By Aleks Chojnacki, Head of Partnerships, and Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Growth Officer at Dataro

Almost every nonprofit now uses AI to make things. Almost none use it to decide things.

In 2024, 78% of organizations used generative AI somewhere in their marketing, fundraising, or advocacy programs, but only 12.8% used predictive analytics tools. By late 2025, AI adoption had reached 92%, yet just 7% of nonprofits reported major improvements in what their organization could actually do, and only 4% had documented, repeatable workflows.

The takeaway? Nonprofits are only using AI as a writing assistant, not a decision-making tool.

This is especially clear with fundraising events. When we addressed this topic in a webinar hosted by GolfStatus in August 2026, the audience questions were rarely about copy; they were about people. Who do we invite? How do we find sponsors? How do we not waste the round?

Let’s take that question seriously and dive into smart uses of AI for charity golf tournaments.

The Biggest Challenge With Fundraising Events: The Invite List

A charity golf tournament typically has a fixed number of spots available. The same goes with galas or other fundraising events.

These events are the most concentrated dose of fundraiser attention on your nonprofit’s calendar: staff hours dedicated to invitations, follow-ups, pairings, event day logistics, thank-yous.

Because of their time-intensive nature, organizations must be strategic and intentional about who they target to fill the event’s field. Inviting individuals simply because they engaged with last year’s communications is equivalent to sending a mass email to your entire database—only with added venue costs.

The good news is that the guest list is a ranking problem, and ranking problems are exactly what predictive AI is for.

The Types of AI In Action

Three different technologies get called "AI," and they do genuinely different jobs. Run a fundraising event, and you can see all three in action in their most effective order, which informs the appropriate human action.

1. Generative AI Creates

Invitations, sponsor proposals, on-course signage copy, and the follow-up that lands 48 hours later while the round is still fresh in someone's mind. This is the part most organizations have already automated, and it is the least valuable of the three on its own. Beautifully written copy sent to the wrong 150 people is still sent to the wrong 150 people.

2. Predictive AI Prioritizes

Instead of simple filtering—i.e., "gave in the last 24 months, gave more than $500"—a propensity model ranks every record by the probability of a specific outcome. Dataro's models are trained on more than one billion de-identified donation events from several hundred nonprofits and rescore every donor weekly.

For a fundraising event, the useful rankings are:

• Mid-level readiness

• Major gift readiness

• Likelihood to confirm a gift in a will

These rankings can then be cross-referenced with those who have actually turned up to an event before. The shift is small to describe, but large in practice. You stop inviting the people you know and start inviting the people most likely to move the needle for your organization.

3. Agentic AI Prepares

Once you determine who is coming, the step is to prepare what to say and who to say it to. Dataro’s ProspectAI compiles a cited, current profile on each guest, reducing prospect research from hours to minutes. A gift officer can network across all 18 holes and know who each person is, what they care about, and what the next ask should probably be, instead of guessing their way around the crowd.

Sponsorships work the same way. Use the models to research companies, find genuine mission overlap, and know who signs the checks before you pitch a single sponsorship.

4. Fundraisers Make the Decision

Fundraisers check the prospect list against what they know about a family's circumstances. They edit the sponsor email that reads a shade too familiar. They decide whether this is the right year to raise the ask, or whether this particular donor should be paired with the executive director’s team on the golf course.

The technology narrows the field and does the preparation, but the judgment about what is appropriate stays where it belongs—in the hands of a human.

AI has its place, but nothing can replace human interaction.

Does This Actually Work?

Events are hard to A/B test. Direct mail is not, and it’s where the evidence for this method is clearest. Across Dataro's published cases, mailings have been reduced by 37% to 86% with net revenue holding or rising. Consider these examples:

• East Cheshire Hospice mailed 58% fewer donors than usual on its spring appeal, but raised 20% more than its revenue target and returned 477% ROI.

• UNICEF Australia increased the net revenue of its annual appeal by 26% and campaign ROI by 35% while mailing 15,000 fewer donors and saving AU$30,000 in mailing costs.

• Save the Children Netherlands cut its year-end mail file by 66% (around 117,000 fewer contacts), but more than doubled its response rate from 4.94% to 10.29%.

The economics that make this work are getting harder to ignore. U.S. postage rose about 7.4% on average in July 2025 and a further 4.8% in July 2026. Email isn’t the free alternative either: nonprofits raised $54 for every 1,000 fundraising emails sent in 2025, on a 0.05% response rate.

This same logic applies to event invitations, where the cost per contact is typically higher. If ranking your donor list outperforms simple filtering for direct mail, the advantage is even more dramatic for events, where every guest spot represents a substantial investment of staff time.

What Happens After the Round

The other reason to be deliberate about who is in the field is the 12 months after the event, when the same models that built the invite list keep working. Some examples:

• Greenpeace used churn predictions to prioritize retention calls and cut cancellations by 10% over three months and 15% over six, retaining 531 monthly donors worth an estimated $235,000 in future revenue.

• St Andrew's Hospice used legacy propensity to secure 30 new pledges, around £367,000 in future income.

The tournament, and communication around it, shouldn’t be the only time people hear from your nonprofit. Treat it as the beginning of the relationship rather than the end.

A golf tournament is a fundraising event, but that same golf tournament, when it produces a ranked list of who to call in November, is a fundraising program.

The Guardrail Your Donors Care About

One finding is worth keeping in front of you: asked how they would react to a nonprofit disclosing its use of AI, 32% of donors said it would make them less likely to give, against 14% who said more likely. The wariness is real, though it is softening: the "more likely" figure was 9% a year earlier.

This isn’t an argument against using AI. It is an argument about where to employ it.

Use the technology to analyze the contacts, surface the signals, and rank the opportunities, but let a human fundraiser decide what to do with it. The best applications of AI are the ones where your donors never classify them as AI at all.

The handshake on the first tee stays human. The thank-you call stays human. The conversation on the 14th fairway, the one that turns a player into a major donor three years later, very much stays human. AI doesn’t need to touch any of it to be worth having—it just needs to make sure the right people are standing there.

AI is a valuable tool in identifying the right people to invite to your golf event.

Wrapping Up: Start With One Event

If this feels overwhelming, there’s good news—you don’t need to overhaul anything to find out whether this works for you.

Start with your next golf tournament. Rank your contacts by likelihood to give at mid-level, major, and legacy levels rather than by who came last year. Reserve a portion of the field, perhaps a quarter, for that ranked list. Research every one of those guests before they arrive. Then measure what those spots produced against the rest of the field, not just on the day, but 12 months later.

That’s the difference between AI as a technology experiment and AI as a fundraising strategy: you can test it.

The organizations that pull ahead over the next three years will not be the ones writing invitations the fastest. They will be the ones using tools to make better decisions, event after event, about who should be in the room.

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About Dataro

Dataro helps fundraising teams decide who to focus on, who to engage, and what to do next—before the budget moves. Its mission is to set a new standard in nonprofit fundraising—where every targeting decision is grounded in data, every ask is made with confidence, and no donor relationship is lost to guesswork.

Aleks Chojnacki, Head of Partnerships at Dataro. As Head of Partnerships, Aleks plays a pivotal role in driving Dataro’s growth and accelerating global partnerships, in particular North American market expansion through strategic collaboration with external partners. Her primary goal is to establish and nurture mutually beneficial relationships that drive market penetration, overall business growth, and customer success.

Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Growth Officer at Dataro. Sal leverages his background spanning technology, digital marketing, and nonprofits to accelerate impact with a deep understanding of the AI solutions advancing the nonprofit sector. He transitioned to Chief Growth Officer at Dataro after serving as a founding employee and holding multiple C-level titles at AI-native platform Fundraise Up. Sal is passionate about optimizing generosity and bridging the technology gap for nonprofits.

by Logan Foote, Sales and Education Director at GolfStatus

For years, organizing a charity golf tournament meant juggling a mountain of paper registration forms, chasing down checks, and bouncing between spreadsheets. But the good news for nonprofits is that, thanks to today’s golf-event-specific technology, this is no longer the reality.

Purpose-built golf tournament management software makes planning and running a lucrative golf fundraiser easier than ever, from start to finish. So to answer the question directly: yes, a golf tournament is absolutely worth it. Here are five reasons why, and how the right tech makes all the difference.

The short answer—yes, a golf tournament is absolutely worth it for nonprofits of all types and sizes!

1. Golf Tournaments Raise Money & Awareness

Golf has massive fundraising power. The sport raises more than $4 billion for charity every year, and nonprofits of all types, sizes, and missions can use golf as an effective vehicle to raise mission-critical, unrestricted funds.

Golf tournaments also come with built-in opportunities to boost revenue, from golfer donations and premium sponsorships to add-ons and extras like mulligans, on-course games, and hole-in-one contests. These not only raise more money, but they add fun to the event and make it even more memorable.

What’s more, golfers often tap their own personal and professional networks to fill teams for charity tournaments, which means that with every team that registers, new people—and new potential donors—learn about your work and are connected to your organization.

How Tech Makes a Difference

• Seamlessly collect donations during checkout, from live leaderboards, and through a mobile scoring app, so giving never feels like an afterthought.

• Show real-time progress toward your fundraising goal on your event website’s homepage to keep momentum going throughout the round.

• Offer valuable digital sponsor exposure before, during, and after the tournament for an even stronger return on their investment. Multiply that exposure with high-quality on-site hole signage.

