The raffle went well. Now there’s a cash box count, a stack of ticket stubs with names and phone numbers, maybe a card reader report, and someone in finance asking when it will show up in Altru. Altru has no raffle-specific module, so getting this in cleanly comes down to a few decisions you make before anyone starts typing.
First, decide what the record needs to do
Every option below is easier once you’ve answered three questions:
- Do you need each buyer in Altru, or just the money? If finance only needs the total to reconcile, one summary record is enough. If development wants to follow up with buyers, you need constituent-level records.
- How will it be reported? Raffle income usually gets reported separately from gifts and admissions. Agree with finance on the designation, account, or revenue category before anything is entered.
- Is a raffle ticket a gift? In general, no. Under IRS rules a raffle ticket purchase is not a deductible charitable contribution, because the buyer gets a chance to win something in return. Your finance team or auditor should confirm how your organization treats it, but plan on not recording ticket purchases as donations.
That last point matters most. If raffle sales land in Altru as ordinary donations, they can trigger standard gift acknowledgments that imply a tax deduction, inflate your giving totals, and skew donor reports.
Option 1: one summary record for the event
This is the fastest route and often the right one for a small raffle where buyer names are incomplete or illegible.
- Total the proceeds by payment method (cash, check, card) so the entry matches the deposit.
- Record the revenue against your organization’s own constituent record, or whatever placeholder record your finance team already uses for event cash.
- Apply it to the raffle-specific designation or revenue category you agreed on, and put the event name and date in the reference or notes field.
- Run it through a batch if that’s how your organization handles deposits, so it posts with the rest of the day’s revenue.
You lose buyer-level detail, but the books are right and nothing gets acknowledged by mistake.
Option 2: individual buyers through a revenue batch or import
Use this when the buyer list has real value: new local contacts, members you want to credit, or people development wants to cultivate.
Clean the list before it touches Altru
Put the stubs into a spreadsheet with one row per purchase: first name, last name, email, phone, ZIP code, quantity of tickets, amount, payment method, and date. Then:
- Combine rows where the same person bought tickets at different times, if you want one revenue record per buyer.
- Match buyers to existing constituents before importing. Search by email first, then name and ZIP. Raffle lists are a common source of duplicate records because people write nicknames, partial names, or a spouse’s name on the stub.
- Flag rows with no usable contact information. Those are usually better rolled into a single summary line than imported as one-name constituents.
Bring it in
For a few dozen buyers, keying them into a revenue batch by hand is often quicker than building an import. For a larger list, Altru’s import tools can create revenue in a batch, and you review the batch before committing it. Exactly which import template and fields your Altru version supports varies, so test with three or four rows first. If you have a sandbox, try it there; if not, commit a tiny batch and check the results before running the rest.
Whichever route you choose, use the same raffle designation or category as Option 1 so reporting stays consistent, and give the batch a clear name that includes the event and date.
Mark buyers so you can find them later
Revenue tells you who paid. If you also want an easy way to pull “everyone who bought raffle tickets at the fall gala,” add a constituent attribute or a similar tag at the same time. That makes a simple query possible for a thank-you email or next year’s invitation list without digging through revenue records.
Don’t forget the prize side
Donated prizes and prize winners create their own records. In-kind donations of prizes may need to be recorded and acknowledged separately from the ticket sales. Larger prizes can also bring tax reporting obligations for the winner and your organization, and many states regulate raffles directly. None of that is something Altru decides for you; it’s a conversation with your finance lead before the next raffle, not after.
Make next year’s entry easier
- Print stubs with clear fields for name, email, and ZIP, and ask sellers to check legibility at the table.
- Collect card payments through one reader or account so the totals reconcile in one step.
- Set up the raffle designation or category before the event, and write a one-page note on how raffle revenue gets entered. Whoever handles it next year will thank you.
- Enter the data within a week. Stubs get lost and handwriting doesn’t improve with time.
Quick answers
Can I record raffle tickets as a donation so buyers get a receipt?
Generally, ticket purchases aren’t deductible, so a donation receipt would be misleading. If someone adds a separate gift on top of their tickets, record that portion as a gift on its own.
Should I sell raffle tickets as an Altru ticket or merchandise item next time?
Some organizations do set up an item for it in their sales areas. Whether that fits depends on your configuration and how finance wants it reported, so confirm it with Blackbaud support or test it in a sandbox before the event rather than improvising at the table.
