Fundraising for nonprofits boils down to two simple things: finding new donors and keeping existing ones. Both are critical to a nonprofit’s fundraising success—and to the overall success of the organization.

Charity golf tournaments are avenues to successfully do both. Here’s what you need to know about using your golf fundraiser to attract new donors and make sure they keep coming back to support your mission.

Why are new donors important for nonprofits?

New donors are crucial to moving your nonprofit’s cause forward. Just as a for-profit business must attract new customers or clients to grow market share, a nonprofit must raise awareness about the organization, the cause, and its work to effectively grow its donor base.

While some level of donor attrition is natural, without onboarding new donors to replace those that have lapsed, your network begins to stagnate and your organization ends up with an increasingly narrow donor pool. Indeed, golf tournaments present an opportunity to raise awareness and dollars, while simultaneously attracting new donors.

Why is it important to retain donors?

While new donors are certainly important and must be pursued, retaining donors is equally, if not more, important. Returning donors already care about your cause and believe in how your organization is addressing the issue. They’re more likely to make larger gifts, and are already on the road to being long term donors.

What’s more, the costs associated with onboarding new donors—both in terms of dollars and staff time—are significantly higher than with simply retaining existing supporters. You’ve likely invested time and effort in stewarding donors, which means high donor attrition essentially undoes all the good that new donors bring to your organization.

How do golf tournaments both attract & retain donors?

Golf tournaments meet your donors where they’re likely already spending time—on the golf course. Unlike any other type of fundraising event, a golf tournament lets you connect with past and prospective donors through an activity they genuinely enjoy, forging new connections and relationships over the focused hours on the golf course. Here’s how and why golf tournaments help your nonprofit to onboard and retain donors of all levels:

1. People want to play golf

The golf industry saw unprecedented growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, as golf gave people the chance to safely get outside, stay active, and gather with others in a socially distanced way. While the numbers have dipped slightly, golf is still more popular than it was before 2020—which means a healthy pool of potential new donors.

Many golfers actively look for golf tournaments to play in simply because they love the game. And it’s not just the die-hard golfers—more casual players are getting involved in the game and are eager to play in tournaments, which opens the door for even more donors to steward. The best part about a golf fundraiser is that when your event is focused on something people really want to do and enjoy—like golf—they’re bound to come back year after year.

2. Players tap their network to field a team

Golf may be an individual sport, but charity golf tournaments tend to be scrambles, which means that folks must field a team to participate and tap into their personal and professional networks to do so. One of your supporters registers for the fundraiser, then brings three others who aren’t necessarily familiar with your cause, but will be once they play in the tournament. This instantly multiplies your donor outreach, and when you retain these new donors, your donor network snowballs. What’s more, these new donors are more likely to return in future years and bring others.

Golfers have a net worth of nearly $770,000 and an average household income twice the national average, making them prime candidates for donors.

3. golf attracts a particular demographic

Golfers typically represent a demographic with a higher-than-average net worth and average household income. What’s more, over half of golfers are between the ages of 25 and 55 (the age group with the most spending power), and one in three are top-level managers. In short, these are folks you definitely want in your organization's donor database (and one sponsors want to get in front of).

4. It’s an important networking opportunity

Many golfers use charity golf tournaments—especially higher-grossing events held at prestigious golf courses—as an opportunity to network and do business. With four to five focused hours on the golf course, they can entertain clients, connect with prospects, build professional relationships, and network. This makes golf tournaments uniquely positioned to attract new high-capacity and connected donors that are often invited to fill a team.

Golf tournaments give you four or more hours on the golf course to connect with current and potential donors.

5. You can reconnect with lapsed donors

Golf events are a fantastic chance to reconnect with supporters who have contributed in the past but may have missed a year or more. Perhaps they played in a golf tournament years ago but haven’t returned, joined as a member but didn’t renew, made a year-end gift but didn’t respond to additional asks, or participated in a program and subsequently fell dormant. No matter what the cause, an invitation to a golf tournament is a low-pressure opportunity for lapsed donors to reconnect with your organization through an activity they enjoy—and for you to take another opportunity to steward these relationships.

Capture Donor Data & Take the Next Step 

In order to truly use your golf fundraiser as an effective vehicle for donor outreach and stewardship, you need to know who is playing in the tournament each year. It’s essentially an exercise in capturing donor data, getting it into your donor database, and leveraging it to attract folks to future events, like your golf tournament, and get them engaged in your mission.

