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

• Best 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 Are the Benefits of Corporate Fundraising 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.
  

Why Should Businesses Invest in Corporate Fundraising?

• 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 connection 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.

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

What Are Some Best Practices for Organizing Corporate Fundraising Events?

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

1. Corporate gala or charity ball

2. Trivia night

3. Charity game night

4. Wine and dine fundraiser

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

6. Networking event or conference

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

8. Giving days

9. Corporate field day

Workplace Giving & Employee Engagement Fundraising Ideas

10. Donation matching

11. Payroll giving

12. Company-wide donation challenge

13. Internal company charity raffle

14. Company silent auction

15. Cause-related product sales

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

17. Office bake sale

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

Community-Focused Fundraising Ideas

18. Charity car wash

19. Restaurant fundraising night

20. Food or in-kind item drive

21. Charity run

22. Community festival for charity

Virtual Fundraising Ideas

23. Online fundraising gamification or rewards-based campaigns

24. Social media challenges

25. Crowdfunding campaigns

26. Livestream fundraising event

Seasonal Corporate Fundraising Ideas

27. Halloween costume contest

28. Valentine's candy-gram fundraiser

29. Holiday gift drive

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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!

Make Your Golf Event a Swinging Success!

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If you’re looking for a way to bring fun and fundraising to your charity golf tournament, on-course games are a great option for events of all types and sizes. An on-course game is an addition to your tournament that involves an activity on one or more holes on the golf course that golfers pay to participate in. The games can have a variety of outcomes, like improving the team’s score, providing a better tee off location, removing an obstacle, winning a prize, or just to add an element of fun.

Games can be added to your tournament at any time, well in advance or right before the event. You can opt to have golfers pay to play when they register or pay the day of the tournament. Make sure you have an easy way to collect credit card payments in case golfers don’t carry cash (your GolfStatus event website is a great option for this). An all-in games package is the easiest option—folks 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.

On-course games come with a ton of benefit for your event, including:

• Fun, fun, and more fun! Golfers of all skill levels can participate in on-course games and enjoy the extra entertainment.

• You’ll raise more money. Games bring in additional revenue, whether you sell one or more game sponsorships or just rely on golfers paying to play.

• They’re memorable. Golfers are guaranteed to remember the tournament where they shot the ball down the course with an air cannon or had to tee off or putt wearing Mickey Mouse gloves. Games add to a more enjoyable overall tournament experience.

• Cause connection. Tying a game to your cause in some way helps golfers better understand and connect with what they’re helping raise money for.

The Credit Unions for Kids Golf Classic adds extra fun to its tournament with on-course games, like kicking soccer balls onto an inflatable dartboard.

31 Ideas for Golf Tournament Games

The possibilities are endless, so gather your planning team to brainstorm ideas. Reach out to the Pro at the host golf facility, who might also have ideas for games that have been popular at other tournaments. These ideas can help get you started.

1. Golf Ball Cannon

Give golfers the chance to shoot their ball down the fairway using an air gun or golf ball cannon, instead of hitting a tee shot.

2. hole of fortune

Choose one hole that’s dubbed the “hole of fortune.” Golfers pick a card, play Plinko, or spin a wheel to determine the club they’ll use to tee off or play the entire hole with or the tee boxes they’ll start from. Prizes could also include an extra mulligan, an automatic hole-in-one, or a free drink. Alternatively, some slots or cards could result in something not as rewarding, such as teeing off while blindfolded or getting a penalty stroke.

Pro Tip: Some slots or cards could result in something not as rewarding, such as teeing off while blindfolded or getting a penalty stroke to give it a true “wheel of fortune” feel.

3. marshmallow drive

Have golfers tee off with a marshmallow. The golfer with the longest “drive” wins a prize. You could change this up to have golfers chip with a marshmallow, and the golfer with the closest chip to the hole gets the prize.

4. Plinko

Give golfers the chance to drop a puck on a Plinko board to win a prize, earn a drink or raffle ticket, or improve their score.

Plinko is fun for all ages and can be used with a variety of golf tournament formats, including traditional nine or 18-hole events or putt putt tournaments.

5. Roll-a-score

Have golfers roll a set of dice and give them the option to replace any score from the event with whatever they rolled.

6. Single Club hole

Participants play with the same club for the entire hole. They could choose a card, spin a wheel, roll dice, or other method to determine which club they play with. 

Pro Tip: Consider limiting clubs to those that would present the most challenge across the hole, such as the driver, wedge, or putter.

7. Wrong Hand Challenge

Participants play the entire hole “wrong-handed”, i.e. with their non-dominant hand. You may need to have clubs available in case no one in a group has left-handed or right-handed clubs. 
Pro Tip: Give teams the option to pay a fee to play the hole normally.

8. Scavenger Hunt

Place items around the course (these could be related to your mission in some way or just for fun). Participating teams get a list of the items to hunt for and take a picture of them once found. Teams that find every item could earn a prize or the chance to better their score.

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9. Club Game

Teams are given the chance to purchase a certain number of club lengths to move their ball closer to the hole without taking an additional stroke.
Pro Tip: Have a volunteer stationed on the tee box and another one near the green to sell club lengths. Choose an especially challenging hole to make the purchase more appealing.

10. Poker Hand

Teams draw a card on each of five designated holes to make up a poker hand. The team with the best hand at the end of the round wins a prize or you can offer prizes for specific hands (i.e. three of a kind wins a gift card to the pro shop).

11. Speed Hole

See which team can play the entire hole—from tee shot to sinking a putt—the fastest. You’ll need a volunteer to serve as the timer. The team that logs the fastest time wins a prize.

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Download this free guide to get tips and strategies for ensuring everything—including your golf tournament games—is prepped and ready to go for a flawlessly executed golf event.

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12. Trivia hole

Station a volunteer on the tee box to ask golfers trivia questions before they tee off to win a prize or move to closer tees.
Pro Tip: Relate the questions to your nonprofit’s mission to help connect golfers to your cause.

13. Shot Clock Hole

The entire team must tee off within a certain amount of time or must take a penalty stroke. Set up a large countdown timer or have a volunteer count out loud.
Pro Tip: Sell extra increments of time to take the time pressure off.

14. Ball Toss or Kick

Great for a booster club or team! Instead of hitting a golf ball off of a tee for their tee shot, golfers throw a football, baseball, softball, tennis ball, or other ball and play from there. Alternatively, they could kick a football or soccer ball for their drive.
Pro Tip: Have a local sports figure (high school, college, or even professional) run the game. For an extra fee, they can make the throw or kick.

American soccer legend Clint Dempsey kicks a soccer ball for his tee shot at a golf event benefiting Team Red, White & Blue.

15. Closest to the…

A spin on the classic closest to the pin contest, this game can be customized to your event. Determine an object either placed or naturally occurring—anything from a prize like a Yeti Cooler or golf bag, distinct tree (or other feature on the course), or an item related to a sponsor (one GolfStatus client places a rubber chicken on a hole, and the game is sponsored by a chicken company). The team that gets the closest to the object wins a prize (or wins the prize they were hitting at).

