As golf season moves into high gear, tournament organizers like you are likely exploring avenues to boost revenue from your golf fundraiser. This blog series continues to outline various tournament components, add-ons, and strategies to raise as much money as possible from your golf tournament. Check out the other posts in this series:

BackSwing Golf Events

Hole-In-One Contests

On-Course Games

In-Kind Donations

This installment will explore a popular addition to golf tournaments: auctions. Auctions are a common—and lucrative—complementary activity that can have great ROI for your nonprofit.

Why is an Auction a Good Choice for My Golf Tournament?

Auctions and golf tournaments go hand-in-hand. Not only does an auction add an exciting, interactive experience to your golf tournament, but it encourages attendees to participate and contribute generously. An auction is another opportunity to engage with area companies and businesses when you solicit auction item donations. And, of course, auctions have the potential to generate significant revenue for your tournament and organization.

What Types of Auctions Work Well at a Charity Golf Tournament?

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, using an online bidding platform to submit their bid. 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.

Another option is a 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.

Finally, you can choose an online auction. An online auction extends the auction beyond the golf tournament itself, reaching a larger audience and broader participation.

Link out to your auction right from your golf tournament website.

How do i add an auction to my golf event?

An auction can easily be added to your tournament at any time. Of course, the earlier you plan for an auction, the more time you’ll have to procure items, promote the auction, establish bidding processes, and finalize the details. What’s more, a well-organized auction ensures a positive overall experience and can even encourage higher bids.

Much like your golf tournament, using technology will help it run smoothly and save you time and hassle, so start by choosing an auction platform. The most important feature is a mobile-friendly interface so golfers can browse auction items during the round and place bids right from their phones. It’s also a good idea to enlist volunteers to help with auction setup, answer questions and assist folks with bids, and finalizing payment and item pickup at the auction’s conclusion.

---

Pro Tip:

Use your GolfStatus event website to promote your golf tournament’s auction, highlighting top-tier items and recognizing donors.

---

ADD AN AUCTION TO YOUR GOLFSTATUS EVENT WEBSITE

Find out more!

How can an auction boost my tournament’s revenue?

A combination of desirable items, low overhead costs, and a smooth experience can significantly increase your golf event’s overall revenue and further your nonprofit’s impact. Here’s what an auction can do:

• Attract New Participants. An auction can draw a wider audience to your tournament, including those who may not be interested in golfing but want to support your cause another way. Spouses or guests of golfers or sponsors may be eager to attend an auction, but not the rest of the tournament.

• High-End Items Encourage Higher Bids. Competitive bidding, especially in a live auction, can drive up the final sale price of items, leading to increased fundraising.

• Donated Items Drive Costs Down. Seek as many donated items as possible to keep overhead costs low. Items purchased outright or on consignment come with a cost that eat away at your overall take from the auction. Engage your donor base, partners, vendors, and sponsors to solicit auction item donations.

• Offers Multiple Income Streams. In addition to team registrations, sponsorships, contests, mulligan sales, and other add-ons, an auction provides yet another source of income for your tournament, diversifying your fundraising efforts.

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

What Items Should I Offer in my Auction?

One key to a successful auction is offering items that are appealing, attractive, and valuable to your audience. Some popular auction items generally include:

• 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.
  

Hole #18 at Victoria National, part of the Dormie Network.

---

Pro Tip:

GolfStatus’ giving partners at Dormie Network Foundation offer in-kind donations that level up nonprofits’ fundraising efforts. Learn more and request consideration at dormienetworkfoundation.org.

---

What are some best practices for my golf event’s auction?

• Start Planning Early. Begin organizing your auction well in advance of the event. Secure high-quality items and experiences that will appeal to your audience.

• Set Clear Guidelines. Clearly outline the auction rules, including bidding increments, payment methods, and pick-up procedures, to avoid confusion and ensure a seamless process. Be sure to communicate these to your bidders before the auction begins.

• Utilize Technology. Consider using online bidding platforms for silent or virtual auctions to streamline the process and reach a broader audience.

• Leverage Sponsorships and Donated Items. Partner with local businesses for donated items or experiences, reducing costs and fostering community involvement. You’ll improve fundraising outcomes as a result!

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

• Recruit Volunteers. Recruit the help of volunteers to assist with auction setup, bid tracking, and attendee support during the event.

• Follow Up with Bidders. After the auction, promptly reach out to winning bidders to confirm payment and item delivery, and thank them for their support. Be sure to add them to the invite list for next year’s golf tournament.

Auctions by 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.

Golf may not be the biggest thing in football-focused Klein, Texas, but the boys and girls golf teams are talented, passionate, and growing. “The kids get so much out of being on the golf teams,” says Andrea Vickers, president of the Klein High School Golf Booster Club’s board. Klein High School provides some funding for the teams, but unfortunately, doesn’t have the budget to fully subsidize all the teams’ expenses and needs.

The Klein High School Golf Booster Club helps fill the funding gaps between what the school provides and what the student athletes need to be successful.

That’s where the Golf Booster Club comes in. The club wants to make sure any student that wants to play golf for the BearKats has the opportunity to do so and has the tools and equipment needed to be successful. The combined team of nearly 30 student athletes is becoming more competitive in local and regional tournaments and getting more kids excited about golf.

Filling the funding gap between what the school provides and what the student athletes need requires significant dollars. “Golf teams can’t just go play in the school gym or football field,” Andrea says. “We have to go to area golf courses and that gets expensive.” Other team expenses include entry and travel costs for tournaments, plus greens fees for practice rounds, uniforms, and balls for each golfer.

The Booster Club launched a golf tournament to help raise funds to cover costs like travel fees, tournament entry, and equipment.

Three years ago, the booster club decided to launch a golf tournament as the best option to raise as much money as possible. The first tournament was successful in terms of dollars raised, but the time and administrative burden on Andrea, her husband, and the rest of the planning team was significant. “We’re all busy parents that work full-time and shuttle kids to and from activities, so we really needed to get away from manual, time-consuming processes,” Andrea says. They used an online platform to manage registrations, but one that required much more time and attention than the team had to give. “It was loosely organized chaos!” Andrea says.

Read the [full case study] to find out how GolfStatus’ tournament management tech—which Andrea and her planning team were able to utilize at no cost through the Golf for Good program—streamlined the tournament from start to finish and prevented a whole bunch of stress.

---

Planning a Golf Tournament?

Whether you have a tournament on the calendar or are just exploring the possibility of a golf event, GolfStatus can help! With easy-to-use technology, tournament planning resources, and an industry-leading support team, you’ll be set up for success. Click the button below to learn how you can use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program and get qualified!

