Question about 501c3?

Hi all, I am the VP for our HS Band Boosters. We would like to do a year long raffle where you can win things such as a new TV, tickets to a sporting event, gift cards, etc. We would like to have the prizes donated so that we have no real expenses. Now when I went to the Detroit Tigers website donation page, it said something about needing to enclose a letter about your 501c3 status. We do have a tax exempt ID number but we do not have 501c3 status. Do you know if having a tax exempt ID number would work to get donations. We did think about going through the school district but they are not 501c3 either.