What is a raffle basket?

A raffle basket is a basket of raffle or auction items centered around a cohesive theme. Instead of winning or bidding on a single item, guests at your raffle or charity auction receive the entire basket of related, sought-after prizes.

By including raffle baskets at your next event, your nonprofit or school can create more curated prizes that appeal to your specific audience’s interests and give them more bang for their buck. 

Are raffle baskets only for traditional raffles?

No! While raffle baskets were originally used as raffle prizes rather than auction items, you can use them for any fundraising event. Guests can:

• Win raffle baskets at a raffle by drawing a winning ticket.
• Bid on them live at an auction.
• Place bids for them online at a hybrid or virtual silent auction. 

If you’re not planning on hosting a large auction or raffle, you can also give away a single raffle basket at any other fundraising event. Guests are bound to want to win a fun collection of prizes at any fundraiser!

How to create raffle baskets

Ready to get started creating your own? Follow these steps to craft quality raffle baskets for your organization:

1. Brainstorm ideas for themes that your supporters would love.
2. Contact local businesses to see if you can get relevant, ready-made baskets fully donated.
3. Solicit individual items from various local businesses and major donors.
4. Group donated items together by theme.
5. If needed, buy a few low-cost items to fill any gaps in your raffle baskets.

You can follow this process once or as many times as you need. If raffle baskets are a hit at one event, you can even consider making next year’s auction a raffle-basket only event!

Popular raffle basket ideas

Do research to see what types of raffle basket themes are common for other organizations online or in your area. Take inspiration from both common and unique options. Here are some popular options to get inspired by:

• Wine basket: Solicit a collection of nice wines from a winery or major donors. Add in a variety of cheese and fruit to turn this into a charcuterie basket!
• Date night basket: Put together all the supplies you would need for the perfect date, such as a restaurant reservation, chocolates, and flowers.
• Picnic basket: There’s nothing wrong with keeping things simple! Include a picnic blanket, snacks, drinks, and a nice basket the winner can use again.
• Gift card basket: This is one of the easiest raffle baskets to create. Just contact a variety of local businesses and ask for donated gift cards.
• Sports lover basket: If your donor base is made up of sports fans, this basket is the perfect choice. Include tickets to a game and signed memorabilia. 

Don’t feel the need to stick to these popular options alone. Raffle baskets offer endless opportunities for creativity, so run with any unique ideas your team comes up with. Just be sure to choose themes you know will resonate with your audience.