Your event website functions as the home base for your golf tournament, where folks can find out more about the event, learn about your organization, and register or purchase a sponsorship. Your event website also has a secret weapon—the donate button.

It’s a more-powerful-than-you-think tool that you can use to do far more than simply accept donations. You can collect payments for a number of tournament add-ons via the donation button. This keeps all payments and event revenue in one spot, making it easy to track income, simplify accounting, and run robust event reports.

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How Does It Work?

Simply send folks right to the donate page on your event website. If you’re sending information to participants electronically (via email or push notifications), include a clickable direct link. If you’re using any printed materials (like flyers or signage), add a QR code golfers can scan on their phone that takes them right to the donation page. Use the page to:

1. Collect Donations

Build strategic donation asks into your tournament day using emails, push notifications, social media, and in-person appeals. Challenge golfers to donate their final score or the score of the winning team or set up a donation station to collect gifts. You’ll onboard new donors you can further steward after the tournament!

2. Show Progress Toward Your Fundraising Goal

Donors love seeing the impact their gift is making. A quick and easy way to do that is having a bar that tracks progress toward your donation goal. Make sure donors can see it during checkout so they can instantly see how their gift has helped move the needle.

Event websites powered by GolfStatus make it easy for you to track your event day fundraising goal.

3. Collect Auction Payments

Particularly if you’re not using a standalone online auction platform or one that doesn’t process payments, you need an easy way for winning bidders to pay for their items. Simply direct folks to the donate page and make a note of the item or items they won for reporting purposes.

4. Pay for On-Course Games & Contests 

On-course games and contests are a great way to raise additional dollars the day of the tournament. Golfers can pay to have a pro take the tee shot for them, enter a putting contest, or participate in any other fun on-course competition right from the event website. Alternatively, you could set up specific packages for games and contests and direct folks to the registration page if you’re interested in separating those out for accounting purposes.

Golfers participate in a “blind putt hole” on-course game at a golf fundraiser.

5. Track Matching Donations

If you have a donor willing to match donations made the day of the tournament, sending everything through the event site makes it super simple to track the match. Highlight how donors’ gifts will be matched (if it’s a 1:1 match or other ratio plus the maximum match amount) and recognize the generous donor (if they want to be publicly recognized, that is).

6. Sell Mulligans or Raffle Tickets 

Allow golfers to buy these when they check in on tournament day, or consider setting up a station or stations on the golf course where folks can buy mulligans or raffle tickets. Setting up a station before a particularly difficult hole might boost your mulligan sales! You also have the option to build out mulligan or raffle tickets packages, like mentioned under on-course games and contests.

Golfers can make a payment or donation right from their mobile phone before, during, or after the golf tournament.

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Final Thoughts

The last thing you want to worry about on tournament day is hanging on to a wad of cash, manually entering credit card numbers, or reconciling Venmo payments. Instead, direct golfers to your event website and keep everything in one, unified place to simplify your post-tournament accounting.

GolfStatus’ tournament management software makes it simple. It starts with a professional event website, is powered by an industry-leading support team and an intuitive backend that’s easy for avid golfers and non-golfers alike, and ends with robust reporting and printouts. Best of all, nonprofits (and third parties holding golf tournaments to benefit a nonprofit or charity) can qualify to use GolfStatus’ platform at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program. It’s not too good to be true! Click the button to find out more and get qualified.

ORGANIZATION SNAPSHOT

For over 40 years, Christian Adoption Services (CAS) has placed children in need of a home with their forever families. Through domestic and international adoption, as well as foster-to-adopt programs, CAS cares for kids, birth families, and adoptive families throughout the adoption process. 

“People don’t always understand why we need to fundraise,” says Sonia Livingston, Events Coordinator for CAS. “Because adoptive families pay a fee to our agency to adopt, people assume we don’t have fundraising needs, but those fees don’t cover all of the expenses or outreach programs.” CAS makes caring for birth mothers a priority, whether it’s coordinating doctor’s appointments, assisting with groceries or living expenses, or offering post-adoption counseling services. Much of this ministry is not covered by adoption fees, so the funds necessary to care for 200 birth mothers each year must come from outside fundraising efforts.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the agency works throughout North Carolina and has expanded into South Carolina. This growth and expansion in programming allows the agency to serve more kids and families, but also requires raising additional funds.

THE CHALLENGE

CAS has relied on golf tournament fundraisers for several years. “They’re fun and a great chance for fellowship,” says Sonia, noting that proceeds from the golf events benefit the agency’s general operating fund to support services for birth mothers, adoption fee assistance, and overhead. Golf tournaments also present an important outreach opportunity for the agency. Because regular supporters tend to fill teams with people from their personal and professional networks, Sonia and her team are able to share more about their work and its impact with potential donors and sponsors. CAS also relies on banquets for fundraising, and while they certainly have value, golf has allowed CAS to do more than just raise money. Golf tournaments give staff the chance to interact with supporters, building relationships and networking. “During a banquet you don’t get to interact with people the same way you do at a golf tournament,” says Sonia. 

The expansion into South Carolina has led the agency to kick off additional golf tournaments in its new service areas. Now with four golf tournaments to plan and execute, it was imperative to keep everything organized in one place and streamline the logistics to maximize organizers’ time as well as opportunities to bring in funds for the agency’s work. 

THE SOLUTION

Sonia and CAS adopted GolfStatus for their 2020 golf events, after looking for an option that allowed online registration and add-on purchases ahead of the event to streamline registration and check-in and maintain social distancing to protect staff members and golfers in the wake of COVID-19.

