As summer draws to a close, your nonprofit is likely turning your attention to year-end giving campaigns and begin planning for 2024 fundraising initiatives. If a golf tournament is a regular part of your fundraising event calendar, or you’re looking to add a spring or summer golf event to your fundraising portfolio, now’s the time to get started.

Keep your planning team organized and on track for a successful golf fundraiser by focusing on these six key planning tasks yet this year:

1. Book the Golf Facility

As the height of golf season winds down, facilities are also beginning to plan for next year. It’s a good idea to get a date on their calendar sooner rather than later, especially if you’re eyeing a high-end facility where your organization might be competing for a limited number of open dates for fundraisers and other outside outings.

2. Secure Your Tech Stack

Nonprofits are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient, stay organized, and streamline operations. Planning and executing the annual golf fundraiser are no different. Because golf tournaments come with unique details that must be appropriately handled to ensure a flawless event, finding the right tools and resources and getting them in place as soon as possible is crucial. Look for an event management platform that’s built for golf and can natively manage critical components like handicaps, flighting, hole assignments, and scoring without clunky workarounds.

3. Launch an Event Website

Getting your event website up early makes it easy to begin accepting registrations and donations and selling sponsorships now. Ideally, your website should be up before the first communication about the event goes out, including save-the-dates. In fact, it’s a good idea to open registration for next year’s event on the heels of the current outing if at all possible so folks can commit when the golf event is top of mind. An event website is also a great place to display pertinent information and updates. The sooner your site is live, the sooner you can communicate about the event in a context that makes sense. 

4. Market the Event Early 

Start marketing your event as far as four to six months in advance, especially if the golf tournament is a new fundraiser for your organization. Early communications can be quick and straightforward (such as a simple save the date that links folks to the event website). Start with donors who have supported the golf event in the past, as well as general organization supporters and those who have attended other fundraising events.

Early communications also allow you to get on sponsors’ radars ahead of their annual budget planning. For this reason, it’s a good idea to send save-the-dates for spring and summer fundraisers ahead of year-end. Also be sure to target not only veteran donors and year-over-year event participants, but the new supporters they’ve invited to fill out their teams; these attendees provide an opportunity to target new sponsors and garner additional support. Make an announcement on social media, and if you have some dollars available, consider running paid ads to cast a wider net of potential new golfers and sponsors.

5. Leverage Your networks

Your organization likely has some powerful connections in its collective personal and professional networks. Give yourself plenty of runway and start calling on your planning committee, board of directors, staff, regular donors, and dedicated volunteers and asking them to tap into their networks to:

• Identify contacts at local and national businesses that should be targeted as potential tournament sponsors.

• Invite friends, family, colleagues, and peers who might be interested in playing in the event.

• Solicit in-kind donations for auction items, raffle prizes, pin prizes, other giveaways, event food and beverage, or post-round entertainment.

BackSwing Golf Events is a great option for on-course entertainment and contests, like beat the pro and glass break challenges.

6. think about add-ons & extras 

How are you going to make your tournament stand out? What can you do to make it memorable for golfers and sponsors? Golf tournaments come with a ton of options to boost revenue while elevating the overall experience to keep supporters coming back year after year. Fun add-ons are sure to leave a lasting impression and bring in even more dollars for your cause. Start thinking about ways to connect any on-course games to your cause, get pricing and details for on-course entertainment, and secure hole-in-one contest insurance. Getting these pieces in place early in the planning process gives you more time to secure sponsorships (and cover hard costs) for these add-ons.

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Get Qualified for No Cost Golf Event Tech

GolfStatus’ robust tournament management software streamlines and simplifies golf fundraisers to save busy nonprofit event organizers time and effort. Its built in fundraising tools, exclusive sponsorships, and premium add-ons help raise even more money for your cause. Nonprofits and those planning a golf event to benefit one can qualify to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost—including an event website, online registration, custom sponsor packages, live scoring, and much more—through our Golf for Good program. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

Organization Snapshot

Melwood’s six decades of serving those with disabilities began with a small group of parents and community supporters who had a bold idea—to create jobs and training for these individuals. They started by teaching plant care to young adults who were thought to be unemployable, and expanded into workforce development services that teach marketable, useful skills to adults with disabilities and provide a valuable workforce to partner businesses.