You’ve decided to hold a golf fundraiser—great! But…now what?

The decision to move forward isn’t one to be taken lightly. You’ll invest time and effort into putting on a great golf event, so you want to make sure you get started on the right foot. Work through the six steps in this quick start guide to launch your golf tournament toward success and start collecting registrations and selling sponsorships as soon as possible.

1. do your research

As you may have suspected, a golf tournament comes with a number of pieces and parts to wrangle. Before you jump into planning, it’s a good idea to do some background research so you have a better understanding of what you’re getting yourself into—and how to maximize the fundraising potential of your tournament.

Don’t worry—you don’t have to be a golf expert to pull off a successful golf tournament! There are a myriad of free golf tournament planning resources at your disposal, so take full advantage of the help available.

---

fundamental tournament planning resources

---

2. select your tech provider

Technology is a game-changer when it comes to planning and executing a great golf fundraiser. The right tech tool should streamline your golf tournament from start to finish, saving busy organizers like you time and effort. How? By automating time-consuming tasks, keeping you organized, and providing a seamless experience for golfers and sponsors to register, purchase packages, or make a donation.

The key here is a platform that’s designed for a golf event and caters to the unique needs of nonprofits and charity golf tournaments. The last thing you want is an expensive, underpowered, overly complicated platform that requires workarounds and adaptations to function. Look for these must-have features:

• Professional, responsive event website

• Online registration with secure payment processing

• Intuitive interface

• Communication tools

• Web-based for easy collaboration

• Broad sponsor exposure and offerings

• Live scoring and leaderboards

• Ability to collect donations

• Robust reporting

• Seamless data exports

3. reach out to area golf facilities

Next step is securing the host golf facility. A simple Google search for “golf courses near me” will help you identify possibilities. Keep your organization’s audience and donor base in mind when choosing a golf facility. Would they be interested in paying a premium to play at a high-end, private club? Or is a public, lower-cost facility more appealing and practical?

• A public golf course is exactly what it says—open to the public. Anyone can play a public course and no membership is required. Public courses can be owned and operated by a municipality, such as a city, or a private entity. The fees are typically lower than private clubs, but may not be as well-maintained or challenging for avid golfers.

• A private golf course requires a membership to play. Private clubs are, in general, more expensive than public courses but may be more difficult to book an event, unless you have a connection who’s a member. On the flip side, a fundraiser at a private club can be a big draw for golfers who don’t typically have access to such a facility.

• A semi-private golf course is open to the public, but also offers memberships that come with perks not available to everyone. Greens fees should land somewhere in between a public and private club, and can be a nice alternative to either a public or private golf club.

Call around to golf courses in your area or browse course websites to get more information about their rates and costs for outside events and charity tournaments. Remember, a golf tournament essentially fills the facility’s tee sheet for most or all of the day, so it’s in their best interest to work with you to provide a good rate.

4. lock in a date

It’s a good idea to have a general time of year in mind for your tournament, whether it’s spring, summer, or fall (or even winter, if you live in a warmer climate), before you connect with golf staff. Do some research to identify other community or nonprofit events that might compete with yours for registrants, then work with golf staff to hone in on a date that works best for your organization and the course. They can also help advise you on the tournament’s format, start time, pairings and hole assignments, and any post-round banquet space.

Generally speaking, weekends and holidays will be more expensive to host an event than a weekday. Consider whether or not golfers and sponsors will be willing to commit to attending a golf event during the work day or on the weekend.

5. Launch an event website

An event website is a major key to the success of your golf tournament. Once you confirm the date and golf facility, go ahead and launch your site! You’ll get the event on supporters’ radars sooner rather than later. Simply share the link on your social media channels, in emails, on your organization's website, and anywhere else your target audience can be found online.

Use photos, videos, and compelling text to share your organization’s story and why people should support your mission. Provide tangible examples of what the dollars raised from the golf tournament will do for your work—this creates a strong connection between golfers and your organization.

6. fill in the details

As soon as you nail down additional tournament details—such as team and sponsor packages, any contests or games, an auction or raffle, or special guests—add them to the event website right away where folks can check back for updates and register for the event.

---

what’s next?

Now that your tournament is launched and live, shift your focus to filling your field of golfers and sponsors. Marketing your event is the longest phase of tournament planning, so leverage these free resources to create a roadmap to a sold out event.

---

Get a Free Golf Tournament Website (And More!)

A successful golf fundraiser starts with a professional event website. It’s the home base of your tournament, and where people can find out more information about the event and your mission and commit to participating. Nonprofits (and third parties holding a golf tournament to benefit a nonprofit or charity) can qualify for a free event website and access to GolfStatus’ golf event management platform at no upfront cost. You’ll save a ton of time and effort and raise even more money. Plus, GolfStatus is backed by a best-of-the-best in-house support team who’s there to help you every step of the way. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

Sales is a big part of a successful charity golf tournament, much to the chagrin of some nonprofit event organizers. The thought of reaching out to businesses to sell them on sponsoring your golf tournament might put you into a cold sweat, but with a solid strategy and the right tools in place, it won’t seem as daunting.

It’s important to start your sponsor outreach as early as possible, for a few reasons. First, you have a longer window to bring in sponsor dollars to help cover tournament expenses. Second, businesses often allot their marketing or charitable dollars early in their fiscal year, so the earlier you can get on their radar and into their budget, the better. Finally, the sooner they come on board as a sponsor, the longer they earn impressions and get exposure for their brand. It’s in the best interest of your tournament and the business to onboard them as early in the planning and marketing process as possible.

Before you outline your sales strategy, be sure to check these to-dos off your list:

• Set a Fundraising Goal. Knowing the revenue you’re aiming for with your golf event will help inform the type of sponsorships you build, the businesses you approach, and even the price of golfer and team registrations. Be realistic, but don’t underestimate the value of your tournament.

• Have an Event Website in Place. A golf tournament website gives you a place to send folks to learn more about your tournament, register a team, or purchase a sponsorship—as soon as they hear about it. An event website is also key to providing digital sponsor exposure, as golfers and prospective sponsors visit the site and see current sponsor logos.

Once you have these in place, you’re ready to dive into your sales strategy.

1. Create a prospect list

A prospect list is simply who you plan to go after for sponsors for your golf tournament. Start by getting your planning team together for a brainstorming session to throw out names of potential sponsors. Nothing should be off the table at this point! Many businesses find golf tournament sponsorships especially appealing, as their audience is made up of their ideal client or customer.