The 2021 golf tournament series marked CAS’s second year using GolfStatus as a solution. Sonia says the support of GolfStatus’s in-house customer success team was invaluable. GolfStatus’s team built CAS’s first event registration website, and Sonia was able to make changes as necessary and copy events for easy set up. “Having one place to keep track of everything is a huge benefit of using GolfStatus,” Sonia says.

Highlighted Platform Features:

• Event website

• Online registration and secure payment processing

• Fundraising add-ons (raffle tickets and mulligans)

• Sponsor management

• Drag-and-drop hole assignments

• Pre-formatted professional event printouts with sponsor logos

• Detailed reporting

• Live scoring and leaderboards

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“Having one place to keep track of everything is a huge benefit of using GolfStatus.”

— Sonia Livingston, Events Coordinator for Christian Adoption Services

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THE RESULTS

Thus far in 2021, the golf events have hit their fundraising goals and Sonia hopes each golf event continues to grow as their service area grows. Their biggest event takes place in September, and Sonia is all in on using GolfStatus to keep things organized, professional, and running smoothly.

Online Registration & Add-Ons 

GolfStatus’s event website with secure online registration allowed golfers to purchase add-ons like mulligans and raffle tickets with their golfer package, rather than having to wait until the day of the event and buying them separately. “Letting golfers buy those when they registered made it so much easier, and we sold more mulligans and raffle tickets!” Sonia says, noting that they communicated with supporters the tournament, encouraging them to purchase those pieces in advance.

Tournament Format

Holding tournaments during COVID-19 led CAS to switch to tee time starts rather than the traditional shotgun start to stagger the number of people at the golf course at the same time. It turned out to be a positive change—more golfers were able to participate, bringing in additional funds, and it gave staff a chance to connect and talk with each team as they teed off on the first hole. Teams used GolfStatus’s mobile app to record their scores for the tournament’s scramble, which automatically synced to the event leaderboards. Not only did this add a competitive element to the tournament as teams could check live standings, but it made it easy for organizers to see how the tournament was progressing as scores were posted.

Sponsor Retention & Stewardship

CAS has retained the majority of their sponsors year-over-year, thanks to a combination of digital and traditional sponsorship exposure. The digital exposure specifically offered by GolfStatus has been appealing all around for organizers and sponsors. “I really like that we can put all of our sponsors’ logos on the event website and they show up in the app,” Sonia says. Golfers see sponsor logos every time they check the live leaderboards, get event information, or add scores for a hole, adding tremendous value to a sponsor’s investment. Sonia explains that their golf events are also a great chance to further steward sponsors for additional asks and donations. “Once they’ve sponsored a golf event, they tend to be more engaged with us and often attend a banquet or even give an additional business or personal gift,” she says.

Data Collection & Management

CAS recently became part of the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina, which necessitated a change in donor databases. In the past, CAS had used their CRM for online registration for all of their fundraising events. But the merger meant a new donor database, which didn’t have the capability for online registration or event management. GolfStatus filled this gap, collecting golfer information at the time of registration, ensuring that no information is missed. Following each event, the information is seamlessly imported into the organization’s new donor CRM.

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“Keeping track of golfer contact information, handicap, hole assignments, and payment details was so much easier with GolfStatus.”

— Sonia Livingston, Events Coordinator for Christian Adoption Services

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Time & Resource Savings

GolfStatus’s online platform made it easy for Sonia and her team to stay organized and save time. When golfers and sponsors registered online, their information dropped into the back-end of the software, keeping everything organized in one easy-to-access place. “Keeping track of golfer contact information, handicap, hole assignments, and payment details was so much easier with GolfStatus,” Sonia explains. “Plus it makes the event and our organization look so much more professional.” CAS qualified for GolfStatus’s Golf for Good program, which provides 501(c) organizations with no-cost access to its golf event management software and a free event website. “The fact that GolfStatus offers this at no cost for nonprofits is unbelievable!” says Sonia.

For more information about Christian Adoption Services, visit https://www.christianadopt.org. 

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Need help with your next golf tournament? GolfStatus is here to help with user-friendly technology that streamlines the process to save time and help you raise more money, plus a responsive in-house customer success team to guide you every step of the way. Nonprofits can qualify for no-cost technology through the Golf for Good program. Click the button below to get qualified or email us directly at [email protected].

From opportunities to engage with vendors, partners, and clients to positive public relations and community outreach, a corporate golf event offers tons of benefits. It’s also an especially ideal way to gather as restrictions loosen, but social distancing and crowd limitations linger. But if you’ve ever put on a tournament—a first-year event or an established outing—you know there are a number of component parts to manage, and they don’t always function in sync. Here are some upgrades that can save you time, cast your brand in a positive and professional light, and make the experience all-around better for players and sponsors.

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1. Launch a website for the tournament.

An online presence for your event makes it easier to spread the word across all your marketing channels. The site should feature all pertinent information about your golf event, including available team packages and sponsorships. It should also show off sponsors, include a place for leaderboards during the event (and final results after), and pull in information about the course (namely its location and scorecard). In fact, a well-comprised event website can even typically replace most printed materials (mailers, paper registration packets, and other collateral that must be designed and managed). Instead, simply link directly to the site in event communications and invites, so potential participants can quickly and easily find the information they need and commit to participating in the tournament.

2. Process registrations online.

The registration process is one of the most important touchpoints for any event. A clunky process soaks up your time, increases the likelihood of embarrassing errors, and can be especially frustrating. Having an event website sets you up to upgrade your registration platform and side-step issues. Be sure to choose a platform that functions seamlessly with the website, securely processes payments, and can accommodate needs specific to the golf event (such as the ability to collect handicaps and apparel sizes and the option for registrants to purchase add-ons like raffle tickets and mulligans). As the organizer, you’ll need to be able to access player and sponsor registrations in real-time, and you’ll want a platform that makes it easy to pass that information to the golf facility in the day or so leading up to the event. There’s bound to be last-minute changes, so you’ll want something that makes it easy for staff at the facility to track those and swap out names on cart signs and other materials so every player has a premier experience. 