Technology is key. Upgrading to online registration as part of a golf-specific event management platform has a number of time-saving advantages and also allows for thorough, real-time collection of donor data. A professional event website with an intuitive online registration process allows you to easily capture the information for each player and sponsor. You’ll want to couple online registration with a platform that makes it easy for one player or sponsor to register a team without necessarily knowing who they’ll tap to play with them, and the ability to add that information later.

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Qualify for a Free Golf Tournament Website

If you’re a nonprofit or planning an event that benefits one, you likely qualify for a free event website and no-cost access to GolfStatus—a golf event management platform that allows event organizers to effortlessly collect valuable donor data while streamlining planning, management, and execution. The result is an easier way to plan a golf outing that attracts new donors and stewards existing donors through an all-around great experience.

Ready to hit the easy button on a first-year golf event or streamline an existing tournament? Click the button 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!

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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!

If you’ve never planned a golf tournament before or your organization doesn’t currently have a golf event as part of its fundraising portfolio, you’re likely wondering about what it takes to plan and execute a successful golf fundraiser.

To set yourself up for success, you should understand these seven fundamentals before organizing a charity golf tournament:

1. You don’t have to be a golf expert.

2. Most of your fundraising revenue goes to your cause.

3. Golf events are more popular than ever before.

4. Golf events bring new donors to the table.

5. Sponsors are interested in connecting with your donors in new ways.

6. Golf tournaments are fun and exciting.

7. Organizing a charity golf event is worth the work.

READY TO START PLANNING A CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT?

Download a free golf tournament fundraiser checklist!

1. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A GOLF EXPERT.

Many event planners aren’t golfers—and don’t need to be to hold a lucrative golf tournament. All that’s really needed is a tool that helps organizers, committees, and volunteers navigate the intricacies of a golf event and that’s purposefully designed to save novice and seasoned golf event planners time and resources. An event management platform designed specifically for golf fundraisers makes things easier and walks you through planning and executing every step on your golf tournament fundraiser checklist. Look for a tool that makes it easy to collaborate and exchange information with the golf facility and one with a responsive customer success team that’s there when you need them.

2. MOST OF YOUR FUNDRAISING REVENUE GOES TO YOUR CAUSE.

Outside golf outings like memorial tournaments, charity outings, major fundraisers, and small local events are essential to a golf facility’s bottom line. You’re essentially guaranteeing the course that you’ll fill the tee times for the day, plus any additional revenue from the pro shop and food and beverage, not to mention exposure to avid golfers who could become members. This gives you, the event organizer, leverage when it comes to negotiating better pricing for the event. Certainly, the more high-end the facility, typically the higher the green fees will be. That said, here are some things to consider to maximize the cost-effectiveness of the facility:

• Tap into your networks. Ask board members, volunteers, and other supporters who are members at higher-end facilities if they have connections and can facilitate a favorable rate.

• Hold the event on an off day. Try to avoid busy holiday weekends and other high-traffic dates for courses. Ask about slower days of the week; rates on Mondays, for example, are typically lower than rates on Fridays or Saturdays.

• Consider adding a virtual option. A virtual tournament extends the event to multiple days or weeks and/or across multiple courses. With this option, players and teams participate on their own time, scheduling their tee times directly with the facility, so your organization doesn’t actually need to occupy the facility on a specific date for a specific period of time. You can also consider holding a virtual event in tandem with a traditional one-day event to allow for more participants and revenue.

3. GOLF EVENTS ARE MORE POPULAR THAN EVER BEFORE.

Golf has seen record-setting popularity over the past few years, largely fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide in 2022, rounds were up 8% from pre-pandemic years and retail equipment sales remain strong. Golf fundraisers have enjoyed a similar surge in popularity, with nonprofits of all sizes launching first-year tournaments amid the uncertainty of COVID-19 and capitalizing on golfers’ eagerness to get on to the course. These fundraisers are now building on their success as second or even third-year events! Golf outings may have emerged as a viable option for in-person fundraising events, but organizations discovered how these events connect them to exactly the types of donors and sponsors that turn into sustainers and long-term corporate partners.

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Active Golfers

1 in 9 Americans

Average Golfer's Net Worth

$768,000

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4. Golf Events Bring New Donors to the Table.

In general, golfers tend to represent an affluent, influential demographic. Its participants report higher household and discretionary income (more than double the national average) and thus a higher capacity to give. Younger golfers are also increasingly taking up the sport. In fact, over half of American golfers are between the ages of 25 and 55, the age demographic with the most spending power. 