16. Speed Putting

Golfers try to make as many putts from one location in a certain amount of time as possible to win a prize. 
Pro Tip: Run multiple rounds of the contest, moving the ball further away from the hole.

17. Sitting Drive Challenge

Golfers take their tee shot while sitting on a chair. Offer the choice to pay a fee to opt out of the challenge.

18. Ball Swap

Golfers play the hole like normal until they reach the green, where they mark their spot and play the rest of the hole with a racquet ball or ping pong ball.

19. Blind Putt

Golfers wear sleep shades or blindfolds when they putt and have to rely on verbal cues from their team to try to make the shot.

20. Alternative Putter

Golfers putt using objects other than their putter, like a croquet mallet, hockey stick, or baseball bat. This could be on the practice green as a separate contest or as part of a specific hole. 
Pro Tip: Pick putting objects that help golfers understand what your nonprofit does. For example, Habitat for Humanity of Columbus, which helps provide affordable housing and homeowner education, had a game on the practice green where golfers putted with building tools, like sledgehammers and levels, instead of their putters.

Golfers at Habitat for Humanity of Columbus’s golf tournament used building tools to putt as part of a golf tournament game.

21. Caddie Auction

Teams bid on volunteer caddies to join their team. Recruit well-known locals, such as your nonprofit’s Executive Director, the mayor, coach, local news anchor or weathercaster, or influencer as caddies. 
Pro Tip: Use an online bidding software and allow teams to bid over the week leading up to the tournament so the caddies are set when event day arrives.

22. hit it & Get it

Set varying prizes up on the practice green. Golfers get the chance to putt and win a prize if they hit it.
Pro Tip: Place high-value prizes further away to up the challenge.

23. Skins Games

Skins games create mini-competitions where teams (or individuals, depending on the event’s format) 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. 
Pro Tip: Display skins results on real-time digital leaderboards to keep golfers engaged and make the skins games more competitive.

24. Dizzy Bat

Golfers take turns putting their forehead on the end of a baseball bat and spin around multiple times, making them dizzy, and then attempt to tee off.

25. Goggle Putt

Golfers wear goggles that impair their vision in some way—such as being impaired by alcohol or make everything appear upside down—and attempt to putt.

26. Bingo Bango Bongo

Players earn points for being the first on the green (bingo), closest to the pin once all balls are on the green (bango), and sinking the first putt (bongo). 
Pro Tip: Raise extra funds by selling a Bingo Bango Bongo sponsorship or encouraging donations for each point earned.

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Golf Tournament Contests

27. Hole-In-One Contest

Players take their best shot at acing a designated par-three hole (or several holes) for the chance to win an exciting prize, like cash or a golf getaway.
Pro Tip: Be sure your contest is covered by hole-in-one insurance so your nonprofit isn’t stuck footing the bill for the prize if someone gets an ace. Sell a contest sponsorship to cover the cost of the insurance to boost revenue.

28. Longest Drive Contest

Participants compete to see who can hit the ball the farthest off the tee while keeping it within the fairway on a selected hole.

Contests are easy ways to improve the overall experience at a charity golf tournament.

29. Closest to the Pin Contest

Golfers test their accuracy and compete to see whose tee shot lands closest to the hole on a designated par-three hole.

30. Chipping Contest

Players demonstrate their short-game skills by chipping the ball as close to a target as possible, often set up near the practice green. 
Pro Tip: Boost revenue by selling mulligans specifically for shots in longest drive, closest to the pin, and chipping contests.

31. Beat the Pro Contest

Players take on a pro in a head-to-head challenge to see if they can hit their tee shot closer to the hole on a specific hole.

Best Practices for Running Golf Tournament Games

• Sell a games sponsorship! There are a few ways to structure a games sponsorship for your golf fundraiser:

• Individual games sponsorships. Sell a sponsorship for each individual game on the course and encourage the purchasing business to run the game the day of the event. This gives them great brand exposure and ample opportunity to connect with golfers.

• Overall games sponsorship. An overall games sponsorship encompasses every game on the course. This sponsorship should sell for more than the individual game sponsorships and provide premium exposure for the sponsoring business.

• Front and back nine games sponsorships. Offer two separate games sponsorships, one for the front nine and one for the back nine.

• Connect golfers to your mission. Games that connect golfers to your mission in some way have double the impact—they get a deeper appreciation for your cause and are more likely to chip in additional money. For example, Outlook Enrichment, a nonprofit that serves the visually-impaired, uses the blind putt game to help golfers better understand the struggles of vision loss.

Outlook Enrichment uses sleep shades for a blind putt hole to help golfers better understand vision loss.

• Leverage social media. Go live from one of the games, create a specific hashtag for a new game, and assign someone to share photos from each game throughout the tournament to get more people excited about participating in the games.

• Hype it up. Ask a volunteer, a staff or board member, or recruit a local celebrity to announce or emcee a game to hype golfers up to participate (and make extra donations!). 

• Keep pace of play in mind. You don’t want teams piling up on a hole with a time-consuming game. Keep games easy to explain and quick to play to keep the round moving and golfers happy. 

• Recruit volunteers. These can be staff or board members, other volunteers, or even sponsors. Depending on the length of the round, you might want to have two shifts of volunteers. They need to be comfortable explaining the rules and procedures, how to pay online via your event website, or collect cash payments.

• Incorporate team-based challenges. Create ways for teams to compete against each other in the games. For example, if you use the marshmallow drive game, you can keep track of distance across all teams and award a prize to the overall winner.

• Use real-time leaderboards. When you use a software solution that provides hassle-free live-scoring, you can use real-time standings as part of your games. Perhaps teams that are under par at a certain game hole get a free extra wheel spin or Plinko drop, or teams that are more than a few strokes over par get an additional try at the marshmallow drive.

• Take online payments. Whether you’re selling supertickets, wristbands, or individual game entries or collecting donations, the ability to collect payments online via your event website helps bring in more dollars and makes post-tournament accounting easier. Post a sign with a QR code that links directly to the packages page to make it super simple for golfers and your planning team, and you won’t have to deal with keeping track of cash payments.

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Golf for Good

Nonprofits, charities, and third parties planning charity golf tournaments can get started with GolfStatus at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program! Get access to GolfStatus’ golf event management platform—with a robust event website, time-saving automations and built-in fundraising tools, premium sponsorships, trusted partners, and an A+ in-house support team—to make your next golf event the best one yet. Click below to connect with our team!

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There’s no nonprofit fundraising event quite like a charity golf tournament. It’s a fun, social event that not only raises money, but boosts awareness for your organization and cause, forges or strengthens partnerships, fosters corporate support, and broadens your donor pool.

Because golf tournaments have so much potential to move nonprofits forward, it’s in your best interest to attract as many golfers as possible to play in your event. Here are 11 quick ideas to get golfers interested in your tournament.

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1. use an event website

If there’s one non-negotiable for a successful golf tournament, it’s an event website. You’ll meet people where they already are—online—to share information about your tournament and what you’re raising money for in a professional manner. Share the link in all your promotional materials to drive traffic to the website where they can commit as soon as they hear about the tournament.