Based in the Washington D.C. area, the nonprofit advocates for and empowers individuals with disabilities to trans­form their own lives through unique opportunities to live, work, and thrive in their community. Sarah Boynton, Director of Corporate at Foundation Giving at Melwood, says their approach is individualized for each individual’s goals and to overcome the barriers to employment that they might face. “They have a ton of value in the community and are driven to find their purpose,” she says. “We look for ways to transform their lives through unique opportunities so everyone is included.”

The Challenge

The Melwood Champions Golf Tournament was originally an informal gathering of supporters who loved to golf and donated to support Melwood’s work. When Melwood decided to brand the golf tournament as an official fundraiser, they wanted to increase professionalism and elevate the entire event experience. Melwood’s newly-created fund development team heading up the golf tournament needed a way to easily collect registrations and payments, provide exposure to sponsors, and promote the tournament to its supporters.

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The Solution

GolfStatus offered an all-in-one solution for Melwood’s golf fundraiser, from registration and payment processing to tie-breakers and reporting. The nonprofit qualified for GolfStatus’ Golf for Good program, which gave Sarah and the entire planning team full access to the tournament management platform at no cost. After the first year of using GolfStatus, Sarah said it was a no-brainer to continue with GolfStatus. Beyond the software’s ease-of-use, GolfStatus’ in-house client success team was there to walk Sarah and her team through the software and troubleshoot issues every step of the way.

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“I talked to the support team more times than I care to admit, and they were always reassuring, like ‘We got you, don’t worry.’”

— Sarah Boynton, Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving at Melwood

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The Results

Making Everything Easier

When Sarah came on board with Melwood a few months prior to the 2022 golf tournament, GolfStatus was already in place, thanks to her boss, Heather Sherman, Melwood’s Vice President of Fund Development. An event website was actively collecting registrations and sponsorships as Sarah was tossed into the deep end of planning a golf tournament for the first time.

Thankfully, the GolfStatus client success team quickly got Sarah up to speed on the software, walking her through the back end to make sure she felt comfortable using each feature. “They showed us how to download reports and assign holes and what to send to the pro at the golf course,” Sarah says. She says check-in the morning of the event was super easy thanks to the pre-formatted printouts with all golfer information and team codes.

Online registration spared Sarah and the planning team from having to manually process payments and forms, saving a ton of time. “Having golfers and donors cover the fees really helped get us over our goal,” Sarah says. “As a fundraiser that’s huge.” Registrants could also round up their purchases to raise additional dollars. 

Unlike standard event management platforms, GolfStatus is built specifically for golf events, with tools to manage things like handicaps, flighting, and tie breakers. “I had a panic attack about halfway through the event about breaking ties!” Sarah says. She reached out to the client success team, who reassured her that the system is able to break ties automatically. “That was a relief!”

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“GolfStatus makes it easy for nonprofits to be successful. At the end of the day, that’s why we’re coming back.”

— Sarah Boynton, Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving at Melwood

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Carrying On A Tradition of Generosity

The Melwood Champions Golf Tournament had humble beginnings, starting out as some friends getting together to play golf and raise money for Melwood’s mission. The “Melwood Champions” are a group of longtime supporters and friends of the founding families of Melwood, who have supported the organization’s work for close to 60 years. The Champions led the golf event until the fund development team branded it as an official fundraiser in 2020. Since then, the tournament has grown and flourished, and with the help of GolfStatus, leveled up the event experience and raised even more money. In 2022, the tournament brought in $107,000 and is looking to raise even more for the 2023 event.

Proceeds from the tournament benefit different programs each year. For example, the 2022 golf fundraiser benefited the Camp Accomplish Scholarship Program, which provides financial support to attend the inclusive day and overnight summer camp for all ability levels. The 2023 tournament will raise money for Melwood’s Workforce Development and Career Exploration Programs, which supports over 2,800 individuals with disabilities achieve career goals in the greater Washington D.C. area.