• Use an event website to tell your story and show golfers exactly what their participation supports. Use photos, videos, and compelling copy.

An event website is key part of a successful golf fundraiser, helping with promotion, registration, sponsor onboarding, communication, and more.

2. The Right Tools Automate Time-Consuming Tasks

Golf tournaments come with a lot of moving parts and details to track—everything from registrations, payments, receipts, sponsorships, hole assignments, and the day-of logistics that make it all happen. If you’re still processing registration forms manually and tracking information across spreadsheet after spreadsheet, there’s a better way, and it doesn’t require more people power. Automating administrative tasks can save you and your team upwards of 40 hours per tournament—which can be better spent on donors and sponsors instead of data entry.

How Tech Makes a Difference

• Golfers and sponsors register and pay online through your event website, with no manual entry, paper forms, or mailed checks needed. They automatically receive a registration confirmation and payment receipt, and you don’t have to lift a finger.

• Registration data is easily accessible in one centralized place as registration data flows from the website into the software’s backend, where you can track and manage teams, payments, and other details.

• Keep everyone on the same page by sharing access to the software with your planning team and even the golf facility. All parties can work with up-to-date information rather than trading emails or outdated spreadsheets.

• Set up notifications for new registrations, donations, and sponsorship purchases so you know the moment they happen, giving you a jump on thank-yous and sponsor outreach.

3. You Connect With the Golfer Demographic

The golfer donor is a key segment that every organization should want as part of their donor outreach and engagement strategy. Consider the average golfer demographics:

• The average golfer’s net worth is over $768,000

• The average household income among golfers is $125,000

• 33% of golfers are in top-level management

While not every golfer fits this profile, as a whole, golfers represent an affluent, influential audience. Not only are these ideal potential donors, but they’re exactly the audience your sponsors are hoping to reach as well, giving you real leverage when selling sponsorship packages.

A golf tournament is a valuable first step in converting a casual golfer into a regular, engaged supporter. When you provide a memorable experience and create a tangible connection to your mission at the event, whether through on-course signage, a short mission moment at the awards banquet, or an impact story shared on your event website, golfers are far more likely to come back year after year and potentially give beyond the golf course.

How Tech Makes a Difference

• Collect donor data through secure online registration, ensuring you capture complete, accurate golfer and sponsor information and nothing is overlooked.

• A streamlined registration flow keeps the process simple and intuitive so that golfers don’t abandon their purchase partway through.

• Manage and export data to your CRM, so your golf event information doesn’t live in a silo separate from the rest of your donor database.

• Get a clear picture of who supports you through golf at what levels, in what years, and how that support has changed year over year. This information is invaluable for post-tournament donor stewardship.

4. Golf Events Build & Strengthen Partnerships

Golf tournaments are unique in that they offer five (or more) uninterrupted hours across 18 holes to build relationships you’d otherwise never have the time or setting for. To that end, be strategic about your hold assignments: pair the chair of your board with a prospective corporate sponsor or put your development director alongside a major donor you’ve been courting for months. Several hours together on the course, away from phones and email, can do more for a relationship than a dozen meetings in the office. Be sure to follow up after the event with a genuine thank-you to keep the relationship moving forward.

Businesses already use golf tournaments as a way to entertain clients and prospects, network with peers, and engage their own employees. So when your event runs smoothly and professionally—from the moment someone registers or purchases a sponsorship on your event website to when their team submits their score through a live scoring app—you’ve already laid the foundation for a lasting partnership, not just a one-time sponsorship.

How Tech Makes a Difference

• Easily track registrants as the field takes shape to see which current and potential partners have committed and who is playing on their team.

• Make strategic hole assignments and team pairings with a few clicks instead of by hand, and easily make adjustments as needed right in the software.

• Handle the golf specifics like tournament format, scoring, start time, handicaps, and flighting so nothing falls through the cracks on event day and you execute a flawless, professional tournament that impresses attendees.

You don’t have to be a golfer or an expert on the sport to plan and execute a successful, lucrative golf tournament for your nonprofit.

5. Anyone Can Plan a Golf Tournament

Plenty of nonprofit event planners are hesitant to take on a golf tournament simply because they aren’t golfers themselves and don’t know much about the sport. The good news? This isn’t the roadblock that it might seem! Organizers with no golf background put on tournaments that raise five, six, and even seven figures every year. You don’t have to be an expert or know your way around a green to hold a successful event—you just need the right support system in place. The key is a platform built specifically for golf, one that can handle a golf event’s particular quirks and logistics without clunky workarounds or manual patches.

How Tech Makes a Difference

• Provides an infrastructure for your tournament so you don’t have to start from scratch. It starts with the event website, which serves as the hub for the event and where you can share tournament details, collect registrations, sell sponsorships, offer digital sponsor exposure, and much more. Year two becomes even easier—simply copy the event and update as needed.

• Support and coaching from golf fundraising experts who can answer questions, walk you through the software step by step, offer ideas based on what’s worked for other organizations, and support golfers and sponsors directly if they run into any issues with registration.

• Tournament add-ons that help drive additional revenue, offer premium sponsorships, and provide a great experience for golfers and sponsors.

• Planning tools and resources for every phase of the tournament, from promotion to day-of execution to post-tournament follow-up and everything in between.

Charity Golf Tournament FAQs

Is golf tournament software expensive?

GolfStatus’ golf tournament management software is available at no upfront cost to nonprofits and charities. There’s no setup fee, no monthly subscription fee, no cost to access support, or costs per user. A fee is assessed on transactions processed on GolfStatus’ golf tournament websites, but it can be passed on to golfers and sponsors, who choose to cover it nearly 90% of the time.

Can a small or first-time nonprofit pull off a golf tournament?

Yes! Golf tournaments scale well, and plenty of first-time organizers raise thousands of dollars with a well-run event. Having the right technology and support in place from the start makes it approachable, regardless of your team’s size and experience.

Do I need to know about golf to run a good tournament?

Not at all. Many successful organizers have never played golf. The sport-specific details—formats, handicaps, scoring, flighting—can be handled by the right software and support team (like those at GolfStatus), so you don’t need to be a golf expert to pull off a great event.

How much money can I raise with a golf tournament?

Golf tournaments have a ton of fundraising potential. To raise the most money possible, make sure registration and sponsorship prices cover hard costs and drive revenue. Sponsorships will likely bring in the most income, but add-ons like raffles, auctions, mulligan sales, and donation asks can bring in thousands of additional dollars. Nonprofit tournaments can raise anywhere from a few thousand dollars to upwards of seven figures.

The Bottom Line: A Golf Tournament is Worth It

A charity golf tournament remains one of the most reliable ways for a nonprofit to raise significant funds while building relationships with donors, sponsors, and community partners that last well beyond a single event. There’s real planning and logistics involved, but that’s exactly where tournament management tech earns its keep—handling the details so your team can focus on your mission.

Today's tech tools make it easier than ever for nonprofits and charities to raise more, work smarter, and create an experience that brings golfers, donors, and sponsors back year after year.

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Tech, Support & More from GolfStatus—at No Upfront Cost

GolfStatus’ event management platform is built specifically for golf tournaments, handling all the golf-specific details and freeing up organizers to focus on what matters most: connecting with donors and sponsors and sharing their mission. The software is backed by an in-house client success team, ready to answer questions and provide coaching seven days a week. Events can get started with GolfStatus at no upfront cost, including an event website, online registration, live scoring, and much more. Book a meeting to learn more and get started in the software!

Get Started With GolfStatus

Book a Meeting

Your golf tournament is just around the corner! The month leading up to event day is filled with final checks, logistics, and finishing touches to ensure a great event and a great experience for everyone involved.

This installment of the blog series walks through the final to-dos for the month of your tournament. Thorough planning and prep will ensure the tournament runs smoothly and you and your team are as stress-free as possible.

9 Months Post

6 Months Post

2 Months Post

It’s important to note that while having more time to plan is usually better, it’s possible to plan a successful golf tournament in a couple of months.

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Pre-Planning & Reference

You should be familiar with GolfStatus’ software at this point, but it’s not too late to:

• Connect with your GolfStatus Client Success Rep. If you have questions or need software assistance, the GolfStatus support team is there to help seven days a week.

• Meet with a Fundraising Specialist. It’s not too late to add a hole-in-one contest, or, depending on how many weeks your tournament is away, secure pin flags or hole signs.

Planning Team & Committee Meetings

Now’s the time to make sure everyone is on the same page. It’s a good best practice to meet at least a couple of times this month to discuss final logistics and outstanding tasks.

• Hold bi-monthly committee meetings. Talk through day-of logistics, volunteer assignments, outstanding vendor orders, signage and printing, player gifts, raffle items, event timelines, and other last-minute items.

• Meet with volunteers. Hold a meeting and/or provide detailed instructions about volunteer assignments, roles, responsibilities, and who to go to with questions so all volunteers feel confident heading into tournament day.

Keep everyone on the same page by meeting with your planning team regularly in the month leading up to your tournament.

Date & Golf Facility

Stay in touch with golf facility staff in the weeks leading up to the tournament so everyone is on the same page and there are no surprises when tournament day arrives.

• Share access to GolfStatus’ backend. If you haven’t already, share access with the golf facility so there are no surprises in the weeks leading up to tournament day. There’s no cost to grant staff at the golf facility access to your GolfStatus tournament management platform’s backend.

