Payments & revenue
Raffles
Run ticketed fundraising draws with numbered tickets and a public results page.
The Raffles page lets your organisation run ticketed fundraising draws on its own payment rails. Supporters buy numbered tickets from a public raffle page on your site, numbers are allocated the moment payment lands, and when entries close you draw the winners with secure randomness — the results publish automatically and winners are emailed. You'll find it under Revenue → Raffles in the admin sidebar.
Who can use this
Raffles are a Pro plan feature, and club administrators and moderators manage them. You'll need online payments set up (see Revenue → Member payments) — raffle tickets always cost money, so there's no free path.
Compliance comes first. Raffle and lottery rules in Australia are set state by state — what needs a permit (and from whom) depends on where the raffle runs and how much the tickets are worth. A raffle cannot open until you record the state it runs in and attest your club complies with that state's rules. See the per-state guidance below; when in doubt, check your state regulator's site or ask your association.
What's on the page
- A raffles list with each raffle's status (Draft, Open, Closed — draw pending, Drawn, Cancelled), tickets sold and close date.
- A New raffle button opening the setup form.
- Each raffle's own page: lifecycle actions (open / close / draw / cancel), the editable details, and every order with its status.
Step by step
Set up and open a raffle
- Open Revenue → Raffles and select New raffle.
- Give it a title, web address, ticket price, and list the prizes one per line, best prize first — the draw picks one winner per prize, in order.
- Optionally cap the total tickets and set when entries open and when they close (required).
- Pick the state the raffle runs in and record a permit number if your state requires one for a raffle of this size.
- On the raffle's page, review the compliance notice and select I attest compliance — open for entries. The raffle is now live at
/raffles/<address>on your site.
Sell tickets (what supporters see)
- Supporters open the raffle page — no account needed — choose how many tickets, and pay through your provider's secure checkout.
- Their numbered tickets are allocated the moment payment lands and emailed on the receipt.
- The page shows a live count of tickets sold; entries close automatically at the close time (or sooner if the ticket cap sells out).
Draw the winners
- After entries close, open the raffle's admin page — a Draw the winners button appears.
- The draw picks one winning ticket per prize using cryptographic randomness. It cannot be re-run.
- The public page switches to the results (ticket numbers with first name + last initial), and each winner is emailed. Arranging prize hand-over stays with your club.
Refunds
Refund a raffle order from your payment provider like any other payment — the refund automatically voids that order's tickets so they can't win.
Field reference
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Prizes | One per line, best first. Line position = prize position (1st, 2nd, …). |
| Ticket cap | Optional maximum tickets across the whole raffle. Blank = unlimited. |
| Max per order | How many tickets one buyer can grab in a single order. |
| Entries close | Hard cut-off. The raffle closes itself within about 15 minutes of this time. |
| State it runs in | Required before opening — determines which rules apply. |
| Permit number | Record it when your state requires a permit; it's shown on the public page. |
Tips & FAQ
- Which raffles need a permit? As a rough guide (check your regulator for current thresholds): small club raffles drawn on the day are usually permit-free everywhere; larger raffles need a permit or licence above a prize/ticket-value threshold that differs by state — NSW (Fair Trading), VIC (VGCCC), QLD (OLGR), SA (CBS), WA (Gaming Commission), TAS (Liquor & Gaming), ACT (Gambling & Racing Commission) and NT (Licensing NT) all publish their rules. ClubHelix records your attestation; the legal responsibility for compliance sits with your club.
- Why can't I edit the price after sales start? The price, caps and open time lock once tickets exist so every entrant bought under the same terms. Copy fields (title, description, prizes, close time) stay editable.
- Can members see their tickets? Yes — ticket numbers are on the purchase receipt, and signed-in buyers see their orders on their account page.
- What happens on a cancelled raffle? Entries stop immediately. Refund the paid orders from your provider — each refund voids its tickets.
- Is this gambling? Raffle-style fundraising is regulated but generally permitted for community organisations. ClubHelix deliberately supports straightforward raffles only — no gambling-style formats.