Elevating the Event

GolfStatus clients have access to exclusive add-ons and sponsorships that take their tournaments to the next level. For example, Sarah said they knew they wanted to incorporate a hole-in-one contest to the tournament and were pleased when they discovered GolfStatus’ exclusive contest packages. The planning team originally wrapped the Technology Sponsorship into the tournament’s Title Sponsorship, but saw the premium value in the space and decided to purchase it themselves to provide to a longtime sponsor as a thank you, along with an accompanying stay and play package from the Dormie Network Foundation. “Dormie Network has opportunities to play golf at some pretty awesome places, and that just added to the high-end tournament we’re going for,” Sarah says.

The sale of the Technology Sponsorship combined with the hole-in-one contest also unlocked a cash donation from the Foundation. “The extra products and opportunities for our tournament that GolfStatus offered just made it so easy!” Sarah says. 

Sarah looked for other ways to make the event memorable, adding golfer swag bags with player gifts and items from sponsors (giving them even more brand exposure). They also used GolfStatus’ live scoring to give the tournament a professional touch. Sarah’s not a golfer, but says she lost count how many golfers told her how much they loved the live scoring. Teams would submit their scores via the free GolfStatus mobile app, which synced with live leaderboards that were updated in real-time. Golfers could check standings throughout the round in the app and on the screen in the clubhouse. “We sent golfer information ahead of time about where and how to download the app,” says Sarah, as a way to set them up for success. “Everyone loved how easy it was to keep track throughout the day.”

celebrating Success

Melwood is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023 and 25 years of Camp Accomplish. “We’re celebrating all things Melwood!” Sarah says, and that the golf tournament is a big part of that celebration and a way to connect with donors and partners. “GolfStatus is a big part of making the golf tournament super successful.”

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Golf for Good

Looking to make your next golf event the best one yet? GolfStatus’ tournament management system streamlines and simplifies prep and planning, and exclusive sponsorships and add-ons help raise thousands more dollars for your cause. Best of all, nonprofits (and organizations hosting golf events that benefit one) can qualify to use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program. Click below to learn more and get qualified.

Golf balls have certainly come a long way since their 14th century beginnings as lopsided pieces of wood. The 17th century saw particularly incredible innovation, when the sport’s enthusiasts stuffed pouches with dense wads of wet leather to create a hard core, then added feathers that dried into a denser outer layer. Today’s golf balls are virtually unrecognizable in comparison and, let’s face it, infinitely better.

Golf balls must address the golfer’s every need, providing distance on drives, spin and trajectory on the approach, and control on the green. Balls try to solve for a lot of factors and objectives to optimize its performance on any shot the golfer can imagine, making its construction a key factor. Here are seven things you probably don’t know about golf balls.

1. A golf ball can’t weigh more than 1.62 ounces (or 45.93 grams).

Modern golf balls are made from a range of materials and methods, but to be recognized in tournament play, they can’t weigh more than a mere 1.62 ounces or 45.93 grams. Taken together, the elements of a ball’s design and construction have a profound impact on its overall performance on the course. The golf ball is perhaps the most important piece of equipment in the golfer’s bag—it’s the only piece of equipment that golfers use on every single shot.

2. Golf balls are made of layers.

At its most basic level, a golf ball includes an inner core made from pressurized rubber or synthetic rubber, surrounded by one or several outer layers, and a characteristically dimpled cover. Each of its collective elements contribute to its performance on a shot, and even subtle changes to one or more elements can make a drastic impact. Their construction increases the ball’s spin that lends itself to greater control, especially in the short game.

3. The core is crucial.

The core is often considered the ball’s engine, influencing not only its speed and distance, but its spin in the long and short game. The force used to strike the ball is transferred directly into the injection-molded rubber that is a ball’s core, where it is stored and released to propel the ball forward. For this reason, the core is often considered the ball’s engine, influencing not only its speed and distance, but its spin in the long and short game. In multi-layer construction, where another layer is positioned between the ball’s core and its cover, the inside layer is made of rubber thread compressed to varying densities.

4. A golf ball’s compression is a factor in speed and spin.

The ball’s compression is a reflection of how hard or soft the ball compresses against the club face when hit. While the influence of compression is a hotly debated topic among golf experts and equipment manufacturers, the general consensus is that a harder ball (with a higher numerical compression) compresses less on the hit, while a softer ball compresses more. Golfers with a faster swing speed are typically more apt to prefer a harder ball, but it’s more of a matter of personal preference for feel. Compression has an impact on general performance. For example, as a broad rule, if you have two golf balls that are identical with the exception compression, the higher compression ball will have more speed and more spin across the entire range of shots while the lower compression ball will have lower speed and lower spin. That being said, this relationship is not universally true. Some higher compression golf balls have lower speed and spin because of other components of their design.