2. make registration as easy as possible

Online registration is the standard for events these days, and golf tournaments are no different. It’s quick, convenient, and saves everyone—organizers and golfers alike—time and hassle. Everyone is busy, so an event site equipped with a simple registration checkout process is key to getting them on board. Be sure that the website is mobile-friendly so golfers can register right from their phones!

3. make it irresistible

It starts by understanding your target audience and what would appeal to them. Would they be interested in golfing at (and paying the corresponding registration fee) a high-end, private club? Or is a public course with a lower registration fee more appealing? Both can be a draw for golfers, depending on your supporters’ preferences. Attractive prizes, memorable add-ons, alternative or inclusive formats, and fun contests also go a long way toward getting golfers to say “yes” to your event, so highlight these throughout your promotions.

4. get in touch with past event participants & supporters

If yours is an existing event, start with past golfers. Invite them to come back and play in support of your mission. You might offer a special discount code or registration rate for returning players to sweeten the deal. If you’re getting a new golf event up and running, reach out to past participants in other events your nonprofit has held or participated in. Ask your loyal supporters to share the word about the upcoming golf tournament. You might provide some copy/paste verbiage or social graphics they can use on their personal channels.

5. leverage sponsors & other partners

Sponsors are a major part of your golf tournament’s success. Leverage their participation and networks to help attract players. Sponsors and businesses will often use charity golf tournaments to entertain clients, woo prospects, network, and even reward employees, so it makes sense to build a team or two into some of your sponsorship packages. Not only does this add value, but it also helps fill your tournament’s field in the process. You might also consider providing promotional assets (logos, verbiage, graphics, etc.) to your sponsors and invite them to share them on their social media platforms and with their employees.

6. get your board & planning teams involved

Ask each member of your nonprofit’s board and tournament planning committee to think of five to 10 contacts they’ll invite to play in the event. This bite-sized request makes it easy for them to follow up and broadens your pool of potential golfers. Set them up for success with talking points or email templates to help with their outreach.

7. send promotional emails

Email marketing is a cost-effective way to cast a wide net of potential golfers. Start with a save-the-date email to last year’s golfers and sponsors and/or your nonprofit’s email list as soon as you finalize the date and course. Send strategic reminder emails at intervals leading up to the tournament date. Consider adding an early bird registration period or a registration closing date to help create urgency among potential participants and get them to commit earlier.

8. use social media effectively

Social media is another cost-effective promotional vehicle for your event. Utilize your nonprofit’s presence to drive registrations via your event website. Create a Facebook event and make your planning team co-hosts so they can invite their networks to register and widen your reach. Tap into Facebook groups—there are often groups strictly for sharing nonprofit fundraising events, golf tournaments, or community events. If you have a few dollars to spare, consider a limited paid ad campaign that targets a specific geographic area or interests. If you spend even $100, but get one or two teams to register as a result, you’ve gotten good ROI!

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using social media to amplify your golf fundraiser

Download this free guide to find out how to leverage social media to make the most out of your charity golf tournament and raise the most money possible for your cause!

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9. Promote it to your community

Your community likely has event boards, community calendars, or other similar avenues to promote local events. Submit your tournament to such channels, and consider reaching out to local television and radio stations with a press release or an ask to list on their website. Use community gathering spots such as grocery stores, coffee shops, libraries, community centers, gyms, churches, or other locations to post flyers (with a QR code that links to your event site) advertising your tournament. The host golf facility may be willing to post flyers in the clubhouse as well, so don’t be afraid to ask!

10. leverage your tech stack

When you use GolfStatus to host your golf tournament website and manage your event, your tournament reaches tens of thousands of avid golfers in your area who actively look for local charity tournaments to play in. Your event will be listed on events.golfstatus.com as well as on the GolfStatus mobile app, helping you reach new golfers—and potential new supporters.

11. connect golfers to your cause

Be sure to help golfers understand 1. what they’re supporting by playing golf and 2. the impact of their participation on your work. Use your event website to help tell the story, and build in elements of cause connection to your tournament to help golfers get a tangible understanding—such as one team registration feeds a shelter pet for a month—of how they’re helping move your mission forward. You might use banners, signage, displays, guest speakers, beneficiary testimonials, or elements of on-course games to drive home the goals of the tournaments.

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No-Risk, No-Cost Tech for Your Next Golf Event

No matter if you’re holding your first golf tournament or your twentieth, you need a golf-specific event management tool to make your life easier. GolfStatus’ robust platform is built to handle the unique needs that come with a golf event, like team pairings, hole assignments, handicaps, and more. Built-in fundraising features and exclusive revenue-boosting add-ons and sponsorships help raise more money for your cause, while automations and our industry-leading support team help save you time and effort. Best of all, nonprofits can qualify for a free event website and no-cost access to the GolfStatus platform through the Golf for Good program. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

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organization Snapshot

In 1997, two families in Pennsylvania came together to find a solution. Their children with neurodevelopmental disabilities would soon be aging out of school-based assistance programs and they wondered what would come next for their kids as young adults. They made a connection with Ken Langone, one of the founders of Home Depot, who pledged to help these individuals and others like them find meaningful careers in Home Depot stores, and Ken’s Krew was born. “The cool thing about getting this started was how the customers and the other associates accepted them as workers,” says Karen LaPera, one of the founding families and current Chief Operating Officer at Ken’s Krew. “We’re so blessed that Ken and Home Depot gave us this opportunity.”

Over 25 years later, over 900 adults in nine states with disabilities have been trained and employed in Home Depot stores, many for 10 years or more. “It’s not just a job at that point, it’s a career,” says Terri Neipert, Executive Director at Ken’s Krew, reiterating the goal to help these individuals find purpose and meaningful careers. Ken’s Krew is working to expand into additional states and build partnerships with major employers in the retail and hospitality industries.

The Challenge

The original Ken’s Krew golf fundraisers were led by families in various states to raise money for programs that assess, train, and place individuals in employment and provide ongoing support services over the long term. “It’s harder to find funding for the long-term job retention support,” Terri says, which is why golf became such a valuable piece of the fundraising pie for this important work. The family-led events ground to a halt during the pandemic, and have since transitioned from being planned by families to Terri, Karen, and their team.

Ken’s Krew had also expanded its work into other states, launching golf fundraisers in those areas. With so many details to manage for multiple tournaments and a transition in leadership, they knew they needed some kind of tool to keep everything moving forward, as well as an easier way to collect and manage golfer and donor information.

The Solution

Terri had been on GolfStatus’ email list for several months, but it wasn’t until she saw a case study about Riverside Ranch’s annual golf tournament that she reached out to GolfStatus. “We get emails about different software and companies all the time,” Terri says. “But not all of them get the nonprofit side of things and come with a helpful team like GolfStatus does.”

She connected with the GolfStatus team to get things moving ahead of the 2022 slate of events and ease the transition from the families planning the tournaments to Terri and her team. “GolfStatus helped make the transition much smoother, making sure we had what we needed,” she says.

The Results

The Ken’s Krew team took full advantage of all that GolfStatus has to offer its nonprofit clients, including a free event website and no-cost access to its tournament management software through the Golf for Good program. “I kept trying to figure out what the catch was—but there really isn’t a catch!” says Terri.

