GolfStatus’ powerful tournament management software (TMS) has gotten an upgrade, with a refreshed, easily-navigable interface and additional features to make your next golf event the best one yet.

Track payments and donations and export robust reports.

Manage sponsor logos and assets right in the platform.

Easily navigate between workflows to make updates, additions, and edits.

View and modify rounds, hole assignments, and scorecards and create skins games.

Create a professional event website and build custom team and sponsorship packages.

View players and make hole assignments quickly and easily.

The software’s core functions remain the same, saving tournament organizers time and providing built-in tools to save more money. But the newest version of TMS has a number of notable improvements and new features to better streamline golf tournaments and fundraisers, including:

• Intuitive organization and workflows. The refined layout of the software makes it easier to navigate between workflows. Prompts and alerts help users move from section to section quickly and seamlessly.

• Work in TMS on any device! The new backend is completely responsive, so you can make edits to your event website, review registrations, check payments, and more, all from your phone, tablet, or computer.

• Custom event site URLs. Improve SEO and branding with a custom URL for every tournament’s event website.

• Improved image editing. There’s no need to hassle with graphic design programs or websites—now you can resize logos and images and make necessary edits right in TMS, saving you valuable time. Plus, you can customize the overlay on the event website’s hero image.

• Now processing Canadian dollars! Canada, we’re here to make executing a lucrative golf tournament easier and more efficient. 

• Simplified organization management. Manage user access and permissions and standardize settings, imagery, logos, and links across tournaments.

• Improved skins games management. It’s now simpler to start a skins game and manage players and teams that want in on the action.

• Additional paid features. Send sponsor invoices through the platform and set up discount codes for registrants. Tournaments can access these premium features for a fee.

All of this (with the exception of the paid features), plus GolfStatus’ professional event websites, live scoring and leaderboards, exclusive sponsorships, digital sponsor exposure, and more, is still available at no upfront cost for qualifying nonprofits and charity golf tournament organizers through GolfStatus’ Golf for Good program.

And like always, GolfStatus’s in-house support team is here with live support seven days a week to answer questions and troubleshoot issues.

Ready to Find Out More? 

Get in touch with the GolfStatus team to find out how you can start saving time and raising more money with your golf tournament today. Whether you’ve got a tournament on the calendar or are just exploring the idea, GolfStatus can help. Click here to connect with our team and get qualified for the Golf for Good program.

Already a GolfStatus Client?

Get in touch with your Client Success representative to learn more about the updates and make the switch to the newest version of TMS!

Your golf fundraiser is quickly approaching, and you may be wondering how to bring in even more dollars from the event. In this summer blog series, we’ll share ideas to supercharge your fundraising while making the tournament more fun and engaging for golfers.

Part one of the series focuses on one of GolfStatus’s Marketplace Partners: BackSwing Golf Events.

Who is BackSwing Golf Events?

BackSwing Golf Events is a group of lady professional golfers who bring a unique and fun experience to golf tournaments of all kinds, from charity events to corporate outings. The pros are personable, energetic, and engaging on the course and know how to raise money. They offer several on-course games and contests that can be leveraged as fundraising tools and sold as sponsorships.

The pros at BackSwing Golf Events

How does it work?

Adding a BackSwing pro to your golf event is easy and can be implemented quickly with a short turnaround. There’s no upfront charge to the event, so there’s no risk in adding a BackSwing pro to your tournament. Founder and CEO McKenzie Lyng says, “We make sure we can enhance their golf tournament without anything coming out of pocket.”

With hundreds of pros located all over the U.S, BackSwing Golf Events will work with you to secure a pro in your area. Proceeds are split 50/50 between BackSwing and the golf event and travel expenses come off the top. BackSwing takes care of all the logistics—the pro will show up on their assigned hole with all the necessary equipment and materials to be successful.