When golfers tap into their personal and professional networks to field a team (particularly in tournaments with a scramble format that allows for a wider range of skill levels), it instantly broadens your prospective donor base and exposes new people to your mission. What’s more, your tournament’s sponsors give your development and major gift teams an “in” to potential high-capacity donors and corporate partners. Indeed, golf presents an opportunity to connect with new sponsors and supporters through a sport that people want to play. There’s never been a better time to get in front of golfers and sponsors eager to support golf events.

5. SPONSORS ARE INTERESTED IN CONNECTING WITH YOUR DONORS IN NEW WAYS.

Signage certainly has its place in terms of sponsor recognition, but sponsors are increasingly looking for avenues to both support organizations and get their brands in front of the affluent golfer demographic. The good news for both nonprofits and sponsors is that the same technology that streamlines golf events opens doors for digital sponsorship exposure. Digital sponsorships can be sold at a premium, giving sponsors exposure to an audience they can’t get anywhere else and offering a high return on their investment. Corporate partners and sponsors have a vested interest in supporting the tech that helps organizations streamline clerical tasks and eliminate duplicative work. Plus digital exposure is easy to manage—just plug in a logo on a website, in a mobile app, or on your event’s live leaderboards. These methods take less time and effort, have little to no overhead costs, and have substantially lower expenses compared to traditional branded pieces.

6. GOLF TOURNAMENTS ARE FUN & EXCITING.

The difference between a good golf event and a great golf event is the overall experience. There are many ways to add fun and excitement (and raise a few more dollars along the way). On-course competitions like hole-in-one contests, longest drive contests, closest-to-the-pin contests, and putting contests let golfers test their luck (or skill) to win great prizes—and are premium sponsorship opportunities. 

For example, you can add a buy-in to your tournament’s skins games, which creates mini-competitions between individuals or teams. Displaying skins results on real-time leaderboards keeps golfers engaged.

Other fun add-ons might include:

• a celebrity appearance

• a professional long-driver on a designated hole or holes

• games or demonstrations on each tee box

• custom player gifts, live auctions

• post-golf entertainment

The options are endless—but the key is to choose components that contribute to a well-executed event and memorable experience that will keep golfers and sponsors coming back year after year.

7. ORGANIZING A CHARITY GOLF EVENT IS WORTH THE WORK.

Golf’s fundraising capacity is unmatched. And while golf events have a number of moving pieces and unique details to handle, the right tools can ease the administrative burden as you tick items off of your golf tournament fundraiser checklist. Golf event management tech eliminates manual registration and payment processes and siloed information, making it easier to collaborate and delegate tasks to teams, board members, volunteers, and even staff at the golf facility. 

Your golf event management software should have robust reporting capabilities so you can easily track payments and who is supporting your cause. It should also handle golf-specific tasks, such as:

• building custom sponsorship packages

• syncing GHIN handicaps

• simplifying team pairings

• streamlining hole assignments and hole-by-hole sponsor exposure

• making live-scoring super simple.

Truly, a fundraising platform designed specifically for charity golf tournaments ensures that no detail is missed. Look for the solution that leaves organizers free to recruit players and sponsors, solicit donations, and upsell and steward donor relationships in ways that advance the event and the organization forward.

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Golf for Good

GolfStatus’ fundraising and golf event management tools are available at no cost to qualifying nonprofits through the Golf for Good program. Click the button below to get qualified or email [email protected].

Ready to get started?

Click here to book a demo today!

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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].

The value of golf fundraisers was never more apparent than during the pandemic years. Many organizations initially leaned on golf tournaments to help them weather the storm of COVID-related restrictions but soon discovered that golf events are a strategic, engaging, and lucrative option that belong in an organization's fundraising portfolio. At the same time, those with existing charity golf tournaments looked for tools and efficiencies to cope with fewer staff and reduced budgets and found solutions for an even more successful golf event.

So whether you’re launching a brand new golf fundraiser in 2023, reigniting a past golf event, or just looking to refresh your existing golf tournament, here are eight trends and predictions for golf fundraising in the year ahead.

1. Golf’s Popularity Will Remain Above Pre-Pandemic Levels

The exponential growth that golf saw in 2020 and early 2021 has slowed, as predicted. That being said, the sport is still more popular than it was pre-pandemic and golfers will remain eager to play in 2023. Golf fundraisers are often played in a scramble format, which allows golfers of all skill levels—from beginners to advanced players—to play in support of your mission. What’s more, golfers often tap into their personal and professional networks to field a team, which expands your tournament’s reach and donor pool and opens doors for further stewardship and partnerships.

