Chocolate wheel
A numbered wheel at a gala or fair; players buy numbers for each spin and the winner takes a chocolate block or other prize.
Typically raises
$200
$50–600 per eventest.
About $44 per organiser hour
Based on one wheel at one gala day
Is it right for us?
- Money
- Under $500
- Work
- An afternoon
- Helpers
- 1–2 people
- Lead time
- 2–3 weeks
- Red tape
- Light
Fairly common: a nostalgic gala favourite, less seen than it was
- People
- 2 (spinner/caller and cash)
- Organiser time
- 3-6 [Estimate]
- Lead time
- 2-4 weeks (collect chocolate or prizes)
- Up-front cost
- Wheel hire or borrowing [Estimate]; prizes usually donated. Low.
- Risk
- Low: prizes are usually donated; only wheel hire if you can’t borrow one.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Take about $230, pay about $30 of costs, and you keep about $200 per event: the typical result for one wheel at one gala day.
From the typical figure on this page. Your result will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
[Estimate] Per gala day; with donated chocolate the margin is nearly all ticket money. NZ examples: St Joseph's (Nelson) wheel run for ~40 years; Hampden school collects chocolate blocks weekly for its wheel.
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Borrow or hire a wheel; confirm the number of segments.
- Collect prizes (chocolate blocks or vouchers).
- Set the price per number so prizes are at least 20% of a full sheet's takings.
- Display the rules and the society name.
- Sell all numbers for the spin; state up front that an unsold number means a respin.
- Spin, pay out the prize immediately, record the takings.
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Sellers to take a book of tickets, and businesses to give prizes.
- Ask people to buy
- People to buy tickets.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
- PostersPosters at the school gate, the clubrooms and shop windows, with the date, place, price and how to pay.
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- Not neededNone needed
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- Not neededNo food sold
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- NeededClass 1: prizes and the value of all tickets printed both $500 or less. If an individual runs it, all the money goes back as prizes. Sold in person only. Our rule: a numbered paper ticket for every entry
Treat it as a lottery: a society runs it, prizes are fixed before each spin and worth at least 20% of the takings. Class 1 up to $500 per session. No alcohol prizes.
Make more from it
Guess the jar at the same stall
$40-150 extra (estimate)
the same caller and crowd, little extra effort
Stack it: on its own, about $200. With the add-on above, roughly
$300est.
What you can get donated
Families (chocolate blocks), a local dairy or supermarket.
Tips
- A loud caller is the whole act; the Nelson example shows a long-serving 'showman' becomes a gala fixture.
Watch out for
- Organisers or the society buying numbers.
- Alcohol as a prize.
Chocolate wheel: checklist
0 of 11 done
Before
On the day
After
Treat it as a lottery: a society runs it, prizes are fixed before each spin and worth at least 20% of the takings. Class 1 up to $500 per session. No alcohol prizes.
Also pairs with: school gala
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide