Planning A Charity Golf Tournament
By Greg Reynolds
Looking for tips on planning a charity golf tournament?
There are many factors to consider, so I'll stick to the four
main ones for this article. The success of your charity golf
event revolves around maximizing player turnout, increasing
pledge sizes, obtaining sponsored prizes, and planning tips.
Player Turnout
Your success depends on how many players your golf event draws
and how actively you have your players solicit sponsors for
their own rounds.
To maximize turnout, you need to get major publicity for
your event. That means putting out multiple press releases,
getting local media coverage from newspapers and television
stations, and placing ads in the sports section of the local
paper.
For the best results, put your press releases out through
PR Web. Appoint a spokesperson to handle all media contacts
and follow-up. For more tips, read my article on fundraising
publicity.
Charity Pledges
The key is getting each player to collect a certain amount
of pledges. I recommend a minimum of $100 per player in pledges.
I've also played in tournaments where that number was $250
per player.
Obviously, you want to motivate the participants to raise
as much money as possible. Some groups offer incentives for
the top pledge getters. Others seek corporate sponsorships
for that firm's players.
Pledge amounts determine the success of your charity golf
event, so get input from experienced golfers and golf pros
in your area.
Top Golfer Prizes
Generally speaking, you'll draw more golfers if you have great
prizes for longest drive, closest to the hole, hole in one,
lowest team score, lowest actual score, and best adjusted
score (handicap).
You solicit local merchants to sponsor those prizes. Work
with an insurance-related prize company for things like the
hole-in-one contest. That way you can offer a bigger prize
for a much lower outlay.
Aim to get 100 golfers (25 foursomes) and your small group
could easily raise $10,000 or more. Larger turnouts will net
even more with some charity golf tournaments drawing 500 golfers
competing for big prizes.
Plan Ahead
Obviously, bigger pledges, more golfers, corporate sponsorships
combined with massive publicity will work wonders for the
bottom line of your charity golf tournament. With the right
combination of these factors and good advance planning, you
can certainly raise $75,000 or more for a charitable cause.
Contact local courses for group rates. Be sure to mention
that you are planning a charity event and ask for discounts
on cart and greens fees. Once you decide on your preferred
location, reserve the date and tee times well in advance.
Charity Golf Event - Final Tips
Plan ahead to maximize the success of your charity golf event.
For best results, pick a weekday when courses and large blocks
of tee times will be easier to reserve. You'll often get the
best rates by going to the course in person and talking to
the pro or pro shop manager.
Corporate sponsors are another good way to go. Get some
celebrities to golf with corporate bigwigs and you can easily
raise $100k-$150k. Of course, convincing celebrities to donate
their time takes some doing, but it's well worth it.
If it's your first golf tournament, be open to suggestions
from other golfers. Consider working with a fundraising consultant
who specializes in organizing charity golf tournaments. They
work for a percentage of the gross, but you usually end up
raising more funds due to their experience and sponsor contacts.
About the Author
Greg Reynolds writes about planning
a charity golf tournament and other non-profit
fundraisers at FundraiserHelp.com. Browse the site today
for hundreds of great fundraising tips.
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