BackSwing will work with you to customize their services based on your tournament’s components, needs, and setting. Games, contests, and offerings include:

• Beat the Pro

• Long Drive Pro

• Trackman Experience

• Roaming Pro

• Glass Break Challenge

• Pro-Am Style

• Golf Ball Launcher

• Drone Drive

• Clinic on the Range

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The Surfing Florida Museum worked with GolfStatus and BackSwing Golf Events for its first annual golf fundraiser. A “Beat the Pro” contest raised over $2,000 extra for the museum. Organizer Susan French says, “The pro was super professional and made the tournament more fun than just the usual 18 holes of golf. It was a fun addition to the event.”

Read More

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How much money can I raise with backswing golf events?

This depends on the size of your event, the number of teams, the on-course game (or games) you book with BackSwing Golf Events, and whether or not you sell it as a sponsorship. Smaller events will take in a couple thousand dollars, while massive, multi-day events with pros on several holes raise upwards of $50,000. BackSwing Golf Events help raise millions of dollars for events every year! Plus, every event helps support women’s golf and the pros’ dreams of golf careers in the LPGA.

Selling the contest as a sponsorship drives even more revenue from your golf event. Include the sponsor logo on your event website for even more visibility, and consider giving sponsors the chance to be present on the hole with the BackSwing pro and mingle with golfers while they wait to participate and hand out branded items.

How do I get started?

Get in touch with BackSwing Golf Events, share some information about your event, and they’ll be in touch to determine how they can help maximize fundraising at your golf event!

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Save time & raise more money

GolfStatus’ golf event management platform—with a free event website, built-in automations and fundraising tools, exclusive sponsorships and add-ons, and best-of-the-best support team—streamlines tournaments so you save time and maximize fundraising. Best of all, nonprofits and organizations doing social good can qualify to use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program.

Surfing is part of the fabric of life in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Surfing Florida Museum was created to preserve and share the history of surfing in Florida. Its collection highlights the area’s rich surfing history through rare archive photos, club jerseys and memorabilia, a collection of historic surfboards, and curated local art.

As a completely volunteer-driven organization, the Surfing Florida Museum relies on donations and events to fund its pop-up exhibits and long-term goal of opening a permanent location. Several board members had been pushing the idea of a golf tournament fundraiser for several years, and finally decided it was time to make it happen.

First annual golf fundraiser

Susan French has a long history in the surfing industry, owning and working in surf shops before becoming the accountant at the Surfing Florida Museum. She worked closely with Scott McCranels, an orthodontist, legendary surfer, and a major backer of the museum, to make the golf tournament a reality. While Scott had played in several golf tournaments, he’d never planned one from the ground up, so they needed some guidance and infrastructure to plan the event.

The Surfing Florida Museum Golf Fundraiser was nominated for Play It Forward, a give-back campaign from GolfStatus and Dormie Network Foundation. Scott and Susan connected with the GolfStatus team and liked what they heard—particularly that the event qualified to use GolfStatus’ software at no cost through the Golf for Good program. They got set up with an event website where people could learn more about the organization, register to play in the event, or become a sponsor, plus access to GolfStatus’ entire golf-specific tournament management platform to handle all the golf details.

Getting a new fundraiser off the ground presented some challenges for the planning team, in terms of creating processes, building a base of golfers and sponsoring businesses, and finding effective ways to promote the event. “Next year will be easier in several ways, especially because people will have heard about it or already played in the tournament and had a great time,” says Susan. She and Scott reached out to companies in the surfing community to sponsor the event, and had a good response, both in terms of purchased sponsorships, playing in the event, or making a monetary or in-kind donation.

Overall, the first-year event raised over $28,000, a great haul for a small, inaugural event. With several team spots still open about a month before the tournament, the planning team decided to switch things up and open registration to single golfers or twosomes, which were then grouped together to create foursomes. “We found that some people didn’t want to commit to a foursome, so this was a good option to get more golfers involved,” Susan says.

