There are many different types of fundraising, but golfing is perhaps one of the biggest. One day golf charity affairs can raise untold amounts of money for organizations. Medical organizations, like the American Cancer Society, can routinely raise between 20 and 50 thousand dollars, simply by having a golf benefit. But tournament organizers but go above and beyond. They can no longer get away with posting a simple tee sign at a hole and expect the sponsor to be happy.
There are even more glamorous charity events that can raise even more money, even only in a day or over a weekend. For instance, Michael Strahan, of the New York Giants, recently kicked off his even with a concert by Alicia Keys at a restaurant in Manhattan. Strahan was the MC and got the celebrity crowd to part with more than 300 thousand dollars for prizes like a week on a yacht and a custom built motorcycle. The next day there was golf, which brought in even more money and even more benefit for the children’s charities that he was supporting.
There are lots of reasons that golf events work wonders for fund raising. First of all, they are a lot of fun to play in, even if the golfers are casual golfers and aren’t pro or serious about the sport. They can also provide great networking opportunities for golfers and charities alike, so people are more apt to do these types of fundraisers. Not only that, but golf events can publicize these worthy causes, making them more likely to be in the public eye. The National Golf Foundation estimated that in the year 2002, golf events actually raised around $3 billion for charity. The GTAA estimates that there is about 5 billion dollars raised each year through golf charities.
With the current economy, however, golf events are seeing the same types of frustration that other events are seeing. There are more golf events, because more charities are trying to get the money that they need. They know that golf events usually work to bring in the cash, but the events themselves are being attended by less people, so there is less total money being raised.
The way for charities to break through the problems with the economy and get that money from sponsors is simple; they must do things that other events aren’t doing. For instance, just charging a fee to put up a golf tournament sign during the event isn’t going to bring in the same sponsors that it used to but if the event can make each sponsor a participant in some way and do something fun or new with the sponsors, they’ll see an influx in them and therefore be receiving more money from them. It is important to actually make the tournament into a marketing tool for the sponsors, because this is where the money comes from and so this is what organizers need to focus on.
For instance, if those that are participating in the tournament are all doctors, they will be able to attract a great sponsorship package from medical supply companies or equipment companies. This can bring in lots of money. However, tournaments that charge players but don’t have many sponsors might end up not really making that much money after they have paid for course costs and other things.
Participants are attracted to golf events because they usually get to play on a course that they would be unable to play on during their regular lives. They get food and drink, often get goody bags, and might just get to hang around a smart or famous crowd of people.
In order to have a golf event that goes off without a hitch and makes the type of money that you need, it is important to plan it all exactly correctly. This takes time, and might even take some practice on your part. However, if you are raising money for a large charity, and want to bring it all in at once, a golf event can do just that.
Adir Le writes about golf tournaments. He also has a website that sells tee signs, golf sponsor signs, and tournament signs.