3. Display your brand professionally. 

When it comes to showcasing your brand, think beyond tee gifts and goodie bags. Display your company logo (or the event’s logo, if it has one) across materials—starting with your event website and including the leaderboards, scorecards, cart signs, and other on-site materials. These subtle and professional impressions continuously associate your company and brand with the great experience of participating in a fun, well-run event.

4. Put the benefitting charity on display. 

Be sure to include information about the charity your event is supporting on your event website. This should include impact imagery and information that tells the story of the cause and the organization. Take a page from the nonprofit sector’s playbook and look for ways to quantify the impact of specific purchases so supporters know how their dollars make a difference. For example: The purchase of one team provides three meals per day for a child in need for three months. This shows people what they’re supporting and, more importantly, why it matters, and encourages them to give generously.

5. Include on-course contests. 

Adding the opportunity to win prizes is a fun and easy way to make a tournament more memorable. A putting contest is a simple addition. Players simply putt for a chance to enter the contest, where they win an exclusive prize if they ultimately sink the final putt. Hole-in-one contests are also worth considering. For these, one or more holes is designated for the contest, giving players the chance to win a prize if they ace that hole. If your event will be hosting vendors, partners, or B2B clients, consider offering a contest sponsorship that covers the costs of facilitating the package. Be sure to take the opportunity to recognize sponsors as well as folks who qualified for the putting contest, and look for opportunities to acknowledge them with on-course signage and other exposure. 

6. Offer live-scoring and leaderboards. 

At a typical golf event, players and/or teams tally their round, turn paper scorecards in at the end, and then congregate around the clubhouse until the final team finishes and scores can be tallied. Live-scoring improves this flow, allowing teams to input their score into a mobile app in real-time on the course; meanwhile, leaderboards display live scores. The upgrade makes the event more engaging; players check their standings and enjoy poking fun at other teams. Be cognizant that the live-scoring platform you choose is clean, sleek, and easy to use, so inputting a score is simple and not distracting for players. Leaderboards should provide an opportunity to showcase your branding as well as the benefitting charity’s branding—tying everything together professionally. It’s also a good idea to inform staff at the golf facility so they can plan to set up scrolling leaderboards on clubhouse TVs and at the on-course comfort station or halfway house.

7. Add the option to participate remotely. 

With social distancing lingering, it’s a good idea to continue to provide options for folk to support your event in both the traditional format and virtually. Essentially, you’ll plan your traditional in-person, one-day outing at the course, then tack on a virtual option that extends over the week, two weeks, or the whole month in which the traditional event occurs. Folks who aren’t comfortable coming out for the one-day event can register for the virtual round and come out to the course on their own time with their own group or alone. This way, they’re still able to participate, experience the outing, and support the cause, while also feeling safe and comfortable. You’ll need to employ some technology here, but—with the right platform—adding a virtual round is very simple and costs nothing. A hybrid event is also a nice option if you’re wanting to allow more participants, but traditionally have a sold-out field.

8. Collect and manage player information.

It’s often the case that the person who is tasked with running the golf event gets to know the people who attend over the years. When the event has been handed off to someone new, or there’s an effort to expand or evolve it in a more intentional and organized fashion, player and sponsor information becomes especially crucial. Who has supported the event in the past and how can they be contacted? The right technology helps you securely and responsibility collect player and sponsor information, so you know exactly who attends and in what capacity. After the event, that information should be imported back into your company’s CRM.

9. Follow up. 

Knowing who is participating and how allows you to follow up and continue to steward meaningful business relationships: thank employees for joining and supporting the event and the cause it supports; reach out to partners with follow-up communications and gifts; leverage the experience to advance and steward relationships with clients. When the time comes to plan next year’s event, the information you need is at your fingertips, and everything is infinitely easier.

Get Started 

GolfStatus provides all the above and more, making it especially easy to upgrade corporate events from start to finish. This includes a professional event website (that can seamlessly be integrated into your business’s site), secure online registration, the ability to manage teams and sponsors, premier branding opportunities, ways to showcase a cause, live-scoring and leaderboards, secure data collection, and much more. It also includes options for virtual events and rounds—so you’re ready for anything.

Best of all, if your event benefits a nonprofit, your business likely qualifies for no-cost access to GolfStatus through GolfStatus.org and the Golf for Good program.

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The calendar has flipped to 2021 and, while a return to normalcy looks to be on the horizon, social distancing and other safety requirements are likely to linger into spring and summer. Uncertainty makes it tough to know how to proceed with in-person fundraising events, but there’s good news on several fronts when it comes to golf fundraisers. With record interest and participation in golf (one of few pandemic-friendly activities) and the ability to seamlessly modify events for social distancing and virtual participation, golf fundraisers are more viable and more important than ever before. With all the uncertainty ahead, you’ll need flexibility and options. Here are four ways to approach a golf fundraiser in 2021 and what you’ll need to make it happen.

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1. Modify A Traditional Golf Tournament for social distancing.

Golf tournaments are surprisingly easy to adapt for social distancing and safety. Tournaments are, of course, largely held outdoors in an open environment that can be made almost entirely contact-free. Start by implementing online registration, which allows your organization to collect payment and registrations online ahead of the event (instead of by mail or the day of the outing). Be sure to leverage your event website to market your outing and spread the word, and also to provide sponsors with additional exposure.

