LINCOLN, Neb., Sep. 8, 2022 /Nonprofit Tech for Good/ — If your nonprofit is thinking about planning a golf fundraiser in 2023—whether it’s a brand new event or an established tournament—there are a few simple steps to take right now to make sure your outing is set up for success.

1. Start With Technology

The right technology tools are key to easy planning and successful execution of a golf fundraiser. Because golf events have unique components—like handicaps, flighting, hole assignments, scoring—having a platform that’s specifically designed for golf is crucial. Look for a provider with online registration that populates an intuitive backend to manage player and sponsor information in real-time and in one accessible place. Get your tech in place early so you can start promoting the tournament and collecting registrations as soon as possible.

2. Launch an Event Website

The earlier the better! An event website gives supporters a centralized place to find more information about the organization and event, purchase teams and sponsorships, and even make a donation. Direct all your promotion to the website so folks can take action to support your cause and event as soon as they hear about it.

 3. Send Save-the-Dates

Get your event on donors’ minds early and in front of sponsors amid annual budget planning. As soon as you have a date set with the golf facility, send a quick email to your contact database as well as individual emails to major donors and supporters to get it on their calendars and into their budgets. If you send postcards or any printed materials, include a QR code that links directly to your event website.

4. Plan on Live-Scoring

Live-scoring has a ton of advantages—you can sell a leaderboard sponsorship and individual digital hole sponsorships, share leaderboards online to engage more supporters and collect donations, keep golfers engaged throughout the round, and even finalize results quickly so you can keep the day moving forward. Make sure your live-scoring platform is reliable and simple to use.

5. Look for New Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorships are the bread and butter of a golf tournament’s fundraising. Organizers should think outside the box when it comes to sponsor exposure and even types of sponsorships to offer. Digital exposure provides a ton of ROI for sponsors wanting to get their business and brands in front of an audience of affluent members of the community, so look for an event management option that has robust sponsor exposure across multiple touchpoints. Elements that add fun and excitement to your event, like hole-in-one contests, are also a prime sponsorship opportunity (and cover the contest’s fixed costs). Consider selling other high-end sponsorships, like pin flags, technology, or leaderboard sponsorships.

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Ready to Start Planning?

GolfStatus’s golf event management and fundraising platform streamlines and simplifies golf fundraisers, offering solutions that save time and raise more money. Nonprofits and those holding events that benefit them can qualify for no-cost access to GolfStatus’s technology—including an event website, online registration, live-scoring, and much more—through the Golf for Good program. Plus, GolfStatus’s in-house customer success team is there to answer questions and help you have your most successful event yet. Ready to get started? Click here or email [email protected].

Source: Nonprofit Tech for Good

GolfStatus and its giving partners at Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation are excited to announce that two winners have been selected for the second annual Play It Forward giveaway: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia, Delaware, and Susquehanna Valley and Sisters Across America.

The goal of the campaign was simple: to recognize those who are using golf to do good in their communities and beyond. Golfers were asked to nominate their favorite golf tournament fundraiser for a $10,000 donation and were entered to win their own one-year membership to the Dormie Network (a network of private destination golf clubs) plus $10,000 to spend onsite.

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Make-A-Wish’s Philadephia, Delaware, and Susquehanna Valley chapter’s annual golf tournament was held August 15, 2022. The Pro-Am for Wishes raises money to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Since the chapter’s founding in 1986, more than 7,500 wishes have been granted for children in the local community, helping them build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness.

Sisters Across America provides support and mentoring for young minority women pursuing professional golfing careers, raising money through two annual golf fundraisers. Current mentee Lakareber Abe, a 26-year-old alum of the University of Alabama, recently qualified to play in her first LPGA event. Sisters Across America’s support helps remove the mentees’ concerns for financial viability and allows them to focus on improving their game. The group also teaches juniors, to further expand access to the game.

Participant at Sisters Across America’s annual Invitational golf tournament fundraiser.

