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How is Zeffy free?
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If the impressive fundraising potential of raffles has you curious to try something new, exploring helpful tools and technology is a great place to start. A free raffle generator can keep your event fair, fast, effective, and budget-friendly.
Whether you call it a random name picker, a draw generator, or a random winner selector, we have you covered. This article will introduce you to some of the best free options, with honest ratings and user reviews.
How to draw a random winner for your raffle
Raffles draw people in to purchase entries based on a fair chance of winning attractive prizes. Many organizations use a random generator to draw a random winner for a quick and accurate outcome.
Random generators pull from a list of participant names or raffle ticket numbers.
The best way to manage your list of multiple winners is to run your raffle through a raffle tool that automatically captures information from each ticket purchase and keeps your list organized.
Raffle laws and regulations to consider before picking a tool
Raffle laws vary by state, but knowing your local legislation will help you keep your raffle draw compliant. As you assess free raffle generators, you can confirm they align with any rules you must follow.
Example laws include:
Requirement that the drawing happens in person
Requirements that winners are present at the drawing
Wheel of Names is a 100% free, simple, and fun way to draw winners. You enter your participants' names or numbers and spin the wheel to determine the winner.
The wheel spinning experience can be customized with your choice of:
A custom background image
Images associated with different entries on your wheel
A center image or logo for the wheel
Wheel of Names is compliant with GDPR and CCPA. As a bonus, the electricity that powers its servers comes from 93% carbon-free energy sources.
Wheel of Names Reviews
“Wheel of Names has been a total game changer for me this year while teaching virtually and while I’ve been teaching hybrid.” - Wheel of Names user
Comment Picker helps any savvy organization run a raffle, giveaway, or event and keep modern donors or participants engaged. The tool can randomly generate numbers or names or enhance the experience by adding functionality for social media comment entries.
Organizations can expand their reach and build awareness by adding an option or requirement to comment on a social media post for opportunities to win.
For example, you might host a raffle with a price per ticket and an option for additional bonus entries when someone comments "Can't wait" and tags a friend on your post to advertise the event.
The Instagram comment picker allows you to:
Filter comments by specific keywords or hashtags (ex. "can't wait")
Filter duplicate users to remain fair
Add comment replies (ex. "Thank you for your entry! Best of luck")
Choose several winners
Animate the winner's drawing to share on stories or a big screen at an in-person event
Comment Picker offers various ways to choose winners, including:
Random comment pickers for all social media channels
Random number and name generators
Number and random name picker wheels
The free plan can be upgraded to a Premium plan for $8 monthly to unlock additional features.
"We have been using Comment Picker for years and are very satisfied with it. They really think of everything and develop new and practical functions all the time. Love it and 100% recommend!" - 2024 Comment Picker user
Rafflys
Rafflys offers a free random name picker with a sleek and modern user interface to choose one or more winners without worrying about duplicate entries. You could also run the generator for several prize baskets you're offering guests to keep the excitement throughout the drawing.
Rafflys includes several applications for giveaways, events, and raffles, including:
Social media giveaway tools
Decision wheels
Random number and team generators
“Flip a coin” or “roll a dice” tools
There are a few options to upgrade from a free plan, ranging from $9 to $49 per month.
"Easy to understand, easy to implement, beautiful UX, hands off and nothing technical" - Raffly user
What to look like in tools to choose random winners
Any random picker can support your raffle, but how and when you choose names matters. If you’re torn between which name randomizer or number picker to go with, this mini checklist can help you decide:
Ease of use: It should be simple to set up and easy for anyone to use, even without much tech experience.
Fairness: The tool should randomly pick winners, making sure everything is transparent and fair with an equal chance of winning and a clear understanding of duplicate names or numbers.
Customization: It’s great to add custom entries, like names or tickets, and have the option for multiple winners if needed. Another customization might be to offer an unlimited number of entries.
No hidden fees: Make sure it’s actually free and without unexpected charges, especially since you’re raising funds.
Integration with your raffle platform: The tool should work well with whatever raffle platform you use, like Zeffy, to track tickets and sales. Your raffle website should offer details on how you’ll choose winners and when your audience can expect to learn the outcome.
Security: Look for a tool that keeps participant data safe and follows privacy laws.
Support: It’s helpful if the tool has customer support, just in case you run into any issues during your raffle.
Host your raffle for free on Zeffy
Looking to run a raffle without paying hefty fees? Pair a free raffle generator with Zeffy’s online platform for a seamless, fee-free experience. Here’s how it works:
Create your raffle for free and sell tickets online or in person using Zeffy with no fees.
Customize your tickets with your logo, colors, and banner, plus get automatically numbered e-tickets.
Track ticket sales and scans easily with unique QR codes and manage everything from your dashboard.
Accept all payment types—credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and checks—without paying processing fees.
Sell tickets in person at events using just your iPhone; no terminal is needed.
Offer ticket bundles discounts and automatically send tax receipts to your supporters.
Keep track of all sales and export reports while adding custom questions to your forms.
Combining a free raffle generator with Zeffy allows you to host an efficient, customizable, and cost-free raffle that maximizes fundraising for your nonprofit!
You can draw a random name for a raffle with a name or number generator that surfaces the number of winners you specify from a list of participants you submit.
Zeffy’s free online raffle platform makes it easy to launch a raffle and track participant information in one place without hidden fees and costs.
A random name picker tool is super handy because it saves you time and ensures the winner is picked fairly and without bias. It's quick, easy to use, and perfect for giveaways or raffles. Plus, you can customize it for different needs, like picking multiple winners or setting certain conditions.
Whether you use a random number generator or a random name generator is entirely up to your preference.
Use a number generator if tracking ticket numbers is easier than the names associated with each ticket. Use a name generator to make the draw more personal and skip the step of matching ticket numbers to participants.
You can also choose to use both for various portions of a raffle or separate prizes.
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