Be aware of rule changes at your facility. You can expect clubhouse capacity limits, field size limits, rules like one person per cart and no touching the flag stick, additional sanitation efforts, mask mandates, and social distancing requirements. Implementing simple modifications like switching to a tee time format and skipping a banquet or other post-round gathering (or limiting capacity and holding it outdoors) can mitigate contact and provide a way to safely hold an event.

You’ll also want to implement mobile scoring to not only remove the touchpoint of paper scorecards, but to facilitate live leaderboards for another high-visibility sponsorship opportunity and the chance to prompt players and online spectators to donate before, during, and after the event.

2. Go Completely Virtual.

A virtual golf event is played over an extended period of time at one or more golf courses, using technology to collect scores and track them on live leaderboards. Golfers play on their own time (individually or on teams) and submit their scores via mobile app. Unlike traditional golf tournaments where golfers gather at a course at a specific date at a specific time, virtual events don’t typically require you to reserve an entire golf facility, eliminating green fees (typically the event’s most significant cost). The course also remains open for regular play.

To pull off a virtual golf event, you’ll need technology for a few key reasons. You’ll need to be able to collect registrations online over an extended period of time. Live scoring functionality is a must, not only to display scores in an aggregate leaderboard, but also keep golfers and spectators engaged over the course of a week- or month-long outing. Be sure to take advantage of website and leaderboard exposure by offering sponsors a Technology Sponsorship.

3. Add a virtual round to a traditional outing.

Adding a virtual round to an in-person event is another great option. If you go this route, you’ll plan a traditional in-person event (likely modified as advised above for social distancing), then simultaneously run a virtual event over the course of the weekend, week, or month that your event takes place.

When you add a virtual round to a traditional event, you still enjoy a traditional on-site event by capping the field size (i.e. limiting the number of participants) to stay safe without disappointing folks who didn’t register in time but still want to support the outing. Whether it’s a scheduling conflict or a sold-out event, it’s often the case that people who want to participant don’t get to do so. A virtual round gives them an opportunity to register and play on their own time and, because virtual rounds can include multiple courses and an extended period of time, there’s essentially no limit to the number of supporters they can add to your event.

It’s also worth noting that there are typically no green fees with virtual rounds, so the additional dollars raised are rarely offset by costs. If you’re using GolfStatus, a virtual round can be added to any tournament at no cost. You can also sell digital exposure for virtual rounds on the event website, through the live-scoring app, and on the virtual event’s leaderboard.

This is a great option for larger nonprofits with an established presence in the community and a long-standing event because it allows folks across the community to engage with the event, without forcing your organization to incur the costs and risks associated with renting the golf facility for another day to expand the event and having to fill an entire additional field. It’s also a great option for smaller, lesser-established nonprofits and first- or second-year fundraisers that are trying to gain more support, because it removes challenges and barriers to entry for participants, making the tournament easier and more convenient to play in for first-timers.

4. Hold a Traditional Tournament with a virtual back-up plan (just in case).

The beauty of a hybrid golf fundraiser—especially in an era of uncertainty—is that it lets event organizers adapt quickly and easily. If you’re hoping for an in-person event, but hesitant to put all your eggs in one basket, consider a virtual event as a back-up plan in case local restrictions change and the event has to be canceled or modified. GolfStatus makes it surprisingly easy to set this in motion. With a free event website and access to its golf management platform, you can update event details instantly. Use GolfStatus’s messaging functionality to email all registrants for a specific tournament to keep them up to date on plans to go virtual as needed. The ability to manage registrations and teams in real-time keeps you and your committee organized. If you decide to go virtual, you’ll simply issue teams and individuals a live-scoring code and ask them to submit their scores through the free GolfStatus app before the deadline you set for the event.

Get started

Even amid uncertainty, know that with the right technology, your organization has options. And, with GolfStatus’s Golf for Good program and top-rated in-house customer success team, you have all the tools, tips, and help you need—no matter which path you take.

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Planning a golf fundraiser that benefits a 501(c) organization? You likely qualify for no cost access to GolfStatus through our Golf for Good program. Email [email protected] or click the button below to learn more.

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Howell’s Mill Christian Assembly is a scenic year-round camp and retreat center located in Cabell County, West Virginia. Founded in the late 1940s, the assembly’s 25 acres come alive as spring wakes its landscape and the camp prepares to host thousands. Its Christian camps, retreat programs, outreach events, acts of service, and partnerships with other local parachurch missions and organizations impact the lives of teens and adults alike. And while its massive campus is equipped to host up to 188 guests, this year has been quite unlike any before it.

Like other camps and retreat centers nationwide, Howell’s Mill struggled through early spring with empty facilities and lost revenue amid COVID-19. By April, the camp's executive director, Tim Yankey, was faced with another challenge: What to do with the annual golf fundraiser at a time when resources and budgets were squeezed especially tight. With mounting uncertainty, Tim set out to determine if and how he could safely move forward.

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A Crucial Time to Fundraise 

COVID-19’s impact on Howell’s Mill and other area camps has been substantial. “I’m close with a number of other camp directors and some have been hit harder than others,” says Tim, citing an organization that was forced to cancel all of its summer programming, and another that, by the onset of Spring, had already lost close to $200,000. “By that time, we had only lost about $15,000, so we were in better shape than other camps, but we really did not want to have to cancel our golf fundraiser.” 