Cassandra Doty, co-founder and President of Sisters Across America, says that the idea for the organization came from a round of golf with a group of friends, who had all taken up the game later in life. “We wanted to support the next era of young players, and because tomorrow is a promise to no one, we decided to start right then,” she said.

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You Can Golf for Good!

GolfStatus helps streamline and simplify golf tournaments to help organizations save time and raise more money, like the 2021 winner of the Play It Forward campaign, the Cameron Steinberg Foundation. The tournament saw an increase of more than 66% in dollars raised when compared to the tournament’s first year, along with half of the administrative work in using GolfStatus. Through the Golf for Good program, 501(c) organizations and those holding golf events to benefit a charity can qualify for no-cost access to GolfStatus—including an event website, online registration, live scoring, and much more. Click the button below to get qualified or email [email protected].

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LINCOLN, Neb., Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dormie Network, a collection of private destination golf clubs, is pleased to announce two winners of the second annual Play It Forward giveaway: Make-A-Wish Foundation and Sisters Across America.

The giveaway, presented in partnership with leading golf event management and fundraising platform GolfStatus, celebrates those who are golfing for good. Entrants were asked to nominate a golf tournament fundraiser for a $10K donation, and were entered to win their own one-year private golf membership and $10K to spend onsite.

The Pro-Am for Wishes at Penn Oaks Golf Club, held on August 15, 2022, benefits Make-A-Wish, Philadelphia, Delaware, and Susquehanna Valley, in support of life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Since the chapter's founding in 1986, more than 7,500 wishes have been granted for children in the local community, helping them build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness.

Sisters Across America provides support and mentoring for young minority women pursuing professional golfing careers, raising money through two annual golf fundraisers. Current mentee Lakareber Abe, a 26-year-old alum of the University of Alabama, recently qualified to play in her first LPGA event. Sisters Across America's support helps remove the mentees' concerns for financial viability and allows them to focus on improving their game. The group also teaches juniors, to further expand access to the game.

Cassandra Doty, co-founder and President of Sisters Across America, notes that the concept was developed on the golf course with a group of friends, who had all taken up the game later in life. "We wanted to support the next era of young players, and because tomorrow is a promise to no one, we decided to start right then," she said.

The Play It Forward giveaway is part of Dormie Network and the Dormie Network Foundation's commitment to supporting organizations in its four giving pillars of youth golf, environmental initiatives, military / first responder organizations, and healthcare / humanitarian efforts.

About Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world's leading children's wish-granting organization, operating in every community in the United States and in nearly 50 countries worldwide. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 24,000 volunteers across the U.S., Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 520,000 wishes worldwide; more than 350,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.

About Sisters Across America

Sisters Across America, Inc. consists of golfers and non-golfers who are bound by passion for the mission. Since its 2006 inception, the organization continues to embrace activities with respect, integrity, and teamwork. Sisters Across America, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation of women from across America, committed to carrying out its mission, vision and goals. Learn more at sistersacrossamerica.com.

About GolfStatus

GolfStatus is golf's premier tournament management solution and golfer engagement platform. Its full-service event management software streamlines outings from start to finish, yielding professional, high-end events while also saving time and improving the event experience for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. Through GolfStatus, its powerful technology is accessible to nonprofits to streamline golf fundraisers and help event organizers use them to engage more supporters, raise more mission-critical funds, drive impact, and do more good. Visit golfstatus.com.

About Dormie Network

Dormie Network is a national network of private destination golf clubs that includes ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Nebraska; Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke, Virginia; Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas; Dormie Club in West End, North Carolina; Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey; Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana; and a seventh course built from the ground up in the Nebraska Sandhills, with a planned opening of 2024. Each offers a premier golf experience in a relaxing and accommodating environment ideal for business or leisure. Learn more at dormienetwork.com.

Source: PR Newswire

Sam and Melissa Steinberg’s journey from expectant parents to ICU veterans to creating a foundation to honor their daughter started at a routine ultrasound when Melissa was 20 weeks pregnant. They received a devastating diagnosis—Cameron had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart defect in which the left side of the heart does not develop properly and cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.