5. The cover impacts the feel and the ball’s spin off of the club head.

The exterior surface of the golf ball is referred to as its cover and is constructed either of Surlyn (a thin, plastic resin created and trademarked by DuPont) or urethane (a slightly softer, slightly less durable synthetic compound). All else being equal, Surlyn can contribute to distance, but tends to inhibit spin. Urethane covers, while typically more expensive, have a tendency to deliver higher spin rates off irons and wedges, providing more control in the short game. For golf ball manufacturers, the cover is another crucial opportunity for innovation that impacts its overall performance.

6. The ball’s dimples have a purpose.

The dimples on the surface of the golf ball play a surprisingly complex role in its flight, speed, lift, and spin. Compared to a smooth ball, the small indentations make golf balls more aerodynamic, manipulating the airflow around the ball to create a tighter vortex that effectively decreases the ball’s drag and increases its distance, speed, and lift. Like the other design and construction components, these dimples can be manipulated by manufacturers that increase and decrease their size, quantity, and pattern to impact the speed, flight, spin, and overall performance of the ball. They’re also an important consideration when it comes to weather and other playing conditions to provide consistency in how a golf ball performs in all types of conditions.

7. Manufacturers are always innovating.

Given the leaps and bounds of innovation across golf ball construction, materials, and performance over the last several decades, the industry’s focus on research and development should come as no surprise. Most manufacturers look toward TOUR players for feedback on prototyped and developing products, but investments in innovation run far deeper, including divisions and teams of engineers, technicians, chemists, aerodynamicists, and other scientists. R&D teams spend time working with golfers to understand their performance needs. With every innovation, consistency remains central, given the slightest deviation in quality can have a dramatic impact on a golfer’s game. It’s especially important for amateur golfers, who have a tendency to assume a flaw in their swing when they hit the ball the way they wanted to hit it, but it doesn’t perform as expected.

Final Thoughts

In all, the right ball is unique to each individual golfer’s goals and preferences. Still, the surprisingly complex science behind the sport’s central component plays into every piece of a golfer’s game—from the way it feels off the tee to the moment it hits the cup. The golf ball is an important equipment decision that makes a huge difference for golfers at all skill levels—perhaps the most important of all.

LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GolfStatus, the leading technology platform for charity golf tournament fundraisers, is pleased to announce a partnership with Chek, the fund disbursement platform transforming how social sector organizations send, spend, and manage their mission-critical funds. The partnership gives nonprofits and charities the tech tools to raise money through golf and then seamlessly allocate those donations directly to populations in need.

GolfStatus' golf event management and fundraising platform streamlines golf fundraisers and charity tournaments, saving organizers time and effort and helping raise more money. Chek will appear in GolfStatus' Marketplace, a one-stop shop of trusted vendors providing goods and services to golf tournament organizers. Chek's proprietary technology helps philanthropic organizations instantly and securely distribute funds to the populations they serve in the form of digital "Chek" cards, saving time and money. Through the use of customizable spending controls, Chek can also help ensure allocated funds are spent as intended, building donor trust and ultimately helping maximize impact.

"GolfStatus is all about helping nonprofits do more good," said Steve Mattern, Vice President of Operations at GolfStatus. "Chek shares that mission, and we're honored to work together to make organizations' workflows more efficient and their efforts more impactful."

"Chek and GolfStatus are two organizations that have an aligned mission to help nonprofits and those in need," said Nick Schedler, Co-Founder of Chek and the company's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Revenue Officer. "It's also no secret that golf raises more money for charity than any other sport out there. Forging the giving power of GolfStatus with Chek's revolutionary fund disbursement technology will no doubt drive unprecedented impact for the organizations we both serve."

Find out more about Chek and other GolfStatus Marketplace vendors by visiting https://golfstatus.com/marketplace/fund-disbursement-software-by-chek.