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“I kept trying to figure out what the catch was—but there really isn’t a catch!”

— Terri Neipert, Executive Director at Ken’s Krew

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Ken’s Krew also tapped into GolfStatus’ one-stop-shop vendor Marketplace for pin flags, hole-in-one insurance, and on-course entertainment from BackSwing Golf Events. “Why would I look elsewhere when everything is there that I need?” says Terri. They also utilized a Dormie Network Stay and Play package, donated by the Dormie Network Foundation, as a high-end auction item that drove additional dollars. All in all, Terri says GolfStatus “significantly added to the overall value of the events.”

Ken’s Krew leveraged a GolfStatus event website for each of its golf events to collect registrations and donations, provide sponsor exposure, and share information about the organization.

Ken’s Krew had previously used a different, costly software platform for online registration and payment processing for the first post-COVID event, with frustrating results. “We actually lost money because people weren’t able to get their credit cards processed the day of the event and we got no support,” Terri says. “GolfStatus was super responsive when we had questions and helped us troubleshoot the day of the event as golfers used the app to pay for auction items.”

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“GolfStatus was super responsive when we had questions and helped us troubleshoot the day of the event as golfers used the app to pay for auction items.”

— Terri Neipert, Executive Director at Ken’s Krew

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GolfStatus’ in-house client success team was invaluable for the planning teams from start to finish. “We asked a lot of questions but they never once made me feel like I was a burden,” Terri says. “It’s not just the useful software but the people behind it. They responded quickly to any question or issue—I don’t know that I can say that about anyone else we work with.”

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Beyond the dollars raised from the tournament itself—golfer registrations and sponsorships, namely—Terri says the ability to collect donations right on the event website was invaluable. “People hear about the tournament and go check out the website even if they know they aren’t going to be able to play in the event,” she says. “But then they see the donation tracker and that they can support us with a donation and it prompts them to do so.”

connecting to the cause

An important part of successful charity golf tournaments is finding opportunities to create cause connection and engagement with the organization. For Ken’s Krew, golf events are of course about bringing in funds to provide their services at no cost, but they’re also a chance for workers’ families, partner employers, and the community more involved. What’s more, Ken’s Krew workers often help out or participate in the golf tournament, helping golfers and sponsors better understand and connect with the cause they’re supporting through golf.

There’s even a cause connection for Ken’s Krew staff. “When you’re sort of in the backend of an organization and away from the programmatic work, like Karen (LaPera) and I are, having a day where we can be out with our workers and see them be engaged reminds us why we do what we do,” says Terri. “It really is a moment that reminds us of our mission.” Karen echoes that sentiment. “There’s a lot of warming your heart at these golf events!”

Looking to the future

So far, Ken’s Krew has held golf events in New Jersey, Florida, and Atlanta, all as a means to feel out different markets, make connections, and bring in resources for their work in those states. Terri says they may expand further into other states they serve and bring on more partner employers. With 25 years under their collective belts, the organization is planning for what the next 25 years might hold. “DEI [diversity, equity, inclusion) has made employment for this population more commonplace, but we’re looking further into the future and what it means to employ people with neurodevelopmental disabilities,” Terri says.

Though neither Terri or Karen are golfers, they recognize the fundraising value of golf and have continued to invest their time and resources. “If I had to give one piece of advice for someone planning a golf tournament, it’s tapping into the resources you have at your disposal,” says Terri. “And that includes GolfStatus! I firmly believe that we wouldn’t have been able to hold these events without it.”

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Get qualified for Golf for Good

The Golf for Good program gives qualifying 501(c1) organizations and third parties planning golf events on their behalf no-cost access to GolfStatus’ tournament management software. Get an event website, online registration and payment processing, premium sponsorships, golf-specific tools, and an A+ support team there to help every step of the way. Click the button below to learn more and get qualified!

Golf has a ton of giving power. For nonprofits, a golf tournament is the chance to raise mission-critical dollars, engage supporters, build relationships, and ultimately, do more good. And while planning a tournament isn’t a small undertaking, the good news for nonprofit event planners is that the right technology can make it easier, more efficient, and more lucrative to organize a successful golf fundraiser.

So whether you’re planning your first golf tournament or your fiftieth, here are seven ways tournament management tech can upgrade and improve your golf fundraiser.

1. It Makes It Easier on Everybody

Golf tournaments come with a number of moving parts and specifics to handle that are much different than those that come with a gala or auction. Using tech tailored specifically to a golf event makes it simple to handle the golf details, like flighting, handicaps, tie-breakers, and live scoring. You’ll keep everything organized in one easily-accessible place, so you, your planning team, and even the golf facility staff are all on the same page and working with up-to-the-minute information and not bouncing between multiple platforms and spreadsheets.

Golf facilities love tech that makes it easier on them, too—they’ll spend less time in the back office creating cart signs, rules sheets, and alpha lists and more time out front assisting you and your tournament’s golfers.

2. You’ll Save Time, Resources & Effort

It starts with an event registration website with secure payment processing, where golfers, prospective sponsors, and supporters can learn more about your organization and event and commit to participating with just a few clicks. So instead of creating a costly promotional mailer, then asking supporters to fill out the form, track down a stamp, and mail it back, you simply share a link where folks can register online with a few simple, secure clicks.

Online registrations should automatically flow into the software’s backend, where you can instantly find golfer, sponsor, and payment information. That means no processing paper forms, checks, or receipts and no entering and re-entering information in different spreadsheets. What’s more, when it comes time to make team pairings and hole assignments, it can all be done right in the software. Your administrative burden is cut in half

3. Sponsors Get Better ROI

Sponsors get a ton of value out of the digital exposure provided by tournament management tech. Instead of being limited to signage on the golf course the day of the event, it’s amplified with the exposure throughout the platform before, during, and after the event. So every time someone visits your event site to register or just learn more about the tournament, sponsors get eyeballs on their brand.

Combine that with hole-by-hole exposure and push notifications in the live-scoring app, and businesses see even more value and ROI in supporting your tournament. Plus, sponsors can browse available packages, make a purchase, and upload logos and links right through the event website, eliminating time-consuming back and forth to collect assets and providing instant exposure.

4. You’ll Raise More Money

Any tournament management tech should come with tools that boost fundraising. At a minimum, you should be able to collect donations via the event website, but look for additional fundraising features like a donation tracker on the event site, multiple donation calls-to-action throughout the platform, the ability to round up and donate at checkout, exclusive sponsorships that can be sold at a premium, and fun add-ons that drive revenue (and bring fun and excitement to your charity golf tournament).

National Ag Science Center placed banners around the golf course to help golfers better understand their mission.

5. It Engages Golfers, Donors & Sponsors

Engagement—prior to, during the round, and following the tournament—is key to donor onboarding and stewardship. Instead of just sending golfers out on the course and not interacting with them again until after the round, look to technology to engage them in a variety of ways throughout the day. Live scoring is a great way to keep golfers engaged every time they check the current standings on the tournament’s live leaderboards (which also provides additional sponsor exposure and another opportunity for folks to make a donation).