Backswing golf events

Scott had chatted with a friend who had played in a golf tournament where they had a “beat the pro” contest featuring a pro from BackSwing Golf Events. BackSwing Golf Events is a group of lady professional golfers who provide on-course activities, contests, and additional fundraising. At the same time, BackSwing helps support female golfers trying to make it on the LPGA tour

The pros at BackSwing Golf Events

The museum board met with BackSwing and were impressed with what they had to offer, so they got on board to have them at the tournament. Pro Michaela Linn, who also plays on the Epson tour, was stationed on one of the course’s holes for a “beat the pro” contest. Golfers essentially bet on whether or not they could hit a better tee-shot than Michaela.

“Michaela was super professional and made the tournament more than just the usual 18 holes of golf,” Susan says. “We were really impressed. It was a fun addition to the event.” Susan says the BackSwing pro helped them raise over $2,000 extra dollars for the museum. BackSwing’s business model is a 50/50 split of whatever is raised through their presence on the golf course.

GolfStatus has partnered with BackSwing Golf Events as a vendor in its Marketplace. Susan says GolfStatus’ backing was a plus in making the decision to use BackSwing. “Knowing that GolfStatus has teamed up with BackSwing lets us know they’re a legitimate option to raise more money.”

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“Knowing that GolfStatus has teamed up with BackSwing lets us know they’re a legitimate option to raise more money.”

— Susan French, accountant at the Surfing Florida Museum

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leveraging technology

Susan and the museum’s CPA used GolfStatus’ reporting feature to track registrations, sponsorships, payments, and donations. Once golfers or sponsors registered via the event website, their information dropped into the software’s backend, where the planning team could see real-time participant information and quickly export reports for financial purposes.

GolfStatus’ in-house support team was available to help Susan, as well as golfers, with any questions or issues. “A couple people reached out with questions about registration and the guys at GolfStatus were there to help right away. The support team was great!” Susan says. She worked closely with her dedicated rep to update sponsor logos and event site content. “I had a million questions, but the support team was so helpful and responsive! GolfStatus was definitely a plus for our golf tournament.”

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“I had a million questions, but the support team was so helpful and responsive! GolfStatus was definitely a plus for our golf tournament.”

— Susan French, accountant at the Surfing Florida Museum

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The Surfing Florida Museum’s golf event was held in late October, with the holidays just around the corner. Because the museum’s website doesn’t have the capabilities to collect donations, Susan worked with the Client Success team at GolfStatus to tweak its event website to help a donation push around the holidays. “That was nice to use since we were already set up to process payments through GolfStatus and the site was there,” Susan says.

Surfing Florida Museum shifted the focus of their GolfStatus event website to collect donations over the holidays.

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Golf for good

GolfStatus’ Golf for Good program gives qualifying nonprofits, charities, and those planning golf fundraisers on their behalf access to its golf event management platform at no cost. GolfStatus streamlines prep and planning to save busy organizers a ton of time and its built-in fundraising tools and exclusive sponsorships help raise thousands more dollars. Whether you’re kicking off a new event or looking for ways to improve a decades old event, GolfStatus can help. Plus, our in-house support team has your back every step of the way. Ready to get started? Click below to get qualified!

For the third year, GolfStatus is teaming up with our giving partners at Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation for the Play It Forward campaign to celebrate nonprofits and causes who are using golf to do good.

Play It Forward gives individuals the chance to nominate a charity or nonprofit raising money through golf to receive a $10,000 donation to its 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.

nominate your favorite golf fundraiser!

Here’s how to nominate a golf fundraiser for the $10,000 donation (and for you to be eligible for the Dormie Network membership prize):

1. Fill out this form and tell us who you are, who’s organizing the golf fundraiser, and why you think they should receive a $10,000 donation.

2. Follow GolfStatus on social media. Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

3. Follow Dormie Network on social media. Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

The campaign launched May 29 and the nomination period closes July 4.

Winners will be announced on GolfStatus and Dormie Network’s social media, so follow both handles for news, updates, and announcements.

past winners

Play It Forward began in 2021, awarding $10,000 to the Cameron Steinberg Foundation and its inaugural golf fundraiser. The annual golf event has raised $100,000 for research into congenital heart disease and to help families affected by these defects.