Not only did they have to cope with this unexpected diagnosis, but try to understand the complexities, treatment options, and prognosis of the condition at the same time. “You have this bomb dropped on you and then have to try to make sense of what’s happening,” Sam says. He explains that a heart doctor brought out a piece of paper with a diagram to explain how Cameron’s heart worked, but with all the emotions of the moment, “It didn’t make sense or help us understand.”

Cameron was diagnosed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, near where the Steinbergs lived, but she was transferred to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor after she was born, where a plan was in place to treat and correct the defect. But in addition to her heart issues, Cameron also battled a lung disease that ultimately claimed her life at just nine weeks old.

Sam, Cameron, and Melissa Steinberg

Sharing Their Experience

It was during the weeks the family spent at Mott that the Steinbergs learned about the relative lack of funding devoted to research into congenital heart defects. And it was then that the family decided to do something to help other families affected by these heart conditions.

Sam and Melissa received a care package from a family that had spent time in the cardiac ICU. “It was filled with simple things—a soft blanket, water bottles, gum, puzzles,” Sam says. “But it came from someone else who had lived in the ICU and knew what would be helpful.” That inspired them to think about how they could use their experience to help families going through the same ordeal.

They started small. While Cameron was still in the hospital, they had t-shirts made with the #CamiStrong logo to raise money that bought books and stuffed animals for kids undergoing open heart surgery. After Cami’s death, they wanted to do even more, and settled on a golf tournament as a way to bring people together in her memory and raise a significant amount of money for the newly established Cameron Steinberg Foundation.

“Our mission doesn’t stop even without her,” Sam says. “We will carry on her legacy to help other heart patients and families.”

Proceeds from selling t-shirts with the #CamiStrong logo were used to purchase books and stuffed animals for kids undergoing open heart surgery.

Play It Forward & The Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic

Dr. Michael Gaies was one of Cameron’s cardiologists when she was in the cardiac ICU at Mott Children’s Hospital. The family formed a strong bond with Dr. Gaies, who, as Sam says, really took them under his wing and made them feel like they were part of his family. “He had to deliver some really tough news to us but never left a stone unturned and went out of his way to get additional opinions about her treatment,” Sam says.

Sam and Melissa had many conversations with Dr. Gaies about the lack of funding for congenital heart defects in children and resources for families while at Mott, and he was a staunch advocate for the creation of the Cameron Steinberg Foundation and believer in its mission. They also talked a great deal about their love of golf and the sport’s capacity to rally support and raise money for a cause. Sam’s dad’s experience running a series of golf tournaments made it a natural choice for a fundraiser. “People tend to be willing to open up their wallets and donate at a golf tournament,” Sam says.

Dr. Michael Gaeis was one of Cameron’s cardiologists at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. He is a staunch supporter of the Foundation and has participated in both golf fundraisers.

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“People tend to be willing to open up their wallets and donate at a golf tournament.”

— Sam Steinberg, Cameron's Father & Co-Founder of Cameron Steinberg Foundation

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The inaugural Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic was held in May of 2021 and raised about $30,000 for a research fund in Cameron’s name at Mott Children’s Hospital. 

A few months after the golf tournament, Dr. Gaies came across an Instagram post for Play It Forward, a joint campaign of GolfStatus and Dormie Network, which asked people to nominate a golf fundraiser to receive a $10,000 donation. Dr. Gaies believed so strongly in the Steinberg’s work through the Foundation that he submitted a nomination to Play It Forward: “This donation could really elevate the possibilities for next year’s tournament and I have no doubt that the Steinberg family could give a huge return in that investment. They are special people and so passionate about making Cameron’s life meaningful and everlasting.”

Proceeds from the 2022 fundraiser were split between C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Year Two: Half the Administrative Work & Double the Proceeds

In the tournament’s first year, Sam relied on Venmo to collect credit card payments, processed cash and checks, then had to reconcile all payments on multiple spreadsheets, send receipts, and manually make pairings and hole assignments. “It was truly a headache,” Sam says.

