How to Plan a Successful Charity Golf Tournament
So you’re looking to raise funds. Whether it be for your own non-profit organization, your child’s soccer team, or your company’s annual charitable event, there are innumerable methods to raise money for a cause.
While considering the options, the ever-popular Charity Golf Tournament has likely crossed your mind. While the idea of rallying a tournament’s amount of people to all play together and planning the entire event may seem daunting, there are very easy, attainable ways to make a Charity Golf Tournament not only possible, but quite profitable and enjoyable as well.
It is important to note that there is no “One Size Fits All” Charity Golf Outing. While some go for a very classic 144-golfer, 18-hole tournament, there are many ways to change things up to better suit your needs. From Glow Ball events to Pro-Ams, from Scramble to Best Ball, the possibilities are virtually endless.
Though exciting, this may also seem daunting for event managers and/or planning and organizing committees. Where do you even start with something like this?
PRELIMINARY PLANNING
Before you get into the details, you’ll want to start making some preliminary decisions.
- How much money do you need to raise?
- How much money do you plan to invest?
- What are some priorities of this event (Networking, Sponsorships, Partnerships, etc.)?
- How will I share my event and take registrations?
- This is where BirdEase comes in.
With BirdEase, our main drive is to alleviate management stress and time spent organizing and coordinating. As you send out the customized link to your event, your registrants will have access to all the information they’ll need on one all-inclusive site.
LOCATION
One of the most important pieces to start with is your tournament’s location. This will tell you a lot about what your capabilities are during your event, and how many golfers you can host. For example, if you plan to hold an auction or dinner during your event, you’ll want to ensure that you’re choosing a venue that can comfortably accommodate these things to retain your attendees.
Location will be one of the most costly and most important decisions you’ll make, and it will heavily influence the ticket prices for your attendees. Make sure that you’re choosing a desirable location for your tournament, while also still making it possible for your target audience to attend the event (considering both travel and cost).
BirdEase makes sharing your event’s expertly-chosen location a breeze. By showcasing the course’s name, address, and even having an option to show a visual Google Maps widget on the landing page of your site, your registrants will know exactly where they’re going.
DATE & TIME
Though it may seem like a minor detail, the date and time of your golf tournament are crucial to event success. You’ll want to be sure to cater to the location of your event, to determine comfortable, temperate, and enjoyable playing conditions.
You’ll also want to plan the times throughout your tournament. Sure a “start time” of 8 a.m. is great, but many of your registrants will want to know how much time they have between registration and the official start time.
With your BirdEase site, you’ll be able to create an itemized list of times throughout the day of your event, so your players won’t miss a thing.
DECIDING ON PACKAGES & PRICING
Once you know your location and date, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you can offer at your event.
You’ll want to consider package and pricing options such as:
- Single Golfers
- Foursomes
- Sponsorships (Various Tiers, like Presenting Sponsor, Hole in One Sponsor, etc.)
Pricing and package offerings are big decisions to make, as it will determine what kinds of––and how many––golfers attend your event.
Additionally, if you make offerings such as “Dinner Only” or “Reception Only” (if applicable), you may be able to get a new kind of attendee to raise even more money.
BUILDING YOUR SITE
Building an engaging site is imperative to retaining site visitors and having them either register for your event, commit as a sponsor, or even just donate to your cause. With BirdEase, building a site is user-friendly and efficient. With an intuitive fill-in-the-blank system, you’ll be able to customize your site to your needs with ease. If you’re not very tech-savvy, or if you simply don’t have the time, we also offer a site build option, where a member of BirdEase will build a site for you in 48 hours.
OTHER FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES & CONTESTS
Aside from the tournament itself, there are many other ways to garner more donations and funds to your cause. From raffles, to games, to silent auctions, there are a lot of fun ways to keep your attendees involved and donating after the golfing has concluded.
BirdEase makes these things very easy to integrate into your event. With a built-in Silent Auction System included with your site, you’re able to take bids before your event even starts. We also offer numerous Partner Packages, ranging from Beat the Pro to Prize Packages, to ensure there’s something for everyone.
RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
Depending on the size of your event, you will likely need a healthy staff of volunteers. You’ll want to ensure that you’re choosing individuals who are committed, reliable, and hardworking for the big day. It may be helpful to include a volunteer application form on your event site, so the people offering to help know all the details about your event, and want to make the commitment.
DAY-OF
While the day-of your event can be daunting, it certainly doesn’t have to be. With BirdEase, we’ve got you covered not only for the organizing and planning of your event, but for the day-of as well.
With unbeatable features like automated tee sheets with an intuitive drag-and-drop system, automated full-reporting, a notification center, and online check-in, the great features roll over into the actual day-of to continue alleviating management and organization stressors.
You’re able to shut down your registration and auction at any point in preparation of your event day, and continue to showcase event details to your registrants. You’re also able to continue taking donations through your site for the duration that it’s active, which is a great opportunity for those who weren’t able to attend, or those who want to contribute further to your cause after an enjoyable event they’ll want to come back to next year.
HAPPY FUNDRAISING!
With these things decided, organizing your charity golf tournament will be a cinch.
Using BirdEase for your next tournament will not only increase the success of your tournament, but relieve many common management stressors and hours spent planning and organizing. Give us a call today, and let us show you how we can take your fundraising event to the next level.