In addition to helping raise mission-critical funds, the annual event is a way for Howell’s Mill to engage with the more than 35 churches that send volunteers and campers to the facility each summer—helping to develop relationships that are central to the assembly’s mission and ongoing work. “We’ve run the golf fundraiser for the last 17 years as a way for us to keep those volunteers in the tri-state area connected, but also as a fundraiser,” explains Tim. Proceeds from the event are typically funneled into designated capital campaigns, aimed at renovation projects and other clearly outlined needs like replacing mattresses or remodeling showers. “We try to do something tangible so we can show participants exactly how their support has helped us,” notes Tim. This year, however, with the assembly in dire need, the outing’s revenue was designated to general funds. 

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Adapting for Safety

For the last six years, Howell’s Mill’s golf scramble has been held at Sugarwood Golf Club in nearby Lavalette. Owner Ed Allen was especially flexible amid this year’s challenges, working with Tim on modifications and waiving contracts to help the organization avoid risk amid the uncertainty. “Ed has a heart for our ministry,” says Tim. “He’s really great to work with and we’re grateful for his flexibility and accommodations.” 

To safely host this year’s event, Tim worked with Ed to make some important modifications, starting with upgrades to the registration process that moved it online through GolfStatus.org’s event management platform. “We hadn’t made any changes to our registration process for the last 17 years,” explains Tim, noting that for as long as he could remember, Howell’s Mill had sent paper registration forms and asked participants to mail in checks. “It’s funny—every other event we do has an online registration option to make things easier, but I had never considered looking for an option for our golf event,” explains Tim, who worked with GolfStatus to quickly and easily launch a custom event website for the event. 

“It’s funny—every other event we do has an online registration option to make things easier, but I had never considered looking for an option for our golf event.”

— Tim Yankey, Executive Director at Howell's Mill

The process is simple: Event organizers connect with a member of GolfStatus’s in-house customer success team to set up a registration website that includes all the information pertinent to the event: Event description and cause information, event date, facility location and scorecard, tournament format, available sponsorships, and more. Event organizers like Tim work with that specific member of the GolfStatus team (in this case, customer success rep Nick White) to put together specifics on sponsorship packages, including add-ons like mulligans, raffle tickets, and additional donations. GolfStatus’s technology also makes a number of digital sponsorship packages available to event organizers to list as part of existing packages of separately—providing additional opportunities for sponsor revenue. These include but are not limited to exposure on the event website, digital in-app hole sponsorships, live leaderboard sponsorships, and sponsored in-app communications during the outing.

Contact-Free is Just the Beginning 

The event website makes promoting the outing easy and cost effective, notes Tim: “Instead of printing the paperwork, putting it in the mail, hoping they got it, and then processing it after waiting for everyone to return the form with a check—I just sent everyone a link and they registered and paid online.” Once linked to the event website, players and sponsors can purchase teams, choose from a variety of custom sponsorship packages, and purchase add-ons, securely submitting payment quickly and easily. Player and sponsor information drops instantly into GolfStatus’s back-end event management software, where organizers and golf facility staff can manage teams, drag and drop hole assignments, organize flights, do handicapping, and automate other time-consuming logistical tasks. At any time, event organizers and course staff can call on their GolfStatus customer success rep when they need a hand. “The support is second to none,” adds Tim. “Nick was absolutely great to work with. Quick to respond and help with anything we needed. It was great to have someone there to lend a hand when we needed it.” 

In the age of social distancing, online registration is more than a convenience—it’s a necessity. Online registration enabled Tim to avoid the traditional physical touchpoints of registration, payment, and check-in the day of the event. “We let people know that we would not allow pay at course this year with COVID-19,” notes Tim. “I didn’t want my staff out there working at the course in close contact with players and we didn’t want a line or people congregating to pay ahead of the round. The golf club also doesn’t have very strong WiFi, so it was easier to not have to process the transactions onsite and keep people waiting,” he explains, noting that the value of online registration certainly extends beyond these peculiar times. “This is something we plan to take advantage of from here on out.” 

The Advantage of Live Leaderboards 

Tim skipped a hosted lunch, tee gifts, and merchandise giveaways in an effort to rally through these challenging times, but also to keep participants safe. Players also skipped pencils and paper scorecards, avoiding the need to collect them at the end and tally scores by taking advantage of contact-free live scoring via the GolfStatus mobile app. Once players arrived at the course, they simply downloaded the free GolfStatus app, which automatically prompts users to check into the course and enter their unique team code. After each hole, one person per team uses the app to quickly enter the score, which is then displayed on the live leaderboard for the event. Importantly, the live leaderboards make it possible for tournament organizers like Tim to extend play over multiple days—another feature he plans to take advantage in the years ahead. “People have always told us that they’d play if we held the event on a Friday or if it were on a Saturday,” explains Tim. “GolfStatus’s technology opens us up to extend next year’s tournament to multiple days, maximizing our profit and allowing people who couldn’t play based on work, family, or sports schedules to still participate. I could foresee doubling our fundraising revenue if our event spanned two or three days!” 

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Results that Speak Volumes 

With a little technology in place, Howell’s Mill’s 2020 golf fundraiser went off safely and without a hitch. The event fielded 15 teams—60 golfers in total—and attracted 12 sponsors at various levels of support, including a national sporting goods store, a car dealership, two banks, an insurance agency, a financial service provider, and a number of area businesses. “We typically have closer to 18 or 24 sponsors, but we expected those to be down with so many businesses on pause,” notes Tim. “Our prizes were donated, and the only real overhead expense was paying the golf course.” 

Best of all, Howell’s Mill was able to meet its fundraising goals for the event, which it originally expected to have to cancel—effectively salvaging the spring golf fundraiser at a time when its funds are badly needed. “We were extremely impressed with GolfStatus! We would have had to cancel our event, but this technology allowed us to salvage our golf fundraiser while also providing some useful and exciting features that we’ll definitely use in the future.”