After the tournament was nominated for Play It Forward following the 2021 event, Sam decided to come online with GolfStatus for the 2022 fundraiser to help reduce the administrative load. As a nonprofit, the Foundation qualified for the Golf for Good program, which provided access to GolfStatus’s entire golf event management tech at no cost. “Obviously, our goal is to raise as much money as possible, so hearing that we get all the benefits of using GolfStatus without losing a chunk of our proceeds was huge,” Sam says.

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“Obviously, our goal is to raise as much money as possible, so hearing that we get all the benefits of using GolfStatus without losing a chunk of our proceeds was huge.”

— Sam Steinberg, Cameron's Father & Co-Founder of Cameron Steinberg Foundation

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Working closely with Sam, the GolfStatus team built an event website for the golf tournament, along with custom registration packages. Golfers and sponsors could view and purchase available packages on the site, submit payment, and even make a direct donation to the Foundation. “The website was great—I didn’t have to create a site from scratch and it was a one-stop shop for people to register, become a sponsor, or make a donation,” Sam says. What’s more, sponsors could upload their logos to instantly appear on the sponsor page of the website, not only saving Sam time in collecting and posting those assets, but providing the sponsor more exposure and more return on their investment.

The 2nd Annual Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic event website.

The golf tournament software includes a number of golf-specific features to make handling those details easy and efficient, including live scoring and leaderboards, drag and drop hole assignments, and pre-formatted printouts. “I loved the printouts,” Sam says. “It was so cool to see Cameron’s logo on them.” With just a few clicks, the software generates professionally formatted score cards, cart signs, and alpha lists with the tournament or organization logo plus the Technology Sponsor logo, saving organizers a ton of time and hassle (and providing the Technology Sponsor even more bang for their buck).

Sam says the biggest benefit of upgrading to GolfStatus was having everything in one place. “Being able to see who registered or made a donation and not having to try to reconcile a bunch of different payments was so helpful,” Sam says. “Using GolfStatus cut my administrative work in half.”

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“Using GolfStatus cut my administrative time in half.”

— Sam Steinberg, Cameron's Father & Co-Founder of Cameron Steinberg Foundation

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Thanks to Dr. Gaies’s nomination, the Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic was chosen as the winner of Play It Forward. The $10,000 donation gave them a headstart in their fundraising efforts, helping crush the tournament’s 2022 goal of $50,000 and raising more than $64,000.

Proceeds from the tournament will help fund a hypoplastic left heart syndrome 3D model that uses virtual reality to help doctors, patients, and families better visualize, understand, and treat these heart conditions. “When Cameron was diagnosed, a tool like this would have been important in helping us understand the condition,” Sam says. “We’re super excited about this!”

Golf for Good Program

Qualifying nonprofit organizations, like the Cameron Steinberg Foundation, can get no-cost access to GolfStatus’s entire golf event management platform through the Golf for Good program. With solutions to streamline planning and tools to raise more money, GolfStatus helps nonprofits tap into golf’s giving power. Get qualified by clicking the link below or email us directly at [email protected].

LINCOLN, Neb., June 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GolfStatus, the leading technology platform for charity golf tournament fundraisers, has launched a Marketplace to connect tournament organizers with third party vendors and enhance their event's experience.

GolfStatus's golf event management software streamlines golf fundraisers, saving organizers valuable time and effort, and ultimately, helping raise more money. Marketplace was created to complement the platform as a one-stop shop of trusted partners providing a wide variety of goods and services for golf fundraisers.

"In addition to our software, Marketplace is another solution GolfStatus provides for nonprofits and organizations hosting golf tournaments to raise money for their mission," said Ashley Watson, director of marketing at GolfStatus. "Organizers can leverage Marketplace vendors to offer additional sponsorships and add-ons that make the tournament more fun, more engaging, and more lucrative."

