If your organization is stuck on the ‘hamster wheel’ of fundraising—planning a massive gala, exhausting your team, hitting your goal, and then starting from zero again the next day—it is time to look at a different model like the Queen of Hearts raffle online.
Enter the Queen of Hearts (also known as “Chase the Ace”).
Unlike a traditional raffle where the excitement ends the moment a winner is drawn, a Queen of Hearts game is a progressive raffle. It is designed to build momentum, grow viral jackpots, and keep your donors engaged not just for one night, but for weeks or even months.
Here is why this format is taking the non-profit world by storm, and the online options available to run one.
Why Choose a Queen of Hearts Raffle?
1. The “Snowball Effect” (Viral Growth)
In a standard raffle, the prize is fixed. In a Queen of Hearts raffle online, however, if the weekly winner doesn’t draw the Queen, the money stays in the pot and rolls over to the following week, growing the prize and building excitement.
- Week 1: Pot is $500. Only your core donors care.
- Week 10: Pot is $15,000. Your donors are telling their friends.
- Week 20: Pot is $50,000. The entire community is buying tickets. The larger the pot gets, the less “marketing” you have to do. The jackpot sells itself.
2. Recurring Revenue & Retention
Most fundraisers are transactional: a donor gives once and leaves. The Queen of Hearts is habit-forming. Because the game happens weekly, your supporters get into a routine of buying tickets every Tuesday (or whatever day you draw). You aren’t just raising money; you are training your audience to engage with you weekly.
3. Low Effort, High Reward
Once the game is set up, the weekly maintenance of a queen of hearts raffle online is minimal compared to a gala or golf tournament. It runs in the background, generating revenue while your team focuses on your mission.
The Challenge: It’s Not Just a Raffle, It’s a Game
This is where most non-profits get stuck. A Queen of Hearts raffle online requires specific mechanics that standard tools can’t handle:
- A Game Board: You need a grid of 52+ cards hiding face down.
- Card Elimination: When a card is picked and isn’t the Queen, it must be “turned over” and removed from play forever.
- Rollover Logic: The system needs to handle the math of rolling the jackpot over while paying out small consolation prizes.
Online Options: Who Can Actually Handle This?
When looking for software, you will find that 90% of platforms are built for simple, one-time draws. Here is the landscape of queen of hearts raffle online options:
1. The Dedicated Solution: Chance2Win Online Raffle
Best For: Non-profits of all sizes who want a “turnkey” experience. As the innovators of the online raffle space, Chance2Win is currently the only major self-service platform that offers a fully digital, automated Queen of Hearts system.
- How it works: They provide a digital game board. Donors select the card number they want to “reveal” if their ticket is drawn. The system handles the card elimination, the graphics, and the jackpot tracking automatically.
- Pros: No manual work, professional presentation, handles complex logic seamlessly.
- Cons: It is a specialized tool, so you are using it specifically for this game (though they handle standard raffles too).
2. The “Enterprise” Gaming Platforms (Tap 50:50, Ascend)
Best For: Massive organizations or state-wide lotteries. There are platforms designed for professional sports teams (like the 50/50 draws at NFL games).
- Pros: Extremely robust and can handle millions of transactions.
- Cons: Usually prohibitively expensive for standard non-profits. They often require significant setup fees, long contracts, and hardware rentals.
3. The “DIY” Method (Using RallyUp, Zeffy, or BetterWorld)
Best For: Organizations with zero budget and lots of free time. Since platforms like RallyUp, Zeffy, and BetterWorld do not have Queen of Hearts functionality, you have to “hack” them.
How it works: You use the platform only to sell generic tickets. Then, you have to manually print the names, cut them out, put them in a tumbler, and do a Facebook Live video where you physically walk up to a real board and flip a card.
The Risk:This is prone to human error. If you forget to remove a card, or if the video feed cuts out, you risk accusations of rigging the game. It also lacks the “fun” user interface where donors can interact with the board digitally.
The “Free” Warning:Remember that Zeffy and BetterWorld rely on asking your donors for “tips” at checkout. In a recurring game where donors buy tickets every week, asking them to tip the platform 20 times in a row will lead to donor fatigue and cart abandonment.
The Verdict
If you want to harness the viral power of a progressive jackpot, you need the right tool.
- Avoid the “DIY” headache of spreadsheets and physical boards.
- Avoid the “tipping” fatigue of free platforms.
- Look for a dedicated solution like Chance2Win that automates the game board and keeps your game compliant, professional, and fun.