In 2022, two nonprofits were selected for $10,000 donations: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia, Delaware, and Susquehanna Valley and Sisters Across America. Make-A-Wish’s Pro-Am for Wishes raises money to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Sisters Across America provides support and mentoring for young minority women pursuing professional golfing careers and teaching juniors to grow the game, raising money through two annual golf fundraisers.

LINCOLN, Neb., May 26, 2023 /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 drive impact.

Now in its third year, the campaign is a unique opportunity to "play" it forward. Individuals nominate a charity or nonprofit using golf to raise money to receive a $10,000 donation to its 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.

"Golf has deep ties to philanthropy and helps power nonprofits and charities addressing important causes in communities everywhere," said Brian Schenk, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Dormie Network Foundation. "Play It Forward celebrates these organizations using golf as a force for good."

Play It Forward began in 2021, awarding $10,000 to the Cameron Steinberg Foundation and its inaugural golf fundraiser. The annual golf event has raised $100,000 for research into congenital heart disease and to help families affected by these defects.

In 2022, two nonprofits were selected for $10,000 donations, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia, Delaware, and Susquehanna Valley and Sisters Across America. Make-A-Wish's Pro-Am for Wishes raises money to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Sisters Across America provides support and mentoring for young minority women pursuing professional golfing careers and teaching juniors to grow the game, raising money through two annual golf fundraisers.

The giveaway launches May 29 and nominations will be accepted through July 4. Winners will be announced via press release and on GolfStatus' and Dormie Network's social media channels in August.

Visit golfstatus.org/playitforward for official rules and to submit a nomination.

About GolfStatus
GolfStatus helps nonprofits leverage the giving power of golf to raise more dollars, engage supporters, and do more good. Its robust golf event management platform streamlines golf tournaments from start to finish to save time and enhance the overall event experience for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. GolfStatus combines powerful technology with practical golf fundraising resources and industry-leading support to make charity golf tournaments easy, approachable, and efficient for organizations of all types and sizes. Learn more at golfstatus.org.

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 GrayBull Club in Maxwell, Nebraska, 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 GolfStatus

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Source: PRNewswire

Maybe you recently decided a golf fundraiser would be a great option to raise money for your organization. Or perhaps you held a spring golf event that was rained out or was so successful you want to add a second event this fall. You may be asking yourself—is it too late in the year to plan a golf fundraiser? Absolutely not! A successful, lucrative golf event can be planned in a matter of months. Here’s why now is a great time to plan an event and how to get started.

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Technology Makes Prep & Planning More Efficient

The right event management technology streamlines planning tasks and keeps you organized so you can successfully hold an event with less lead time. A web-based software solution built specifically for golf fundraisers keeps everything in one place, making it easy to collaborate with your planning team and the golf facility. You’ll spend less time tracking down and managing siloed information and more time focusing on attracting players and selling sponsorships.

You Can Start Promoting Your Event Right Away

An event website for your golf fundraiser can be built and launched in a matter of days, which means you can start promoting it right away. The beauty of using an event website for all of your promotion is that it makes promotion as simple as sharing a direct link to the website where golfers can register and buy add-ons and sponsors can commit to your event as soon as they hear about it. Plus, moving promotion online means you can skip the time-consuming process of creating registration materials and processes, collecting addresses, mailing flyers, and waiting for people to send in their information. Share the link on all your organization’s digital channels and ask your planning team, board members, volunteers, and supporters to do the same to cast the widest net possible.

Automated Workflows Save Tons of Time 

Online registration is a game-changer for busy event organizers. It eliminates the need for tons of spreadsheets, processing paper forms, cashing checks, sending receipts, and chasing down payments the day of the tournament. Instead, all pertinent information is collected right when someone registers a team or purchases a sponsorship and dropped into your event management software’s backend. Plus, when it comes time to manage hole assignments, team pairings, handicaps, and other unique details of a golf event, each golfer’s information is ready to go, right in the software so there’s no need to bounce between platforms or worry about working with out-of-date information.