• Touch base with facility staff on final numbers and logistics. Connect with golf facility staff about any questions or concerns, and to finalize headcounts for carts and any food and beverage the facility is providing. Confirm when you’ll be arriving to set up on tournament day, and what the facility will handle.

• Confirm setup times and deliveries. Verify when you’ll be able to access the facility to set up on tournament day, and if you have anything being delivered directly to the course, make sure staff is aware and can keep an eye out for it.

Event Website

Your golf tournament website should be kept current, so golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters can find the latest information about your event (without needing to contact your team).

• Make event website updates as needed. Continue to add and update information as needed. Common updates include new raffle prizes or auction items, contest or challenge announcements, special guests, and the event’s schedule. If you have an online bidding link for an auction, now’s a great time to add it to the website.

Make sure purchased sponsorship packages are marked as sold on your website leading up to the tournament.

Team & Sponsor Packages

The goal is to have all team and sponsorship packages sold in the month leading up to the tournament. If you don’t, that’s ok! See the promotion section for some suggestions. Now’s the time to touch base with any outstanding sponsorships or payments.

• Conduct final follow-ups for sponsorships. Follow up with prospective sponsors with a deadline, which may correlate to the dates you need to send recognition items to print.

• Close registration. Keep an eye on how the field is filling, and close registration as necessary. You can offer a waitlist if there are still golfers interested in signing up.

• Check on vendor orders. Check dates for any materials—player gifts, prizes, signage—to ensure on-time delivery. Verify where items should be shipped, as you may want items like signage or pin flags delivered directly to the golf facility.

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Marketing & Promotion

If you still need to fill teams, check out this blog post for some last-minute promotional ideas.

• Send targeted promotional emails as needed. Determine if you still need to fill team slots and send promotional emails to your audience as needed. “Last chance” messaging can be effective ahead of your registration close date. You might also reach out to sponsors to ask them to help spread the word and fill any remaining teams.

• Continue social media promo. Keep excitement high! Even if you don’t need to attract more teams, social media is a great place to give sponsor shoutouts, thank raffle or auction item donors, and give updates on donations so far.

• Determine a plan for day-of social. Assign a dedicated staff member or volunteer to head up event day social. Post pictures and videos, tag sponsors, and share the fun and excitement of the day. Create a shot list and draft posts ahead of time to make it even simpler for whoever is coordinating day-of social media.

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Helpful Crunch-Time Planning Resources

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Details & Logistics

It’s crunch time for final details and logistics!

• Communicate with participants. Send an email to registrants reminding them of the upcoming event. Include event details and times, live scoring information, parking directions, links to purchase raffle tickets or other add-ons, and any other pertinent information.

• Finalize food and beverage. Connect with whoever is providing food and beverage to provide final counts for meals.

• Assemble player gifts. Make sure you have all items, purchased or donated by sponsors, in hand. Rally your planning team to assemble any gift bags in the days leading up to the tournament.

• Finalize volunteer assignments and roles. Communicate with volunteers a week or two before the tournament to make sure they know where to be, when to be there, and what to do.

• Finalize the schedule. Add this information to your event website. Include times for registration, warm-up, shotgun start, and estimates for any post-golf celebrations.

• Finalize contests. Whether it’s a hole-in-one contest, putting contest, longest drive, or closest to the pin, make sure you have insurance and prizes lined up and ready to go.

• Finalize on-course games or challenges. Ensure you have necessary supplies, volunteers or sponsors to run games, any needed signage, options for on-course payment, and assign holes for each game.

• Finalize trophies or other prizes for tournament winners. If you haven’t already, order these now for on-time delivery for tournament day.

• Finalize raffle prizes (if applicable). Be prepared to sell raffle tickets on event day. Process them through your event website to keep all tournament income in one place. Make sure you have prizes in hand, tickets, ticket receptacles, and an emcee to announce winners.

• Finalize auction details (if applicable). Open bidding for an online auction a couple of weeks in advance to give golfers and guests time to browse. Ensure you have prizes in hand, and if you’re holding a live auction, check in with your auctioneer.

• Make hole assignments. Use the hole assignments function in GolfStatus to assign team pairings and starting holes. Golf staff and your GolfStatus client success rep can help you out with this if needed.

Quickly and easily make hole assignments and team pairings right in the GolfStatus software.

• Design and print signage. Recognize sponsors, provide directions and information, and post QR codes that link to your event website where folks can donate. Not a designer? Don’t sweat—use these free Golf Tournament Signage Templates!

• Determine setup. Decide where you’ll put your registration table, any on-course donation stations, food stations, and signage. Decide who will set up registration and place signage.

• Determine speakers. You’ll need an emcee to welcome golfers and discuss rules to kick off the tournament. This is a great time to share a mission moment and remind golfers what they’re playing to support. Secure any speakers—beneficiaries, sponsors, staff—for post-golf gatherings.

• Print documents and prep check-in devices. Use the Documents tab in GolfStatus to access and print pre-formatted cart signs, scorecards (if not live scoring), and other reports. Make sure you have internet access at the clubhouse so you can use the team or individual check-in feature as people arrive.

• Pack supplies. Make sure you have everything you need for the day. There’s a great packing list in this free Complete Event Day Guide for Charity Golf Tournaments.

Up Next—Tournament Day and Post-Event Follow-Up!

After months of planning, tournament day is right around the corner. You’re prepped and ready—now it’s time to execute a fun, memorable event that raises funds for your mission.

The final installment in this series will cover post-event follow-up, which can help set next year’s tournament up for success.

Save 40+ Hours of Planning for Your Next Golf Event

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by Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus

Not every sponsor can financially support your charity golf tournament. While monetary sponsorships are important, in-kind donations can open the door to a whole different set of supporters. These contributions stretch your event budget while adding real, tangible value to the golfer experience.

Think about it—a local sporting goods store donating golf balls for player gift bags, a hotel offering a weekend stay for your auction, or a print shop covering the cost of the event banners. None of that requires businesses to get out their credit card or checkbook, but it all adds up to real savings for your organization and real excitement for your golfers on tournament day.

If you haven’t built in-kind donations into your sponsorship strategy, here’s what you need to know, plus a closer look at where they can make the biggest impact for golf events.

Frequently Asked Questions About In-Kind Donations

What are in-kind donations?

In-kind donations are any contribution that isn’t cash, like goods, services, or expertise, given in place of a monetary gift. These donations are especially attractive to businesses because they don’t require juggling budgets or considering cash flow to make them happen. A company might have excess inventory it’s looking to move or may have already allocated its charitable budget for the year but still want to support your cause. In-kind donations give them an easy, low-friction way to say yes when a financial contribution isn’t possible.

In-kind donations for your golf tournament can be any gift that isn’t monetary—like goods, services, or expertise.

How Can I Use In-Kind Donations for My Golf Tournament?

In-kind gifts can show up almost anywhere in your tournament, from player gift bags to auction items to the food and drinks served on the course or after the round. It’s important to keep in mind that in-kind donations can still be considered sponsorships, particularly if they have a significant monetary value; they’re simply paid in goods or services instead of dollars. These contributions deserve the same level of recognition as other sponsors. For example, if a restaurant donates boxed lunches, recognize them on your event website and printed materials as the Lunch Sponsor.

How Can In-Kind Donations Help Raise More Money From My Golf Tournament?

In-kind donations often replace tournament items you’d otherwise have to pay for out of your event funds. Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars of tournament revenue on hard tournament costs, they’re covered by the in-kind gift, leaving more dollars for your cause

Some in-kind gifts, like high-end auction items or attractive player gifts, might even help drive more registrations, filling your field and boosting overall revenue. Most commonly, in-kind donations show up as raffle prizes, pin prizes, player gifts, and auction items, but the possibilities go well beyond that.

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Dormie Network Foundation

is committed to supporting nonprofits by offering in-kind donations of national golf membership and Stay and Play Packages. These high-end donations can help raise thousands of dollars for your cause.

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How Do I Ask for In-Kind Donations?

Approach in-kind asks the same way you would any other support request: make a formal, specific ask, and follow up if you don’t get a response. Start with businesses your organization already has a relationship with for the best chance of a response, but don’t be afraid to make cold asks, too. If a business turns down a monetary sponsorship, shift the ask to any in-kind contribution instead.

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Pro Tip:

Consider reaching out to the sponsors who are already committed to see if they have any promotional items they would be willing to donate for player gift bags or raffle items. They get additional exposure, and you get another chance to boost revenue.

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SPONSOR REQUEST & FOLLOW UP Template

If reaching out to prospective golf tournament sponsors feels daunting, don’t stress! These customizable templates are ready-made starting points for your event.

Download the Templates

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Golf Tournament In-Kind Donation Ideas

Once you know in-kind gifts are on the table, the next question is where to put them to work. Here’s a closer look at the areas where they tend to have the biggest impact, along with examples to help you decide which businesses and corporate partners to approach.

Player Gift Bags

Gift bags are one of the easiest places to start, since most businesses have some kind of branded product on hand and available. Even small items add up to a gift bag that feels far more valuable than its actual cost to your organization.

• A golf shop might donate tees, ball markers, golf balls, or divot tools

• A local restaurant or brewery might donate koozies, bottle openers, or free drink vouchers

• An apparel store might donate hats, sunglasses, or T-shirts

Pin and Contest Prizes

Pin prizes and on-course contests are a natural fit for in-kind donations. They double as a marketing opportunity for the donor, whose brand is seen at the hole the entire day. They can also be a draw for golfers!

