This article is part of the Spring 2026 edition of the Volunteer Newsletter, a quarterly update meant to equip, empower and encourage RMEF volunteers. More articles are available on our dedicated Volunteer Newsletter page
This may sound simple. To some, this is normal procedure; however, to many other chapters, this is something novel that can take your event from good to great.
How often have you seen someone standing behind a table with a firearm sitting there and the seller holding an entire role of theater tickets? The sales pitch is “I’m selling tickets for $20 for this firearm.” Not very appealing, and it doesn’t prompt a potential buyer to find a $20 bill as fast as they possibly can to get in on this amazing opportunity.
We’ve all seen the Medallion raffle over the years, which has set odds for a typically high-end prize. The thought is that the people will come if the odds or the prize are good enough, right? Or that attendee budget constraints create strict confines. These theories seem to dominate the majority of the raffles at a typical event.
“$20 raffles are all our attendees can do.”
“We will price people right out and they won’t come back.”
These are often comments made when these ideas are pitched to a chapter for the first time. I’m here to tell you that these worries can be put to rest as chapters of all sizes, in all different types of communities, across the nation, are seeing a rise in their raffle net income and are hearing and seeing attendee excitement on the “new” approach. They are also seeing the length of their events shorten up since they aren’t having to pull many of their raffles at the very end of the event. Additionally, they see raffle prizes being given away early and often, which is creating an atmosphere with higher energy, promoting more spending with the raffles still left to get in on. This mentality has been carried into the auctions.
The more “odds” raffles you have, the more you will know when initially planning your event what your potential is if/when they sell out. Offering a variety of this type of raffle will show your attendees different options where they can weigh the odds vs the spend themselves. Along with offering different price points and odds in your raffles, offer “packaged” prizes rather than just a single item. This will also help with sales when attendees see a higher value for their opportunity. If you want to add more value to showcase the raffle, use “Take Home” items such as a knife, hat, tumbler or even socks that the attendees are guaranteed just for playing. Just make sure to factor that into your total spend per raffle for true numbers.
Here are a few examples.
Elk Hunter Raffle (Kenetrek Socks as “Take Home”)
Prize Package: Rifle, $500 Camo Clothing Gift Card, Kenetrek Boots and Yeti Tundra Cooler
Odds – 1 in 40 Price – $100 Cost – $1,449 Gross – $4,000 Net – $2,551 N/G – 63.8%
Precision Shooter Raffle (Browning Knifes as “Take Home”)
Prize Package: Rifle, Eylar Custom Case, Burris 50% Certificate, Deathgrip Tripod
Odds – 1 in 50 Price – $50 Cost – $1,100 Gross – $2,500 Net – $1,400 N/G – 56%
Turkey Hunter Raffle (No “Take Home”)
Prize Package: Shotgun, Turkey Vest, Calls, Decoy
Odds – 1 in 100 Price – $20 Cost – $800 Gross – $2,000 Net – $1,200 N/G – 60%
Planning For November Raffle (Blaze Orange RMEF Hat as “Take Home”)
Prize Package: Rifle, Ladder Stand, Food Plot Seed, Stihl Chainsaw, Game Cameras
Odds – 1 in 50 Price – $100 Cost – $1,000 Gross – $5,000 Net – $4,000 N/G – 80%
If you still need convincing: there is a Regional Director (RD) that adopted this during their planning process last fall for the 2026 banquet season. After holding 11 events in the first quarter, they have seen a significant increase in raffle income, cut an average of 1 hour off of events that used to be 5+ hours long and seen an increase in overall spend per person. Just as important is the amount of attendees reaching out night of or the following week to thank the chapter and RD for a great time and “breath of fresh air” at the banquet. All this allows RMEF to put more on the ground in that state than ever before. This is the ultimate goal for all chapters.