Direct folks to the event website at the end of the tournament and challenge folks to make a donation, perhaps equal to that of the winning team or what their team shot. You can also leverage push notifications and email communications to share information and updates throughout the day. After the event, export your golf tournament donor data for inclusion into your donor CRM for additional follow up and stewardship.

6. You’ll Be Ready for Next Year

Rather than starting from scratch, you can simply copy your event in the golf tournament software platform, update the date and key details, and push it out to your audiences to save the date and keep it on their radar for next year. If you have a date set, include the link to your new event website in any post-tournament thank yous and follow-up communications to get a jump on promotion and sponsor sales.

7. You Don’t Have to Know About Golf

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a golf club, you hit the links a few times a week, or fall somewhere in between, you can plan a successful, lucrative golf fundraiser with the right tools and resources behind you. Your tech platform should come with a responsive, knowledgeable support team that’s there to coach you, answer questions, and troubleshoot issues for you and your event’s participants.

Golf for Good with GolfStatus

GolfStatus works with nonprofits and charities of all types and sizes to launch or level up their golf fundraisers. The robust platform streamlines the process from start to finish and is backed by an in-house support team available seven days a week.

Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying 501(c) organizations and others planning golf events that benefit a charity can use GolfStatus’ tournament management software at no cost, including an event website, online registration and secure payment processing, digital sponsor exposure, robust reporting, and more. Visit golfstatus.com/demo for more information or to get qualified.

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Partner Snapshot

RiseUp Malawi was born out of a trip founder Megan Mathis took to the African country in 2010, where she was struck by the widespread poverty. While on that trip, she met a gentleman named Hudson, who was running a program on his front porch to teach kids computer skills. Megan knew she wanted to help, but didn’t know how. She and Hudson stayed in touch in subsequent years, and she tip-toed into raising money for in-country work on a part-time basis. That changed in 2018, when she felt a calling to grow the organization and its impact full time.

RiseUp Malawi began working with kids after school to provide additional educational support and encourage them to continue their education. “There are so many barriers to education in Malawi,” Megan says. “If we can help eliminate those barriers, we can help lift these kids out of generational poverty.” Hudson became the full-time in-country director of the after school program, which serves over 300 kids in the district.

The Challenge

To create an in-country income source, it was decided to build a guest house that could be used by the organization to host visitors but also rented out to tourists. Megan was charged with raising $60,000 and had no idea where to start. Megan and her family had recently moved to Castle Pines, Colorado with a golf course down the street from her home. Her husband is an avid golfer and had played in several charity golf tournaments, and she knew golfers were a great demographic to target for fundraising. “I just kept hearing ‘golf’ in my head,” says Megan. “But I couldn’t get past the thought of ‘I don’t know how to do this’.”

The Solution

When Megan first began thinking of a golf fundraiser, she signed up to receive emails from GolfStatus. After she booked the golf course in December (giving herself plenty of planning time before the August tournament date), she knew there was no turning back, so she circled back to GolfStatus, downloaded some planning resources, and saw the value in using the software and jumped on board. “I came into this not knowing what I was doing or if this was going to work, but GolfStatus’ experience helped make it a success,” says Megan. The ROI was great for us.”

Tournament organizers promoted the event through local events, alumni associations, social media, and the local newspaper.

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“I came into this not knowing what I was doing or if this was going to work, but GolfStatus’ experience helped make it a success. The ROI was great for us.”

— Megan Mathis, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING at riseup malawi

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The Results

For a first-time event, Megan and her team were thrilled with the turnout, sponsor support, and overall return on investment of the golf fundraiser. On-course games, pin prizes, upgraded food and drink, and player swag bags were incorporated into the tournament to enhance the experience even more.

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GOlf TOurnament Summary

Golf Facility

The Ridge At Castle Pines North, Castle Pines, CO (upscale public golf course)

Tournament Name

Let Hope Rise Charity Golf Tournament

Golfers

88

Dollars raised

$38,500

top sponsorship

$10,000 (Title Sponsorship)

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Lessons Learned

Planning & Promotion

Since it was her first time organizing a golf tournament, Megan wanted to give herself plenty of planning time. She used a volunteer matching tool to help find folks in her area that were interested in helping nonprofits to help build a planning team, as well as connecting with local supporters. “A big lesson learned in planning a tournament for the first time was the importance of getting a good team together,” Megan says. “Finding those who have ties to the community or the golf world in some way was super helpful.”

To get the word out about the golf event, Megan started with social media and the local newspaper and expanded to having a booth or presence at various community events where she could talk about RiseUp Malawi’s work and promote the golf tournament. She also tapped into her local alumni group to connect with other graduates of the University of Southern California. “Alumni groups are super powerful!” Megan says. She leveraged the group’s networking events to share information and relied on word of mouth among members.

Sponsorships

Megan and her family were relatively new to the Castle Pines area, so she didn’t have a huge local network to reach out to for sponsorships. Megan started with a GolfStatus guide, Types of Businesses to Target As Sponsors for Your Golf Event, and used connections on her planning team to create a target list. She also found success through the local Chamber of Commerce. She joined as a member and started attending events, chatting with business owners and sharing information about RiseUp Malawi and the upcoming golf fundraiser. “The personal connections were so important and we didn’t have to spend a ton of time on cold calls,” says Megan. She also advises approaching sponsors as early as possible before they allocate their budgets.

Two sponsors even made a connection during the golf fundraiser—Burley Brewery and Redemption Road Coffee—and later collaborated on a special coffee porter beer that was offered in the brewery’s tap room. They also hosted a fundraising event during February and kicked back part of sales to RiseUp Malwai, raising about $5,000.

Megan leveraged GolfStatus resources, the local Chamber of Commerce, and personal connections to sell sponsorships.

Tech & Support

As a first-time event organizer, Megan knew she would need some help. “GolfStatus’ blog and resources were helpful as I tried to figure out where to start and what to do next,” she says. She says the software was straightforward and easy to use, but that the support GolfStatus provided was second to none. “GolfStatus’ support team was really my partner in this, so helpful and communicative,” Megan says.

As a nonprofit organization RiseUp Malawi qualified for the Golf for Good program and was able to use GolfStatus’ tournament management software at no cost. Megan says the free event website gave the tournament instant credibility. “We wanted to make the tournament look legitimate and like we’d been doing this for a long time, and the event website did that,” Megan says. Every event website powered by GolfStatus includes online registration and integrated, secure payment processing. “Online registration was great, I could export a list of everyone who had registered.”

The event website also gave the tournament’s sponsors added visibility and digital exposure as soon as they committed to sponsoring the event. Logos, links, and other assets are submitted and stored right in the software so it appears on the site right away. “There was a real sense of pride once we had sponsors committing—we’d look at the site and think, ‘Hey, look at those sponsors!’” Megan says.

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“We wanted to make the tournament look legitimate and like we’d been doing this for a long time, and the event website did that”

— Megan Mathis, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING at Riseup malawi

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Cause Connection

Megan and the planning team looked for ways to help golfers better understand RiseUp Malawi’s work and why the cause is so important. They utilized the in-cart screens to play a video showing Hudson and the kids thanking them for their support. They also worked with a local coffee company that has a Malawian bean blend (coffee beans are one of the country’s biggest exports) to can it as cold brew and provided it in each golf cart.

