Transforming a Casual Golf Outing Into an Impactful Fundraiser: The Nebraska High School Officials Association Tournament
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Without officials, high school sports wouldn’t exist. And without the Nebraska High School Officials Association (NHSOA), there wouldn’t be an organization to provide support, training, and advocacy for high school officials across the state.
Through clinics, certification programs, and professional development opportunities, NHSOA helps officials gain the skills and confidence needed to officiate varsity and postseason contests through the Nebraska High School Activities Association (NSAA), the state’s governing body for school activities.
High school football officials attend a clinic organized by the Nebraska High School Officials Association.
Jeff Schwartz, a longtime official and active NHSOA advocate, has been involved with officiating for nearly two decades. While he’s stepped away from on-court and on-field officiating in recent years, he’s still deeply involved, assigning officials, supporting clinics, and helping lead one of the association’s most impactful initiatives: its annual golf fundraiser.
the challenge
The Bill Lewis Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to dependents of current and past NSAA-registered officials who have been active in NSAA programs, attend or plan to attend accredited post-secondary schools in Nebraska, and demonstrate a commitment to involvement and leadership. The dwindling fund had been offering two modest $500 scholarships each year, but association members knew the need was greater and wanted to make a more meaningful investment in the next generation.
Then came the golf fundraiser.
The idea for a golf event emerged organically. During the early years of the annual NSAA Official Summit, a small group of officials, including Jeff, decided to play a casual round of golf the day before the conference began. As conversations unfolded, so did the realization that golf could be more than a social outing—it could be a powerful way to bring people together to boost the scholarship fund’s impact.
Turning this idea into a sustainable fundraiser came with challenges:
Volunteer tournament organizers with full-time jobs and limited time to devote to planning.
No formal background in planning a golf fundraiser.
The need to grow revenue without increasing complexity.
A desire to avoid manually collecting and managing funds.
In short, NHSOA needed a solution that made golf fundraising easier, not harder.
An event website, powered by GolfStatus, made collecting golfer and sponsor registrations and payments easy and efficient.
the solution
A dedicated committee of about seven volunteers, including Jeff and some of his officiating buddies, took ownership of the event and committed to making it successful. Weekly Zoom meetings, a strong division of responsibilities, and a shared passion for the cause laid the groundwork for success.
Next came the right tech to plan and manage the tournament’s specifics. Several committee members were familiar with GolfStatus through various professional connections, and the platform provided the infrastructure the group needed. From registrations to sponsorships to auction management, GolfStatus helped NHSOA centralize operations and remove friction for both planners and participants.
“Since we all have full-time jobs, we love how simple GolfStatus makes everything.”
key solutions
Online registration and payment processing. GolfStatus allowed NHSOA to collect all golfer and sponsor information and payments online, eliminating the need for volunteers or the golf course to handle money. All funds were collected and held by GolfStatus until after the tournament. For a committee with busy schedules, this was a game-changer.
Sponsor-friendly event website. The GolfStatus event website made it simple to promote sponsorships to businesses and partners, like pin flags, hole-in-one contests, and the Technology Sponsorship. Clear visibility and a streamlined checkout process helped drive sponsor confidence and conversions.
Strategic sponsorship add-ons. The planning team leaned into the proven revenue drivers offered by GolfStatus, including:
Hole-in-one contests, with sponsors covering the cost of the insurance and boosting fundraising.
A pin flag sponsorship, which featured quotes from the scholarship fund’s namesake, Bill Lewis, a past NSAA Director of Officials and a school administrator who dedicated his time and talents to improving the quality of and respect for sports officiating throughout Nebraska.
Dormie Network Stay and Play Packages led to larger donations and the growth of the tournament’s auction.
Robust online auction. The auction quickly became a cornerstone of the fundraiser. Hosted online via GolfStatus’ auction platform to draw more bids, it opened in July and closed during the post-golf gathering, creating urgency and excitement.
Branded printables. The planning team utilized GolfStatus’ preformatted score cards and cart signs, branded with sponsor logos to broaden day-of visibility and exposure.
Tournament day simplicity. Perhaps most importantly for the team of volunteers, GolfStatus removed stress on event day. With registrations, payments, and the auction already handled, they could focus on engaging with golfers and celebrating the mission and outcomes.
Jeff says running everything through GolfStatus has made everything easier. “I don’t know how else you would do it, especially on the day of the tournament.”
Pin flags bear quotes from the scholarship fund’s namesake, Bill Lewis, past NSAA Director of Officials.
The results
What started as an informal round of golf among friends grew into a high-impact annual fundraiser and a meaningful touchpoint for the NHSOA community. “Golf is how we bring people together,” Jeff says.
scholarship impact
The Bill Lewis Scholarship Fund historically awarded two $500 scholarships, which are certainly helpful, but not transformational. Due to the success of the golf fundraiser and auction, the fund now awards two $5,000 scholarships, chosen from an applicant pool of nearly 300 students. Jeff says the goal is to grow the fund to add a third scholarship or to expand the current scholarship to a two-year award of $5,000 per year.
Hosting scholarship recipients at the post-golf celebration gives golfers and donors a tangible connection to the impact of their support, something Jeff says makes the event especially rewarding.
“It’s one thing to ask for donations, it’s another to show people exactly what those dollars are doing.”
Scholarship recipients received pin flags signed by golf tournament organizers.
Consistent Year-Over-Year Growth
The tournament’s revenue has grown each year, starting at a net of $14,000 in year one, $16,000 in year two, and growing to $18,000 in year three. This consistent growth has been driven by sponsorships and the success of the auction.
The auction drives the bulk of the tournament’s revenue, doubling its profit from $8,000 to $16,000 from years two to three. Donated auction items, including Dormie Network Stay and Plays, outings to Nebraska golf courses, and tickets to Husker and NSAA sporting events, attract bids from beyond their networks.
Improved Efficiency
Processing registrations, sponsorships, and auction payments through GolfStatus saved Jeff and the rest of the planning team hours of manual labor and simplified post-tournament accounting, since all funds were held in one place. “We wanted to stay as far away from the money as we can, so having GolfStatus to collect it has been great,” Jeff says.
The GolfStatus support team was there to help every step of the way, walking Jeff and committee members through the software’s back end, answering questions, and assisting with auction setup. “Brenden has been great,” Jeff says. “He is so responsive and always gets right back to us.”
What started as a casual round of golf has been transformed into an impactful fundraiser for scholarships.
Looking Ahead
NHSOA plans to keep refining, not reinventing, the tournament. Future discussions include adjusting start times, simplifying food options, and continuing to grow the auction by soliciting donations earlier in the year.
Thankfully, they have a solid foundation. For Jeff and the planning team, GolfStatus has become a trusted partner, one that removes logistical headaches and allows them to focus on what matters most.
“I’m not sure how we’d make this happen without GolfStatus,” Jeff says. “We don’t have to worry about the golf or auction side of things; we know it’s all handled through GolfStatus. It just works.”
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