Nebraska Nonprofit Engages Supporters Year-Round Through Golf
partner snapshot
Kids’ Chance of Nebraska sees golf as much more than just a day on the course. It’s a way to bring people together to raise critical funds and, perhaps most importantly, introduce more people to a mission that can easily be overlooked.
The Nebraska chapter shares a mission with the national Kids’ Chance community: to provide scholarships and support to the children of workers who have been killed or seriously injured in workplace accidents. While workers’ compensation provides some support, it often doesn’t cover everything a family needs, especially the cost of higher education.
Kids’ Chance of Nebraska relies on golf to raise funds for scholarship and spread the word about its mission.
The organization finds children who qualify and connects them with scholarship opportunities and support throughout their education. “A lot of kids don’t realize they qualify for this support,” says Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President.
Golf plays an important role in making that support a reality. What started as a small tournament with just a handful of golfers has grown into an annual event drawing more than 130 golfers, while a second golf fundraiser—a TopGolf event—gives Kids’ Chance of Nebraska another opportunity to engage its network.
the challenge
When Shawn first started looking for a fundraising option more than a decade ago, golf seemed like a natural solution. “I needed a fundraiser, and I like to golf,” he says. The golf outing quickly became the organization’s major fundraiser of the year.
But as the tournament grew, so did the administrative work behind it. Participants received information about the event by mail, filled out paper forms or PDFs, and sent in checks. Shawn had to track payments, follow up with people who hadn’t paid, and maintain spreadsheets to try to keep everything organized. “I had to go collect checks at the P.O. box, keep track of who had paid, and chase people down on the day of the tournament,” Shawn says.
There was also the added administrative work that comes with a major fundraising event—selling and managing sponsorships, coordinating teams and pairings, reconciling income and expenses. For an organization with a largely volunteer-run board, that workload quickly became a barrier for growth.
And because the goal of the golf event is broader than raising money, the organization saw an opportunity to expand beyond its traditional tournament to add a second fundraiser to engage more people—a spring TopGolf event. But a second event meant additional work, and they needed a solution to streamline planning for both events.
The 18-hole golf tournament has grown from a handful of golfers in its first year to regularly attracting more than 150.
the solution
GolfStatus has helped make managing both events easier. After being introduced to GolfStatus through a connection at Dormie Network Foundation, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska moved its tournament into the digital age.
Simplifying Logistics
Online registration made an immediate, significant difference. Instead of relying on the PDFs, checks, and spreadsheets, golfers register and pay online, without any manual processing. “It’s a piece of cake,” Shawn says. “It made my job a lot easier.”
The platform is used to manage teams, pairings, and sponsorships. Shawn says he appreciates being able to see at a glance who has registered and can organize participants as the event takes shape.
The event website has also become an important part of the tournaments, giving participants a clean, easy-to-use hub for registration and event information. Shawn includes the site’s link in all promotional materials, and golfers and sponsors take it from there.
Kids’ Chance of Nebraska uses event websites powered by GolfStatus for both its 18-hole tournament and TopGolf event.
For a volunteer-led organization, these efficiencies quickly added up. Instead of spending time tracking down payments or maintaining spreadsheets, the planning team can shift their focus to the things that make the event even more successful: recruiting sponsors, securing auction donations and raffle prizes, promoting the tournament, and connecting participants with the Kids’ Chance mission.
Improved Sponsorships & Relationships
GolfStatus helped Kids’ Chance of Nebraska offer new, lucrative sponsorships for its 18-hole tournament, including a hole-in-one contest sponsorship, pin flag sponsorship, and the exclusive Technology Sponsorship. These created new ways for businesses to support the event.
Their sponsorship strategy for both events is rooted in relationships, with most sponsors returning year after year. The sponsor pool includes businesses connected to the workers’ compensation industry, such as defense attorneys and insurance agencies that work with cases, plus other local businesses and vendors.
Some sponsors choose to have an active role in the golf tournament with a game or display set up on a tee box.
Shawn says some sponsors simply want to support the mission, while others want to be more actively involved at the event by hosting a hole and interacting with golfers. Sponsors play a major part in creating events that feel like true community gatherings, rather than just a fundraiser.
And with both golf events, organizers keep the focus on creating an enjoyable experience that people look forward to every year.
The results
Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s golf fundraising efforts have come a long way from its humble beginnings. Today, the organization’s flagship 18-hole tournament attracts close to 150 golfers and drives $30,000 in revenue, while the TopGolf event draws 70+ people and $10,000 in fundraising.
“We used to want to cover just one scholarship from the golf event, but now we’re able to cover three times that or even more.”
One Mission, Two Golf Events
Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s two distinct golf events engage supporters throughout the year. The traditional tournament, held in September at Iron Horse Golf Club in Ashland, Nebraska, brings together many of the organization’s longtime supporters and has become a familiar tradition for participants, many of whom come back year after year. The tournament incorporates a silent auction and a raffle drawing.
The spring TopGolf event offers a format that appeals to a broader audience of non-golfers, spouses, and guests. It replaced a bowling fundraiser, with Shawn explaining, “The TopGolf event appealed more.”
Not everyone spends the evening hitting golf balls. “Half of the people don’t go to their bay,” Shawn says. “They just network, which is half the value.”
The TopGolf event features 20 bays, with opportunities for bay sponsorships, as well as food, beverage, signage, and video sponsorships. They also do a 50/50 raffle for a new putter.
The TopGolf event draws non-golfers and guests to network and learn more about Kids’ Chance of Nebraska.
More Than the Numbers
The fundraising numbers only tell part of the story. Yes, the events provide funding for Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s operating needs and scholarships for students whose families have been affected by workplace accidents, but they also reach people who may not know their work exists.
That mission-building component has become increasingly important as the tournaments have grown, creating a broader community of supporters around the organization. In particular, the TopGolf event has helped reach people outside the nonprofit’s traditional industry audience.
In 2025, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska awarded 14 scholarships. The impact of these scholarships is beginning to come full circle as former scholarship recipients have graduated from college and gone on to serve on the organization’s board. “Watching them get their scholarships and then seeing them come back on the board—it’s really a full circle moment,” says Shawn.
Lessons Learned
Shawn’s goals for the golf events are simple—give people an event they look forward to, raise money, make it easy to participate, and share the mission. GolfStatus has helped make that easier.
“Go to GolfStatus. There are lots of apps out there, but the packages and extras with GolfStatus make it easy for us. It’s a no-brainer for me.”
As both tournaments continue to grow, Shawn plans to keep working with GolfStatus. “GolfStatus has been great, and everyone is easy to work with,” he says.
Shawn’s advice to other tournament planners? It’s key to start planning early, but to be patient. “In our experience, most people sign up in the few weeks ahead of the tournament.” He also says it’s important to stay connected with past participants, making sure they receive event communications and know that they’re invited back.
Above all, Shawn says Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s golf events give supporters a reason to get together and the organization another opportunity to tell its story.
Golf for Good With GolfStatus
Kids’ Chance of Nebraska was able to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost, with a free event website, access to the software’s tournament management and fundraising tools, and support from the in-house team. Anyone can get started at no upfront cost—click below to book a meeting with our team of golf fundraising pros to learn more or explore the software on your own!