“We would have had to cancel, but this technology allowed us to salvage our golf fundraiser.”

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GolfStatus’s golf fundraising and event management software is available to nonprofits at no cost through our Golf for Good program. To learn more or get started, submit an inquiry online or email us directly at:

[email protected].

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Interested in supporting Howell's Mill Christian Assembly?
View the final results for the golf scramble and donate directly to the cause.

You’ve heard of virtual auctions, virtual galas, and even virtual walk-a-thons—but a virtual golf tournament? It’s surprisingly simple, and a pretty brilliant way to use technology to bring people together to safely fundraise. Of course, virtual golf fundraisers provide the ability to tap into online and remote audiences for additional outreach and exposure, not to mention their substantial cost savings. These are especially crucial considerations as organizations assess the costs and benefits of moving fundraisers forward during these unprecedented times. Indeed, virtual golf events can be a straightforward, cost-effective, and—above all else—safe way to fundraise amid COVID-19. 

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How Virtual Golf Events Work

Golf facilities are adapting to incorporate technology and require social distancing in order to continue to operate safely and responsibly during this time. Rule changes include walking requirements or one person per cart, leaving the flag stick in the hole at all times, foam cup inserts that make it easier to retrieve golf balls, and mobile scoring that eliminates the use of scorecards and pencils.  

The most common form of virtual golf event basically extends the duration of the event from the traditional half day to multiple days and, in some cases, multiple weeks. Event organizers work with the golf facility to accommodate this setup, and are often able to negotiate better rates because the facility can continue to serve other patrons at a safe volume when events are extended over a longer period.

The event organizer is set up with an event website from GolfStatus.org (free for qualifying nonprofits) that they can use to spread the word. Sponsorships are listed on the site and can include a number of digital exposure opportunities. Golfers can also register directly from this website, so they pay ahead of time and tee up contact free once they get to the course.  

Once at the course, players use GolfStatus’s free mobile app to check into the event and submit scores to an online leaderboard. Event organizers keep the leaderboard posted online for the duration of the event and use it to post final results. Organizations can offer sponsors high-value exposure on the registration website used to market the event and collect signups, in the mobile app, and on the leaderboards for the duration of the event (which is extended to offer even more value) and after scores are final.

During the event, donors, supporters, volunteers, and other online spectators can follow leaderboards online, and submit donations right from the leaderboard. It’s easy for event organizers to send updates and asks when the event kicks off, when it reaches a milestone, and when it’s almost over. Once finished, the final leaderboard can also be used to thank participants and sponsors. It’s all online, and the exposure sponsors get is primarily digital, so costs remain low and it’s easy to manage across multiple channels.

Key Outcomes

• A safe event for all. This is the first and foremost consideration and it’s absolutely crucial.

• Easy, online marketing and communications. Provide key info such as pertinent logistics and rule changes, share event details, thank sponsors, and spread the word through your free custom event website and through push notifications in the app as needed.

• Contact-free. Staggered participation, online registration, mobile scoring, and other key elements keep your event safe and contact-free.

• More participation. The convenience of flexible scheduling means players are more likely to be able to attend your event.

• Extended sponsor exposure. A longer event with digital sponsorship opportunities and online exposure gives your sponsors a better value, keeps your organization flexible, and helps mitigate costs.

• Better outreach, engagement, and exposure. Virtual events open your event up to a broader audience, helping you leverage a once-hyper-local event to spread national awareness for your outing and engage supporters in your cause. 

• More fundraising revenue. Virtual events keep costs low, so more of your dollars go to your mission.

• Flexibility to reschedule or cancel. These are uncertain times. If you do end up needing to reschedule or cancel your outing, there are no fees when you use GolfStatus and our customer success team makes it easy.

How to Get Started

Virtual events are easy and straightforward when you use the right technology. Get a custom event website and access to GolfStatus.org’s virtual golf event management platform (available at no cost to qualifying nonprofits) by inquiring below.

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Click here to submit an online inquiry,

or email us directly at

[email protected].

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It’s a challenging time for fundraisers as nonprofits assess the next steps for events, many of which have been held for years and are crucial to the bottom line. As organizations question how to move forward safely and responsibly amid the backdrop of COVID-19, one event has emerged as safe and viable during this unique time: the golf outing. With the right technology and with some modifications, golf fundraisers are forging ahead to hold safe and successful events. Here’s how GolfStatus.org can help you do it.

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GO VIRTUAL

• Spread an event across multiple days, a weekend, or even several weeks. Offer players and teams the option to participate on their own time, when it’s convenient and they feel safe. Players visit the course when it’s not congested and enter their scores using their mobile device—then follow an aggregate leaderboard online and in the GolfStatus app until the event is over.

• Live-stream leaderboards online. Keep supporters engaged on social media over the course of your event (whether it’s one day or multiple days) by live-streaming leaderboards. This also gives your sponsors more of the exposure they love.

• Accept donations from online spectators. GolfStatus.org’s Donate Now feature makes it easy for online spectators to submit a donation instantly right from the leaderboard.

GO CONTACT-FREE

• Use online registration with secure payment processing. Avoid mail-in forms and checks and limit check-in congestion and chaos at the golf course. Online registration is contact-free to keep everyone safe.

• Use mobile scoring instead of pencils and scorecards. Players stay safe by entering their scores on their mobile device. Your staff and the golf facility’s staff stay safe by avoiding passing scorecards back and forth.

• Offer digital sponsorships. Selling in-app sponsorships and live leaderboard sponsorships helps your organization avoid overhead costs and stay flexible. Add direct links to more information about each sponsor and even to their website to add more value and get them the exposure they need to support your event.

