8 Tips to Make Your Raffle Baskets More Appealing

Raffle baskets are a great way to raise money for your school, PTO, or nonprofit organization. How you package your baskets and which items you pair together makes a big difference when it comes to how much money they can bring in.

Other things, such as automated winner selection and online raffle ticket sales, can also make your raffle basket fundraiser more successful. BetterWorld has all of the tools you need, including templates and payment processing, to make your raffle basket fundraiser an incredible success. Reach out to our team to learn more about how we can help you organize all of your raffle basket ideas into a successful fundraiser for your organization.

How to Make the Best Raffle Basket

Before you start assembling your baskets, there are a few things that you can do to improve the amount of money you raise. Here are some tips for how to make raffle baskets that your donors can’t resist!

1. Get Creative

The more exciting the packaging, the better! You can’t simply throw items in a basket, wrap it in cellophane, and expect it to bring in hundreds of dollars.

Instead, visit your local dollar store to grab some cheap embellishments like themed gift basket wrapping, colorful ribbons, interesting baskets, and other things that will help make your raffle baskets stand out. ‌

2. Be Intentional With Your Arrangement

No one will enter to win something that they can’t see! Make sure that all of the items within your raffle baskets are within clear view by arranging them appropriately.

Start with your heaviest or tallest item and build your basket around it. Once you have your largest item in the center of your raffle basket, start to add smaller items around it in a way that is visually appealing. Be sure to put all small items in the front of the basket so that they can be easily seen.

3. Include a List of What is In Your Raffle Basket

Even if you arrange the basket beautifully, always include a detailed description of what is included. Be sure to mention what each raffle basket item is worth.

This will help your donors justify buying a larger amount of bids. If your basket contains items worth hundreds of dollars, purchasing a $5 raffle ticket doesn’t seem too bad!

4. Pair Like Items Together

As you’re collecting donations of raffle basket items, you’ll probably start to notice that you’re getting an assortment of items that may not seem similar. This is okay! The point of a raffle basket is to have multiple items in the basket. Your ticket purchasers may want all of the items or they may be interested in just one or two – and that’s okay! Either way, they will buy a chance to win your raffle basket.

Pair your raffle basket items together with other items that are similar. For example, if you have received a gift card to an upscale restaurant, movie tickets, and a bottle of wine, put them all together in one basket and raffle it off as a Date Night basket. Doing this will increase the value of the basket, as well as the number of people who will be interested in bidding.

5. Offer Themed Baskets

Instead of pairing up your raffle basket items after you receive them, you can also establish raffle basket themes before soliciting items. This will give your organization committee ideas on what types of businesses to target when asking for donations. Typical themes include a Sports Night, Date Night, Movie Night, or a Game Day basket.

For a Sports Night or Game Day basket, include tickets to an upcoming game, snacks, and team merchandise. These are especially popular when the game is a professional sports team. Raising money for a high school fundraiser could include VIP tickets to your school’s most popular sporting event.

6. Choose Items That Are Popular With Your Audience

One of the reasons why raffle baskets are always a popular fundraiser is because they reach a variety of audiences. Improve the odds of securing bids and donations by spanning your gift basket themes across a variety of age groups and interests.

Include some raffle basket items that are specific to your fundraising organization, such as a basketball-themed basket for a high school basketball team. Mix those baskets with other more generic baskets, such as date nights or movie nights. When you have something for everyone, more people will participate.

7. Feature Your Raffle Baskets on an Online Fundraising Platform

Selling raffle tickets in person can only raise so much money. You’re limited to the donors who are present at your in-person fundraiser.

Expand your reach by setting up an online fundraising page that can be easily shared through email and on social media. This will ensure that you’re reaching as many people as possible. Take quality photos of your raffle baskets, and be sure to include information on what is in the basket to entice people to place their bids.

A lot of online fundraising platforms, like BetterWorld, make it easy for you to set up your raffle basket fundraiser. This will also simplify the process of buying and paying for tickets for your donors. It’s a win-win for everyone!

8. Build Baskets with Physical Items and Experiences

A common misconception with gift basket ideas for raffles is that all of the items must be physical items, like a bottle of wine or an autographed basketball. This isn’t true! Experiences such as restaurant gift cards, vacation getaways, or memberships to local attractions are always great silent auction gift basket ideas.

Build your Raffle Basket Fundraiser with BetterWorld

Now that you know how to make a raffle basket, get in touch with BetterWorld to learn how we can streamline your fundraising process and help you make more money with less effort.

From our mobile bidding to our ticketing platform, we have everything you need to host a successful raffle basket fundraiser!