The goal for the tournament’s second year is to raise money to build casitas adjacent to the guest house.

looking ahead

Megan hopes to build on the success they had in the event’s first year. They’ve already broken ground on the guesthouse in Malawi, so money raised from year two of the golf tournament will fund the construction of the casitas adjacent to the guest house for additional rental income. They hope to top $50,000 in the event’s second year.

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GOlfing for good

GolfStatus is proud to help nonprofits of all types and sizes tap into golf’s giving power. Its tournament management software streamlines golf events for first-time organizers and veteran event planners. Plus, its exclusive sponsorships and add-ons and built-in fundraising tools help raise even more money for your cause. If you’ve got questions along the way, GolfStatus’ in-house support team is there to help and troubleshoot. Best of all, through the Golf for Good program, 501(c) organizations and those planning golf events to benefit one can qualify to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost. Click the button to learn more and get qualified.

When golfers decide to play in a charity golf tournament, they often reach out to their friends, family members, neighbors, or colleagues to fill their team. This is good news for your organization—not only does it fill your tournament’s field, but your mission gets exposure to a brand new audience of potential new donors and supporters.

Take full advantage of this opportunity to introduce your organization to a captive audience at your golf event. Create a cause connection by helping golfers understand what your organization does, who it serves, and how their participation is a key part of fulfilling your mission. They may have come to golf, but when they see the tangible impacts of what the tournament is raising money for, it’s easier to convert them into donors.

Here are 10 ideas for your next golf fundraiser to connect golfers to your mission:

1. Add compelling photos and videos to your event website.

A picture is truly worth a thousand words, so take advantage of your event website’s customization features to add photos that illustrate your organization’s work and impact. If possible, add video too—anything from a simple slideshow of photos set to music, an impact story, or a polished marketing video are effective in telling your organization’s story visually.

Help golfers connect to your cause with powerful images and videos on your event website.

2. Invite a guest speaker to share their experience.

Kick off the tournament with a speaker who has benefited from your nonprofit’s services. Or add a presenter to a luncheon, banquet, or awards ceremony. Hearing first-hand from a beneficiary drives home the impact of your work. For example, Riverside Ranch, a therapeutic horse riding program, invited parents of riders to speak at their golf tournament’s luncheon and share what the Ranch meant to their family.

3. Include promo materials in player gift bags and golf carts.

A one-page flier, brochure, annual report, or other collateral can help golfers understand the depth of your mission. Be sure to include QR code on any printed materials with a direct link to the donation page on your event website where folks can donate right from their phones! Drop these in player gift bags or leave them in golf carts for golfers to peruse at their leisure. If your golf facility has carts with video capabilities, inquire about showing a video or photo slideshow on the screens. RiseUp Malawi, which provides educational opportunities in the African country of Malawi, played a video with a welcome message from some of the children the organization serves. They also provided each golfer with a book about Malawi with handwritten notes from the kids and on-site staff.

4. Place signage and banners around the golf course.

These pieces should be placed strategically around the course for maximum visibility. High traffic areas such as registration, driving range, putting green, and inside the clubhouse (near the bar or front door are good choices) are all guaranteed to get golfers looking. You can also place smaller signage unobtrusively on the golf course with information about your organization, facts related to your cause, or ways to take action. QR codes are a great addition to these as well to solicit donations.

National Ag Science Center placed banners around the golf course to help golfers better understand their mission.

5. Highlight your organization’s beneficiaries.

Depending on the work your nonprofit does, you could invite beneficiaries to attend or participate in the event. Personal connections are incredibly powerful, so provide opportunities for them to engage with golfers and sponsors throughout the day. For instance, if your golf tournament benefits a school, teachers or administrators could greet golfers as they arrive or even be added to teams. This isn’t limited to human beneficiaries, either! For example, pet rescue organizations could have adoptable pets at the golf course and an accompanying adoption drive.

6. Take advantage of downtime.

Downtime is a great chance to engage with a captive audience! Whether folks are waiting on the tee box, to check in, for a turn on the driving range, or for final results to be announced, your organization’s staff, board members, beneficiaries, or even volunteers can mingle with golfers to chat and have a conversation about your mission. You could also strategically station these folks on various tee boxes throughout the golf course (perhaps on a par 5 that might take groups longer to play through) to talk with golfers as they play their round or rethink your format to add in more opportunities for face time with participants. For example, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, an organization that removes barriers to outdoor experiences for those with special needs, used tee times rather than a traditional shotgun start to give them a few minutes to visit with each group as they waited for their turn to tee off.

7. Hold an accompanying event.

If it makes sense for your organization, hold an event in conjunction with your golf fundraiser that drives home your mission. Outlook Enrichment, a nonprofit that serves the visually-impaired, holds a blind golfers clinic alongside its annual charity golf tournament. The clinic features instructors and volunteers helping visually-impaired golfers putt, chip, and play a few holes. Many organizations also hold events targeting non-golfers, such as golf lessons, a wine tasting, blanket-tying or meal-packing event.

A volunteer coach helps a participant line up their shot during Outlook Enrichment’s blind golfers clinic.

8. Send push notifications.

Your golf event management platform should be able to send push notifications to golfers via a mobile app for easy communication. These notifications can help connect golfers to your mission by including a link to your website, testimonials from beneficiaries or volunteers, or even solicit donations for a specific program or outreach effort. Keep the notifications short, impactful, and time them strategically.

9. Display photos or memorabilia on the course.

Golfers want to know what the tournament is raising money for—what better way than to display photos or related memorabilia on the golf course. For instance, the Pat Neal Memorial Golf Tournament raises money for brain cancer research in honor of the tournament’s namesake, Pat Neal. A photo of Pat was placed on the course and golfers were encouraged to sign the photo as a keepsake for Pat’s family.

Pat Neal’s three children post with his picture on the golf course at his memorial golf tournament fundraiser.

10. Provide opportunities to take action.

The ultimate goal of helping golfers understand your mission is to have them take some sort of action, so give them the opportunity to do so. You could set up a donation station where folks can contribute, solicit volunteer sign ups, have a pop up shop to sell branded merchandise or products, or let folks start the process of adopting a pet.

Wrapping Up

First and foremost, technology is a major asset in creating cause connection. From your event website to push notifications to impact videos, leverage tech tools to be effective (and make it easier). Use tech to tell your organization’s story; engage with golfers before, during, and after the tournament; and ultimately, compel golfers and sponsors to further support it through a donation or future events. In doing so, you can demonstrate the impact your organization has on your community at large.

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Get Qualified for No-Cost Event Technology

GolfStatus’ Golf for Good program gives back to nonprofits by providing access to its full golf event management and fundraising platform at no cost, so event planners can focus on building relationships, stewarding donors, and doing more good. Get qualified by clicking the button below!

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Organization Snapshot

A simple, colorful fleece blanket may not seem like it could change someone’s journey, but for pediatric patients going into the hospital, it does exactly that. 