2. Sponsors Will Look For New Options

Golf tournaments give sponsoring businesses unique exposure to an affluent audience. Consider the following: 

• Golfers have a household income roughly twice the national average.

• Golfers have a net worth of over $760,000. 

• One in three golfers are top level managers and one in four golfers own their own business. 

Getting in front of this group is a priority for a variety of businesses and companies. To that end, golf tournament sponsorship packages will need to provide a ton of value and options. Digital sponsorships offer a ton of ROI and are mutually-beneficial for both the organizer and the sponsor: Sponsors get broad exposure and high visibility before, during, and after your tournament; organizers get easy-to-manage sponsorships with no additional costs (uploading a logo versus designing, ordering, and installing signage). Tournament organizers that use the right management platform get access to a unique set of top-tier golf sponsorship opportunities, including technology sponsorship, leaderboard sponsorship, in-app hole sponsorships, and even TOUR-caliber pin flag sponsorships.

Broad exposure throughout any event management platform is critical to offering sponsors return on their investment in your event.

3. Organizers Will Focus on Add-ons & Experiences

The overall experience is what elevates a good charity golf tournament to an exceptional charity golf tournament that keeps golfers and sponsors coming back year over year. There are a ton of options for tournament planners to build-in revenue enhancers that add fun and excitement without incurring prohibitive costs. 

For example, adding hole-in-one or other contests (putting, closest to the pin, etc.) or on-course entertainment (long drivers, beat the pro, etc.) make the event more fun and more memorable for golfers. These add-ons also present new, premium sponsorship opportunities that give sponsors visibility and cover the add-on’s hard costs, ultimately driving more revenue for your mission. Other easy event add-ons include mulligans, raffle tickets, skins games, and auctions. Live scoring, where golfers enter their score on a mobile app that populates a live leaderboard, also gives your tournament a more professional feel and can even expedite finalizing scores at the conclusion of the event.

4. Tournaments Will Be Business As Usual

Thanks to technology and some creative (and relatively easy) modifications that reduced contact and large gatherings, golf tournaments were able to be held safely amid COVID precautions. Organizers have largely returned to pre-pandemic protocols, including shotgun starts and pre- and post-golf gatherings and events. This return to “normal” should continue in 2023 as more nonprofits look to jump into golf fundraising for the first time, resurrect old tournaments, and find ways to enhance an existing golf event. The technology that helped nonprofits figure out how to plan a golf tournament fundraiser in 2020 have proven to be helpful well beyond just eliminating touchpoints, but also in creating efficiencies, time and resource savings, more sponsor options, and a more professional tournament experience.

5. Online Registration Will Be Expected for Golf Tournaments

We live in an online world, and event registration is no different. Folks have come to expect online registration for fundraising events from galas to walk-a-thons and, of course, golf tournaments. Organizations looking to move their registration online will not only reach a larger audience (since promotion is as easy as sharing a simple link) but also spend less time dealing with paper forms, spreadsheets, checks, and receipts so the focus can shift to securing sponsors, stewarding donors, and making their tournament unforgettable. Plus, collecting donor data becomes automated, ensuring no information is missing. 

It will also be important for event organizers to consider the unique information needs and details of a golf tournament, recognizing that not every event management provider can handle the nuances of a golf event. Golfers will look for easy ways to support the organizations they care about, so the ability to collect donations online is also super important for organizations to consider, as well as building donation asks into the day.

Online registration simplifies everything about the process, saving organizers a ton of valuable time and effort.

6. Third Party Events Will Become More Important

Nonprofits that empower corporate partners, businesses, passionate supporters, volunteers, or others to plan golf events on their behalf will benefit from a passive fundraising stream and, if done correctly, uniform collection of valuable donor data. Organizations will look to make it easier for these third parties to launch golf fundraisers by using a common technology platform that standardizes golf events across the board, while also making them easier to plan and execute.

7. Tech Will Work Together to Streamline & Simplify

Nonprofit leaders have a plethora of technology options to make life easier across their organizations, from event planning and implementation to donor management. The golf event will be no different, as event organizers look to tech tools to aid in prep and execution. 