• Local, Regional, and Even National Businesses. Don’t limit yourself to only local businesses, especially if a larger company has an office or headquarters in your area.

• Businesses Where You Have Personal Connections. Who’s your dentist? Or doctor? Where do you take your dog to be groomed? Who sold your house? What printer does your organization use? Who are your nonprofit’s vendors? Use your personal networks to your advantage.

• Businesses That Are Connected to Your Cause. Think about businesses that have some type of connection to your mission. For example, if you’re raising money for a pet rescue, think about groomers, boarders, veterinarians, or pet supply stores. If yours is a memorial tournament, look for those that have a connection to the tournament’s namesake or the cause you’re raising money for.

• New Businesses. These are a great option for golf tournaments, especially for hole sponsorships. New businesses might not have a large budget for advertising, but still need and want the exposure.

Once you have your prospect list established, identify connections with your and your planning team’s personal and professional networks. Having an “in” at a business often leads to a successful sponsorship pitch!

2. build attractive sponsorship packages

Keep this in mind as you build your sponsorship packages: If you can put a logo on it, you can sell a sponsorship! Start by looking at your tournament’s hard costs and building sponsorship packages to cover them, such as food and beverage, player gifts, on-course games, beverage carts, golf carts, or hole-in-one contests.

Consider these best practices for sponsorship packages:

• Provide Value. Every sponsor package should provide enough return on investment (ROI) to justify the business’ support. Whether it’s brand exposure, the opportunity to engage with golfers, the chance to speak at the tournament’s kickoff or banquet, or registrant information, be sure to clearly outline the benefits for each sponsorship so prospective sponsors understand exactly what they’re getting.

• Show Tangible Impact. Help businesses understand what their support of your tournament will do. For example, the Title Sponsor will underwrite 10 dog adoptions. The goal is to help connect sponsors to your cause and compel them to participate.

• Attach Teams to Sponsorships. Not only does this add additional value to each package, but it functions to help fill your tournament’s field. Many of the highest grossing tournaments only have teams attached to sponsorships.

• Be Flexible. Don’t be afraid to create custom sponsorships based on what returns value for the business. It’s likely that your final slate of sponsorships will look different than when you started—and that’s ok!

• Accept In-Kind Support. Businesses are often interested in providing in-kind donations of goods or services instead of monetary support. These can be leveraged as raffle prizes, player gifts, auction items, pin prizes, to just enhance the overall tournament experience, or reduce your operating costs. For example, a local caterer or grocery store might be interested in providing lunch or snacks. Or perhaps a sporting goods store wants to donate a golf bag or gift card. Provide exposure and thanks for these contributions.

Your event management platform should make it simple to create and list sponsor packages on the golf tournament website, plus make additions and updates as necessary.

---

Sample golf fundraiser sponsorship packages

This free guide outlines three sets of golf tournament sample sponsorship packages, including pricing, benefits, and golfer registration costs. You’ll find examples for small, mid-sized, and large tournaments that you can adapt based on your tournament’s unique needs.

---

3. price packages effectively

As mentioned previously, your fundraising goal will guide your pricing, combined with the caliber of the host golf facility and size of the tournament’s field. Don’t expect to hit your goal with one sponsorship sale! Keep these points in mind as you consider package pricing:

• Cover Costs. As a baseline, you should cover hard costs and build in pure revenue to each package.

• Offer Varying Price Points. Lower price points might be an easier sell for businesses that don’t have a huge budget. That being said, don’t be afraid to go after the bigger fish who have more robust philanthropic or marketing budgets.

• Understand your network and its capabilities. Are there a number of businesses you can approach for lower-cost packages? Or do you have one or two you can target for pricier sponsorships?

• Don’t Underprice Your Sponsorships. Remember that your tournament has a unique value proposition! Sponsors

4. make an effective pitch

Once you’ve identified connections at prospective sponsors on your prospect list, determine who will reach out to each prospect. Lean on your planning team, staff, or board as much as possible in this phase, not only to leverage their connections, but to share the work. It’s a good idea to put the person tasked with reaching out to a business in charge of the relationship with that sponsor.

It’s also a good idea to use a shared template or talking points to ensure consistent messaging and make it easier to make the pitch. Use a combination of approaches, perhaps with an introductory email, followed by a phone call and/or check-in email. For larger sponsorships or when pitching to a known partner, you might want to connect in person. Every pitch should clearly outline the pricing and benefits, as well as an overview of the audience and estimated attendance numbers, if known. Ask them what they hope to get out of the partnership, which helps both parties get the most value out of the sponsorship. Send folks to the event website to view available sponsorships and purchase their package.

If yours is an existing tournament, offer past years’ sponsors the first right of refusal. Give them the option to move up to a different package, or stick with what they’ve done in the past.

Above all, remember the worst they can say is no!

An event website makes it simple for prospective sponsors to view available sponsorships and purchase a package with a few clicks.

5. Lean on technology

Technology is a key part of golfer and sponsor outreach, with an event website as the centerpiece. The website makes marketing and promotion as simple as sharing a link, where folks can learn more about your organization and event and register or become a sponsor as soon as they hear about it. A website makes the tournament shareable, so your supporters can share it with their networks, instantly expanding your potential audience.

The digital exposure afforded by the event website adds even more value to your sponsor packages. Every time someone visits the site, sponsors get eyeballs on their brand. And with the right event management tool, sponsor exposure is automatic—it gets added to the site as soon as a sponsor purchases a package via the website and starts earning impressions right away.

---

GolfStatus Makes It Easy

GolfStatus’ golf tournament management platform makes it easier than ever to build custom sponsorships, sell packages, collect assets, and provide digital sponsor exposure. It comes with an attractive, mobile-responsive event website and a user-friendly interface that streamlines tournament planning and execution. Nonprofits and charities (and third parties hosting golf events on their behalf) can qualify to use GolfSatus at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program. You’ll get access to tech tools, exclusive premium sponsorships, add-ons, and our A+ in-house support team to make your tournament a success. Click below to get qualified!

Golf tournaments are ripe with ways to build in revenue-generating components, both by leveraging the generosity of golfers and providing extras that make the tournament more fun and exciting. While sponsorships will likely make up the bulk of your tournament’s revenue, you can level up your fundraising power with add-ons that bring in more dollars and enhance the overall event experience for golfers and sponsors.

1. Donation Appeal

Your golfers attend your fundraiser for a reason: they’re passionate about your mission and want to help your cause. Appeal to this generosity both on and off the green, and you’ll be surprised at how much more money you can raise.

