[Avodah] Avodah Post - Ma'aser Funds for Raffles

[Joseph Sasson]

All-
I recently received an e-mail from a local yeshiva I highly respect
regarding their most recent fund raising project.  In essence, the yeshiva
is running a lottery wherein (numbers changed for simplicity) 200 people
each pay-in $1,000.  One person will win $100,000 and 40 others will win
$2,000.  The yeshiva will keep the rest. (In the actual case the yeshiva
will be keeping between 22%-23%.)  The e-mail also mentioned by way of
reference that the funds for this lottery could come from one's ma-aser
funds.  For the purposes of this discussion I would like to assume that
ma'aser kesafim is a hiyuv.  A general discussion on the nature of such
obligation (if any) is not my intent.  My questions are as follows:


1.  Primarily, can one allocate ma'aser funds for such a project? If so,
where do we draw the line in terms of percentages retained by the charity?
 2.  If not, must one always take into account the administration costs of
charity (e.g. the 10% paid to the collector)?

Thanks,
Joseph Sasson
sasson11 at gmail.com
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