Fortunately for nonprofits, these tools often work together and complement each other to streamline and simplify events from start to finish. For golf fundraisers, this will mean capturing golfer and sponsor information right at registration, plus robust reporting capabilities so donor data can be easily imported into the organization’s CRM for additional donor stewardship, event invitations, and donation asks.

8. Organizers Will Seek New Ways to Save Time & raise more Money

Saving time, conserving financial resources, and finding efficiencies (while increasing revenue) are still top of mind for busy nonprofit event organizers who often wear many hats. More and more, event organizers are looking for specific tools to run fundraising events like golf tournaments that won’t add a line-item expense.

Whether it’s finding ways to seamlessly collaborate with volunteers or planning committees, moving registration online and utilizing an event website, exporting donor data, or simplifying sponsor onboarding, nonprofits will continue to lean on their tech stack to save time and explore ways to raise money.

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Planning a 2023 Golf Event?

GolfStatus’s event management and fundraising platform is built just for golf events, handling all the golf-specific details and freeing up organizers to connect with donors and sponsors. Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying nonprofits (and individuals, businesses, and other holding golf events that benefit them) can qualify for no-cost access to the GolfStatus platform. Click here to get on board with GolfStatus for your 2023 event or email us directly at [email protected].

Quality, complete donor data is imperative to a nonprofit's fundraising efforts. Donor data is more than just contact information; it allows organizations to track what’s important to their donors and reach them with targeted messaging, helps development teams hone in on targets for major gifts, provides insight into which outreach efforts are working and how well, and allows organizations to segment supporters in ways that maximize fundraising outcomes.

The benefits are numerous, yet there are key areas that escape the data capture and tracking mechanisms of even the most savvy, data-centric organizations. In particular, while the golf outing attracts a crucial demographic of high-capacity donors, existing and potential corporate sponsors, and their contacts, without the right tools, it’s quite common for those supporters to go unidentified. This is especially true for organizations benefiting from events run by third parties. Here’s why this data is so important and how to collect it.

Capturing golfer information is just as crucial to outreach as it is fundraising and donor stewardship.

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Why Golfer donor Data Matters 

The basic reality is this—you can’t use information that you don’t have. If your golf event participants aren’t in your donor database, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to steward potentially major donors over time. Golfers typically represent an affluent, influential audience:

When these supporters tap into their personal and professional networks to field a team, your organization is exposed to even more high-level supporters. What’s more, tournament sponsors are ideal candidates for corporate partnerships, with the potential to become even more valuable to your organization over time. In short, capturing golfer donor data is just as crucial to outreach as it is to fundraising and donor stewardship.

Easy & Seamless Data Collection

Collecting donor and sponsor data from your golf fundraiser is simpler than you might think. The key is online registration. Instead of tracking emailed signups or manually entering golfer and sponsor information from mailed registration forms into multiple spreadsheets that quickly become outdated, online registration automates the process. That means no additional work from you or your committee and an all-around easier planning experience. You save time and golfers and sponsors have all the information they need to register online, purchasing teams, add-ons, and sponsorships.

If your organization is the beneficiary of one or many events hosted by a volunteer, business, or other third party, the process of gathering donor and sponsor data for these events might be even more convoluted. Smart, nimble technology centralizes these events into a single platform, while still allowing them to run independently. This gives you the best of both worlds as a beneficiary: others raise funds on your behalf and you’re still able to capture data for longer-term donor stewardship initiatives.

Well-thought-out hole assignments ensure that donors and sponsors form meaningful connections at your golf outing, making the event an important networking opportunity they won’t want to miss year after year.

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What Do I Do With This Information?

As they say, knowledge is power. Data helps you maximize donor relationships, giving you valuable insight into who supports your organization and why. Having a strong handle on who’s participating in your golf outing (whether for the first time, year over year, as part of another donor’s foursome, or in some other fashion) allows you to maximize fundraising efforts.

And while attracting new participants is important, repeat attendees, sponsors, and donors are typically more engaged and more generous than new participants, so getting these people to your fundraiser year after year should be a focal point. Re-engaging with participants who have missed a year can also be an effective way to attract active supporters to your organization.

When your golf event data is organized in one easily accessible place, you can be intentional about using it to maximize the value of your golf event, both to your organization and to donors. For example, you wouldn’t put a major donor’s table in the back corner of a gala’s dimly lit ballroom. Instead, you would strategically group tables with sponsors who may form meaningful connections near each other. This is perhaps an even bigger consideration for a golf event, where many major sponsors are eager to talk business over their hours on the course—making well-thought-out hole assignments (and an easy way to coordinate them) especially important.

