Golf is more popular than ever before. According to Forbes, the number of rounds played in 2020 was up by 60 million, the largest increase in decades. Many people are discovering golf, so why not consider making your next fundraising event a charity golf tournament?
This event can generate funds and, when carefully planned, become something that people in your community look forward to every year. This guide will cover how to organise a golf charity event from start to finish.
Table of contents
How to plan a golf fundraiser
You don’t have to be a golf pro to plan a fundraiser around 18 holes. This section shows how you can utilise your skills as a creator to organise a top golf charity event.
Set your budget and fundraising goal
Determining your budget is essential when organising a charity golf event. Consider what it will cost to book a golf course, provide refreshments, and book announcers or entertainment. If you’re planning your event on a tight budget, reach out to potential sponsors to provide capital or resources for the event. Think about how to price your tickets to help cover your overhead while still being able to raise funds for your charity. Set a fundraising goal that’s reasonable enough to reach yet aspirational enough to excite attendees and donors.
Choose and book your golf course
Finding the perfect golf course for your event is a matter of logistics. Contact the golf courses you’re interested in and ask if they’re available for booking on your proposed event date. Consider the cost of booking the course, whether the course is large enough to accommodate the number of attendees you’re anticipating, whether they can provide on-site food or drinks, and whether they have space for a check-in or an after-party once the tournament is over.
Plan the schedule
Put together a detailed programme when planning your event that covers everything that will happen at your golf charity event from start to finish. Include tee times for the golfers involved in the tournament, additional fundraising events such as auctions or putting contests, and whether there is a party or dinner after the tournament. Give all staff and volunteers access to the schedule so they know what should be happening at all times.
Find volunteers for your golf fundraising event
Make a list of the volunteers you’ll need for your event. Aside from typical event volunteers such as check-in staff, car park assistants, bar staff, and waiters, you may also need caddies and golf cart attendants. The golf course you’re holding the event at may already provide some staff, so check with them first. Reach out to your network of local contacts to find volunteers. It’s a good idea to open volunteer registration up to more people than you need so you aren’t short-staffed on the day.
Secure food and drink vendors
Charity golf tournaments are often full-day events, so you’ll want to provide food and refreshments for golfers and spectators. Think about what meals or snacks you’re providing, and find out if your venue can offer on-site catering, or whether you’ll need to organise it separately. If you need to reach out to local caterers, offer them sponsorship perks in exchange for their services, or enquire about special rates they might have for charities.
Recruit sponsors
When budgets are tight, corporate sponsors are a great way to raise capital or resources. They could sponsor a hole on the course, golf buggies, or food and drinks. You can also work with sponsors to create gift bags or prizes for the event.
Consider the values that potential sponsorship organisations have and whether they align with your own. Create a wish list of preferred sponsors and narrow that down based on whether each is appropriate for the event.
Plan your prizes and freebies
Partner with local businesses such as travel agencies or entertainment companies to provide a weekend trip, tickets to a big event, or other equally glamorous prizes for the winner. Consider also procuring smaller prizes for other players who score highly. Another way to show participants that their entry fee in the tournament has value is to give out goodie bags or freebies such as golf balls, branded sportswear, or gear.
Promote your golf charity event
You can plan the perfect golf charity challenge, but if you don’t market the event, you won’t have any attendees. Create a marketing plan that includes email, social media, and working with local businesses. Ask golf or sports shops if you can post a flyer or leave some with them to hand out. Use Eventbrite Boost to send marketing emails to your contact list and promote the event using a unique hashtag to your social media followers. When it comes to social media marketing, content is king, so make use of high-quality video clips or photos from previous events to show potential attendees what they can expect.
Thank attendees, participants, and sponsors
The ultimate goal of your event is to raise money for charity. Make your appreciation for all donors known with gifts for different donation levels and exclusive invitations to future events. Have the event announcers express thanks, then follow up after the event with an email thanking them for their participation, donations, and overall support. Throughout the event, plan to update your attendees on how much you’ve raised and let them know how close you are to reaching your goal. Include the final number in your thank you email or post-event blog.
Charity golf day ideas
If you’re afraid of running out of room on the green – or want to attract non-golfers to your event too – check out these alternative golf event fundraising ideas to increase your donations.
Allow dinner or after-party-only attendees
If you’re hosting a dinner or a party after the tournament, let people attend just that without golfing. You can easily set up two ticket types: one for the complete golf and dining experience and a second dinner-only option. Having a ticket option for your after-tournament entertainment means you’re more likely to engage partners or families of the keen golfers who’ve been out on the course all day.
Up the fun with contests
Raffles and contests held during the tournament or the dinner allow those not interested in playing golf to get involved while enabling you to raise more funds. Hold a standalone putting or closest-to-the-pin contest, a raffle, or a silent auction. Offer merch, donated prizes, or free rounds of golf to the winner.
Helicopter ball drop
Give your attendees a fun experience and the opportunity to win a prize with a helicopter ball drop. Before the day of the event, attendees buy a golf ball with a unique number on it. At a specific time during your event, all purchased balls are dropped onto the golf course from a helicopter, crane, or cherry picker. The person who purchased the ball that lands closest to the hole wins.
Demonstrate the importance of donations
Have people associated with the charity you’re fundraising for on-site during the event; they can explain their mission and how donations are used. Include information in your marketing materials that tells potential attendees what different amounts of money allow the charity to do or provide.
Create hype with sportspeople
Get people excited about your event with special guests such as professional sportspeople or celebrities. Incorporate your guests into your marketing to encourage people to attend, and have them talk about what the charity personally means to them. Check out our top tips for inviting celebrities to your event.
Ready to have a great round?
Golf fundraising events can engage your community and raise money for a good cause.
Take the time to create an experience your attendees will be excited to go to every year. Make it easy for them to buy their tickets with Eventbrite.