About GolfStatus
GolfStatus helps nonprofits leverage the giving power of golf to raise more dollars, engage supporters, and do more good. Its robust golf event management platform streamlines golf tournaments from start to finish to save time and enhance the overall event experience for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. GolfStatus combines powerful technology with practical golf fundraising resources and industry-leading support to make charity golf tournaments easy, approachable, and efficient for organizations of all types and sizes. Visit golfstatus.org.

About Chek
Chek is revolutionizing the way social sector organizations send, spend, and manage mission critical funds, transforming donors' giving experience in the process. Its proprietary, fund disbursement technology, with customizable spending controls, an easy-to-use app, digital wallet integrations, and the ability to securely and rapidly allocate funds, helps philanthropic organizations maximize their impact. By instantly distributing money via digital cards, ensuring donor dollars are spent as intended, and effortlessly recovering unused funds, Chek streamlines core processes, boosts efficiency, and cuts costs. And, with the platform's robust reporting and real-time visibility, Chek is integrating more trust and transparency into organizations' donor lifecycle, helping them grow and scale. Visit chekspend.com to learn more!

SOURCE PRNewswire

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Avery’s Hope, an all-volunteer, grassroots organization that provides financial assistance to rare, ultra rare, and undiagnosed pediatric GI patient families, has been selected as the winner of the 2023 Play It Forward giveaway.

The Play It Forward campaign was held in collaboration with GolfStatus’ giving partners at Dormie Network and Dormie Network Foundation and celebrates organizations using golf to do good. Entrants were asked to nominate a golf tournament fundraiser to receive a $10,000 donation and were entered to win a one-year Dormie Network membership plus $10,000 to spend at the Network’s exclusive golf clubs.

Avery’s Hope’s inaugural TopGolf fundraiser was held June 25, and highlights the inclusive approach of the organization’s support of families with pediatric GI illnesses. Co-founder and executive director, Caryl Harris, says, “This year we hosted at TopGolf to be more inclusive for patient families, children, and those who don’t golf. By doing so, this event attracted a number of families who wouldn’t be able to afford or otherwise support a traditional golf outing.”

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Avery’s Hope is named in honor and celebration of the founders’ grandson, Avery Harris, who was born with microvillus inclusion disease. The rare, genetically-inherited disease is characterized by an inability of the intestines to absorb nutrients. Avery’s grandparents realized how many other kids and their families were suffering, not only with their child’s illness but with the financial burdens, and wanted to make a difference.

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Avery’s Hope has formed partnerships with major national institutions specializing in rare pediatric GI care, including five major children’s hospitals, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and Patients Rising Now Helpline. The group focuses on alleviating the financial burdens of out-of-pocket and insurance-denied expenses faced by families, which often delay treatment and diminish quality of life.

The $10,000 donation will immediately be put towards supporting families. “Patient assistance organizations don’t always receive the same amount of financial support as those who raise money for research. Avery’s Hope has chosen to help with the immediate needs of families,” says Caryl.

Almost 600 organizations and golf fundraisers were nominated for this year’s giveaway, and two other finalists also received a donated Dormie Network membership to be used for fundraising opportunities: Coventry Reserve and Hope Strengthens Foundation.

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Ready to golf for good?

GolfStatus helps streamline and simplify golf tournaments to help organizations save time and raise more money. Through the Golf for Good program, 501(c) organizations and those holding golf events to benefit a charity can qualify for no-cost access to GolfStatus—including an event website, online registration, live scoring, and much more. Click the button below to find out more and get qualified!

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Golf has a ton of giving power. For nonprofits, a golf tournament is the chance to raise mission-critical dollars, engage supporters, build relationships, and ultimately, do more good. And while planning a tournament isn’t a small undertaking, the good news for nonprofit event planners is that the right technology can make it easier, more efficient, and more lucrative to organize a successful golf fundraiser.

So whether you’re planning your first golf tournament or your fiftieth, here are seven ways tournament management tech can upgrade and improve your golf fundraiser.

1. It Makes It Easier on Everybody

Golf tournaments come with a number of moving parts and specifics to handle that are much different than those that come with a gala or auction. Using tech tailored specifically to a golf event makes it simple to handle the golf details, like flighting, handicaps, tie-breakers, and live scoring. You’ll keep everything organized in one easily-accessible place, so you, your planning team, and even the golf facility staff are all on the same page and working with up-to-the-minute information and not bouncing between multiple platforms and spreadsheets.