Start by providing context about your mission, fundraising goal, and initiatives on your event website and invitations so new donors understand the purpose of the event. Ensure your content is emotional, impactful, and tangible by featuring stories, photos, testimonials, or videos of your work.

Next, keep people updated on your progress during the event with email, in-app, or push notifications. This will up the urgency of your cause and encourage your donors to contribute to your goal.  

Finally, set up a donation station near the registration area or somewhere on the course to remind donors why they’re there: to make a difference. Leverage this opportunity to encourage your golfers to give certain amounts of money, such as an amount equal to their final score or the winning team’s final score.

Pro Tip: If your event includes an awards ceremony, it’s a great time to make a donation ask, particularly the option to donate the final score. A platform with the ability to collect donations is key!

2. Hole-in-One Contest

One of the most popular golf tournament fundraiser ideas is a hole-in-one contest. Golfers get the chance to ace a par-three hole or holes. Golfers love the excitement a hole-in-one contest brings to a tournament, and sponsors love the high visibility they earn for sponsoring the contest.

3. Longest Drive Contest

Another type of contest you can easily incorporate into your tournament is a longest drive contest. Work with the golf facility staff to identify a hole (or holes) that is long and straight, and have one contest for men and another for women. As the name implies, the winner is the person who hits the drive the farthest within the fairway. The golf course will provide a marker to mark the distance of drives. Work with a sponsor to donate or underwrite the cost of the contest prize.

4. Closest to the Pin contest

A closest to the pin contest is held on a par three hole and can be run alongside your hole-in-one contest, if desired. The winner of the contest is the golfer who hits a tee shot the closest to the hole. Much like the longest drive contest, you’ll want to have separate contests for men and women. And much like the previously mentioned contests, it’s a great opportunity for a premium sponsorship.

Ken’s Krew, a nonprofit that serves adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities, raises additional dollars with a putting contest at their golf fundraiser.

5. Putting Contest

Unlike the three other contests discussed above, a putting contest is typically held before or after your golf tournament, though it can be held during the round if that’s what works best for your event. A putting contest has the potential to boost revenue, as participants pay to enter the contest and qualify for the grand prize. Plus, you can encourage anyone can try their hand at sinking a long put, even tournament spectators.

6. Auctions

Silent and live auctions are popular components of golf tournaments and for good reason. They leverage the generosity of golfers, the euphoria of spending a day on the golf course, and a friendly desire to beat out their friends or colleagues. Whether you choose an on-site auction following the golf tournament or an online silent auction, you’ll want to promote it and any special prizes on your event website.

Pro Tip: Donated items are key to raising the most money possible, so put out calls to your networks and challenge the planning committee and board members to secure auction items. Also, try offering in-kind donations to your auction as a sponsorship option. This can empower more businesses to participate.

7. Mulligans

Mulligans are essentially a “do-over” that lets golfers retake a shot they weren’t happy with. Mulligans are an easy add-on to any registration package and are popular among golfers of all skill levels. Include them with team packages or sell them as a standalone item. Golfers who know they need a little extra wiggle room in their game can purchase one or more at the time of registration, or you can sell them the day of the event as well.

Pro Tip: To allow more people to purchase mulligans, ensure you’re using a mobile-friendly event website. This makes it easy for folks to purchase mulligans right from their phones on the day of the event, and eliminates the need to handle cash payments.

8. Skins Games

Skins games encourage friendly competition between golfers while raising more dollars for your cause. In short, skins games create mini-competitions where teams (or individuals, depending on the event’s format) opt to compete against each other based on their score on a given hole, in addition to their overall score. Event organizers can use skins games to fundraise by setting a dollar amount for participants to buy in to compete. 

To up the ante, display skins results on real-time digital leaderboards. This keeps golfers engaged and makes the skins games more competitive. Be sure to choose a software solution with reliable live-scoring that automatically syncs to live leaderboards that display on your event website and a mobile app.

9. Raffles

Approach businesses, sponsors, and the community for in-kind donations to use as prizes for a fundraising raffle or host a 50/50 cash drawing (in which the total prize money is split between the raffle winner or winners and the benefiting organization). Much like mulligans, raffle tickets can be built into team packages or offered as a standalone item. And also like mulligans, you can offer them for sale on the day of the tournament on the event website.

Pro Tip: Be sure to check for any legal requirements or restrictions for raffles in your state.

10. Matching Donations

Golfers are a generous bunch. A matching donor can exponentially multiply their generosity and supercharge your golf tournament’s fundraising efforts. This can work a couple of ways. 

One, sell a “Matching Gift Sponsor” that pledges to match donations made to your event. Depending on how the donor/sponsor would like to structure the match, these are often capped at a specific dollar amount (essentially the top amount the sponsor is willing to donate) or limited to a certain number of donations. Recognize this sponsor the same way you would any other high-dollar sponsor—on your event website, tournament signage, social media, email campaigns, etc. It might also be beneficial to send a standalone news release to local media contacts about the matching donation, giving even more exposure to the sponsor and inviting members of the community to contribute to your event.

Two, you may have a generous donor who wishes to stay anonymous or just doesn’t want to be considered a sponsor. In this case, work with the donor on how or if they would like to be mentioned or recognized for their support. 

Either way, it’s imperative that you communicate this opportunity to golfers leading up to and throughout the day of the event. Include it on your event website’s home page; add a QR code with a direct link to your event website on any printed materials or signage; mention the opportunity when golfers check in, during any kick-off address, or awards ceremony speeches; and send push notifications and emails to golfers through your tournament management software. Be sure to stress that their donation will go even further thanks to the generosity of your sponsor or donor and that donations must be made that day.

11. Virtual Round

Adding a virtual round lets golfers play in support of your cause from anywhere without being present at the actual tournament. Golfers simply register for the virtual event via your event website, choose the date and location where they want to play their rounds, and submit their scores via a live-scoring mobile app. If yours is an event that typically sells out, a virtual round also opens doors to additional participants playing for your organization without the risk and costs of adding a second day to your golf tournament.

12. Food and Drink Tickets

After a day of golfing for a good cause, your participants will likely be parched and hungry. Sell them food and drink tickets and put that money towards your campaign. To make the most money possible off of the tickets, consider asking local restaurants and supermarkets for in-kind food and drink donations (check with the golf course on their policies for outside food and drink). Thus, you’ll have fewer operating costs and the money you make will be put to good use in your fundraising campaign.

