Fundraising 101: A Quick Guide to Making Green on the Greens

Brittany Kuramoto, Event Sales Director at Yorba Linda Country Club

A fundraiser golf tournament is a great way for your organization to raise funds to increase the services and assistance you can provide to others. If you're organizing a charity golf tournament, here are a few key areas to focus on to maximize your fundraising efforts:

The Committee

Behind all successful golf tournaments is a group of dedicated board members, volunteers, and active partners. These people are crucial in the development and organization efforts of your event, as they are your fundraising and sponsor team. Each member must have no shame asking for money or commitment from people in their networks to help your cause. Enlist the help of movers and shakers in your community to spread the word about your tournament and let them know how they can help.

Registration Fees

After you've set your fundraising goal, shop around for the best tournament rates. Depending on your non-profit’s negotiated cost of green fees, cart fees, food, beverage, and merchandise, decide on a single player fee and foursome fee that will make you money and is still competitive with the market. You can create sponsorship packages that offer advertisements, tee signs, banners, etc. or sell such features along with Mulligans separately.

Don’t forget to contact a company like American Hole-In-One for exciting add-ons you can advertise, like a million-dollar shot or hole-in-one shoot out or putting contest. Your guests can have a chance to win a new car, a vacation, cash, or another grand prize of your choice.

Monetary Sponsorships

Reach out and ask local businesses for help in a big way. Make it worth their while and put an ad in your event program for them if they donate. Or go green and create a nice program PDF to email and/or post on your website (sometimes printed programs get left behind on tables or in carts).

In-Kind Donations & Silent Auctions

You can also solicit donors for an “in-kind” amenity or service to offer, like having massage therapists to welcome guests at registration or printing any banners, shirts, or tee signs you may need. You may receive tickets to a Ducks or Angels game, or other goodies to create a nice gift basket to raffle off at your silent auction.

In addition to the golf certificates, apparel and clubs, some popular items for the silent auction tend to be electronic equipment and sports memorabilia.

Post-Play Lunch or Dinner

Don’t forget you can invite non-golfing participants to enjoy the fundraising festivities of the day. Open your doors to the golfers' spouses and friends and sell a separate ticket for great food, the auction, and maybe even some entertainment or opportunity like a Ball Drop. Italian-style pasta or Mexican-style taco buffets are fun and inexpensive options as well. Or ask the golf course for an inexpensive, but tasty plated dinner if that’s what you prefer.

Ball Drop & Opportunity Raffles

A Ball Drop or opportunity raffle is a great way to raise some funds and get everyone involved. Sell balls or raffle tickets for $5-25 and offer a cash prize to the winner. You, your committee, and golfers can start soliciting and pre-selling immediately and can even continue to sell tickets or balls on the morning of your event. Enlist the support of smooth-talking, natural salespeople or get help from a company like Pin Up Golf.

That's Golf Tournament Fundraising 101! Once you’ve figured out a point person and good strategy on each of the areas above, now it’s all about marketing. Ensure your information gets out to the wider community and not just to your loyal constituents. You can earn money and raise awareness by posting advertising around your organization’s location, neighboring storefronts, on Facebook, LinkedIn, EventBrite, CharityGolfOnline, the OC Register calendar, and other online resources.