One of the biggest mistakes when it comes to fundraising for a golf tournament is thinking that it all has to happen before the tournament itself. Don’t make the rookie mistake of thinking once the first golfer drives the ball down the course that your chance to raise funds for your cause flew away from you as well.
There are three main areas of a golf tournament where you can raise funds. Utilizing all three is vital to a successful tournament to meet your goals.
Before the Tournament.
The most common way to think of fundraising is to do it through entries in a tournament when in fact that’s only a small portion of your money raised. The tournament is designed to bring people together for a pleasurable day of golf with a chance to win the tournament and a prize along with it. Not bad. That’s why people go. But what can you do before the tournament to make the most of the event?
- Find tee sponsors. This is a great way to get local businesses involved and to give them a chance to advertise their company during the tournament. Finding a reasonable sponsor rate is up to you, but overlooking the potential to get other businesses involved is a big mistake. Of course, finding a good sign maker is the next step.
- Lunch and dinner sponsors. While it may not be a way to make money, it can be a way to save the cost of paying for dinner through money raised in other areas of the tournament. Your golfers are going to eat. How about getting a local restaurant to take care of this part of the tournament for you? It’s one of the most common ways to cover the costs of lunch and dinner.
During the Tournament.
You have everything organized and the Saturday morning has come and the golfers have begun to work down the course. What can you do to raise funds while the tournament is going on?
- Hole in One Prizes. This is an exciting and effective way to spice up a tournament and give you a chance to raise some extra funds in the process. It’s simple. Designate a certain hole to offer a prize if a golfer makes a hole in one. Make your tournament and entirely different event with hole in one prizes. Just have a fee required to be able to win the prize if a hole in one is made. They can pay for another shot if they’re feeling lucky. And the even better news about it is that you can purchase hole in one insurance for that prize.
- Closest to the Hole. In the same vein as the Hole in One prize, a closest to the hole prize is offered when a golfer makes a shot that beats all others. I’m sure hole in ones are most applauded at this point as well. The way to raise funds through this is to have an opt-in fee to have the potential to win the prize.
- Mulligans. In the same vein as the fee for a shot at the prize, you can have golfers pay for an extra shot after they shank one they otherwise would have to go with.
After the Tournament.
All the golfers are finished and you’ve declared the winner of the tournament. There’s a reception and everyone leaves, right? Not necessarily. You still have a group of golfers you can host for something more casual like the following:
- An Auction. Why not have more sponsors and sell items at a casual silent auction after the tournament? It’s a great idea and many tournaments before have capitalized on it before. Don’t let them go just yet.
- Raffles. If you want something more casual than an auction but have something to give away, have people enter a raffle with a great golfing or otherwise prize.
That should be plenty to get your creative juices flowing. Remember, don’t think you have to do all your fundraising before the tournament. Good luck and enjoy yourself.