13. On-Course Games

The possibilities for games as golf tournament fundraiser ideas are endless. Golfers and sponsors alike will remember the fun they had shooting a golf ball cannon, putting blindfolded, or using a seven iron to play the entire hole. Your organization will reap the benefits of pure tournament revenue and make folks more likely to return year after year.

Pro Tip: An all-in games package is a simple option for entry—golfers pay one flat fee to participate in all the games. Use wristbands or something similar to signal to the volunteers working the games on the course that those golfers have already paid.

14. Technology Sponsorship

This unique sponsorship gives the sponsoring business unparalleled exposure across the tournament management platform and accompanying mobile app. The Technology Sponsorship is only available to GolfStatus clients and on average, raises an additional $4,000 for your mission. Sell it as a standalone sponsorship or build it into your title or presenting sponsorship to provide even more value.

15. Pin Flag Sponsorship

This high-end sponsorship gives your tournament a professional feel. Sell one pin flag sponsorship for all 18 holes and premium exposure, split it into a front nine and back nine sponsorships, or sell them individually. No matter how you approach it, sponsors will appreciate seeing their logo on high-quality pin flags that make a great keepsake.

16. Celebrity Appearance

Celebrities raise visibility for your tournament and your cause. You’ll likely need a sponsor to cover the hard costs associated with bringing a celebrity to your tournament (unless you have direct connections with a celebrity), but it’s a great chance to raise the income potential for your golf tournament. You don’t necessarily need an A-lister to have an impact—consider local celebrities, such as the mayor, college athletes, local news anchors, or well-known business owners.

17. Ball Drop

This golf tournament fundraiser idea can be done in several ways. One easy way is to structure it like a raffle. Sell balls that have a unique number on them like you would raffle tickets, using your golf tournament website to process payments to simplify post-tournament accounting. Balls are then dropped from something like a helicopter or crane and the closet ball to the target wins the prize. There are some definite logistics involved with a ball drop, but finding a sponsor for the ball drop is a great way to ensure you’ll come out ahead.

18. Golf Clinic 

Adding a clinic is a solid golf tournament fundraiser idea that grows the game and encourages those who aren’t golfers or are interested in improving their skills to participate. There are several ways to approach a clinic. You can work with the golf pro and the host golf facility to host a clinic the day before or morning of your tournament. Alternatively, you might work with local college teams to volunteer their time to run the clinic. Take it a step further and try to land a professional or semi-professional golfer to run the clinic, if it’s feasible.

19. VIP Package

Sell a specific VIP package as an add-on to regular team or sponsor registration packages. To make it appealing enough that folks want to upgrade, consider including things like:

• Premium parking spots

• Exclusive tournament merchandise or gift packages

• Meet-and-greet with organizational beneficiaries or any celebrities in attendance

• Discounted entries into the contests or games mentioned above

• Complimentary raffle tickets, food and drink tickets, or mulligans

20. Event-Specific Merchandise

Offering exclusive tournament merchandise creates an element of scarcity among attendees to make a purchase. They won’t want to miss out on the chance to commemorate the event with special items. Pick merchandise that’s useful and likely to be popular among golfers, such as golf shirts, t-shirts, head covers, golf balls, golf towels, water bottles, or hats. Incorporate your organization’s or tournament’s branding into the merchandise design, and work with a partner that can handle the logistics of producing the merchandise on time.

21. Pledge Drive

A pledge drive gets your donors and their broader networks involved, even if they can’t play in the tournament. Donors ask their friends, family, and colleagues to make a pledge to donate money based on their participation in the tournament. For example, someone would pledge $10 for every birdie or $5 for every par that golfer achieves. Pledges could be tied to contests, such as pledging a donation of $50 if your golfer wins the longest drive or closest to the pin contest. Another idea is to base pledges on overall performance, perhaps $100 if the team finishes in first place or $25 if they finish in last place. Use the donate button or build a specific package on your golf tournament website to easily collect pledge payments.

22. Beat the Special Guest Challenge

Having a special guest play in the event, and offering folks a chance to go head-to-head against that person, is a great golf tournament fundraiser idea. Whether it’s a well-known golfer, local celebrity, executive director of the nonprofit, or president of the board of directors, the special guest can be stationed on a specific hole. Participants pay to compete against the guest on the entire hole, or see who can hit a longer drive or sink a longer putt to win a prize.

23. Golf Tournament Bracket

Prior to the event, give participants the chance to buy into a “fantasy golf” bracket to predict the tournament’s overall winners, specific scores, or winners of contests. If your tournament’s field is close-knit or well known to each other, you might offer a Calcutta pool, in which participants “bid” on a specific team. If that team wins, the winning bidder gets part of the overall prize money, with the rest going to your organization.

Wrapping Up

Once your event ends, your work isn’t done yet! Immediately after the golf tournament, crunch some numbers and see which components of your golf event raised the most money. Factor in time spent by staff or volunteers on each part to determine the cost beyond its monetary face value. Then, look at ways to improve for next year, whether it’s raising the price of specific sponsorship packages, approaching new and/or different businesses to sponsor the event, or trying out different fundraising ideas.

Pro Tip: When you use GolfStatus for your golf event, you can simply copy this year’s event for next year, eliminating the need to set the event up from scratch. Update the date, time, and location and you can start promoting the event right away!

---

Whichever golf tournament fundraiser ideas you end up using, you need a powerful software solution on your side. GolfStatus offers solutions for charities and event organizers with its industry-leading golf event management and fundraising software. Its full-featured platform streamlines golf fundraisers to save time and raise more money and its responsive support team is there to help every step of the way. Through the Golf for Good program, nonprofits and organizations doing social good can qualify for no-cost access to the technology. Click the button below to get qualified or email [email protected].

Ready to plan your best charity golf tournament?

Click here to book a GolfStatus demo today!

Partner Snapshot

Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska is part of the city’s robust municipal golf program. Head Golf Pro Jonathan Benson (JB) has been with Mahoney for nearly 20 years, nine of them as Head Pro.

Mahoney was built in 1976, the third of the city’s five courses. The par 70 course boasts some of the most challenging par four holes in the city, and as JB says, “is more difficult than some golfers think!” Its large, fast greens make for great playing conditions and multitude of trees present a challenge for every golfer.

JB loves the city’s approach to running its golf program, allowing pros to work as independent contractors within specific parameters. He also has the freedom to hold course-hosted golf events to engage golfers and the Lincoln community at large, getting them to the course for a day of fun.

