commune are often good partners: a donated prize gives them local visibility, and for the association it reduces the organisation costs that count towards the 15% cap mentioned above.
Good to know: the thresholds of €7,500 and €30,000 are calculated on the issue capital (ticket price × number of tickets put on sale), not on the money actually collected nor on the value of the prizes.
Selling your tickets with Donoor
Once authorisation has been obtained, selling tickets follows the same process as for a standard ticketed event.
- In the menu, open Ticketing then New event: give your raffle a name, its date and, if the draw takes place during an event, its location.
- Create your "Ticket" rate with Add a rate: its name, description and price.
- Click Publish to open sales, then Share to send the link by email, SMS or social media.
- Each buyer immediately receives their ticket by email, as a PDF, with a unique QR code and number.
- On the day, for latecomers who have not booked: charge their card with Tap to Pay, without a payment terminal, or add them manually in Participants.
For details of each step, follow the training courses Create your event and set up tickets and rates. As with any Donoor ticketing, your association pays no subscription or commission: only the payment provider's fees apply on paid tickets.
Holding the prize draw and announcing the winner
- From Participants, click Export to download the full list of buyers in Excel, CSV or PDF.
- Hold the draw from this list, using the method of your choice (drum, online random generator). Keep written proof of the draw: it is useful in case of a dispute, and necessary for your supporting documents.
- Contact the winner or winners using the email address provided when the ticket was purchased.
Keep the list of participants, the town hall's authorisation and the raffle's accounts for 6 years.
Tip: Donoor numbers each ticket automatically and gives it a unique QR code; the list exported from Participants is enough to prepare a verifiable prize draw, without re-entering data.
Key takeaways
- An association raffle requires prior authorisation from the town hall of the association's registered office (or the Préfet de police in Paris), using Cerfa form no. 11823.
- The issue capital (ticket price × number of tickets) determines the documents to attach: financial statement above €7,500, public finances opinion above €30,000.
- Organisation costs, prizes included, must not exceed 15% of the issue capital; prizes are never sums of money.
- With Donoor, sell your tickets online and on site, with no platform commission, and export the list of participants for the draw.
- If your game stays within a small circle with stakes under €20, a traditional loto is enough, without authorisation.