Yes. You can use text raffles alongside paper raffle tickets, as long as certain conditions are met. The main one is that supporters must know they can enter the raffle for free by text.
Why free entry matters
Money given to a charity by text must be a donation, not a payment. Donations are optional; payments aren't. In practice, this means you can't refuse a supporter entry to a raffle because they choose not to donate.
Text raffles let anyone who enters by text do so without donating. Because entry is free, anything a supporter gives at the same time is an optional donation, not a payment. This keeps the raffle within the rules. On a raffle that only takes text entries, those donations can have Gift Aid.
If you also sell paper tickets, make it clear that a paper ticket costs money, but that people can also enter for free by text.
Don't claim Gift Aid on raffles with paper tickets
If your raffle also uses paper tickets, don't use any of the money from it to claim Gift Aid, whether it came from paper tickets or text entries. When you set up the raffle, remove the Gift Aid link from the donation message, so supporters aren't asked for a Gift Aid declaration. If you have questions about Gift Aid, check HMRC's guidance or take professional advice.
Example wording
A charity runs a text raffle with the keyword GUITAR on 70215. When a supporter texts GUITAR to 70215, they get a reply explaining how to enter and donate, and how to enter without donating. If the charity is also selling paper tickets, this wording works:
Raffle tickets cost £1. Or text GUITAR to 70215 to enter for free, or to enter and donate (texts cost your standard network rate).
This tells supporters what a paper ticket costs, and that they can enter for free by text. So any money given by text is optional: it's a donation, not a payment.
Put every entry in the same draw
All entrants, paper or text, must be in the same draw with the same chance of winning.
For example, if 100 people enter by text, your downloaded entries spreadsheet has 100 entries in rows 1 to 100. If 50 more people buy paper tickets, add them in rows 101 to 150. Then use an online random number generator to pick the winning row. Find out how to choose a winner.
Text raffles don't collect entrants' names, so you'll contact a text winner by calling or texting their mobile number. We suggest asking paper ticket buyers for a phone number too, rather than a name, so you contact every winner the same way.
Other points
- Charge the same for a paper ticket as the suggested donation for a text entry. On text raffles, the suggested donation per ticket can be from £1 to £5.
- Open and close paper and text entries at the same date and time, so neither way of entering has an advantage.