• A sporting goods store might donate a golf bag or putter for a closest-to-the-pin contest

• A car dealership might sponsor a hole-in-one contest and the prize of a new car

• A retailer might donate gift cards for a longest drive or putting contest

• The pro shop at the golf facility might donate apparel, gift cards, or free rounds for on-course game winners

Auction and Raffle Items

Auctions and raffles are where in-kind gifts really shine. When items are donated through an in-kind gift, there’s no overhead cost to your organization—meaning more funds go to your cause. Local businesses of all sizes can contribute here, from electronics to experiences, and each item gives golfers another reason to open their wallets for your cause.

• A resort or hotel might donate a weekend getaway

• A restaurant group might donate a bundle of gift cards

• A spa might donate a package of services

• A coffee shop might donate branded coffee mugs and bagged coffee

• A liquor store might donate bottles of nice wine

• A local artist might donate a framed print or photograph

Raffle prizes and auction items are a great use of in-kind donations, driving pure revenue for your mission.

Food and Beverage

Feeding a field of golfers is one of a tournament’s biggest expenses, which makes it a prime target for 1. a monetary sponsorship or 2. in-kind support. In exchange, recognize them prominently—on your event website, at the bar, and in your program—as the corresponding sponsor.

• A caterer might cover the post-round meal

• A brewery or distributor might donate kegs or bottles for the course or reception

• A grocery store might donate snacks at the turn

Professional Services

Not every in-kind donation is a physical item. Expert services can help elevate your golf tournament, save your organization real money, and often come from businesses that perhaps wouldn’t have otherwise considered sponsoring your event.

• A design agency might donate logo work or event branding at no cost

• A local PR firm might help distribute your press release or handle media outreach

• A local marketing agency might help with advertising campaigns

• A print shop might donate the cost of banners or programs

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

A well-rounded approach to in-kind giving can touch nearly every part of your tournament, cutting costs while giving golfers and sponsors more to get excited about.

When you’re ready to ask, be specific about what you need. A vague “any donation helps” can result in items your event (or organization) can’t use, while a specific request like “144 ball markers for player gift bags” is much easier for businesses to evaluate and say yes to. You might also list open in-kind opportunities directly on your event website, so interested businesses can see exactly what’s needed and sign up on their own.

In-kind donations can’t replace your tournament’s cash sponsorships, but they’re one of the easiest ways to stretch your budget, forge relationships with local businesses, and give golfers more to look forward to on tournament day.

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Raise More Money With GolfStatus

GolfStatus’ exclusive sponsorships, built-in fundraising tools, and tournament add-ons can help you raise more money for your cause. Plus, the platform’s time-saving automations and tournament management tools ensure you spend less time dealing with spreadsheets and bouncing between platforms and more time stewarding donors, selling sponsorships, and making your tournament unforgettable. Click below to get started with GolfStatus at no upfront cost and get a free event website in less than a week.

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by Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus

A popular—and lucrative—complementary activity to your charity golf tournament is an auction. With the right strategy, auctions deliver strong ROI and can generate significant additional revenue for your organization. This guide will explore how to seamlessly add an auction to your golf event and maximize income.

• Frequently Asked Questions about Charity Golf Auctions

• The Benefits of Running a Charity Golf Auction

• How to Add an Auction to a Golf Event

• Best Practices for Running a Charity Golf Auction

• The Best Golf Charity Auction Items

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Frequently Asked Questions about Charity Golf Auctions

Why should my nonprofit run a golf charity auction?

Auctions and golf tournaments go hand-in-hand. Both combine high-net-worth networking with a popular, engaging activity that, when done well, can result in meaningful revenue for organizations of all types and sizes.

What types of auctions complement golf tournaments?

• Silent auction. The vast majority of golf tournaments incorporate a silent auction. In a silent auction, participants write their bids on a piece of paper or, more commonly, submit their bids using an online bidding platform. Silent auctions work well with golf tournaments because of their flexibility, and thanks to mobile bidding platforms, golfers can place bids from anywhere on the course.

• Live auction. Live auctions utilize a professional auctioneer who leads the bidding process, encouraging competition amongst attendees. One item is auctioned off at a time, in front of the entire group. Live auctions are particularly effective for high-value items or experiences, but can be time-consuming at the end of a long day on the golf course.

• Online auction. An online auction extends the auction beyond the golf tournament itself, reaching a larger audience and broader participation.

When is the best time to hold the auction during a tournament?

An online auction or silent auction that utilizes bidding software can be launched before the tournament to maximize reach and bids. In fact, golfers can bid from their phones during the round! Bidding can start a few days or a few weeks before the event and usually concludes following the awards ceremony or banquet, so golfers or guests take their winning items home. Live auctions are often held during the post-round cocktail hour or dinner, and often coincide with the announcement of the tournament’s winners.

How do we handle bidding while golfers are out on the course?

Paper bid sheets are outdated and create more work for you and your team. Instead, use an auction platform that offers a mobile-friendly interface to:

• Keep the auction running smoothly and professionally

• Allow golfers to browse auction items and place bids during the round, without needing to return to the clubhouse to check bid status

• Automate finalizing bids

• Quickly collect payments and send receipts

How many items should we have for our charity golf auction?

The number of items you offer in your auction is dependent on the number of participants and guests at your tournament. You want to ensure every item is sold, while also creating scarcity that drives higher bids. A good rule of thumb for silent auctions is to have one silent auction item for every five to 10 guests.

Are charity golf auction purchases tax-deductible?

Yes. According to the IRS, “Donors who purchase items at a charity auction may claim a charitable contribution deduction for the excess of the purchase price paid for an item over its fair market value.” For the deduction to be valid, the Fair Market Value (FMV) must be displayed on the auction site.

How do we prevent “auction fatigue” at the end of a long day?

Keep the energy high for your golf event’s auction by:

• Encouraging bidders to save payment information to streamline purchases and receive digital receipts.

• Limiting the live auction to just a handful of big-ticket items to keep golfers engaged, and using an experienced, entertaining auctioneer.

• Opening bidding for a silent golf charity auction before the tournament, so golfers (and guests!) can browse items before they tee off.

• Ensuring there is plenty of time and there are plenty of volunteers to facilitate item pickup and payment when the auction closes.

How should we set starting bids and bid increments?

• Establish a clear FMV. Determine and clearly display the FMV for every auction item, which is the foundation for your pricing strategy.

• Set starting bids in the "Sweet Spot." A good practice is to start bidding at 30% to 50% of the item's FMV. This range is low enough to attract early bids and generate excitement, but high enough to ensure a meaningful return.

• Calculate standard bid increments. Set bid increments at approximately 10% of the starting bid (e.g., if the starting bid is $50, the increment should be $5).

• Minimize bidding friction. The 10% rule keeps the math simple and ensures the item's price steadily increases without drastic jumps.

• Create exceptions for "Priceless" items. For exclusive experiences or unique items (like a round of golf with a celebrity) where FMV is subjective, you may want to set a higher baseline starting bid based on your audience's perceived value.

What legalities do I need to worry about?

• Local liquor laws. Alcohol is heavily regulated. Before auctioning off any liquor items, verify local, county, and state laws. Many jurisdictions require charities to obtain a temporary liquor license or special permit to legally auction alcohol.

• Auction and raffle differences: It’s critical to distinguish between these two formats. An auction is a direct sale where the item goes to the highest bidder based on value, and a raffle (or lottery) is a game of chance where participants buy tickets for a random draw.

• Gaming and gambling issues. Raffles and lotteries are regulated under state gaming and gambling laws, which are stricter than auction laws. Using the terms interchangeably or improperly running a raffle can lead to legal or compliance issues.

• Tax deductions. Clearly state the FMV to keep everything transparent. Bidders can only claim a tax deduction on the amount they pay that exceeds the item's FMV.

How much revenue can your tournament raise?

Use this auction ROI calculator to help determine your charity golf auction’s potential net revenue!

Auction ROI Calculator

Estimate your charity auction's return on investment and maximize fundraising impact.

Number of Auction Items

Total items in your silent & live auction combined.

Avg. Item Fair Market Value ($)

Average fair market value of each donated item.

Expected Sell-Through Rate (%)

Percentage of items that sell. Golf auctions typically see 60–80%.

Avg. Winning Bid (% of Value)

Winning bids as a % of fair market value. Charity auctions often see 50–100%+.

Total Procurement Costs ($)

All costs: purchased items, display, software, printing, shipping, etc.

Calculate ROI

Gross Revenue

$0

Net Profit

$0

ROI

0%

Items Sold

0

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Revenue Breakdown

Total Inventory Value $0

Auction Revenue $0

Costs $0

The Benefits of Running a Golf Charity Auction

An auction can significantly increase your golf event’s overall revenue and further your nonprofit’s impact. Here’s why you should add an auction:

• Drive significant revenue from your event. Add another income stream to your tournament to supplement teams, sponsorships, contests, mulligan sales, raffles, on-course games, and other add-ons. Competitive bidding, especially in a live auction, can drive up the final sale price of items, leading to better fundraising outcomes.

• Attract new supporters and engage non-golfers. An auction—particularly an online auction with an easily shareable link—can draw a wider audience, including non-golfers or spouses or guests of golfers and sponsors. High-end items can also draw new teams to play in your tournament, so be sure to publicize the auction in your event marketing.

