Contact your local veterans' organizations, e.g. American legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, Marine Corps League, etc., and civic organizations, e.g. Lions' Club, Elks' Club, Rotary Club, Masons, etc., and ask them for assistance in setting up your fund raising exercise. If the atmosphere looks promising they might accept the task of running the fund raiser for you, having their membership participate in seeking and acquiring raffle items and selling tickets, and sponsoring the selection ceremony on their premises. Churches excel in this type of activity. If the reason is severe enough, your membership or association with the organization will not be an issue - the group will gain enough publicity and exposure to make it worth their while. If they are not able to actively handle organizing the fund raising, they should be able to provide you with knowledgeable and experienced contacts who can guide you through the entire process. In my church, LDS, the Womens Relief Society provides assistance to many families in need of such help. They also help non-members from the community, and they don't require, or even request, any donations or loan repayments.