The challenge

When JB and his predecessor launched Mahoney’s first event, the Mahoney Masters, they did all the prep work manually, taking registration and credit card information over the phone or in-person when a golfer would stop in the pro shop (and hoping the information was written down correctly) and tracking it all on a big, single access spreadsheet. Leading up to and on event day, they would spend 15 or more hours creating scorecards and cart signs, not to mention the time spent flighting results and breaking ties by hand.

All this manual work came with major challenges that took up valuable staff time. What’s more, it was often difficult to collect payment upfront. “When our staff would expand over the summer to 15 part-timers that worked the pro shop, it was a big problem to make sure they took payments when someone registered,” JB says. “We dealt with a huge number of no-shows without prepayment, sometimes up to 20% of registered golfers,” he says. He needed a tool to scale the course’s events while saving his staff time and effort.

The solution

A part-time staffer at Mahoney, Frank Cuddy, was also interning at GolfStatus and mentioned how its tournament management software would be helpful for managing tournament signups. “My first reaction was, ‘you mean I don’t have to do this over the phone?’” JB laughs. GolfStatus was a perfect fit for JB and his team, with robust enough features to streamline event prep but simple enough any staff can jump in and find the tools and information they needed.

“I haven’t seen any part of GolfStatus that I don’t like,” JB says. “We can spend two hours prepping for an event instead of 15. The support we get from GolfStatus is great.”

— JB, Head Golf Pro at Mahoney Golf Course

the results

No More Manual Signups

The online registration feature is what first drew JB to GolfStatus. “We were spending so much time on the phone, so anything that can cut down on that is huge,” he says. Online registration changed all that. “Everything is online these days so it makes sense to do this online too,” JB explains. Golfers choose their team packages, skins, and mulligans and pay directly through the website, giving them an increased confidence that their information is handled securely, as opposed to having a staff member write down their credit card information. “Even if someone calls, we now send them to the website to register,” JB says.

JB says having their branding on the event website is an added bonus, and if they have any sponsors for the events, they get great exposure.

Mahoney Golf Course’s event website for the Mahoney Masters, held every April.

easy communication

JB uses GolfStatus’ messaging feature to promote each event to past participants and other avid golfers in the area, which has helped Mahoney’s events grow significantly. He’s also able to easily share updates, the day’s itinerary, and other reminders without having to hunt down golfer emails and pulling them into a different platform. “I love being able to communicate with teams leading up to the tournament,” JB says.

More Golfers, More Events

The Mahoney Masters is a two-person scramble held the Saturday of Master’s week. In its first few years, the event attracted 60 to 80 golfers. But once JB started leveraging GolfStatus, the tournament regularly fills with 160 players. “We didn’t fill events until we started partnering with GolfStatus,” JB says. “Being able to promote tournaments online and have golfers register online has been amazing for our golf course.”

“We didn’t fill events until we started partnering with GolfStatus,” JB says. “Being able to promote tournaments online and have golfers register online has been amazing for our golf course.”

— JB, Head Golf Pro at Mahoney Golf Course

The success of the Mahoney Masters led JB to add three additional course-hosted events powered by GolfStatus:

• Mahoney North Side Scramble, a one-day four-person scramble

• Mahoney Open, a two-person scramble the week of the U.S. Open

• Mahoney Fantasy Football Scramble, which plays on fantasy football points

This slate of tournaments is great from a business perspective. It gets golfers to the golf course with guaranteed rounds and cart rentals and boosts sales across the golf course: food and beverage, merchandise, and gift certificates.

Printouts, Flighting & Tiebreakers

Automating the time-consuming aspects of a golf event is a huge advantage of using an online event management platform. Golfer information is easily accessible in the software’s backend, where JB and any of his staff can access it to make team pairings and hole assignments quickly and easily.

Before GolfStatus, custom printouts were a major time suck. “We would have to type everything into Excel and into a template, which took a long time and often had errors because we had to decipher handwritten golfer information,” JB says. Now, “we can do it in minutes!” Professionally formatted cart signs, scorecards, and alpha lists are auto generated—all staff has to do is click print.

Mahoney is starting to lean into live scoring a bit more. Teams record and submit their scores via the GolfStatus mobile app, which syncs to live leaderboards in real time. Not only does live scoring let golfers see current standings, but it’s also a time-saver when it comes to finalizing the tournament results. “I don’t have to type in the scores, they’re all there,” JB says. The software will flight the results and break ties automatically—with the ability to manually change them if necessary—so they don’t have to rifle through paper scorecards. “We’re able to announce results, award prizes, and get people done faster than ever.”

Golfstatus for every golf event

Golf facilities like Mahoney Golf Course benefit as much from GolfStatus’ tournament management tech as event organizers. Facility staff and the planning team can share access in GolfStatus’ backend to manage golfer and sponsor information, finalize team pairings and hole assignments, and save time from start to finish. Want to learn more about how your organization or golf facility can save time and raise more money with GolfStatus? Hit the button below to get in touch!

Once you’ve gotten a new golf tournament up and running—which is no easy feat—it can be tempting to simply cruise and maintain the status quo. But in order to grow your event into its second year and beyond, tournament organizers must find ways to keep golfers and sponsors coming back year after year. These 10 strategies can help.

1. Get Online

If you haven’t before, get your tournament online. A web-based golf event management platform saves you a ton of time and gives you tools to plan, manage, and execute a professional, lucrative event. Leverage an event website to easily promote your tournament, collect registration, onboard and recognize sponsors, and more.

Using digital channels for your golf tournament, especially an event website, is a great way to grow the event.

2. Expand the Event

This can be scary, especially if it comes with added expenses, but might be the key to scaling your tournament. Depending on the type of event and the capabilities of your golf facility, you might add an additional course, round, day, or accompanying event (such as a post-golf banquet or auction). This approach works best if you typically have a waitlist for your tournament or most of your teams are committed to sponsors and you’d like to open it up to other supporters. Do a cost-benefit analysis before you take the plunge!

3. Make it Memorable

Look for ways to build even more fun into the event. And lucky for you, many elements that make a tournament memorable also bring additional fundraising opportunities to the tournament. Exciting add-ons like on-course entertainment, golf tournament games, and contests are great ways to have an impact. Charge a nominal fee to participate in these add-ons, but don’t nickel and dime people. Consider selling a super ticket or wristband that provides entry or participation in each event for a flat price. Folks will remember the fun they had and come back in subsequent years.

Adding games to your golf tournament makes it even more fun and memorable for golfers and sponsors.