Golf facilities love tech that makes it easier on them, too—they’ll spend less time in the back office creating cart signs, rules sheets, and alpha lists and more time out front assisting you and your tournament’s golfers.

2. You’ll Save Time, Resources & Effort

It starts with an event registration website with secure payment processing, where golfers, prospective sponsors, and supporters can learn more about your organization and event and commit to participating with just a few clicks. So instead of creating a costly promotional mailer, then asking supporters to fill out the form, track down a stamp, and mail it back, you simply share a link where folks can register online with a few simple, secure clicks.

Online registrations should automatically flow into the software’s backend, where you can instantly find golfer, sponsor, and payment information. That means no processing paper forms, checks, or receipts and no entering and re-entering information in different spreadsheets. What’s more, when it comes time to make team pairings and hole assignments, it can all be done right in the software. Your administrative burden is cut in half

3. Sponsors Get Better ROI

Sponsors get a ton of value out of the digital exposure provided by tournament management tech. Instead of being limited to signage on the golf course the day of the event, it’s amplified with the exposure throughout the platform before, during, and after the event. So every time someone visits your event site to register or just learn more about the tournament, sponsors get eyeballs on their brand.

Combine that with hole-by-hole exposure and push notifications in the live-scoring app, and businesses see even more value and ROI in supporting your tournament. Plus, sponsors can browse available packages, make a purchase, and upload logos and links right through the event website, eliminating time-consuming back and forth to collect assets and providing instant exposure.

4. You’ll Raise More Money

Any tournament management tech should come with tools that boost fundraising. At a minimum, you should be able to collect donations via the event website, but look for additional fundraising features like a donation tracker on the event site, multiple donation calls-to-action throughout the platform, the ability to round up and donate at checkout, exclusive sponsorships that can be sold at a premium, and fun add-ons that drive revenue (and bring fun and excitement to your charity golf tournament).

National Ag Science Center placed banners around the golf course to help golfers better understand their mission.

5. It Engages Golfers, Donors & Sponsors

Engagement—prior to, during the round, and following the tournament—is key to donor onboarding and stewardship. Instead of just sending golfers out on the course and not interacting with them again until after the round, look to technology to engage them in a variety of ways throughout the day. Live scoring is a great way to keep golfers engaged every time they check the current standings on the tournament’s live leaderboards (which also provides additional sponsor exposure and another opportunity for folks to make a donation).

Direct folks to the event website at the end of the tournament and challenge folks to make a donation, perhaps equal to that of the winning team or what their team shot. You can also leverage push notifications and email communications to share information and updates throughout the day. After the event, export your golf tournament donor data for inclusion into your donor CRM for additional follow up and stewardship.

6. You’ll Be Ready for Next Year

Rather than starting from scratch, you can simply copy your event in the golf tournament software platform, update the date and key details, and push it out to your audiences to save the date and keep it on their radar for next year. If you have a date set, include the link to your new event website in any post-tournament thank yous and follow-up communications to get a jump on promotion and sponsor sales.

7. You Don’t Have to Know About Golf

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a golf club, you hit the links a few times a week, or fall somewhere in between, you can plan a successful, lucrative golf fundraiser with the right tools and resources behind you. Your tech platform should come with a responsive, knowledgeable support team that’s there to coach you, answer questions, and troubleshoot issues for you and your event’s participants.

Golf for Good with GolfStatus

GolfStatus works with nonprofits and charities of all types and sizes to launch or level up their golf fundraisers. The robust platform streamlines the process from start to finish and is backed by an in-house support team available seven days a week.

Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying 501(c) organizations and others planning golf events that benefit a charity can use GolfStatus’ tournament management software at no cost, including an event website, online registration and secure payment processing, digital sponsor exposure, robust reporting, and more. Visit golfstatus.com/demo for more information or to get qualified.

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When it comes to fundraising events, there are plenty of event management platform options out there: CRMs, event-specific platforms, ticketing platforms, peer-to-peer platforms, and more. But how will these work for your golf fundraiser? Can they handle the specific nuances of a golf tournament? Will they make your life easier or require workarounds and adaptations to make it function the way you need it to?