• Take advantage of pin flag exposure for sponsors. Custom pin flags are an easy, professional, contact-free sponsorship option, as most courses are mandating that pin flags stay in the cup at all times.

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PLAN & COLLABORATE REMOTELY

• Manage sponsor logos and information in one place. Keep imagery and info (including sponsor descriptions and links) organized and accessible for all digital sponsorships in GolfStatus’s super sleek sponsorship management interface. It’s easy for your staff and volunteers to access and use.

• Keep information secure with user access permissions. The GolfStatus platform allows event organizers to provide access to different elements of the golf event planning process to specific committee members, board members, or volunteers on an as-needed basis. This keeps information secure and makes it easy to delegate—especially when your team is working remotely.

• Keep information accessible and updated. Make it easy for your team to access information online and in real time without hiccups through a web-based platform designed specifically for golf events. No need to hassle with web-based spreadsheets, online asset sharing, and a mix of other tools. Everything you need is in one place and every element of the golf fundraiser is accounted for.

• Safely and seamlessly collaborate with the golf facility. Handle tasks like team pairings and hole assignments, collaborate on them remotely with the golf facility, or delegate everything to the course. Handing off information is super easy when it’s all in one place and you can control and provide access permissions to the golf facility’s staff as needed.

STAY SAFE & FOCUSED

• Put GolfStatus.org to work. All of the above can be accomplished with the simple yet powerful technology available at no cost to qualifying nonprofits through GolfStatus.org’s Golf for Good program. This technology can not only save your organization time and resources, it can keep mission-critical dollars coming in the door during these challenging times when you need them most.

• Get in touch. Reach us directly to determine if your organization qualifies for no-cost access to our platform. And if you need help, advice, or just need a hand figuring out how to move forward with your event, our customer success team is here to help every step of the way!

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Submit an inquiry here or contact us directly at 

[email protected].

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The challenges fundraisers face in the months ahead present a complicated outlook—especially for those with budgets that rely heavily on event revenue. Will venues be open? Will supporters be willing and able to attend? Will it be socially responsible to host an event? These are questions with unpredictable answers, making time savings and flexibility more crucial than ever. With some modifications, summer and fall golf events can be a safe way to fundraise, but event organizers will need to make some important planning considerations on the front end. Here’s how to leverage technology to plan a golf fundraiser in these uncertain times.

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Use an Event Website

Costs associated with designing, printing, and distributing flyers, packets, and registration forms are non-refundable expenses that can be eliminated by using an event website. As a nonprofit, you can get one for free through GolfStatus.org’s Golf for Good program. Promote your event through email, social media, and text messages by sharing a link to your website, where players and sponsors can register instantly.

The event website is also a good place to communicate any pertinent information, including cancellation policies and contingency plans. Be sure to collaborate with the golf facility to include information about any specific modifications that players will need to make for safety purposes. In addition to requiring social distancing, many facilities are eliminating paper scorecards, eliminating or modifying cart usage, and requesting that players leave the flag stick in place.

Eliminate Mail-In Registration Forms

Another key benefit of an event website is that it allows you to eliminate paper registrations and the costs and time spent printing, sending, and processing them. With an event website, players and sponsors can register online at their convenience. Plus, when you’re managing registrations from a web-based interface, teams, sponsors, and other information can be updated by your team or by the golf facility’s staff in real time.

Leverage Mobile Scoring

Mobile scoring is easy to incorporate into your event and a great way to eliminate the need to touch and pass paper scorecards and pencils among staff and players. Instead, players input their score from their smartphone (in the case of a scramble, one player per team enters scores for the team). Mobile scoring also offers the added benefit of live leaderboards, which players can see on their mobile device during the round.

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Capitalize on Digital Sponsorships

Digital sponsorships prevent your organization from incurring costs associated with branded merchandise, signage, and other materials. They’re also easier to manage and update, can be added last-minute, and offer a high-end look and feel. Mobile scoring in particular allows event organizers the opportunity to sell a leaderboard sponsorship. This can be wrapped in with a title sponsorship or sold as an individual package, but be sure to list it as a top-tier offering.

At professional Tour events, the leaderboard is considered prime real estate. Including it in your sponsorship packages sets your event apart as a high-end outing, which also helps you attract high-capacity donors and supporters from their networks. With the right live scoring platform, you can also incorporate digital hole sponsorships that show sponsor logos, additional brand details, and website links. Unlike printed materials, if you decide to refund or transition sponsorship investments in the event of a canceled or rescheduled event, digital exposure helps you mitigate input costs while also delivering value to sponsors.

Use Web-Based Tools

A web-based event management platform keeps all the information you, your team, and the golf facility need in one convenient place. This is especially important with members of your team and volunteers more likely than ever to be working remotely in the time leading up to your event. Use a platform that allows you to adjust user access permissions, so you can delegate tasks to individual team members or staff at the golf facility quickly and easily. This also makes it easy to handoff information to staff at the golf facility at any time.

Communicate Authentically

If you do have to postpone or cancel an event, be sure to communicate authentically and share your story. Let supporters know how important the golf event is to your fundraising efforts and annual budget. Don’t be afraid to make the ask for donations in lieu of committed registrations and especially sponsorships. Many businesses will have already budgeted for this support and may be more than willing to transition it into a tax-deductible donation. Then be sure to thank supporters publicly in social media communications, email updates, and wherever else is appropriate. This is an important expression of gratitude, but it’s also a way for supporters to reap some positive public relations and brand lift from their donation, making them more likely to continue to support your organization in the future.

