Ticket numbering and record keeping

Good numbering turns “I think we sold about 400 tickets” into a total you can prove. Here is a system small volunteer teams can keep up with.

The drawing gets the applause, but the paperwork is what protects your organization. When a ticket buyer says “I never heard my number,” when the treasurer asks why the cash is twenty dollars short, or when your state wants a post-raffle report, your records answer the question. This guide lays out a numbering and record-keeping system that works with paper tickets, a sign-up sheet, or an online form, and that fits on a few sheets of paper.

Why numbering matters

Every entry should have a unique identifier. For paper raffles that is the ticket number; for free door prizes it might be the line on a sign-in sheet. Unique numbers let you:

• prove how many entries were sold or issued;
• match a winning stub to the buyer’s half;
• reconcile tickets against cash;
• spot missing or duplicate tickets;
• announce a winner by number first, so people can check their own stubs.

Choosing a numbering scheme

Pre-printed double tickets. The standard roll of double tickets already has matching numbers on both halves. If you use more than one roll, make sure the numbers do not overlap, or use different colors and record the color with the number (“Blue 0412”). Never mix two rolls with the same color and the same number range.

Printed tickets. If you print your own, number them sequentially and include a short prefix for the event: FALL-0001 to FALL-0500. Print both halves with the same number. Many states require specific details on raffle tickets for licensed raffles, such as the organization name, drawing date and location, price and license number, so check before printing.

Digital entries. For an online sign-up or a form, use the form’s response number or assign sequential numbers in your spreadsheet: E-001, E-002 and so on. Keep the original export untouched and work from a copy.

Basket raffles. If each prize has its own jar, number the baskets (Basket 1 to Basket 20) and keep a separate list of entries per basket. Write the basket number on the back of each stub before it goes in the jar, so a stray stub can be returned to the right one.

The seller log

Before tickets go out, record who has which tickets. A simple seller log has these columns:

Sold plus unsold returned should equal the size of the range. Cash due should equal sold multiplied by the price, adjusted for any bundle pricing. Have both the seller and the person receiving the return initial the line.

Bundle pricing and tallies

Bundles like “3 for $5” make reconciliation trickier. Ask sellers to tear bundles together and record each sale on a tally card: number of single tickets and number of bundles sold. At the end, tickets used should equal singles plus three times bundles, and cash should equal singles times the single price plus bundles times the bundle price. If they do not match, you know to look before the drawing, not after.

Event-day tally sheet

For sales at the event itself, keep one tally sheet per table or shift with:

• starting cash in the bag (the float);
• first ticket number on the roll at the start of the shift;
• last ticket number sold at the end of the shift;
• tickets sold (last minus first plus one, minus any voids);
• voided tickets, with numbers listed and the reason;
• cash counted at the end, minus float;
• signatures of the two people who counted.

Voids happen: torn tickets, a buyer who changes their mind. Mark the stub VOID, staple it to the tally sheet and keep it. A missing number is suspicious; a documented void is not.

Before the drawing

Close sales at a stated time. Collect every stub from every seller and table and count them. Compare the count to the logs. If you draw from a list on screen rather than from a drum, type or paste the ticket numbers (or numbers with names) one per line into the drawing tool and confirm the count matches your stub count. With The Hat Draw, the counter above the list shows the number of entries; leave “Remove duplicates” off for paid tickets so each ticket keeps its own chance, and make sure no number was typed twice by mistake.

A useful trick is to enter tickets as number plus name, like 0412 Jordan H., so the on-screen winner can be read out by number first and confirmed against the stub.

Recording winners

Keep a winners sheet with: prize number and description, prize value, winning ticket number, winner name, contact, whether the winner was present, date and time picked up, and the winner’s signature or initials at pickup. If a winner must be redrawn because they were not present, record the first number drawn and the reason before drawing again.

Print or save the drawing results immediately. In The Hat Draw, Print produces a sheet with the event title and every winner in place order, and “Copy names” gives you a plain-text list to paste into your spreadsheet. A results link shows only the title and winners, which is handy for posting, but your own records should include the stub numbers.

Reconciliation after the event

Within a few days, finish three checks:

1. Tickets: total printed = sold + unsold returned + voided + missing. Missing should be zero; if it is not, note what you know.
2. Cash: cash received should match tickets sold at their prices. Note any discrepancy and who counted.
3. Prizes: every prize has a winner and a pickup signature, or a documented plan for unclaimed prizes.

Write a one-page summary: dates, gross receipts, expenses, net proceeds, number of tickets sold, prizes and winners. Attach the logs and tally sheets.

Storage and privacy

Store paper records in a labeled envelope with the treasurer, and scan them if you can. Keep them for as long as your organization and any licensing authority require; many groups keep raffle records for at least a year, and licensed raffles may require longer, so check your rules. Limit personal details to what you need (a name and a phone number for contacting winners), and shred or delete contact information when you no longer need it. Spreadsheets of buyers with phone numbers should not live forever in someone’s personal email.

A starter kit

• Seller log (one sheet for the whole raffle).
• Tally sheet per table or shift.
• Void envelope.
• Winners sheet with a pickup signature column.
• One-page summary template for the treasurer.

With these five pieces of paper and unique numbers on every ticket, you can answer almost any question about your raffle, which is exactly what makes people comfortable buying tickets next year. See also how to run a PTA or church raffle.

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Last updated 10 October 2026.