Current GolfStatus Marketplace vendors include:

• Custom Golf Products by Proforma

• Auction Software by Handbid

• Text Messaging by Rally Corp

• Custom Golf Balls by GolfBalls.com

• Professional Long Drivers by Charity Golf International

• Custom Event Flags by Prestige Flag

• Celebrity Appearance by The Celebrity Source

• Hole-in-One Contests by GolfStatus

• Video Messaging and Collection by KindKatch

Find out more by visiting golfstatus.com/marketplace.

About GolfStatus

GolfStatus is golf's premier tournament management solution and golfer engagement platform. Its full-service event management software streamlines outings from start to finish, yielding professional, high-end events while also saving time and improving the event experience for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. Through GolfStatus, its powerful technology is accessible to nonprofits to streamline golf fundraisers and help event organizers use them to engage more supporters, raise more mission-critical funds, drive impact, and do more good. Visit golfstatus.com.

Media Contact:
Ashley Watson
[email protected]

Source: PR Newswire

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Golf has grown in popularity during the pandemic and proved a valuable way of fundraising for many nonprofit organizations.

Source: Forbes, David Hessekiel Contributor -- The pandemic’s restriction of big group events have made the last two years very challenging for nonprofits so development executives are on the lookout for ways to enhance their fundraising efforts.

Interestingly, one growth area has been golf tournament fundraising which has been on the rise for several reasons:

• Since golf is played outdoors, tournaments can easily be arranged to enable social distancing.

• The sport saw record rounds played during 2020 and then continued to increase by 5% in 2021, according to the National Golf Foundation.

• After years of primarily being managed manually or using very unsophisticated systems, online technology has emerged that streamlines golf tournament fundraisers and handles golf-specific elements like hole assignments, team pairings, facility information, and sponsorships.

• Golf remains a generally upscale activity with golfers having a median household income of $125,000 and a high penetration of upper level executives.

The Cameron Steinberg Foundation is an example of a small nonprofit that has successfully leveraged these trends. The organization was founded by the parents of Cameron Steinberg who passed away at just two months old from hyproplastic left heart syndrome. The foundation raises funds to help other families dealing with congenital heart disease.

Nationwide Children's Hospital was one of the beneficiaries of the Cameron Steinberg Foundation's 2022 golf tournament.

The Ohio-based foundation raised $30,000 at its first golf event in 2021, and was selected as the winner of a $10,000 donation through the inaugural Play It Forward campaign. After using inefficient platforms and systems to plan and manage the tournament in 2021, the event converted to an online golf tournament management platform for the 2022 event, held May 23, 2022, and raised $64,000, more than double the amount raised in 2021.

A more sophisticated, technology-empowered approach to managing the event led to such positive outcomes as selling more and higher priced sponsorships, a 50% reduction in the administrative workload and better tools to promote the program and enable people to make direct donations, according to cofounder Sam Steinberg.

Back in 2021 the group used Venmo to collect credit card payments, had to process cash and checks and tracked everything in spreadsheets which were a “huge headache,” Sam explained.

A good way for nonprofits to determine whether golf tournament fundraising could work well for them would be to review this introductory guide.

Source: Forbes

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].

Play It Forward seeks to reward those who are using golf for good.

LINCOLN, Neb., June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GolfStatus, the leading technology platform for nonprofit and charity golf fundraisers, is teaming up with its giving partners at Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation for the Play It Forward campaign to give back to organizations that are using golf to make an impact.

Now in its second year, the campaign is a unique opportunity to "play" it forward. Individuals nominate a golf fundraiser to receive a $10,000 donation and have the chance to win a one-year honorary membership to Dormie Network, a national network of private golf clubs, plus a $10,000 credit toward onsite golf and lodging.

"From small, local fundraisers to massive charity tournaments, golf is a great way to bring people together in support of a cause," said Brian Schenk, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Dormie Network Foundation. "Play It Forward celebrates organizations golfing for good and doing incredible work in their communities and beyond."