The right event management platform will be intuitive enough to collect basic information right at registration without frustrating or overwhelming registrants (leading them to abandon cart instead of following through with their registration). An intuitive golf event management system makes it easy to export event data and seamlessly add it to your organization’s CRM. Using source codes, tags, or other batch notations is important to track who played in, donated to, or sponsored the event and at what level during what year or years. This information can then be leveraged with the other relevant donor information in your CRM to make meaningful and timely asks, including donations, support for other events, and invitations to future golf events.

Getting Started

Whether your golf fundraiser is right around the corner or months away, there’s one simple, impactful thing you can do right now to make sure you’re ready to capture and capitalize on the data it produces: Launch an event registration website that’s backed by a platform that can handle the nuances of capturing the golf event’s important donor data.

Online registration is your best bet to easily capture and manage your event’s donor information, eliminating time-consuming, duplicative data entry. Most event management platforms aren’t equipped to handle the unique set of details that come with a golf event, so it’s critical to choose a platform that’s built for golf. You’ll want tools and features to track golfer information, sponsorship levels, team pairings, and hole assignments so you don’t have to do all that work manually. Be sure the technology you choose allows for custom sponsorship packages and recognition, digital sponsorship exposure, and the ability to collect online donations before, during, and after the event. Finally, it needs to have the capacity to easily export data so it can be loaded into your donor CRM for future asks and outreach.

Event website backed by a platform that can easily manage all your events needs.

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Get a Free Event Registration Website With Golf for Good

Worried that an event website will take a huge chunk out of your limited event budget? Qualifying nonprofits (and third parties planning events that benefit a nonprofit or charity) can get a free event website, plus access to GolfStatus’s golf event management and fundraising platform at no cost through the Golf for Good program. Click the button below to get qualified or contact us directly at [email protected].

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GolfStatus is a golf event management platform designed for all this and more. Access to this technology is available at no cost to qualifying nonprofits (or event organizers planning events that benefit a 501(c) organization) through our Golf for Good program.

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Organization Snapshot

Sarah Valentine’s vision for Riverside Ranch was simple—combine her love of horses with her innate desire to help people with special needs. She grew up riding horses, but after her grandfather passed away, she discovered therapeutic riding and felt called to create a nonprofit dedicated to using this medium to help people coping with challenging circumstances in their lives.

After intensely fundraising for over a year and a half, and a postponement due to COVID-19, Sarah opened the Ranch’s doors in July 2020. “We literally built this from the ground up, with dirt and a dream!” Sarah says. She’s grateful for the strong community support and dedicated volunteers who help empower clients dealing with autism, Down syndrome, vision impairment, cancer treatment, grief, and other conditions through therapeutic riding. Most of their riders aren’t able to participate in traditional recreational activities, so therapeutic riding not only lets them have fun, but helps with muscle strength, cognitive skills, and confidence. “At Riverside Ranch we empower different abilities and give them an opportunity to shine,” Sarah says. “When they ride, they build strength and belief in themselves and walk away feeling celebrated.”

Riverside Ranch empowers kids and adults coping with autism, Down syndrome, vision impairment, cancer treatment, grief, and other conditions through therapeutic riding.

The Challenge

Because Riverside Ranch opened during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah knew her options for traditional fundraising events would be limited. The idea for a golf fundraiser came simply from observing the golfers that flocked to the golf course near where Sarah lives. “The golf course never closed,” she says, leading her to team up with the organization’s board president to explore launching a new charity golf tournament. Beyond raising mission-critical funds, Sarah says the idea for a golf tournament meant they could spread the word about what the Ranch does and who it serves.

Neither had planned a golf fundraiser before, and though both were concerned about COVID-related restrictions, they felt confident moving forward with a golf event. Unsure of where to start or how to make the process less cumbersome, they initially tried setting up registration through Riverside Ranch’s website. “That ended up making things way too complicated and not at all user-friendly,” Sarah says. They decided to seek out simpler, more efficient options.

The Solution

A Google search led them to GolfStatus as the solution to online registration and streamlining planning. “We saw GolfStatus and knew it was just what we needed,” Sarah says. In the golf tournament’s first year, the software helped give the tournament some structure and saved hours of time on administrative tasks. As a nonprofit organization, Riverside Ranch qualified for GolfStatus’s Golf for Good program, which allowed them to use the platform at no cost, which was a huge selling point for Sarah and her team.