In 2015, Nicholas Kristock had just moved home to Michigan after living abroad in Australia and received a text message from his twin sister, a pediatric oncology nurse. She asked if he would be willing to make a fleece blanket for kids undergoing cancer treatment. “I asked her why fleece blankets and how many she needed,” Nicholas says. “She explained that there’s always a need, because they dramatically change the hospital for these kids,” Nicholas says.

After learning that hospitals welcome this type of donation, Nicholas founded Fleece and Thank You to provide color, comfort, and connection to these kids at an especially vulnerable point in their lives. “Kids walk into the hospital and they’re scared, and they get to a sterile, white hospital room. These blankets give them instant comfort as they’re at the starting line of their journey,” Nicholas says.

He also created KindKatch, a software platform that connects the young patient with the maker of their blanket through a personalized video. “We aim to change the start of their journey and give them hope by creating a connection with others who care,” Nicholas says.

Fleece and Thank You serves all 22 hospitals in Michigan and works with corporate partners to ship blankets to hospitals in all 50 states and 14 countries.

While Cameron Steinberg was a patient at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she received two colorful fleece blankets from Fleece and Thank You. Her parents, Mel and Sam, say they are a great reminder of Cami, who passed away due to complications from hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Melissa and Sam launched the Cameron Steinberg Foundation to help other families affected by congenital heart defects and raise funds through an annual golf tournament. Read more about Cami’s story.

The Challenge

Fleece and Thank You depends on donations and volunteers to power its work, supplemented by an annual golf fundraiser. Nicholas and his team of three full-time staff and six part-time staff have seen a great return on the investment in the golf tournament: “Golf is something nonprofits should have in their book,” he says. “It engages a specific type of audience and reaching that demographic is a huge part of a golf fundraising event.”

Historically, the tournament relied on fundraising platforms to handle registrations, but wanted something that tracked everything in one spot and was made for golf. What’s more, finding efficiencies that saved time and provided more return on investment was important to Nicholas and the planning team.

The Solution

Nicholas is also the founder and CEO of KindKatch, the software platform that grew out of Fleece and Thank You and helps brands easily create and share personalized videos at scale. Nicholas heard about Golfstatus from a colleague at KindKatch, and says he knew right from the demo that the platform’s combination of back-end tools and golf-specific functionality would be a great piece to add to the tournament. “Golfers love to golf, so the more you can tailor the event to tap into that passion, the better the event will be,” Nicholas says.

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“Golf is something nonprofits should have in their book,” he says. “It engages a specific type of audience and reaching that demographic is a huge part of a golf fundraising event.”

— Nicholas Kristock, founder and CEO of KindKatch

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As a nonprofit, Fleece and Thank You qualified to use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program. Nonprofits get an event website, online registration, exclusive sponsorship opportunities and exposure, and much more to help golf tournament organizers save time and raise more money for their cause.

The Results

The tournament’s goal was to raise $30,000 to purchase fabric to create blanket kits (individuals and corporate partners purchase the kits, assemble the blankets, and return them to Fleece and Thank You for quality checks and hospital grade washing and drying before finding their way to a young patient’s room). The tournament hit its fundraising goal, thanks to a sold out event, robust sponsor support, and donor engagement.

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Golf Tournament Summary

Tournament Name

Fleece & Thank You Golf Outing

Golf Facility

Tanglewood Golf Club, South Lyon, MI
(public golf course)

Fundraising Goal

$30,000

Number of Golfers

120 (sold out event)

Tech Stack:

GolfStatus, KindKatch

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A sold out field of 120 golfers scored their round on the GolfStatus mobile app, which automatically synced to a live leaderboard.

“The day-of functionality was great, especially the live leaderboards. In the past we’ve used fundraising platforms for registration and ticketing, which worked ok, but GolfStatus really brings in the golf experience and that level of specificity takes it to the next level,” says Nicholas. He explains how the drag and drop function allows for quick and easy hole assignments, instead of moving information from spreadsheet to spreadsheet. “It was slick to just be able to move the blocks around to work with requests from golfers who wanted to be paired together,” he says. “It took just a few minutes and I could ship it over to the golf course.”

What’s more, one of the organization’s full-time staff members was out of the country during the tournament’s final prep and planning period, but Nicholas says GolfStatus helped them be more efficient and put on a great event with fewer people hours. “We were essentially down 33% of our normal planning team, but GolfStatus helped make it a great event,” he says. “GolfStatus saved us at least 10 hours on the front end administration and registration alone.”

GolfStatus’s live-scoring technology lets golfers track their score in a free mobile app that automatically syncs to live leaderboards. Not only does this provide additional sponsor exposure, but expedites finalizing results at the end of the event. “We made sure it was easy for people to download the app and explained that this was how we would be scoring the tournament. We asked that golfers download the app ahead of time, but also had QR codes at check-in for quick access.

“The barriers to using the app are so low,” Nicholas says. “It helps get rid of that gap that typically occurs at a golf tournament, when physical scorecards are turned in and everyone’s waiting on the results to be tallied.” Plus, Nicholas says golfers loved seeing the standings in real-time and how the app pulled in the course information for additional details about each hole (distance, slope, GPS to the pin).

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“We were essentially down 33% of our normal planning team, but GolfStatus helped make it a great event.”

— Nicholas Kristock, founder and CEO of KindKatch

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Leaning Into Technology

Golfers and spectators could follow real-time standings on the tournament’s live leaderboards on the GolfStatus app or the event website.

Nonprofits are used to doing more with less, and embracing technology enables them to do so. Fleece and Thank You’s small team has to maximize efficiencies and technology like GolfStatus “helps us move faster and do more,” Nicholas says. “Tech can help nonprofits scale and do things beyond their traditional reach.” 

Using KindKatch in tandem with GolfStatus kept golfers engaged before, during, and after the event. Nicholas and his team scheduled out videos to be sent at intervals after someone registered to a follow up 30 days after the event. Combined with push notifications from GolfStatus, Nicholas says they struck a good balance of a good mix of communication with golfers and sponsors. “The cool part of the GolfStatus and KindKatch interplay is how well they worked together when we sent videos out mid-day highlighting the live leaderboards and current standings.”

No Cost Golf Event Management Tech

The right technology is key to a successful, lucrative, and streamlined golf fundraiser. GolfStatus’s golf event management and fundraising platform is built to handle the unique details of golf fundraisers, with built-in tools to easily promote the event, collect registrations, recognize sponsors, collect donations, and much more. Through the Golf for Good program, nonprofits can qualify to use GolfStatus at no cost—no cost, no risk, all reward. Click the button below to get qualified and start saving time and raising more money from your golf tournament.

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KindKatch is part of the GolfStatus Marketplace, a one-stop shop of trusted third party vendors to help event organizers elevate their tournament.

Organization Snapshot

Enriching the lives of the visually impaired is at the heart of Outlook Enrichment’s mission. A private, nonprofit agency based in Omaha, Nebraska, Outlook Enrichment empowers people living with vision loss with the skills and tools to achieve their goals. Its core programs serve the visually impaired through adaptive technology training, recreational programs, independent living, employment training, support groups, cultural experiences, and community education.

“It’s really fulfilling for us to see an individual’s arc of life in adapting to vision loss,” says Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment. “They may think they can’t do the things they used to be able to do, but we get them on the right path and see the excitement come back in them and they grow and flourish.”