The last thing you need is costly, complicated software that drains your time and resources instead of driving fundraising. As you evaluate software options for your golf event, here are some crucial questions to ask:

1. Will it help raise money?

If the goal of your golf tournament is to raise money, you’ll want a platform that comes with built-in tools that help facilitate fundraising, including the ability to collect donations (plus a way to set a donation goal and track your progress), the option for registrants to cover any fees, exclusive sponsorships and add-ons that drive revenue, and easy ways to receive your funds. It should also feature an attractive event website that serves as the home page for the tournament and presents your organization and sponsoring businesses in a professional light, with user flows that make it easy to complete transactions.

2. Is it easy to use?

When technology isn’t straightforward and easy to use and learn, your attention isn’t where it needs to be—attracting golfers, connecting with donors, selling sponsorships, and providing a great overall tournament experience. Tournament management software should be intuitive, so anyone on your staff or planning team can create an event in minutes and make changes, additions, and updates as necessary. If your organization holds multiple events, be sure the platform can easily duplicate events and has organization-level tools to standardize logos and branding.

3. Will it save time & effort?

Technology can certainly automate time-consuming tasks and manual labor, but poorly designed software, or tools that aren’t quite what you need, can quickly offset the time-saving benefits of technology with additional training, troubleshooting, and complicated workarounds. Choose a solution that’s both powerful enough to meet your needs and simple enough that you won’t spend hours training staff, trying to work out adaptations, and fixing problems. Look for features that ease common tournament planning pain points, like online registration, robust reporting, one-click hole assignments, live scoring, and sponsor onboarding. Any software solution should keep you organized by tracking golfer, sponsor, and donor information in the platform’s backend. What’s more, you should be able to easily export donor data for seamless inclusion in your nonprofit’s donor database.

4. Does it help promote my tournament?

Experienced tournament organizers and event planners will tell you that every fundraising event you hold should come with an event website. When evaluating event management software, ensure that it can generate a clean, sleek, well-designed event website where players and sponsors can find more information, register a team or sponsor the event, and submit secure payment. With an event site, promotion becomes as easy as sharing a link in email campaigns, social media, your organization’s website, and even on printed pieces with a QR code. This way folks can commit to your tournament right when they hear about it, instead of filling out a paper registration form and finding a stamp to mail it back.

5. Does it make my event look professional?

Tournament software should enhance the overall look and feel of your event. The best software lends a professional experience to every aspect of your tournament and gives it instant credibility, which can be especially helpful for first-year events. Processes and materials that look outdated or unsightly can cheapen your event, which can influence the caliber of players and sponsors it attracts. The ultimate goal is to provide a professional experience from the moment someone hears about your tournament and visits your event site to when they submit their team’s score on the live scoring app.

6. Does it include live scoring?

A golf-specific feature—sometimes underrated and underused by tournament organizers—to look for in your tournament management software is live scoring. Teams input their scores on a mobile app, which syncs in real-time to live leaderboards that allows golfers to see hole-by-hole standings, helps organizers judge the round’s progress and keep the overall event moving smoothly, and expedites finalizing the tournament’s results because there’s no need for golf staff to hunt down paper scorecards. Look for a solution that offers professional, glitch-free live scoring with a leaderboard sponsorship that offers digital exposure that can be sold at a premium.

7. can i share access with my team & the golf facility?

Web-based platforms give tournament organizers, planning teams, and even golf course staff the freedom to access everything that goes into launching and organizing an event from anywhere. Be sure the software you’re considering allows user access permissions as needed so your team can easily collaborate with each other and the golf course using up-to-the-minute information.

8. how much does it cost?

With limited budgets, nonprofits need solutions that work well and don’t cost a fortune. Software that’s so expensive that it forces you to limit resources in other areas isn’t actually saving time or money. When choosing a tournament software platform, certainly consider baseline costs, if there’s a cost per user or for support, and look out for hidden fees, any upcharges, and tricky contracts. Many solutions offer extremely limited access at no cost and then charge substantially more for necessary features. Look for straightforward pricing, fees, and payout procedures.

9. what about the golf facility?

