Nonprofit Golf Tournament Fundraisers

Planning Your Golf Tournament

Begin your planning stage by outlining your overall event strategy and drawing up a timeline that leads all the way up to your golf tournament event. Include each task that needs to be completed, a due date, and assign an individual from your event committee

As you inquire with potential venues, find out what services they offer on-course as part of their venue package, and what you’ll have to provide yourself. Include these additional costs in your budget planning when evaluating each of your golf course options.

Look for a venue that offers wi-fi or a good mobile connection throughout the course, so golfers can buy mulligans along the way, and continue to participate in your silent auction, if applicable.

Plan on Hosting an Awards Event?

Many golf tournaments end with an awards dinner or other sit-down event, so golfers can regroup after their day out on the course and continue to participate in the fundraising. This is the perfect opportunity to announce any contest winners, raffle winners, and award prizes to those teams who performed at the top of their game on the course.

Awards dinners are a great chance to hold a special appeal and garner some additional gifts. 

Lead into your special appeal with a moving video to get guests passionate about the cause and motivated to give. 

If your golf course doesn’t offer a sit-down venue, you’ll need to secure an additional venue for your awards dinner. Be sure to choose something easily accessible from your golf course, especially if alcoholic beverages will be made available to golfers in the tournament.

Technology in Golf Events

To run a successful golf fundraiser, you’ll need a little help from technology to manage your players, handle player fees, check-in guests, log additional sales, and if applicable, conduct your silent auction. Technology in golf doesn’t have to be complicated—this is where great event management software and online ticketing come into play!

How to Pick Your Golf Software

• Evaluate your needs. Will you be holding a golf auction in addition to your tournament? What else will you be selling at your event? What technology do you have available on-site?

• Determine your online ticketing needs. You may need a package that includes the ability to sell admission through a website, track registered players, and manage sponsorships.

• Set your budget and sort options based on price.

Reserve Vendors

Once you have some of your fundamentals in place, such as your date and chosen golf course, it’s time to choose vendors and get your date reserved.

• Awards dinner venue

• Catering

• Entertainment

• Professional production services

Steps for Holding a Golf Auction:

1. Create an auction sub-committee to oversee the silent auction
2. Item procurement
3. Data entry
4. Print bid sheets
5. Create package placards
6. Assign bid numbers to guests

Tips for your Golf Auction:

- Using online bidding, allow guests a sneak peek at the auction catalog in advance of the event so they can start getting excited about the items up for bid.
- Allow guests to continue bidding on the auction throughout the day, through the awards dinner, to drive up those final bids.
- Display auction items in a prominent location at the golf venue so players and their families can browse.

Create golf sponsor packages that reflect the fun tone and style of your golf event. Use the natural features of the golf tournament format to design your packages—such as individual hole sponsors, recognized at each hole with appropriate signage.

Here are some great examples of golf sponsorship packages you could use:

How to Ask for Sponsorships

Sell sponsoring your fundraiser as a great opportunity to reach golf enthusiasts and their families. Offer a wide variety of sponsorship packages at different price points to give everyone who wants to support your event the opportunity to do so.
Whenever you talk with potential sponsors, try to meet in person, and listen to find out what your sponsor wants out of a partnership before trying to sell your sponsor package.

Underwriting Sponsors

Don’t forget that a business who wants to be involved in your event can make an in-kind donation as their sponsorship! Underwriting sponsorships are a great opportunity to acquire prizes for raffles and contests, as well as items to include in your golfers’ goodie bags.

Mulligans

Offering golfers mulligans is a critical part of the golf tournament fundraiser. In case of a poor shot, a mulligan allows a golfer to take a second shot and override their first one. 

TIP:

Create packages of multiple mulligans so players don’t need to come back and purchase more whenever they run out.
To generate extra revenue, bundle mulligans with raffle entries and contest entries to encourage players to buy more at once!

Sell mulligans throughout your golf course to bring in some extra money—or even make them available for purchase in your mobile bidding app.


Solicit Prizes
In order to hold a successful golf game, contest, or raffle, you’ll need great prizes to draw people in and sell those tickets! Start soliciting your golf tournament prizes early, so you know which games you can host.

How to solicit golf tournament prizes:
Brainstorm with your committee what kind of prizes would appeal to your players.
Create a list of possible businesses to solicit for prizes.
Develop a pitch for solicitation that offers the opportunity to sponsor your golf tournament with an in-kind gift.
Reach out to businesses and pitch your golf tournament. Include how many people will attend, and outline how sponsors will be recognized.
Follow up with potential sponsors.

 

5 Secrets to Selling Out Admissions for Your Next Fundraiser

We suggest using an event management software solution to manage players, create teams, and assign bid numbers for your auction (if applicable). Process payments for player fees with an online ticketing solution.

4 Things You Should Learn about Event Ticket Sales

Once you’ve started registering players, make sure to maintain communication with them! Send out a preview of your auction catalog, allow early bidding, and build excitement for your upcoming event.