4. Boost Your Marketing

Definitely start your marketing efforts with past participants, sponsors, and anyone on the previous year’s waitlist, giving them the first shot at registering or purchasing sponsorships. Boost your marketing efforts in order to broaden your audience and spread awareness about your organization and cause. Leverage social media, partner marketing, sponsor promotions, and email campaigns to reach new folks. Consider an early bird registration period to create a sense of urgency and encourage golfers and sponsors to commit to your tournament.

5. Live Score the Tournament

Live scoring gives your tournament another level of engagement with golfers and sponsors. Golfers love to see where teams stand throughout the day on the event’s live leaderboards and you can use it as a call-to-action for folks to donate. Share leaderboards on social media so all your supporters can follow along. You’ll also give sponsors broader exposure with their logo in the live scoring app.

Live scoring via a mobile app keeps golfers engaged throughout the event and lets spectators follow along online.

6. Focus on Sponsorships

Sponsorships are where your tournament will bring in the bulk of its dollars. If your tournament regularly sells out, don’t be afraid to raise prices a bit. Talk directly with prospective sponsors to determine how your tournament can help them meet their goals, whether it’s straight up exposure, engaging with golfers, or something else. Identify new sponsorship opportunities—if you can put a logo on it, you can sell a sponsorship, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Including a team in sponsor packages not only adds value, but helps fill your tournament’s field, so price those packages accordingly.

7. Improve Processes

With one or more tournaments under your belt, it’s a good idea to take a look back at what worked, what didn’t, what tasks needed more time and attention, and what things you can omit altogether. Improving your processes lets you be more efficient with planning tasks and better use your time to pitch to sponsors, promote your event, and focus on the overall experience. Fine tune the planning infrastructure you already have in place—event website, graphics, vendors, etc.—to make the next go around less stressful.

8. Streamline & Simplify

Take a critical look at the tech tools you used to plan and execute your event. Did you spend a ton of time managing logins to umpteen platforms? Did you spend too much time bouncing between spreadsheets and tracking checks and receipts? Can all the functions be rolled into an all-in-one golf tournament platform? The lesson here is not to force a square peg into a round hole. Ticketing and event management platforms can’t handle the intricacies of golf tournaments and likely require your team to make time-consuming or complicated workarounds and adaptations. Look for a single software to manage everything from registration, payments, and promotion to hole assignments, sponsor onboarding, and flighting.

Using a golf-specific tournament management platform keeps everything organized in one easily-accessible place.

9. Shake Up Your Planning Team

Don’t force folks off the team if they still want to contribute, but consider bringing in a few new people that can provide a different perspective and connections. Reassign tasks if people are interested in spearheading a different portion of the tournament.

10. Garner Feedback

Make a point to chat with golfers and sponsors to get their immediate impressions of the tournament, then consider sending a quick survey in your post-event communications to ask them for additional feedback on the golf facility, format, add-ons, registration fees, what can be improved, what worked well, etc. Listening to participants gives you concrete ways you can make your tournament even better.

Ask your tournament’s golfers and sponsors directly what feedback they have about the event and implement suggestions that will help you scale.

Final Thoughts

One of the best ways to grow your event is to use a golf-specific tool to plan and manage your tournament. You’ll save a ton of time and get additional ways to raise funds, give golfers the best experience possible, and provide more value to your sponsors. GolfStatus can help with all that, and more. Nonprofits, charities, and those planning golf events to benefit one can use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

Golf’s ongoing popularity has led nonprofits and charities of all types and sizes to jump into the sport as a fundraising mechanism. But as popular as golf has been over the last few years, there are parts of the population—non-golfers, beginners who might not feel confident enough to register for a tournament, or individuals that have another barrier to participating—that might be left out of a standard golf tournament.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can structure your golf tournament to make it more inclusive, involving those missing folks who can be converted into donors. No matter how you choose to make your event inclusive, a golf-specific event management platform is a necessity to streamline planning for you and your team. Here are five ideas to consider for your next golf tournament.

---

1. Choose non-traditional events

Not every golf tournament has to be 18-holes at a traditional golf course. Yes, the vast majority of charity golf tournaments fit that mold, but you might consider an additional golf event, this time with a non-traditional spin. You’ll connect with new segments of your community to raise awareness about your mission and bring in funds for your work. Consider these examples:

• Putt Putt / Mini Golf Tournament: A mini golf tournament can have many of the same elements as a regular golf tournament, just on a smaller scale. With fewer barriers to entry, a putt putt event is a great option to involve families, non-golfers, and the community at large. The Putt Putt Fore Puppies event, a first-year mini golf tournament, raised over $9,200 for the Capital Humane Society. The tournament sold out both teams (41 four-person teams) and sponsorships (21), with the top sponsorship selling for $4,000. The planning team incorporated on-course games and a raffle to raise extra dollars.

• Golf Simulator Events: Golf simulators like TopGolf are extremely popular among golfers and non-golfers alike. Much like a mini golf event, there’s a broader audience for a golf simulator event and options to sell sponsorships, charge an entry fee, and leverage add-ons like a raffle or auction. Avery’s Hope, the 2023 winner of Play It Forward, chose TopGolf as an inclusive option to allow the families they serve (those dealing with rare and undiagnosed pediatric GI conditions) to participate.

A putt putt or mini golf tournament is a great addition to your fundraising calendar, involving those who aren’t able to participate in a traditional golf tournament.

2. include adaptive elements

If your nonprofit serves an audience or has a supporter base that requires specific adaptations, there are ways to incorporate them into a golf tournament. The key here is to know your audience. Start by thinking through any barriers they might face to participating in a golf tournament, physical or otherwise. You could even survey a subset of your donors or constituents to gather information to help guide you in what adaptive elements to offer.

For example, Outlook Enrichment is a Nebraska-based nonprofit that serves the visually-impaired. They paired sighted golfers with visually-impaired golfers to serve as their eyes on the course. What’s more, they offer a blind golfers clinic in conjunction with the golf tournament, with coaches that specialize in working with the blind and visually-impaired. They worked with GolfStatus to make their event website and the entire registration process as accessible as possible to those with vision impairments.

Outlook Enrichment is a nonprofit that serves the visually-impaired. A blind golfers clinic is held with the annual golf fundraiser to help those with a vision impairment try their hand at golf.

When choosing a golf course for your tournament, you might also consider accessibility for those that have mobility issues. Ensure ramps are available, restrooms are handicap accessible, and work with golf facility staff to have golf carts available to accommodate different abilities.