• Add excitement and engagement. Auctions add fun and excitement to your tournament, encouraging golfers, sponsors, and guests to stay longer—and spend more.

• Low-cost, high ROI. Keep your auction’s overhead costs low by securing as many donated items as possible. Items purchased outright or on consignment eat away at your overall take from the auction, so engage your donor base, partners, vendors, and sponsors to solicit item donations that boost ROI.

• Opportunities to connect with local businesses. An auction is another opportunity to engage with area companies and businesses. If a business can’t financially sponsor your tournament, invite them to donate an auction item, opening doors for future sponsorships.

• Turn bidders into donors. Capturing bidder data with an online auction platform makes it simple to include them in your CRM for year-round donor stewardship and giving campaigns.

How to Add an Auction to a Golf Event

An auction can easily be added to your tournament at any time, but planning early can help ensure a smooth experience that encourages higher bids. Here’s how to add an auction to your golf tournament:

• Determine the type of auction that best suits your tournament, either live, silent, or online.

• Procure auction items. Work with sponsors, local businesses, your planning team, board members, and corporate partners to secure donated goods, services, and experiences that appeal to your audience. Another option is working with consignment providers who offer big-ticket items without upfront risk.

• Choose an auction platform. Much like your golf tournament, using tech will help it run smoothly and save you time and hassle. The most important feature is a mobile-friendly interface, so golfers and others can browse auction items during the round and place bids right from their phones.

• Promote the auction on all your communication channels and as part of your tournament’s marketing campaigns. Use your GolfStatus event website to promote your golf tournament’s auction and include information about top-tier items, donors, and the bidding link in your pre-event email to participants.

• Establish bidding processes. Determine the starting bid for each item—30% to 50% of the FMV is a good place to start—and the bidding increments. If you’re planning a live auction, secure a high-energy auctioneer experienced in engaging guests.

• Secure volunteers to help set up the auction, answer questions, and finalize payment and item pickup.

• Finalize the details. Add items to your auction platform (making sure to include who donated each item and FMV), create baskets or groupings, and touch base with volunteers and the auctioneer.

ADD AN AUCTION TO YOUR GOLFSTATUS EVENT WEBSITE

Find out more!

Best Practices for Running a Charity Golf Auction

• Plan early. Start organizing your auction well in advance of the tournament so you have ample time to secure high-quality items that appeal to your audience. Sample timeline:

  • 6 months out: Assign an auction lead

  • 3 to 4 months out: Solicit donations and/or contact a consignment provider

  • 1 month out: Finalize lineup and open bidding link

• Set clear guidelines. Clearly outline the rules and communicate these before bidding begins, including bidding increments, payment methods, and pick-up procedures, to avoid confusion and ensure a seamless process.

• Utilize technology. Online platforms for silent or virtual auctions streamline bidding, help reach a broader audience, and make checkout and payments quick and easy. Include a link to the auction on your golf tournament’s website.

GolfStatus’ event website include an auction integration to easily link to your online auction.

• Secure donated items. Partner with local businesses for donated items or experiences, reducing costs, fostering community involvement, and improving fundraising outcomes.

• Engage attendees. Provide frequent updates and reminders about the auction during the tournament, highlighting selected items to keep attendees engaged.

• Follow up with bidders. Promptly reach out to winning bidders to confirm payment and item delivery, and thank them for their support. You should also send a personalized thank-you email to all attendees within 48 hours, and invite everyone to next year’s golf fundraiser.

• Evolve the auction based on feedback. Look for ways to improve your auction strategy based on the feedback you get from your supporters and golf event participants.

The Best Golf Charity Auction Items

One key to a successful auction is offering items that are appealing, attractive, and valuable to your audience. When procuring items:

• Ask your supporters ahead of time what type of auction items they would like to see.

• Have three to five “big” items in the mix that guests would splurge on, plus small to mid-sized items to round out the slate and attract more bidders.

• Include golf-related items to appeal to golfers, and consider items that match the tournament's theme.

• Invite sponsors to contribute in-kind gifts for auction items. If a prospective sponsor says no to a monetary sponsorship, ask for an in-kind donation.

Our Favorite Golf Charity Auction Items

• Experiences. VIP tickets to sporting events, concert passes, exclusive golf packages, vacations or travel packages, dining experiences.

• Memorabilia. Autographed sports gear, collectibles, pieces of art, branded merchandise, golf equipment.

• Luxury items. Designer goods, handmade jewelry, high-end electronics, gourmet food baskets, high-end spirits or wine baskets.

• Local business services. Spa packages, local dining experiences, home improvement services, golf lessons, local boutique packages.

Hope Strengthens Foundation partners with NHL Hall-of-Famer Ray Bourque as the auctioneer at their golf charity auction.

Golf-Related Auction Items

• Custom golf club set

• Golf rangefinder

• Personalized golf bag

• Exclusive lessons with a golf pro

• Golf apparel (hat, shoes, gloves, shirts, pants)

• Golf cart 

• Golf course membership package

• Golf weekend getaway

• Play with a club pro

• Play with a local celebrity 

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Pro Tip:

GolfStatus’ giving partners at Dormie Network Foundation offer in-kind donations that level up nonprofits’ fundraising efforts.

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Physical Auction Items

• Custom artwork

• Standing desk/walking pad

• Chef set (knives, kitchen supplies, etc.)

• Gourmet gift basket (luxury chocolates, wine, snacks, and other gourmet foods)

• Coffee lover gift basket (coffee mugs, French press, beans, etc.)

Experiential Auction Items

• Sporting events tickets

• Concert tickets

• “Night on the Town” (dinner and a show)

• Ultimate city experience (tickets to all the fun things to do in a certain city)

Consignment Travel & Risk-Free Big Ticket Items

• Vacation packages

• Golf-related packages, like tickets to The Masters, a trip to Pebble Beach, or a trip to play St. Andrews

Third-party providers offer risk-free travel packages. Your organization only pays the base cost of the item if it sells, and you keep all the profit above the reserve price.

Run a Golf Auction with GolfStatus

In addition to industry-leading software for charity golf tournaments and fundraisers, GolfStatus offers an auction add-on. The GolfStatus in-house team will work closely with you to set the auction up on the platform and activate the “Auction” tab on your golf tournament website so you can start collecting bids alongside golfer and sponsor registrations. Curious about how GolfStatus can help save time, raise more money, and streamline your auction? Click below to get in touch with our team.

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Nebraska Nonprofit Engages Supporters Year-Round Through Golf

partner snapshot

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska sees golf as much more than just a day on the course. It’s a way to bring people together to raise critical funds and, perhaps most importantly, introduce more people to a mission that can easily be overlooked.

The Nebraska chapter shares a mission with the national Kids’ Chance community: to provide scholarships and support to the children of workers who have been killed or seriously injured in workplace accidents. While workers’ compensation provides some support, it often doesn’t cover everything a family needs, especially the cost of higher education.

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska relies on golf to raise funds for scholarship and spread the word about its mission.

The organization finds children who qualify and connects them with scholarship opportunities and support throughout their education. “A lot of kids don’t realize they qualify for this support,” says Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President.

Golf plays an important role in making that support a reality. What started as a small tournament with just a handful of golfers has grown into an annual event drawing more than 130 golfers, while a second golf fundraiser—a TopGolf event—gives Kids’ Chance of Nebraska another opportunity to engage its network.

the challenge

When Shawn first started looking for a fundraising option more than a decade ago, golf seemed like a natural solution. “I needed a fundraiser, and I like to golf,” he says. The golf outing quickly became the organization’s major fundraiser of the year.

But as the tournament grew, so did the administrative work behind it. Participants received information about the event by mail, filled out paper forms or PDFs, and sent in checks. Shawn had to track payments, follow up with people who hadn’t paid, and maintain spreadsheets to try to keep everything organized. “I had to go collect checks at the P.O. box, keep track of who had paid, and chase people down on the day of the tournament,” Shawn says.

There was also the added administrative work that comes with a major fundraising event—selling and managing sponsorships, coordinating teams and pairings, reconciling income and expenses. For an organization with a largely volunteer-run board, that workload quickly became a barrier for growth.

And because the goal of the golf event is broader than raising money, the organization saw an opportunity to expand beyond its traditional tournament to add a second fundraiser to engage more people—a spring TopGolf event. But a second event meant additional work, and they needed a solution to streamline planning for both events.

The 18-hole golf tournament has grown from a handful of golfers in its first year to regularly attracting more than 150.

the solution

GolfStatus has helped make managing both events easier. After being introduced to GolfStatus through a connection at Dormie Network Foundation, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska moved its tournament into the digital age.

Simplifying Logistics

Online registration made an immediate, significant difference. Instead of relying on the PDFs, checks, and spreadsheets, golfers register and pay online, without any manual processing. “It’s a piece of cake,” Shawn says. “It made my job a lot easier.”

The platform is used to manage teams, pairings, and sponsorships. Shawn says he appreciates being able to see at a glance who has registered and can organize participants as the event takes shape.

The event website has also become an important part of the tournaments, giving participants a clean, easy-to-use hub for registration and event information. Shawn includes the site’s link in all promotional materials, and golfers and sponsors take it from there.

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska uses event websites powered by GolfStatus for both its 18-hole tournament and TopGolf event.

