How this works
The short version: verified organizations, transparent fees, a genuinely free way to enter, and a draw nobody with a stake can touch.
Free entry is real, on every campaign
Every drawing on this site accepts a free entry by mail-in form. A free entry carries the same weighted chance as a paid ticket at the campaign's stated entry weight. There is no new-user restriction, no cap, no sharing requirement, and no account needed — the same friction as guest checkout on the paid side.
How the draw works
Every entry — paid and free — is expanded into the pool according to its weight. A winning index is picked with crypto.getRandomValues, not Math.random. The winning entry id, timestamp, random seed and a hash of the pool are written to an audit record. Only platform administrators can trigger a draw; an organization can never draw its own campaign.
How charities are verified
Organizations submit their EIN and IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. We confirm the EIN against the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and record the date. Every campaign page shows how and when that organization was verified — not just a badge.
Where the platform fee goes
A ~3% platform fee is shown as its own line at checkout. It covers payment processing, verification, moderation, and running the draws. Funds flow through Stripe Connect directly to the organization's own account — we never hold charity funds.
Entering for free
Open any campaign, use the "No purchase necessary? Enter free" link near the ticket selector, and follow the mail-in instructions: hand-print your name, address, email, phone and date of birth on a card and mail it, postmarked by the entry deadline. No payment, no account. You can also read the Terms of Service and the campaign's Promotion Rules, which state the free-entry deadline with the same prominence as the paid terms.