Outlook Enrichment serves the visually impaired through adaptive technology training, recreational programs (like tandem bike rides, pictured above), independent living, employment training, support groups, cultural experiences, and community education.

Outlook Enrichment is part of the broader Outlook Collaborative that, with three other agencies, serves the visually impired in Omaha. “We help people adjust to vision loss, connecting them to necessary resources and helping them navigate the system that allows them to be as independent as possible,” says Paulette Monthei, Executive Director at Outlook Enrichment.

The Challenge

Outlook Enrichment’s two annual fundraising events bring in dollars for equipment purchases, instructor wages, outreach activities, and program support—an annual gala and a long-standing golf clinic and tournament. 

The sport of golf is important for many visually-impaired individuals. Finding ways to stay involved helps bring a spark back to their lives. “We had one golfer in his 70s who used to be an avid golfer and withdrew from the sport as he slowly lost sight,” Nina explains. “The golf clinic and our other recreation programs help show them that they can still do the things they love, albeit in a different capacity.”

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“The golf clinic and our other recreation programs help show them that they can still do the things they love, albeit in a different capacity.”

— Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment

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Out of its staff of six, only two are sighted. “Those of us who work directly with clients have some level of vision loss,” says Paulette, who has low vision herself. “It’s so important to share that perspective and empathize with them, while providing resources and services to help with job training, mental wellness, transportation, and recreation.” 

Its small but mighty team handles everything from fundraising to program implementation to serving over 300 clients a year. As such, efficiency is key, so when the previous registration process for the golf event wasn’t cutting it, the team sought new options. “We needed something simpler and easier,” Nina says. “We got some complaints about the registration process being too complicated and cumbersome.”

The Solution

Nina knew there had to be a better option to make the user interface easier and more seamless, both on the donor and administrative sides. An online search led them to GolfStatus, a golf-specific event management platform. Naturally, accessibility was a major concern for any tech platform. “It was important that GolfStatus was willing to work with us to improve accessibility and really heard our concerns,” says Nina. The GolfStatus public-facing event site was easily navigable by screen readers and featured a high-contrast color palette to improve readability for those with reduced vision.

Through the Golf for Good program, Nina, Paulette, and the Outlook Enrichment team were able to utilize GolfStatus to streamline their golf tournament at no cost. “It’s hard to find a system for nonprofits that isn’t going to charge you an arm and a leg,” says Paulette. “We loved that it was no cost and easy to use.”

The Results

Between 40 and 48 teams typically play in the golf tournament, which is sponsored by 10-20 area businesses, partners, and vendors. Beyond raising dollars, the golf tournament’s goal is to raise awareness and get golfers and sponsors to further engage with Outlook Enrichment. “We want to fill the tournament, of course, but we also want to reach new people,” says Nina. “Those new people may come for the golf, but they engage with our organization, staff members, and those we serve to better understand where their money is going.”

One of the golf tournament’s main goals is to raise awareness about Outlooks Enrichment’s mission by attracting new golfers and sponsors to the event.

Golfers used their mobile devices to make purchases (i.e. mulligans, raffle tickets, hole challenges,etc.) and donations the day of the tournament. “Having them pay through the event site was so much simpler,” says Nina. “For years we pushed people to bring cash along for things like this, and we missed out on extra dollars if someone didn’t have cash.” The event brought in an extra $3,000 from day-of purchases alone!

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“GolfStatus was hands down one of the easiest and seamless systems we’ve used.”

— Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment

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“GolfStatus was hands down one of the easiest and seamless systems we’ve used,” says Nina, finding it so helpful that she utilized GolfStatus’s registration for the annual Vision Beyond Sight fundraiser (which, unfortunately, was canceled due to rain).

Automation & Support

The event website for the Tee It Up Fore Sight fundraiser was the key to reaping the benefits of the platform. Golfers and sponsors would register and pay securely via the website and their information automatically populated the platform’s backend where Nina could make hole assignments, create and print pre-formatted alpha lists and cart signs, and see who had purchased various add-ons.

Golfers and sponsors registered via an event website, automating registration and giving Nina and Paulette a jump on thanking donors and reconciling payments.

Nina says email notifications and weekly reporting and payouts were invaluable to her in terms of saving time and creating efficiencies. “I set up separate email notifications for registrations and sponsorships,” Nina says. Not only did this help from an administrative perspective, but it allowed the team to stay on top of thanking golfers and sponsors right away, a key part of long-term donor stewardship and retention.

“I didn’t have to live on the platform but could easily get in the backend to see where things stood,” she says.

The GolfStatus customer success team was there to help whenever Nina, Paulette, or anyone on their team had questions or needed assistance. “Everyone was amazing! If there was a hiccup, they got it resolved right away,” Nina says.

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“I didn’t have to live on the platform but could easily get in the backend to see where things stood.”

— Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment

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golf fundraiser Creates Cause Connection

Outlook Enrichment creates a real, tangible connection to its mission for golfers and sponsors by including immersion activities on select tournament holes. “Golfers put on a sleep shade and putt,” Nina explains. “They have to rely on the rest of their senses to make the shot, which really gets them to think about sight from a different perspective.” It’s also a fundraising component, as golfers chip in $5-$20 to try.

Outlook Enrichment also hosts the Stanley M. Truhlsen, Jr. Blind Golfers Clinic for non-sighted golfers in conjunction with the golf fundraiser. Partnering with adaptive sports specialists and volunteers from golf teams at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and local high schools, the golfers learn chipping, putting, and driving, and typically play one or more holes before the round kicks off.

The Stanley M. Truhlsen, Jr. Blind Golfers Clinic pairs visually-impaired golfers adaptive sports specialists and volunteers to learn chipping, putting, and driving.

What’s more, some of the team pairings include a non-sighted player. The rest of the team helps the visually-impaired golfer line up their shot and describe as best they can the terrain of the shot—how much slope, angle, obstacle locations, distance to the pin. “It’s really interesting the techniques the sighted golfers use to help line the golfer up, whether it’s verbal cues or physically lining up the correct angle,” says Nina. When golfers then put on the sleep shades, they’re forced to use their other senses to make the shot.

Accessibility

Given Outlook Enrichment’s mission, accessibility is a must-have when it comes to any software or tech tool. “We won’t use a company if we can’t navigate it,” says Nina. Both sighted staff and staff with some level of visual impairment worked through the front-end of the software before signing on with GolfStatus, and found that the event site was easy to navigate with screen readers and its high contrast color scheme made it more readable. 

“We appreciate how the GolfStatus staff worked with us to make the site as accessible as possible,” says Nina, noting that members of the development team worked with the Outlook Enrichment staff to walk through the site to glean additional feedback on how to improve accessibility. “It was so nice to know that GolfStatus cared and heard us!”

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Helping Nonprofits Leverage Golf for Good

GolfStatus helps nonprofits and charities of all types and sizes leverage golf’s giving power with powerful, user-friendly technology and industry-leading support. Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying nonprofits and events benefiting a charity or cause can get access to GolfStatus’s golf event management and fundraising platform at no cost. Get qualified by clicking below or email [email protected].