Fall is a Great Time for Golf

In general, fall is an excellent time for golf events. You get favorable weather and appealing course conditions, plus lower, off-peak season facility costs. You’ll want to keep the shorter days that fall brings in mind when setting the tournament’s schedule, but can easily be addressed by a shotgun start or a shorter nine-hole event to maximize playable hours. If you’re in a warm-weather location, you have even more of the year to work with and can get a tournament on the books for November or December.

Resources Are Available to Help

Don’t worry—tournament planning resources are available to get you off on the right foot. Sample timelines, checklists, sponsorship packages, templates, and more can help take the guesswork out of planning, especially on a shorter timeline. When choosing an event management platform, be sure it’s supported by a knowledgeable, responsive client success team that knows the ins and outs of golf events and can respond to questions and resolve issues seven days a week. .

Getting Started is Easy 

GolfStatus’s golf event management tech is specifically designed to make golf tournament fundraisers easy to launch, plan, market, and execute. Our in-house customer success team is there to guide you every step of the way, from building your event website and creating sponsor packages to helping you select a tournament format and working with the golf facility. Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying 501(c) organizations get no-cost access to GolfStatus. Click below to get qualified!

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Invite a guest speaker to share their experience.

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

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

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

4. Place signage and banners around the golf course.

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

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

5. Highlight your organization’s beneficiaries.

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

6. Take advantage of downtime.

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

7. Hold an accompanying event.

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

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

8. Send push notifications.

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

9. Display photos or memorabilia on the course.

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

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

10. Provide opportunities to take action.

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

Wrapping Up

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

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Get Qualified for No-Cost Event Technology

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

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Golf tournaments have an undeserved reputation of being outdated and not worth the effort. To be honest, without the right tools in place, they have been.

But today’s technology makes planning and executing a lucrative golf tournament easier than ever. So in short, yes—a golf tournament is absolutely worth it, especially when you have the right tech in place. Here’s why:

1. You’ll raise money and awareness.

Golf’s fundraising power is massive—the sport raises nearly $4 billion for charity annually. Nonprofits of all types and sizes can use golf as an effective vehicle to raise mission-critical, unrestricted funds. Best of all, golf tournaments come with a ton of options to supercharge fundraising, from donations to premium sponsorships to add-ons and extras that not only raise more but add fun and excitement to the event. What’s more, golfers tap into their personal and professional networks to fill their team for your tournament, which raises more awareness about your mission and subsequently broadens your donor base.

How Technology Helps: The right management platform will have fundraising tools baked right in. Use your event website to seamlessly collect donations during checkout, right from live leaderboards, and through a mobile app, and show your progress toward a fundraising goal. Digital exposure is huge when it comes to the most lucrative sponsorships. Getting tons of eyes on their brand before, during, and after the tournament means a high return on investment for your sponsors and more funds raised for your mission. Your event website is the chance to tell your organization’s story and help people understand what the event is supporting. Choose a provider that allows you to upload photos, videos, and customize text.

2. The right tools automate time-consuming tasks.

Golf tournaments have a lot of moving parts and important details to keep track of. If you’re still processing registrations, payments, receipts, sponsorships, and hole assignments manually and tracking everything on spreadsheet after spreadsheet, there’s a better way!

How Technology Helps: It all starts with an event website where golfers can register their teams and submit payment—all without you needing to do a thing! Automating registration removes a ton of administrative burden from you and your planning team. Plus, with the right golf event management software, golfer information gets dropped into the platform’s backend where you can manage teams, hole assignments, and other details. This makes it easy to collaborate with the rest of your planning team and even the golf facility by sharing access to the software. What’s more, you should be able to set up notifications so you know when golfers register, someone makes a donation, or a sponsorship is purchased. This gives you a jump on thank yous and sponsor outreach instead of waiting to do it in bulk after the tournament.