3. use beginner-friendly tournament formats

The vast majority of charity golf tournaments utilize the scramble format. Here’s how it works: Each golfer tees off, then the team chooses the best shot and each player hits their ball from that spot. This continues until the ball is holed. The beauty of this format is that it makes the tournament approachable for golfers of all skill and experience levels, from beginners to scratch golfers. One roadblock to participating in a golf tournament, particularly for those who have never played golf before or don’t play often, is the intimidation factor. They have the perception that they’re not good enough to play so they don’t even consider it. The scramble format, whether it’s two or four-person teams, levels the playing field a bit and makes the round much more fun for all golfers.

Another way to encourage beginners or non-golfers to participate is by flighting your tournament. There are several approaches to flighting, which organizes teams into different groups, or flights, based on skill levels so teams or players of similar skill levels are competing against each other. This can happen before or after the tournament, depending on your preference. You might offer a women’s flight or beginner’s flight so folks can choose those options when they register, or you can flight results at the end. Whatever way you choose, flighting can help create an inclusive and enjoyable experience for all golfers. You’ll want to use a tournament management software that allows for easy flighting, so golf staff doesn’t have to manually sort through paper scorecards at the end of the round to finalize the results.

The scramble format is a great choice for charity golf tournaments because it makes the event more approachable for golfers of all skill and experience levels.

4. offer golf clinics or lessons

Tacking on a golf clinic or lessons to your golf tournament is a great way to target beginners. Whether you schedule it for immediately before the tournament or a day or two prior, a clinic working on basic golf skills gives beginners the confidence boost they may need to commit to playing in your golf fundraiser. You have the option to include the cost it in the registration fee (after all, even more experienced golfers can use a few pointers to improve their game), charge an additional fee to participate, or find a sponsor to underwrite the whole thing (and give them exclusive naming rights to the extra event!).

Work with the pro at the golf facility you’ve chosen to see if they’re willing to lead the clinic. You could tailor it specifically for beginners or offer a series of clinics for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill sets.

5. add other activities 

To include non-golfers in your golf tournament, consider adding supplemental activities that attract families, spouses, partners, or friends of those playing in the event or members of the community who want to support your organization but don’t want to play golf. Some ideas include:

• Putting contest

• Live and/or silent auction

• Wine tasting event

• Cocktail hour

• Movie screening

• Musical performances

• Crafts

• Volunteer activities

• Meet and greet with nonprofit beneficiaries

• Speaker or workshop

A musical performance can help attract non-golfers to your golf tournament.

These add-ons can occur during the round or just prior to any post-golf awards ceremony or banquet. Pitch the add-on activities to a local business as a sponsorship and highlight the additional exposure they’ll get—both to golfers and to the non-golf attendees.

Final Thoughts

Inclusivity is a big deal, especially for nonprofits. Making your golf tournament more inclusive not only gets more folks involved to support your mission, but shows that your organization seeks to involve all segments of your community. As you start planning your charity golf tournament, think through how you can incorporate these ideas to remove barriers for people to support you through golf.

---

Hit the easy button for your next golf fundraiser

GolfStatus’ tournament management software makes golf fundraisers—of all types and sizes—easier and more lucrative than ever. Save a ton of time with online registration, built-in automations, and auto-generated printouts and raise even more money by leveraging GolfStatus’ exclusive sponsorships, add-ons, and built-in fundraising tools. Plus, our industry-leading support team is here to help every step of the way. Click below to get qualified to use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program.

There are a ton of ways to boost your golf tournament’s fundraising revenue. This blog series has explored various ideas to not only raise more money, but make your golf tournament even more fun and engaging for everyone.

---

posts in this blog series

BackSwing Golf Events

Hole-In-One Contests

On-Course Games

• Golf Tournament Ideas That Raise More Money: Backswing Golf Events

• Golf Tournament Ideas That Raise More Money: Hole-In-One Contests

• Golf Tournament Ideas That Raise More Money: On-Course Games

---

What Are In-Kind Donations?

In-kind donations are donations of any kind other than cash. They could be things like goods, services, or expertise. In-kind donations are attractive to businesses because they don’t necessarily have to consider budgets and cash flows to make such a gift. They might have excess inventory or products they’re looking to move or have already spent or allotted their charitable dollars for the year but still want to find a way to support your event. In short, in-kind donations can be a simpler way for businesses and companies to give.

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

There are a number of ways to leverage in-kind donations for your golf tournament, for everything from player gifts to auction items to food or drinks. They can enhance the overall tournament experience for golfers, as they walk away with great gifts and have the chance to win exciting prizes.

Keep in mind that in-kind donations can also be considered sponsorships, in lieu of a monetary contribution, so be sure you’re recognizing in-kind sponsors the same way you would traditional sponsors. For example, a restaurant might be willing to donate boxed lunches to your tournament, so it’s appropriate to recognize them on your event website and any promotional items as the Lunch Sponsor.

How Can In-Kind Donations Help Raise More Money?

In-kind donations replace tournament items you might otherwise spend money on, which leaves more dollars for your cause. These can also help drive participation from both golfers and sponsors, filling your tournament’s field and driving revenue. More commonly, in-kind donations can be leveraged for raffle prizes, pin prizes, and auction items.

Some examples of in-kind donations for golf tournaments include:

• Golfer swag bag items

• Pin prizes

• Auction items

• Contest prizes

• Raffle prizes

• Food and beverage

• Logo or graphic design

• PR or promotional services

• Printing services

---

Our friends at Dormie Network Foundation are 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. Find out more and request consideration.

GrayBull Club

Maxwell, Nebraska

Opening 2024

Victoria National

Newburgh, Indiana

Hidden Creek

Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey

Dormie Club

West End, North Carolina

Briggs Ranch

San Antonio, Texas

Ballyhack

Roanoke, Virginia

ArborLinks

Nebraska City, Nebraska

---

How Do I Ask for In-Kind Donations?

Reach out the same way you would for the rest of your sponsorship offerings. Make a formal, specific request, then follow up if you don’t get a response. Start with businesses your organization or planning team members have a relationship with for the best response, but don’t be afraid to make a cold request. Consider reaching out to the sponsors who are already on board 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.

If a business says no to a monetary contribution for a sponsorship, shift your ask to any in-kind donation instead. Be specific in your asks, otherwise you might end up with items that are of no use to your organization or event. You might also list specific in-kind sponsorships on your golf tournament’s event website so folks can jump onboard.

SPONSOR REQUEST & FOLLOW UP Template

Use this customizable template to help you reach out to prospective sponsors.

---

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 will make sure you spend less time dealing with spreadsheets and bouncing between platforms and more time stewarding donors, selling sponsorships, and making your tournament unforgettable. Nonprofits can qualify to use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program. Click the button below to find out more and get in touch with our team.