Raffles are a very effective way of raising money. A raffle can be an extra way of generating money at another event (e.g. dinner, pub quiz, work social night) or you can sell raffle tickets for the NCBI Car Draw that we run every year. LINK

• Do I need a permit? All public raffles require a permit obtained from the Gardai. There are restrictions on the number of permits issued (limit is one in a six month period).
• I am holding a raffle during the pub quiz, do I need a permit? If you are selling tickets for a raffle as part of a pub quiz / race night/ match in a private venue or just at work then it is not strictly open to the public and a permit is not normally needed. Contact us if you need any more advice on permits.
• What should I charge for the tickets? Charge what the market will bear and take any costs into account. Raffle tickets are best sold in groups e.g. 5 for €2 or 15 for €5 rather than singly. Obviously if you have a big prize you can charge more for the tickets.
• Where can I buy raffle tickets? All good stationers will supply books of raffle tickets in various colours at a reasonable price.
• Do I need a letter of authorisation? When asking businesses for prizes it helps if you have some form of letter authorising you to collect prizes for a raffle on behalf of the charities. All team members have been supplied with general authorisation letters. If you need letters for other people collecting money/prizes on your behalf just let us know and we can arrange them.
• Where can I get prizes for a raffle? Businesses are often asked for prizes and many will have a clear policy e.g. only giving to contacts (staff/colleagues), local causes or those charities with whom they will have a personal contact. To obtain a prize, ideally talk to someone in the business who knows you or who may have a ‘relationship’ with you or your work. Follow up the phone call with a letter so that the business has something on file confirming the offer to donate and arrangements for collecting the prize and enclosing a copy of the letter of authorisation. The larger supermarkets will have a policy on giving spot prizes, you should apply to the courtesy desk in the first instance. Supermarkets will also need a letter of authorisation.
• Looking after the money. Just do a count at the end of the event, take out any overheads and bank the money. For the NCBI Car Draw Raffle: You may receive income over a period of time and it is safer to bank it as you go. Please inform us when you have made a lodgement so that an accurate tally can be kept of your team’s lodgements.
• Please thank everyone who helped: those who donated prizes and those who sold tickets. We will always be pleased to send out letters of thanks from the office if needed. And most importantly, thank you, as we do appreciate all the hard work you have put into collecting the money.