Requesting Auction Donations From Golf Fundraiser Sponsors

Combining an auction with your charity golf tournament adds an engaging and lucrative fundraising component to the event. Your organization has a lot of flexibility when it comes to planning an auction—you can choose between:

• A silent auction

• A live auction

• An in-person, virtual, or hybrid auction

• A combination of the above

Once you’ve determined the auction’s format, the most important (and often most challenging) part of the auction planning process is procuring items that appeal to your tournament’s participants while keeping upfront costs low. One of the best ways to strike this balance is to request in-kind donations of auction items from event sponsors.

Here are  three tips for requesting auction item donations from your tournament’s sponsors.

1. Know What Types of Auction Items to Ask For

Before you start requesting auction item donations, bring your planning team together to collaboratively create a wishlist that will guide your solicitation process. As you make this list of desired auction items, prioritize those that tend to sell well at auctions and that appeal to your event’s target audience.

A stay and play experience at a luxury golf club is a great choice for a live auction at a golf fundraiser.

According to Winspire, the top 10 types of charity auction items include:

• Vacation Packages. In addition to sightseeing tours or cruises, golf fundraiser participants will likely also enjoy a stay and play experience at a luxury golf club.

• Gift Baskets. Popular auction gift baskets are typically designed around creative themes or related to golf in some way.

• Event Tickets. These might be to shows, concerts, or even professional golf tournaments.

• Signed Celebrity Memorabilia. Ideas might include golf balls, pin flags, or other golf equipment signed by famous golfers. Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to golf memorabilia—golfers are likely also interested in other celebrity items.

• Artwork and Antiques. Include pieces with ties to your local community or by local artists.

• Gift Certificates or Gift Cards. Sponsors are often happy to donate gift cards for goods or services ranging from personal training to auto detailing.

• Family-friendly Activities. These items are an opportunity to engage golfers with children or grandchildren.

• Fine Food and Beverages. Items should cater to a variety of preferences.

• Popular Technology. New smartphones, tablets, headphones, fitness trackers, rangefinders, or other gadgets are popular auction items.

• High-end Goods. Some ideas for golf tournaments include new golf clubs, golf bags, or gift cards for brand-name golf apparel.

Realistically, you only need to procure five to 10 items for a live auction, while silent auctions can feature 100 items or more since bidding can happen before, during, and after the round. Keeping this in mind, prioritize your wishlist of items based on which items you consider “must-haves,” which ones would just be nice to have, and backup ideas to fill out your slate of auction items as needed.

2. Craft Compelling Donation Pitches

Whenever possible, approach potential golf tournament sponsors by meeting with them in-person or via video chat. This way, you can work out the exact details of the sponsorship agreement together and create a better partnership experience for both parties. 

However, it’s still a good idea to put together a donation request letter for every potential sponsor you contact. This document serves as the ask itself in case you can’t meet with a sponsor personally, and it can help guide the conversation if you can set up a meeting.

In each donation request letter, make sure to include:

• Your Organization’s Branding. NXUnite’s nonprofit branding guide recommends incorporating your logo, color scheme, and brand fonts into donation requests to build trust with potential sponsors and make the letters look more professional.

• Mission Information. This section will vary depending on whether you’ve worked with this sponsor before. If not, provide a broad explanation of your organization’s mission and work, supported by impact stories and statistics as appropriate. If they’ve partnered with you previously, explain the purpose and goals of your event.

• A Specific Request That Aligns With the Sponsor’s Business Model. This shows the sponsor that you’ve considered how they can contribute to your event and helps them make an informed decision. For example, instead of asking a sporting goods store owner, “Would you be interested in donating a prize for our auction?” say, “Would you be willing to contribute a complete set of golf clubs as an auction prize?”

• Donor Recognition and Benefits. The most effective sponsorships are mutually beneficial, so let businesses know what’s in it for them if they donate auction items to your event. Typically, your organization will provide sponsors with publicity before and during the event, but elaborate on the channels and number of materials you plan to feature them in in your pitch.

• A Response Deadline. This helps ensure you receive a response well in advance of your event without pressuring sponsors to commit immediately.

In addition to the request letter, provide each sponsor with an in-kind donation form to make it as easy as possible to collect key details about each item (description, estimated value, etc.). Once you start getting responses, use an auction management platform to keep all of your items organized and facilitate online bidding.

An online auction platform makes it simple for golfers to bid on desired items 

3. Be Prepared to Pivot

Even if you present well thought out, professional auction donation requests to potential golf fundraiser sponsors, some of them may turn down your initial solicitation—which is completely normal.

However, when you receive a rejection, you need to be ready to adjust your strategy so you can still make the most of your efforts. Determine the sponsor’s reason for turning down your ask, then use the following strategies to adjust your approach:

• If the sponsor isn’t willing to provide the specific item you requested but is still interested in donating an auction prize, present a few backup offers that also align with their business model but are potentially lower-value or lower-demand. For example, if the aforementioned sporting goods store owner says no to your request for a set of golf clubs, see if they’re willing to provide a voucher for golf shoes in the winning bidder’s size or a general store gift card instead.

• If the sponsor wants to contribute an item but won’t let it go for free, try to negotiate a discounted price for fundraising purposes to maintain low upfront costs.

• If the sponsor is interested in supporting your event, but not via an auction item donation, discuss alternative sponsorship options with them. Review your golf tournament’s monetary sponsorship tiers with them so they can choose an option that aligns with their budget. Or, if the business could provide other supplies or a service for the event (such as a restaurant donating catering services), present them with that option.

• If the sponsor doesn’t want to contribute to your event at all, thank them for their time and move on to other sponsors or individual donors who might be able to provide the item you’re looking for.

Make sure to digitally track all sponsorship requests and responses so that when you host your next charity golf tournament, you can reference this information and approach sponsors even more strategically.

Donated items from sponsors significantly reduces overhead costs and ensure more revenue for your nonprofit.

Wrapping Up

Once you’ve secured a variety of auction item donations from your golf fundraiser sponsors, remember to follow through on your donor recognition promises—whether you shout your sponsors out on social media, include their logos on your event signage, mention them in your introductory speech, or other means of recognition. You might also consider going the extra mile and providing a small token of your gratitude for their support. This commitment to showing appreciation and looking out for their interests will contribute to longer-term, stronger partnerships with your nonprofit’s corporate sponsors.

Golf for Good

GolfStatus’ golf event management software can make your charity golf event simpler than ever. And with client-only add-ons like auction software, tournament organizers can save a ton of time and raise even more money for their cause. Nonprofits can qualify to use it at no cost through the Golf for Good program.