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“We saw GolfStatus and knew it was just what we needed.”

— Sarah Valentine, Executive Director at Riverside Ranch

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The Results

In the tournament’s first two years, Riverside Ranch raised over $40,000. These funds help support the Ranch as a whole and add a third horse to its stable, allowing them to serve even more riders. Over 40 teams and sponsors supported the tournament in its two year tenure. 

Tournament format

Four Person Scramble

Dollars raised

$40,000

Additional fundraising

Mulligans, red tees, silent auction

Managing Registrations & Sponsorships

The event website was the home base for the golf fundraiser, and where all promotional materials sent golfers and sponsors. With just a few clicks, folks could purchase teams and sponsorship packages right on the spot. Sarah says creating custom sponsorship packages and being able to carry those over from year to year was super helpful, and the software made it easy to manage sponsor logos and assets. Sarah approached local businesses and contacts from families and friends as sponsors and sent them directly to the event website. “When people hear about our mission and what we’re doing at the Ranch, they want to be a part of it!” she says. The tournament involved 40 sponsors over two years

What’s more, online registration meant no dealing with multiple platforms, spreadsheets, checks, or receipts. “Online registration was so great,” Sarah says. “It’s the expectation for events anymore and made everything so easy.” She could log into the tournament management system’s back end and see who had registered, which sponsorships had been sold, and manage all the details in one easy-to-access place.

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“Online registration was so great. It’s the expectation for events anymore and made everything so easy.”

— Sarah Valentine, Executive Director at Riverside Ranch

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An event website makes it easy to promote the tournament, share information about the event, and sell team and sponsor packages.

An Easier Year Two

The first year of the golf tournament came with building the event’s infrastructure, including processes, sponsorship and team packages, pricing, designs, and promotional materials. Because Sarah employed GolfStatus from the get go, she didn’t have to manage multiple spreadsheets, process a ton of checks and receipts, and spend hours and hours doing administrative busywork. Instead, she could focus on promoting the event to attract teams and sponsors and making the tournament experience top-notch.

In year two, Sarah says the entire process was easier from start to finish. She worked with the GolfStatus team to simply copy the 2021 event for 2022, so there was no need to start from scratch. A few quick updates to the event date, course information, team and sponsorship packages, and the event website was up and running and ready to accept registrations.

GolfStatus and Dormie Network

After Sarah signed on to use GolfStatus for the tournament’s first year, she discovered the connection between GolfStatus and its sister company, Dormie Network, where her husband, Matt, and several of his friends are members. Dormie Network is a network of private destination golf clubs across the U.S. The Dormie Network Foundation donated a Stay and Play Package for the golf tournament’s auction, which helped raise several thousand dollars both years.

Connecting to the Cause

Though Riverside Ranch already had deep, meaningful connections with the community, the golf fundraiser was another opportunity to share its mission, attract new volunteers, and steward new donors and supporters. “I’m truly in awe of the positive impact therapeutic riding makes on the amazing individuals we serve. We want to share that excitement with our supporters,” Sarah says. 

To help make this connection, a father of one of the riders, Addy, spoke at the tournament’s luncheon and shared what the Ranch meant to his family. He described how riding has helped Addy gain confidence and the joy she experiences while on her favorite horse, JaRule. 

The Riverside Ranch Charity Golf Tournament was listed on GolfStatus’s master event listing, where avid golfers go to find and play in tournaments in their area. Sarah was pleasantly surprised at several teams finding the fundraiser in this way. “That meant some brand new people learned about and supported Riverside Ranch!” Sarah says.

Tournament volunteers were able to chat with golfers and sponsors about Riverside Ranch’s mission.

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Get Started With Golf for Good

Through the Golf for Good program, GolfStatus serves nonprofits and provides access to its entire golf event management and fundraising platform at no cost. Qualifying nonprofits get an event website, with online registration and secure payment processing, plus golf-specific tools, robust reporting, and the ability to collect donations to save organizers a ton of time and raise even more money for organizations’ missions. Want to learn more and get qualified? Click the button below or email [email protected].

Golf tournaments are an especially great option for third parties looking to raise money for an organization or cause they care about. The sport has seen its popularity grow over the past years and its capacity as a fundraising tool is unmatched. What’s more, people tend to be passionate about golf, and when given the opportunity to marry two of their passions—golf and a good cause—they tend to jump at the chance.