3. Your organization connects with the golfer donor.

The golfer donor is a key segment that should be part of any organization’s donor outreach and engagement efforts. Consider the following demographics:

• The average golfer’s net worth is over $768,000

• The average household income among golfers is over $100,000

• 33% of golfers are top-level managers

Of course, not every golfer falls into this bracket, but in general, golfers represent an affluent, influential audience. A golf fundraiser is the first step in converting golfers into regular supporters. When you provide a memorable experience and create a tangible connection to your mission at the event, they’re more likely to return year after year. Sponsors also want to reach this particular audience of potential clients and customers, which you can leverage to sell sponsorships.

How Technology Helps: Collecting accurate donor data is a crucial part of engaging with the golfer donor. This is easier than you might think! The key is secure, online registration that’s part of a management platform that can handle the unique nuances of a golf event and ensures no information is lost or overlooked. The registration process should be intuitive enough to collect basic information without frustrating or overwhelming registrants (leading them to abandon their purchase) and be easily exported to seamlessly incorporate into your organization’s CRM. This data tells an important story about who supports your organization through golf, at what levels, and during which years.

4. You build and strengthen partnerships.

Golf tournaments are unique in that they include four focused hours over the course of 18 holes. Take full advantage of this time to make connections with new businesses and individuals and reinforce existing partnerships. Be strategic when making your hole assignments—maybe you’ll want to pair the chair of your organization’s board of directors with a potential corporate sponsor or put your development director with a major donor you’ve been courting. Whatever the case, strategic hole assignments give your representatives several hours to make a strong connection. Be sure to follow up after the event with a thank you!

How Technology Helps: Businesses often use golf tournaments as a means to entertain clients, network, and reward and engage employees. So when your event runs smoothly and professionally, is well-executed from the moment someone registers or purchases a sponsorship on the event website to when they submit their team’s score via a live scoring mobile app, and folks have a great experience, you’ve already laid the foundation for a partnership. A technology platform built just for golf ensures all the golf details are handled appropriately. It should be easy to see your tournament’s field and easily make hole assignments that benefit your organization.

5. Help is available!

Nonprofit event planners are often intimidated by the prospect of organizing a golf event simply because they’re not golfers and don’t know a ton about the sport. The good news is that this doesn’t need to be a roadblock to a successful golf fundraiser! Plenty of event organizers don’t golf but put on a golf tournament that raises five, six, or even seven figures. You don’t have to be an expert to hold an awesome event!

How Technology Helps: The key here is a platform that’s built just for golf and can handle the golf specifics without workarounds and adaptations. Choose a platform backed by an in-house support team that’s available to answer questions and walk you through the software step-by-step, provide ideas and feedback, and assist your golfers and sponsors with any issues with registration.

No-cost Golf Event Technology

GolfStatus’ event management and fundraising platform is built just for golf events, handling all the golf-specific details and freeing up organizers to connect with donors and sponsors. Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying nonprofits (and individuals, businesses, and others holding golf events that benefit them) can qualify for no-cost access to the GolfStatus platform—including an event website, online registration, live-scoring, and much more—through the Golf for Good program. Plus, GolfStatus’ in-house customer success team is there to answer questions and help you have your most successful event yet. Sign up for a demo to get on board with GolfStatus for your 2023 event or email us directly at [email protected].

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Source: nptechforgood.com

Organization Snapshot

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Challenge

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

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

The Solution

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

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

— Nicholas Kristock, founder and CEO of KindKatch

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

The Results

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

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Golf Tournament Summary

Tournament Name

Fleece & Thank You Golf Outing

Golf Facility

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

Fundraising Goal

$30,000

Number of Golfers

120 (sold out event)

Tech Stack:

GolfStatus, KindKatch

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Nicholas Kristock, founder and CEO of KindKatch

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Leaning Into Technology

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

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

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

No Cost Golf Event Management Tech

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

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