Text Raffle
NO set-up fees, NO monthly charges
How it works
Step 1
supporters text one word to enter
Step 2
winning number is picked at random
Step 3
winner is called or texted by host
"The DONATE text raffle worked fantastically for our event and was extremely easy to set up and use. The team are really helpful and always on-hand to sort out any queries you may have. Being able to ring the winner on stage added a great bit of drama to the evening! We highly recommend it" - Family Holiday Association
Text raffles enable your supporters to enter into a raffle using their mobile phone. Mobile phone numbers act as the entry tickets with the winning number being called and/or texted by you.
Read our handy guide on How to Set Up and run a Text Raffle. We’ve also answered your frequently asked questions below.
FAQs
Can any organisation use DONATE's text raffle service? 
DONATE’S™ text raffle service is available to any charitable organisation that is registered with DONATE™. If you are not yet registered with DONATE™ you can do so for free here.
What are the Gambling and Lottery requirements?
Incidental Lotteries do not apply to text raffles (as no physical ticket is provided). Your text raffle will be classed as a Small Society Lottery (if under £20,000 of receipts) and you will need to apply to your local authority for the appropriate licence.
If you are going to raise more than £20,000 then you may need to apply for a Large Society Lottery which has more onerous requirements. See: https://www.
Please note that in all circumstances DONATE™ operates as a payment provider and not as an External Lottery Manager (ELM) and it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct authority/licence to run a lottery/raffle.
The link to your Lottery licence page should be made available in your promotional material and the thank-you text response. Please note that the creation of your rules is your legal responsibility and whilst we cannot provide specific advice or guidance you should identify the promotion as a text raffle.
How long does it take to set-up a text raffle?
Once an organisation is set up with DONATE™ your text raffle should be available within one-two working days. You can see how to set-up a raffle here.
Can we choose our own keyword entry word and change it as required?
Yes. For each campaign you may rent, without charge, a memorable keyword (up to 8 characters) for entry ie WORKSHOP. Please note that some keywords may already be in use or not acceptable and you may therefore be asked to alter your chosen word or identify an alternative.
Please note that we reserve the right to recall a keyword at any time.
Can we change the response message sent to the participant
No. The text raffle response message is fixed in order to comply with current legislation.
Can we track and manage our campaigns?
Yes, once signed up you have access to your self-serve portal. This gives you 24/7 access to donation reports and GDPR compliant donor opted-in data. The portal also enable you to add/enable/disable campaigns, download signage templates, amend thank-you emails and texts and much much more. Login is here: https://platform.nationalfundingscheme.org/portal/login
How should we promote the text raffle to our supporters?
You can promote a lottery across social media, email and other channels but you will need a local authority licence. This page from the Gambling Commission may be helpful.
Please note that your promotional material must include the following:
- That the supporter is participating in a text raffle
- That payment will be taken by National Funding Scheme, t/a DONATE.
- Your organisation name and lottery licence number as the beneficiary
- That charges will be made to the supporter’s mobile phone bill
- That National Funding Scheme charge 4.5%* of the ticket price for handling the raffle
- That persons under the age of 16 are not permitted to participate
- That further information is available at www.xxx (where xxx is your Licence webpage identified in the text raffle reply)**
More tips on promoting your Text Raffle can be found here.
* 4.5% for charities, 5% for non-charities. Please adjust accordingly.
** Your Licence webpage will be dynamically created when your raffle is created.
Can we set a start-date to our raffle?
You should only promote your raffle when you are ready to accept entries.
Can we combine a text raffle with sales of other raffle tickets (eg cash)?
Yes, this is possible. Entries made by cash can be added to DONATE’s™ text raffle entries using our cash entry screen. This enables your team to enter the number of tickets bought and a reference for the buyer (name, telephone number etc.).
What are the text raffle ticket prices?
We provide £3, £5 and £10 ticket prices without any set-up or monthly charge. There is a one off £50 charge for £20 and £30 ticket prices.
Please note that a £20 one-time cap and £30 daily cap is set by the premium text regulator Phone-paid Services Authority. Additional entry tickets above this cap can be bought by cash and entered into the draw.
Does the ticket price identify a single entry into the raffle at that price?
Yes, the £3, £5, £10, £20 or £30 ticket price conforms to a single entry at that price.
It is not possible for a £3 ticket to relate to 3 entries etc.
Can an entrant participate more than once in a raffle?
Subject to the £30 daily spending cap, multiple entries can be made. For example, a single user could buy 6x£5 tickets per day.
How and when is the draw made and winner notified?
We provide a web page from which a winning number (and numbered list of all runners up) are provided from the database of entries. You may make the draw from 30minutes after the last ticket entry. Winners can be notified by ringing or texting the winning number (or reading out the winning mobile number).
30 winning, randomised, entries are shown. A second raffle should be set up if more than 30 prizes are available.
Do we have access to the donor's mobile numbers for future marketing purposes?
By default a donor is not giving permission for their data being made available for marketing purposes. Should the donor give their permission (ie through responding to a specific request) then we will make such opted-in data available to you.
What are DONATE's charges for the text raffle service?
DONATE™ does not charge for running the text raffle service but we charge our normal transaction fees for each text donation made (4.5% for charities, 5% for non-charities). More information about our fees is available here.
Do all mobile networks / contracts accept entries
Yes, our service is compatible across all the UK networks (EE, O2, Vodafone, Three. Sky and Virgin). However, some mobile contracts preclude premium text billing and those users will not be able to participate. This is outside our control; the individual should contact their provider to request access to premium text billing.
Please note though that those with an overseas SIM cannot use UK premium text services. Our mobile web channel (PayPal, credit and debit cards) provides a giving route for these supporters.
Are there any additional charges made to the participant's mobile phone bill
Participants may additionally be charged their standard network rate. This should be mentioned on any accompanying literature.
When do we receive funds from DONATE?
Funds are received by National Funding Scheme (registered charity) and passed across (less fees) as per our Affiliation Agreement (see Agreements for charities and non-charities).
Is Gift Aid available on the ticket purchase?
Gift Aid is not available on a text raffle ticket entry.
Can DONATE source the prizes for our raffle?
DONATE™ does not source prizes.
What management reporting tools are available?
All organisational users of DONATE™ have access to our self-serve, management portal where administrators can access donation reports, download web, text, QR donation codes, user data and much much more.