The 2021 Play It Forward nonprofit winner was the Cameron Steinberg Foundation's inaugural golf fundraiser, which was nominated by Dr. Michael Gaies. The Foundation honors the life of Cameron Steinberg, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and tragically passed away at just two months old. Cami's parents, Mel and Sam, created the Foundation to help families affected by congenital heart disease. The $10,000 donation was made to the Foundation's second annual golf tournament, held May 23, 2022. The event's second year utilized GolfStatus's golf event management platform—which is available at no cost to qualifying nonprofit organizations through the Golf for Good program—and more than doubled the dollars raised from its first year.

The giveaway launched May 31 and nominations will be accepted through July 4. Winners will be announced via press release and on GolfStatus's and Dormie Network's social media channels in August.

Visit www.golfstatus.com/play-it-forward for official rules and to submit a nomination.

About GolfStatus

GolfStatus is golf's premier tournament management solution and golfer engagement platform. Its full-service tournament management software streamlines outings from start to finish, yielding professional, high-end events that add value for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. Through GolfStatus.org, we make our powerful technology accessible to nonprofits to streamline fundraisers and help charitable organizations engage more supporters, raise more mission-critical funds, drive impact, and do more good. Learn more at golfstatus.com.

About Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation

Dormie Network is a national network of private destination golf clubs that includes ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Nebraska; Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke, Virginia; Briggs Ranch Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas; Dormie Club in West End, North Carolina; Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey; Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana; and a seventh course built from the ground up in the Nebraska Sandhills, with a planned opening of 2024. Each offers a premier golf experience in a relaxing and accommodating environment ideal for business or leisure. The Dormie Network Foundation supports nonprofits through in-kind donations and direct cash grants, and seeks to build long-term relationships with its nonprofit partners to help them raise the bar on fundraising opportunities. Learn more at dormienetwork.com.

Media contact:
Ashley Watson
[email protected]

Source: PR Newswire

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Golf is an incredible force for good. Whether it’s a brand new tournament or decades old tradition, a small golf fundraiser or a massive charity event, or anything in between, golf brings people together to support the important work nonprofits are doing in their communities and beyond.

GolfStatus is once again teaming up with our giving partners at Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation for the Play It Forward campaign to give back to organizations that are using golf to make an impact.

For the second year, the Play It Forward campaign will award a $10,000 donation to a nonprofit or cause raising money through golf. Individuals nominate their favorite golf fundraiser and get the chance to win a one-year honorary membership to Dormie Network, a national network of private golf clubs, plus a $10,000 credit toward onsite golf and lodging.

Designed by famed golf course architect Tom Fazio, Dormie Network’s Victoria National Golf Club boasts gorgeous views amid challenging holes.

2021 winner

The 2021 Play It Forward nonprofit winner was the Cameron Steinberg Foundation’s inaugural golf fundraiser, nominated by Dr. Michael Gaies (who was the recipient of a year-long membership to the Dormie Network). The Foundation honors the life of Cameron Steinberg, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and tragically passed away at just two months old, and helps families affected by congenital heart disease.

The $10,000 donation was made to the Foundation’s second annual golf tournament, held May 23, 2022. The event’s second year utilized GolfStatus’s golf event management platform (which organizers used at no cost through the Golf for Good program) to manage registrations, sponsorships, and live scoring, and saw an increase of more than 66% in dollars raised when compared to the tournament’s first year.

Mel and Sam Steinberg post with Dr. Michael Gaies at the inaugural Cameron Steinberg Foundation’s golf fundraiser in May of 2021.

nominate a fundraiser today!

The golf fundraiser can be any size or format—a memorial tournament raising money for a favorite cause, alumni golf event, celebrity pro-am, nonprofit fundraiser, or corporate golf outing. The event simply must be raising money for a charitable cause to be eligible for the $10,000 donation. Tell us about the event, what it’s raising money for, and why it’s important to you.

The campaign launched May 31 and nominations close July 4.

The winners will be announced via a press release and on social media, so make sure you follow GolfStatus.org (Facebook and Instagram) and Dormie Network (Facebook and Instagram) for the latest.

Don’t miss out on this chance to make a difference and use golf for good!