For a volunteer-led organization, these efficiencies quickly added up. Instead of spending time tracking down payments or maintaining spreadsheets, the planning team can shift their focus to the things that make the event even more successful: recruiting sponsors, securing auction donations and raffle prizes, promoting the tournament, and connecting participants with the Kids’ Chance mission.

Improved Sponsorships & Relationships

GolfStatus helped Kids’ Chance of Nebraska offer new, lucrative sponsorships for its 18-hole tournament, including a hole-in-one contest sponsorship, pin flag sponsorship, and the exclusive Technology Sponsorship. These created new ways for businesses to support the event.

Their sponsorship strategy for both events is rooted in relationships, with most sponsors returning year after year. The sponsor pool includes businesses connected to the workers’ compensation industry, such as defense attorneys and insurance agencies that work with cases, plus other local businesses and vendors.

Some sponsors choose to have an active role in the golf tournament with a game or display set up on a tee box.

Shawn says some sponsors simply want to support the mission, while others want to be more actively involved at the event by hosting a hole and interacting with golfers. Sponsors play a major part in creating events that feel like true community gatherings, rather than just a fundraiser.

And with both golf events, organizers keep the focus on creating an enjoyable experience that people look forward to every year.

The results

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s golf fundraising efforts have come a long way from its humble beginnings. Today, the organization’s flagship 18-hole tournament attracts close to 150 golfers and drives $30,000 in revenue, while the TopGolf event draws 70+ people and $10,000 in fundraising.

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“We used to want to cover just one scholarship from the golf event, but now we’re able to cover three times that or even more.”

— Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President

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One Mission, Two Golf Events

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s two distinct golf events engage supporters throughout the year. The traditional tournament, held in September at Iron Horse Golf Club in Ashland, Nebraska, brings together many of the organization’s longtime supporters and has become a familiar tradition for participants, many of whom come back year after year. The tournament incorporates a silent auction and a raffle drawing.

The spring TopGolf event offers a format that appeals to a broader audience of non-golfers, spouses, and guests. It replaced a bowling fundraiser, with Shawn explaining, “The TopGolf event appealed more.”

Not everyone spends the evening hitting golf balls. “Half of the people don’t go to their bay,” Shawn says. “They just network, which is half the value.”

The TopGolf event features 20 bays, with opportunities for bay sponsorships, as well as food, beverage, signage, and video sponsorships. They also do a 50/50 raffle for a new putter.

The TopGolf event draws non-golfers and guests to network and learn more about Kids’ Chance of Nebraska.

More Than the Numbers

The fundraising numbers only tell part of the story. Yes, the events provide funding for Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s operating needs and scholarships for students whose families have been affected by workplace accidents, but they also reach people who may not know their work exists.

That mission-building component has become increasingly important as the tournaments have grown, creating a broader community of supporters around the organization. In particular, the TopGolf event has helped reach people outside the nonprofit’s traditional industry audience.

In 2025, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska awarded 14 scholarships. The impact of these scholarships is beginning to come full circle as former scholarship recipients have graduated from college and gone on to serve on the organization’s board. “Watching them get their scholarships and then seeing them come back on the board—it’s really a full circle moment,” says Shawn.

Lessons Learned

Shawn’s goals for the golf events are simple—give people an event they look forward to, raise money, make it easy to participate, and share the mission. GolfStatus has helped make that easier.

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“Go to GolfStatus. There are lots of apps out there, but the packages and extras with GolfStatus make it easy for us. It’s a no-brainer for me.”

— Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President

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As both tournaments continue to grow, Shawn plans to keep working with GolfStatus. “GolfStatus has been great, and everyone is easy to work with,” he says.

Shawn’s advice to other tournament planners? It’s key to start planning early, but to be patient. “In our experience, most people sign up in the few weeks ahead of the tournament.” He also says it’s important to stay connected with past participants, making sure they receive event communications and know that they’re invited back.

Above all, Shawn says Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s golf events give supporters a reason to get together and the organization another opportunity to tell its story.

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Golf for Good With GolfStatus

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska was able to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost, with a free event website, access to the software’s tournament management and fundraising tools, and support from the in-house team. Anyone can get started at no upfront cost—click below to book a meeting with our team of golf fundraising pros to learn more or explore the software on your own!

Get Started With GolfStatus at No Upfront Cost

GolfStatus and Dormie Network invite the community to enjoy an afternoon of mini golf while helping Lincoln’s homeless pets

LINCOLN, NE (August 12, 2026)—GolfStatus and Dormie Network are bringing back one of Lincoln’s favorite feel-good community events with the fourth annual Putt Putt Fore Puppies Mini Golf Tournament on Friday, September 18, 2026, at Adventure Golf Center.

The family-friendly fundraiser combines mini golf, local businesses, and animal lovers for an afternoon dedicated to supporting Capital Humane Society and its mission to care for homeless pets, assist pet owners, and educate the public about responsible pet care.

Since launching in 2023, Putt Putt Fore Puppies has raised more than $37,000 for Capital Humane Society. Last year’s event saw 220 participants and raised over $13,000.

This year’s event aims to build on that momentum, bringing golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters together for an afternoon of fun with a purpose.

“Putt Putt Fore Puppies has become one of our favorite traditions,” said Ashley Stahr, Chief Marketing Officer at GolfStatus and Dormie Network and tournament founder. “It brings people together to make a real difference for CHS, and we’re excited to welcome both returning participants and first-timers for another fun and memorable event.”

The event begins at 3:30 p.m., with a shotgun start at 4:30 p.m. Throughout the afternoon, participants can meet adoptable pets from Capital Humane Society while enjoying food, games, prizes, and plenty of friendly competition.

Event highlights include:

• 18 holes of mini golf played in a best ball format across Adventure Golf’s three courses with custom 3D printed trophies awarded to the winning team on each course.

• Player gifts including a Comfort Colors event t-shirt, an exclusive Imperial hat with the Putt Putt mascot, frisbee dog toy, pet bandana, and other golfer goodies.

• Dinner and beverages from Certified Piedmontese are included in registration.

• High-value raffle prizes including tickets to Henry Doorly Zoo, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, or Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, plus photography packages, gift cards to Scheels and Blue Sushi, gift baskets, merchandise packages, and many more.

• The Paws of Fame lets pet owners show off their furry (or not so furry) friend to fellow animal lovers, with pet photos displayed on the website and signage at the event (which the owners can take home at the end of the event).

Teams and sponsors can register online now on the tournament website. The Paw Print Team Registration is $160 and the All-Star Pack Team Registration is $200 (which includes the Paw Print package plus All-In Games and 12 raffle tickets). Sponsorship opportunities are also available for businesses and individuals interested in supporting Capital Humane Society while gaining visibility at one of Lincoln’s most unique community fundraising events.

To register a team, become a sponsor, purchase a Paws of Fame spotlight, or make a donation, visit: https://events.golfstatus.com/event/2026-putt-putt-fore-puppies-mini-golf-tournament

Watch highlights from the 2024 event:

Putt Putt Fore Puppies Mini Golf Tournament Event Details

• Date: Friday, September 18, 2026

• Time: 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.

• Location: Adventure Golf Center, 5901 S 56th St, Lincoln, NE 68516

• Cost: Starting at $160 per team

• Registration: https://events.golfstatus.com/event/2026-putt-putt-fore-puppies-mini-golf-tournament

About GolfStatus

GolfStatus is the industry-leading event management platform for charity golf tournaments and fundraisers. Its powerful software streamlines golf tournaments from start to finish, saving organizers time and enhancing the overall experience for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. GolfStatus combines robust software with exclusive Fundraising Enhancers and Rewards, practical golf fundraising resources, and a team of golf fundraising experts to make golf events approachable, efficient, and more profitable for organizations of all types and sizes. Learn more at GolfStatus.com.

About Dormie Network

Founded in 2017, Dormie Network is a national collection of private destination golf clubs with hospitality-driven experiences tailored for relationship building and business entertainment. Each club, owned and operated by Dormie Network, features onsite lodging, chef-driven dining, boutique golf shops, and concierge services. Membership includes full access to ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Nebraska; Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke, Virginia; Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas; Dormie Club in West End, North Carolina; GrayBull Club in Maxwell, Nebraska; Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey; and Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana. Learn more at DormieNetwork.com.

About Capital Humane Society

Capital Humane Society serves and unites the Lincoln community by providing resources and support for pet owners, caring for displaced animals, and connecting homeless pets with families through adoption. Learn more at capitalhumanesociety.org.

For more information about Putt Putt Fore Puppies, contact Ashley Stahr at [email protected].

By Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus

Your charity golf tournament draws some of your most affluent, influential supporters—golfers, sponsors, and their networks. Yet, this is often the exact group that slips through the cracks of even the most data-savvy nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. If that data isn’t making it into your donor database, you’re leaving valuable relationships (and future gifts) on the table. Here’s exactly how to capture it, step by step.

Data Capture Checklist

1. Choose a golf-specific event management platform, not a generic event tool

2. Launch a dedicated online registration website for your tournament

3. Centralize data management, particularly if third parties are running events on your behalf

4. Export tournament data from your event management tool and tag every golfer, sponsor, and donor by year and level

5. Add the data to your nonprofit’s CRM as part of your broader fundraising strategy

6. Put the data to work to inform hole assignments and team pairings

7. Use data to re-engage lapsed golf tournament participants

Why Golfer & Sponsor Data Matters

The basic reality is this—you can’t use information that you don’t have. If your golf event participants aren’t in your donor database, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to steward high-capacity donors over time. And the worst thing? You may not even realize it’s happening, since the gap is a blind spot, not an obvious red flag.

