• You may never invite our customers to participate in a raffle or auction. You may never solicit our customers, contractors, or any other outside source to donate items for a raffle or auction. Bottom line: keep it internal
• Postal Service employees may either voluntarily donate items to be used in a raffle or auction, or postal funds may be used to purchase such items after obtaining permission from the Finance Department. The raffle or auction must not require an entrance fee to participate. In addition, the activity must not constitute gambling under postal policy. “Gambling” is a game for money or personal property, operating gambling devices, conducting a lottery or pool, and selling or purchasing lottery tickets with the exception of Randolph-Sheppard vendors authorized to do so.
• So what can you do? You can “raffle” off a door prize (voluntarily provided by an employee or by the Postal Service) as long as all attendees at the event may put their name in without cost. You can auction off such items to postal employees to benefit the CFC general fund (but not an individual charity). That’s pretty much it.

Soliciting our customers for gifts – even if it is for a good cause – puts customers in an awkward position, and participating in gambling activities puts you in an awkward position. Carefully following the rules in connection with raffles and gambling avoids putting anyone in an awkward position, and that’s smart business.