Perhaps more than any other fundraising events, golf tournaments have unique advantages for the benefiting nonprofit as well as for the organizer. Nonprofits gain a passive income stream that doesn’t require a dedicated staff member or line item in the budget, while also increasing visibility for the organization, mission, and programs. Event organizers, particularly corporate entities, get a strong brand lift from being associated with a good cause and broad exposure to an affluent demographic.

Nonprofits of all types and sizes can activate passionate supporters, corporate partners, volunteers, and others to hold a golf fundraiser that benefits them. Here’s how:

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1. Reach Out To Your Networks

Your best bet is to start with the lowest-hanging fruit—your organization’s past supporters and partners. If your organization has run golf tournaments before, consider creating a campaign to target folks who have played in and sponsored those events, whether it’s by email, a survey, a direct mail appeal, individual phone calls, or a combination of these (which will depend on your organization’s staff capacity). Social media is another great option to engage people simply by asking if they like to golf or like organizing events. You may want to include information in your annual giving appeals or even create a dedicated page on your organization’s website that outlines the process of holding a golf tournament on your behalf.

Do some pre-planning before you reach out so you have some pieces and resources already in place to provide to people who are interested. Beyond just making the process easy (see #2 below) you want to set these golf tournaments up for success, so make sure you’re prepared to be a partner in the process.

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Pro Tip:

GolfStatus’s online resource library is packed with guides, templates, checklists, and other free downloadables with information on how to plan a charity golf tournament. Share these with current and potential event organizers to help set them up for success.

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2. Make It Easy

Even when someone is dedicated to your organization or cause, putting on a golf tournament is no small task. Having tools in place to streamline and simplify the process for organizers means they’re more likely to move forward and keep these events running—and raising money for your cause—year after year.

Golf tournament software can automate time-consuming administrative tasks so organizers can focus on the fun parts of the golf tournament, with built-in fundraising features to help them raise more money for your cause. You might also consider putting together a media kit with logos, messaging, and brand standards to provide to tournament organizers to help your brand stay consistent. When it’s easy, it’s more fun, more rewarding, and more likely that they’ll keep the effort going.

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PRO
TIP:

Pro Tip: Say thank you, whenever and wherever you can, to these third party organizers. Public shoutouts are great—on social media, in newsletters or blogs, on your organization’s website, etc.—but a personal touch will go a long way in expressing your gratitude. Send a handwritten note and follow it up with a phone call.

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3. Use a Common Technology Platform

There are a ton of options out there to manage fundraising events, but these don’t help organizers manage the unique components of a golf tournament. Employing technology that’s specifically built for golf tournament fundraisers is a huge part of #2 above. Any golf tournament software platform should offer an attractive event website with built-in online registration (which saves a ton of time and duplicative labor), plus easy access for multiple members of your team to work together and keep all your event information organized and accessible in one place. A dedicated landing page listing all events that benefit your organizations is a great way to easily promote events to your networks. A platform designed just for golf means you can quickly make hole assignments and pairings and auto generate scorecards, cart signs, and alpha lists—all without having to work across multiple spreadsheets or tools.

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PRO
TIP:

Pro Tip: Standardizing the tech across all your third party events means your donor data will be uniformly collected (see #4 below) and reported. This data should be added to your CRM for additional donor stewardship, using source codes, tags or other batch notations to track who participated in these golf events and how.

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With GolfStatus’s golf event management and fundraising platform, every golf event benefiting your organization is listed on a dedicated landing page.

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4. Capture & Manage Data

Donor data is invaluable, particularly when it comes to golf events planned by someone outside your organization. You can’t use the information you don’t have! Seamlessly collecting and managing this information is crucial to understanding who is supporting your organization through golf—planning, playing in, donating to, and sponsoring these tournaments. Having this information in aggregate lets you see the entire picture, across each and every event held to benefit your organization, and make data-driven fundraising decisions. Golf event management technology makes this process super simple and efficient.

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PRO
TIP:

Pro Tip: Your event management platform should be intuitive enough to collect this vital information without frustrating or overwhelming registrants (which may make them abandon their cart instead of completing their registration) and include robust reporting capabilities to get the data you need.

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No Cost Technology Built Just for Golf

GolfStatus is the industry leader in technology for golf fundraisers and charity golf tournaments. The user-friendly software makes it easy to onboard third party events, manage donor data, and provide resources to event organizers. Plus, through the Golf for Good program, 501(c) organizations and those holding events that benefit them are eligible for no-cost access to the platform. Ready to get started? Click the button below or email [email protected].