• When golfers or sponsors tap their personal and professional networks to fill a team, your organization gets exposed to new, high-level supporters you’d otherwise never meet.

• A golf tournament sponsorship is often a company’s first touchpoint with your mission, and sponsors are strong candidates for deeper corporate partnerships down the road.

• Golf event-specific data, like handicap, participation history, add-on purchases, auction winnings, or day-of donations, gives you conversation starters and stewardship angles that generic donor data doesn’t.

• Golfers represent an affluent demographic with strong ties to the local business community.

Step-by-Step Golf Tournament Data Collection

1. Choose a Golf-Specific Event Management Platform

General event management tools or generic ticketing platforms simply aren’t built for the level of specificity that golf tournaments require. Set yourself up for success from the get-go and look for a purpose-built solution that seamlessly handles:

• Golfer information (handicaps, GHIN, course preferences, shirt sizes)

• Custom sponsorship packages and tiers

• Digital sponsor exposure throughout the platform

• Hole assignments and team pairings

• Online donations before, during, and after the event

• Live scoring and leaderboards

The right platform should make registration frictionless. Its flow should be intuitive, so golfers and sponsors complete it without abandoning their carts partway through. Every field, click, or step that feels unnecessary is a chance to lose a registrant before they finish.

2. Launch an Online Registration Website

Your event management platform should power a sleek, professional golf tournament website. Whether your tournament is weeks or months away, this is perhaps the single most impactful thing you can do. Why? Online registration replaces emailed signups and manually processed paper forms with a system that captures clean, structured data automatically—without extra work from you or your event committee.

A well-built website should ideally collect more than just a name and payment. Capture each golfer’s contact information (or give registrants the ability to add that information later if all golfers aren’t yet determined), and potentially their employer, job title, and sponsor affiliation. Pairing that information with their purchases—mulligans, game or contest entry, raffle tickets—offers additional context that can turn your registration list into data your development team can leverage later.

An event website makes capturing data from your charity golf tournament easy and efficient.

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PRO TIP:

Keep all tournament purchases within your event management platform to ensure you capture as much useful data as possible—and you won’t be stuck reconciling cash payments or Venmos post-tournament.

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3. Centralize Data Management

Online registration keeps all your event data in one easy-to-access spot so everyone on your team is working with up-to-date information, instead of multiple spreadsheets that quickly become outdated.

If your organization benefits from events hosted by volunteers, businesses, or other third parties, data capture and management can become even more convoluted—and fast. You may have limited visibility into who’s registering, sponsoring, or donating at an event you didn’t organize yourself.

Tech that centralizes events and their data into a single platform while still letting them run independently makes it easy for others to raise funds on your behalf. Plus, you capture the event’s data for long-term stewardship. This gives you the best of both worlds: expanded reach through the third party’s networks and goodwill and the donor and sponsor relationships that come with it.

4. Export, Tag, and Track Data by Year and Level

The best event data is useless if it’s not accessible outside of the fundraiser itself. An intuitive golf event platform should offer robust reporting and make it easy to export data to include in your nonprofit’s CRM.

Once the data is exported, use source codes, tags, or other batch notations to track who played in, donated to, or sponsored your event at what level and in what year. This turns a one-time registration list into a broader piece of each contact’s multi-year donor history.

Over time, this kind of tracking lets you answer questions that matter for stewardship and solicitation for next year’s golf tournament:

• Which sponsors have upgraded their level year over year?

• Which golfers have played every year?

• Who sponsored once and never came back?

• Which golfers played in the past but missed last year?

Each of these questions gives your team the context they need for outreach messaging that resonates.

Your event management platform should make it simple to export donor and sponsor data with a few clicks.

5. Import Data to Your CRM

Once the data is in your CRM, combine it with the rest of your donor information to make timely, relevant asks—donations, support for other events, invitations to future golf tournaments—through regular donor touchpoints.

This step is what connects your charity golf tournament to the rest of your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. A golfer who’s been quietly showing up year after year or a company that’s sponsored the same hole-in-one contest for years are potential candidates for additional support. Your development team can only spot that pattern if the data actually makes it into their systems and processes.

6. Put the Data to Work

Organized data lets you be intentional about the event itself, not just what happens after it. You wouldn’t seat a major donor in the back of a dimly lit ballroom at a gala, and the same logic applies on the golf course.

Use what you know about sponsors and top donors to make thoughtful team pairings and hole assignments, especially since many sponsors are there to talk business over 18 holes. Good data also pays off in sponsor satisfaction. A sponsor who’s paired with or near golfers or other sponsors they have a business connection to is more likely to find value in the event and renew their support for next year.

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Pro Tip:

Strategically pair your nonprofit’s executive director with a team from the title sponsor or potential major partner. The hours spent on the golf course can go a long way toward future support and gifts.

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7. Re-Engage Repeat and Lapsed Participants

Repeat attendees, sponsors, and donors are typically more engaged and more generous than new participants, so getting them back year after year should be important. Reaching out to participants who missed last year’s tournament is also one of the more effective ways to bring active supporters back into the fold.

A simple low-effort habit worth building is to flag anyone who registered or sponsored the prior year but didn’t return. Next, reach out personally well before registration opens for the next event. A short personalized note asking what changed or saying simply that you missed them does much more than a generic email blast.

Use your golf event’s data to re-engage with lapsed participants, sponsors, and donors.

Common Data Capture Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating the tournament as a standalone event rather than an ongoing donor relationship. The data only pays off if it feeds back into your broader fundraising strategy.

• Relying on manual data entry from paper forms or email signups. Not only is it slow and error-prone, but it takes an enormous amount of time that could be better spent building relationships.

• Skipping data export so golfer and sponsor data sits in the event platform and is never used.

• Missing tags or notations when your data is uploaded to your CRM. Without this critical information, your data tells an incomplete story.

• Losing visibility into third-party events run on your organization’s behalf, which can mean entirely missing some promising sponsor prospects.

Wrapping Up

Your charity golf tournament is much more than a one-day fundraiser. In fact, it’s one of the richest sources of donor and sponsor data your organization has access to all year. The difference between capturing that data and letting it slip away usually comes down to a handful of decisions: registering golfers online rather than on paper, choosing a platform built for golf rather than a generic ticketing platform, and ensuring data reaches the people who need it rather than keeping it siloed.

The best news of all is that none of this requires a bigger budget or team. It simply requires the right tools and the habit of treating every tournament as an input into your broader donor strategy. Start with the steps outlined in this article, and you’ll be ahead of the game for your next tournament.

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Get a Free Event Registration Website

Worried that a dedicated event website will take a huge chunk out of your limited tournament budget? Nonprofits, charities, and third parties running golf events to benefit one can get a free event website, plus access to GolfStatus’ golf event management and fundraising platform at no upfront cost. Easily capture golfer and sponsor data, manage teams, track payments, communicate with participants, and much more—all to save you time and help raise thousands more dollars for your cause. Click below to book a meeting or get started in the software on your own!

Get Started With GolfStatus at No Upfront Cost

by Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus

Corporate fundraising presents a valuable opportunity for nonprofits and businesses to make a meaningful impact on their communities. For nonprofits, it means additional funding, resources, and greater visibility. For businesses, raising money for charity as a third party boosts brand reputation, engages employees, and fosters connections with new audiences.

Whether you’re a nonprofit looking to secure corporate support or a company looking to give back, these key strategies and fundraising ideas will help you maximize your impact.

Skip to:

• Corporate Fundraising FAQ

• Top Corporate Fundraising Idea: Charity Golf Tournament

• Event-Based Corporate Fundraising Ideas

• Workplace Giving & Employee Engagement Fundraising Ideas

• Community-Focused Fundraising Ideas

• Virtual Fundraising Ideas

• Seasonal Corporate Fundraising Ideas

Corporate Fundraising FAQ

What is Corporate Fundraising?

Corporate fundraising is any effort where a business raises money or resources to support a nonprofit or charitable cause. It can take many forms, and the right approach depends on the company’s size, culture, budget, priorities, and goals. Some companies focus their corporate fundraising efforts on increasing employee engagement and strengthening community relationships, while others prioritize charitable impact and enhancing brand visibility.

What Are the Benefits of Corporate Fundraising?

For Corporate Entities

• Reputation boost. Corporate giving enhances your social responsibility profile, enhancing and strengthening your brand and reputation.

• Introduction to new audiences and customers. Supporting a nonprofit can help businesses engage with new customers. For instance, fundraising events that attract higher-net-worth individuals—like charity golf tournaments—help businesses attract valuable clientele.

• Improved employee engagement. Giving back can boost employee satisfaction and engagement, foster connections between teams, and improve team building.

• Diverse giving opportunities. There are multiple ways companies can support charitable causes, including in-kind donations, monetary sponsorships, cause marketing campaigns, and more.

For Nonprofits

• Increased funding and financial stability. Corporate sponsorships and donations create a reliable funding source for nonprofits.

• Expanded audience and brand awareness. Corporate partnerships introduce nonprofit causes to new audiences and raise awareness about important issues.

• Access to valuable resources and expertise. Corporate partners may provide helpful resources like in-kind donations or skilled volunteers, along with industry expertise.

• Long-term strategic partnerships. These collaborations provide ongoing support for sustained impact.