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Golf Tech for Nonprofits

A golf-specific event management platform not only offers these unique features, it makes quick work of team pairings, hole assignments, handicaps, flighting, and other golf-related tasks that once required days and weeks of prep time and tons of coordination with the golf facility. GolfStatus.org does all the above and more. A web-based golf event management platform, its features include a registration website, live scoring and leaderboards, digital sponsorships, and tons of other tools that help event organizers save time and remain flexible. GolfStatus.org makes its platform available to qualifying nonprofits at no cost through its Golf for Good program; click here to submit an inquiry and get started or email us directly at [email protected].

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This article first appeared on

Nonprofit Tech for Good.

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The golf fundraiser is an ideal avenue for outreach and stewardship, and given the sport’s tendency to attract affluent businesses professionals, it’s a huge opportunity to fundraise and forge or advance corporate partnerships. Here’s what you need to know to maximize your outing’s sponsorships and raise more dollars for your cause.

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Approach the right businesses.

Keep golf’s affluent demographic in mind when approaching sponsors. It’s much easier for marketing teams and decision makers to make a business justification for investing in a sponsorship if it provides direct exposure to their ideal customer. Consider car dealerships, homebuilders, jewelers, insurance agencies, real estate firms, accountants, beverage distributors, mortgage brokers, banks, travel agencies, financial service providers, and other businesses offering services that appeal to this audience.

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Consider what matters most to sponsors when making asks.

There are a number of reasons for sponsors to support fundraising events, especially golf fundraisers. In addition to providing direct exposure to an affluent and influential audience, sponsorship aligns brands and companies with good causes. The golf tournament also serves as an ideal place for sponsoring businesses to entertain clients, partners, and other business associates—not to mention the value of focused networking opportunities that are especially unique to golf outings. Be sure to tout these selling points when you reach out to sponsors to make asks.

Create appropriate sponsorship packages.

Be cognizant of how you build sponsorship packages. Consider player demographics, the caliber of the golf course, and the reputation your event has garnered. If supporters tend to return year after year and spots fill up quickly, don’t be afraid to edge up prices, add another sponsorship level, or offer additional premium packages. Look for opportunities to add recognition, exposure, and value, especially for top-tier sponsorships. Consider custom-branding pin flags with a sponsor’s logo to sell a flag sponsorship. They’re common at professional Tour events, and great as a stand-along sponsorship package or as a value-add for premier-level sponsors.

Make sponsors look good.

Sponsors want to support events that are well-organized with clear communication, simple registration, and a high level of professionalism. These events attract affluent participants who invite business colleagues and clients—the ideal audience for your organization to engage. It’s no secret that higher-end events pave the way for higher-level sponsors, creating a snowball effect that benefits your organization across the board.

Once sponsors are secured, be vigilant about handling logos, messaging, links, and other info and requests quickly and professionally. Pay close attention to details, like how the sponsor logo looks and prints, where it appears, and whether it displays the supporting organization prominently and positively. Use a web-based platform so sponsor assets are all stored in one place and easy for multiple members of your committee, team, or volunteer task force to manage.

Live-score the event and sell a leaderboard sponsorship.

When it comes to sponsorship opportunities, the leaderboard is as premium as it gets. It captures the attention of players, spectators, and other supporters (both at the event and following online) for the duration of the event and afterward. Live scoring also makes the event more fun, competitive, and higher-end, and streamlines scoring for the golf facility staff (who would typically be rushing to enter scores after the round during an awkward lull while golfers wait for teams to finish). Be sure to utilize a live scoring platform that’s reliable, sleek, and easy-to-use and offer the leaderboard sponsorship at a premium.

Make it easy to spread the word.

When you spread the word not only about available sponsorship opportunities but that they’re going quickly, there’s a domino effect that begins to happen. The easiest way to both recognize sponsors and spread the word about businesses that are on board is through a registration website for your event, which provides a place for you to send interested sponsors and display those who have already pledged their support. A registration website also offers other key advantages, like saving you tons of time and keeping everything organized (and qualifying nonprofits can get one for free through GolfStatus.org’s Golf for Good program).

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Make it easy for sponsors to commit.

You’ll certainly want to promote the event to existing supporters through email, social media, and possibly even direct mail. The key advantage of using an event website is that you can provide a clear call to action on all promo items—not matter their medium—that provides a quick and easy way for sponsors to commit on the spot without the fuss of mail-in forms and checks. They head to your golf event’s website, choose a package, and submit payment instantly.

Call on your networks.

Chances are, your board members, most engaged donors, and committee members have connections to businesses. Instead of making a vague request for folks to ask around, be intentional about rallying your troops. Ask board and committee members to participate in making a list of target sponsors, then divvy out a plan of action for contacting them based on relevant connections. Follow up at your next meeting to be sure board members are following through.

Get local media involved.

Reach out to your local newspapers, TV stations, support organizations like regional nonprofit associations, and other outlets to let them know about your golf event. Be ready with details like date, time, and location, and remind them about the cause the event supports. Ask them to direct interested players and sponsors to your event website for more information and to register and purchase sponsorships.

Steward sponsors appropriately.

When sponsorships sell, reach out to let sponsors know you appreciate their support. Follow up with a social media post from your organization to share that they’ve committed to supporting the event, thank them for doing so, and remind other sponsors that there are more opportunities available (be sure to link your registration website).

Run a flawless event.

The better your event goes off, the more support it will garner year after year. Now’s the time to take a look at the systems and processes behind your event and look for opportunities to streamline, simplify, and upgrade.

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Looking to streamline all your golf fundraiser’s logistics to save time and attract more players and sponsors? GolfStatus.org’s simple, powerful platform has everything you need—and it’s free for qualifying nonprofits.

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To learn more, submit an inquiry here, or email us directly at

[email protected]

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