• Increased credibility and public trust. Aligning with respectable brands or well-known businesses helps build trust among the community and with donors.

Corporate partnerships have a number of benefits for businesses and noprofits.

What Are the Top Corporate Fundraising Best Practices?

For all parties to maximize the impact of charitable partnerships, the following best practices should be considered:

Nonprofits

• Educate partners on any other corporate giving opportunities that may exist to further maximize their charitable efforts, such as matching gifts, volunteer grants, or payroll giving.

• Mobilize your donor network to spread the word about your corporate partner’s contributions, share information about the upcoming fundraising event, and encourage participation.

• Set goals that are both ambitious and realistic, based on past fundraising efforts, successes, and lessons learned.

Businesses & Third-Party Fundraisers

• Be transparent about the scope of your support and involvement in the fundraising event.

• Align fundraising events with your company’s mission, brand, and audience.

• Collaborate with the nonprofit to create compelling event promotional materials, such as a compelling event website with storytelling, visuals, and many opportunities and tiers for involvement.

Both Parties

• Work with partners that share your goals and values for the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.

• Choose the right event that will appeal to each organization’s audiences.

• Follow up after the event to reflect on its success, demonstrate its impact, and express gratitude.

• Create an event plan that details event tasks, assignments, and timelines.

• Outline a budget so both parties are on the same page.

• Use purpose-built tech to effectively and efficiently streamline planning and event management. For example, if you choose a charity golf tournament, choose a solution built specifically for golf, like GolfStatus.

The Top Corporate Fundraising Idea: Charity Golf Tournament

What Is a Charity Golf Tournament?

A charity golf tournament is a premier fundraising event that offers numerous benefits for the host company and benefiting nonprofit. Golf events bring people together like no other event can, combining philanthropy with networking, camaraderie, and an activity people genuinely enjoy. Golfers pay a registration fee to participate as an individual or a team and businesses purchase sponsorships to support the cause.

Charity golf tournaments bring people together to raise money, make connections, and strengthen relationships.

Why Is a Charity Golf Tournament the Best Corporate Fundraising Idea?

• Golf events have high revenue potential. Player registrations, sponsorships, and add-ons such as contests, on-course games, mulligan sales, auctions, and raffles drive revenue.

• Golf tournaments appeal to sponsors. Golf events provide excellent branding and exposure opportunities for businesses of all types, plus access to an audience that can’t be found with any other event.

• Golf events attract decision-makers. Golf attracts corporate executives and higher-than-average net-worth individuals. 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs are golfers, and one in three golfers are in top-level management.

• Golf is more popular and inclusive than ever. Golf continues to see record popularity, attracting new audiences of beginners, women, and young adults.

• Golf builds relationships. Because the focus of the event is on an enjoyable activity, it’s easy for donors and sponsors to build relationships and positive memories that keep them coming back year after year.

• Golf events strengthen community engagement. Golf events planned by a third-party corporate partner deepen community ties and engagement.

• Golf tournaments are customizable. Choose the golf facility, format, and competition level that best suits your combined audiences.

• There are multiple opportunities for support. Golf tournaments offer a plethora of opportunities to support a nonprofit partner—monetary sponsorships, employee volunteering, in-kind donations, and more.

Tips for Launching a Charity Golf Tournament

With the right strategy and tools in place, it’s easier than ever to plan and execute a successful charity golf tournament. Follow these tips:

• Use an event website. A dedicated golf tournament website with online registration makes promotion, registration, sponsor onboarding and exposure, sharing information about your cause, and communication with supporters simple and efficient.

• Offer sponsorship packages at varying price points. This best practice allows businesses with different budget capabilities to support your tournament. High-end exposure, like a pin flag sponsorship, should be sold at a premium,

• Maximize additional fundraising. Incorporate tournament components such as mulligan sales, raffle tickets, auctions, on-course games, and hole-in-one contests to boost fundraising outcomes.

• Enlist volunteer help. Work to engage volunteers from both the corporate partner and nonprofit to help in tournament prep and day-of execution.

Most importantly, use a golf-specific event management platform. Golf tournaments come with a unique set of details that must be handled, including handicaps, hole assignments, team pairings, flighting, and scoring. Standard ticketing software and nonprofit CRMs simply aren’t built to handle this level of specificity without requiring time-consuming workarounds.

GolfStatus’ golf event management software addresses the golf specifics and has baked-in tools to save organizers time and opportunities to raise more money:

• Event websites with online registration, secure payment processing, broad digital sponsor exposure, the ability to collect donations, and more.

• Robust reporting and data management in one easily-accessible web-based platform.

• A user-friendly back end where team members can collaborate, manage payments, track team and sponsorship sales, make hole assignments, and more.

• Reliable live scoring that engages golfers throughout the tournament and makes the tournament more fun.

• Exclusive sponsorships and add-ons to raise thousands more dollars.

• A responsive, in-house client success team comprised of PGA Professionals and fundraising specialists.

For third party fundraisers like corporate entities, GolfStatus can essentially be the bank for the golf event. GolfStatus makes it simple to collect and hold funds that can be paid out directly to the nonprofit after the tournament concludes.

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Other Event-Based Corporate Fundraising Ideas

2. Corporate gala or charity ball

3. Trivia night

4. Charity game night

5. Wine and dine fundraiser

6. Benefit concert (could also accompany your charity golf tournament)

7. Networking event or conference

8. Executive challenges (like dunk tanks or pie-in-the-face challenges)

9. Giving days

10. Corporate field day

11. Charity bowling tournament

12. Corporate cook-off

13. Art auction featuring employee or local artist works

14. Charity fashion show highlighting local boutiques

15. Escape room challenge

16. Corporate talent show and dinner

17. Pancake breakfast fundraiser before the workday begins

18. Charity poker or casino night

19. Community outdoor movie night

20. Murder mystery dinner party

21. Charity cornhole tournament

22. Paint and sip fundraising event

23. Mini-golf tournament

24. Charity obstacle course race/field day

25. Bingo night fundraiser

Workplace Giving & Employee Engagement Fundraising Ideas

26. Donation matching

27. Payroll giving

28. Company-wide donation challenge

29. Internal company charity raffle

30. Company silent auction

31. Cause-related product sales

32. Peer-to-peer company-wide fundraising competition

33. Office bake sale

34. "Dress down" or casual dress days in exchange for a donation

35. Paid volunteer time off (VTO) campaigns tied to a financial match

36. CEO/Executive "jail" (employees donate to bail them out)

37. Lunch and learn sessions with a nonprofit guest speaker (catered lunch with suggested donation)

38. Office pet photo contest with voting via entry fees

39. Parking spot auction

40. Employee skill auction (e.g., bid on lessons for employees with niche skills, like guitar lessons or baking)

41. Spare change collection jars in the breakroom

42. Department vs. department penny wars

43. Used book or media sale at the office

44. Coffee cart sale (all coffee purchases are used as donations to a charity)

45. Company recipe book sales featuring employee submissions

Companies can further the impact of their charity golf tournament by holding an accompanying donation drive.

Community-Focused Fundraising Ideas

46. Charity car wash

47. Restaurant fundraising night

48. Food or in-kind item drive

49. Charity run

50. Community festival for charity

51. Charity dog wash or pet grooming event

52. Company-wide garage/yard sale

53. Community tree planting or park clean-up sponsorship

54. Local artisan craft fair with a portion of proceeds donated

55. Charity bike ride or cyclathon

56. Community scavenger hunt with local business sponsors

57. E-waste recycling drive (partnering with a local recycling firm)

58. Local business coupon book sales

59. Bottle and can recycling drive

Virtual Fundraising Ideas

60. Online fundraising gamification or rewards-based campaigns

61. Social media challenges

62. Crowdfunding campaigns

63. Livestream fundraising event

64. Virtual 5K or step challenge

65. Online cooking class hosted by a local chef

66. Virtual trivia or bingo hosted via Zoom

67. E-sports or video game tournament

68. Online peer-to-peer walkathon

69. Corporate branded merch sale

Seasonal Corporate Fundraising Ideas

70. Halloween costume contest

71. Valentine's candy-gram fundraiser

72. Holiday gift drive

73. Summer corporate BBQ fundraiser

74. Ugly holiday sweater contest with entry fees

75. Spring cleaning office garage sale

76. Pumpkin carving or decorating contest

77. Holiday wrapping paper service (executives wrap gifts for staff donations)

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Final Thoughts

Corporate fundraising strengthens communities, builds partnerships, and makes a lasting impact. Whether you’re hosting a charity golf tournament or launching another fundraising campaign, the right tools and strategies help ensure success.

GolfStatus simplifies golf event planning and management while maximizing fundraising potential. Click below to learn more!

Start Planning a Corporate Golf Event With GolfStatus!

Click Here to Get Started With a Free Event Website

About the Author

Jen Wemhoff - Communications Manager at GolfStatus

Jen Wemhoff accidentally discovered her passion for nonprofits in college. An internship while earning a degree in Communications from Doane University led to a 20 year career in the nonprofit sector, where she found a strong desire to be part of something bigger than herself. Her vast nonprofit experience includes roles in marketing, fundraising, and direct programming. When Jen came to GolfStatus as Communications Manager in 2020, she was struck by the power of the sport to raise money to power nonprofit missions. She tells GolfStatus’s story across platforms and channels and develops educational tools and resources to help nonprofits tap into golf’s giving power. Jen, her husband, and two daughters call Lincoln, Nebraska home.