Golf staff at your host golf facility stand to benefit from tournament management software as much as you and your planning team do. You should be able to share access to the platform with golf professional staff, so they can assist with finalizing hole assignments, flighting, tie-breakers, and other golf-specific tasks in the days leading up to the event. Look for pre-formatted printouts, like scorecards, cart signs, and alpha lists, so golf staff can literally just hit “print” instead of having to create these pieces from scratch, saving them hours of time and allowing them to provide better service to you and your tournament’s golfers. Some golf facilities have an internal system in place they rely on to manage and execute outside events, but at your request, they should be willing to accommodate whatever platform you decide to use.

10. Will someone be available to help me?

Failure to provide adequate support is, unfortunately, common among software providers. Be sure to ask about the support you can expect to receive. Are support staff in-house or out-sourced? As a user, do you have immediate access to the support you need leading up to your event? During your event? After? Is support available seven days a week and what tools are available to assist your team and the golf facility during certain timeframes, such as in the evenings and on weekends when events are in full swing?

get qualified for tournament management software—at no cost

GolfStatus’ mission is to help nonprofits tap into golf’s given power by providing tools, resources, and support to plan and execute golf fundraisers. Through the Golf for Good program, nonprofits and those planning golf events to raise money for one can qualify to use GolfStatus’ tournament management software at no upfront cost. Get a professional event website, online registration and payment processing, live scoring, exclusive sponsorships and add-ons, and live support seven days a week to make your next golf event the best one yet. Click below to learn more and get qualified.

Partner Snapshot

RiseUp Malawi was born out of a trip founder Megan Mathis took to the African country in 2010, where she was struck by the widespread poverty. While on that trip, she met a gentleman named Hudson, who was running a program on his front porch to teach kids computer skills. Megan knew she wanted to help, but didn’t know how. She and Hudson stayed in touch in subsequent years, and she tip-toed into raising money for in-country work on a part-time basis. That changed in 2018, when she felt a calling to grow the organization and its impact full time.

RiseUp Malawi began working with kids after school to provide additional educational support and encourage them to continue their education. “There are so many barriers to education in Malawi,” Megan says. “If we can help eliminate those barriers, we can help lift these kids out of generational poverty.” Hudson became the full-time in-country director of the after school program, which serves over 300 kids in the district.

The Challenge

To create an in-country income source, it was decided to build a guest house that could be used by the organization to host visitors but also rented out to tourists. Megan was charged with raising $60,000 and had no idea where to start. Megan and her family had recently moved to Castle Pines, Colorado with a golf course down the street from her home. Her husband is an avid golfer and had played in several charity golf tournaments, and she knew golfers were a great demographic to target for fundraising. “I just kept hearing ‘golf’ in my head,” says Megan. “But I couldn’t get past the thought of ‘I don’t know how to do this’.”

The Solution

When Megan first began thinking of a golf fundraiser, she signed up to receive emails from GolfStatus. After she booked the golf course in December (giving herself plenty of planning time before the August tournament date), she knew there was no turning back, so she circled back to GolfStatus, downloaded some planning resources, and saw the value in using the software and jumped on board. “I came into this not knowing what I was doing or if this was going to work, but GolfStatus’ experience helped make it a success,” says Megan. The ROI was great for us.”

Tournament organizers promoted the event through local events, alumni associations, social media, and the local newspaper.

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“I came into this not knowing what I was doing or if this was going to work, but GolfStatus’ experience helped make it a success. The ROI was great for us.”

— Megan Mathis, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING at riseup malawi

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The Results

For a first-time event, Megan and her team were thrilled with the turnout, sponsor support, and overall return on investment of the golf fundraiser. On-course games, pin prizes, upgraded food and drink, and player swag bags were incorporated into the tournament to enhance the experience even more.

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GOlf TOurnament Summary

Golf Facility

The Ridge At Castle Pines North, Castle Pines, CO (upscale public golf course)

Tournament Name

Let Hope Rise Charity Golf Tournament

Golfers

88

Dollars raised

$38,500

top sponsorship

$10,000 (Title Sponsorship)

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Lessons Learned

Planning & Promotion

Since it was her first time organizing a golf tournament, Megan wanted to give herself plenty of planning time. She used a volunteer matching tool to help find folks in her area that were interested in helping nonprofits to help build a planning team, as well as connecting with local supporters. “A big lesson learned in planning a tournament for the first time was the importance of getting a good team together,” Megan says. “Finding those who have ties to the community or the golf world in some way was super helpful.”

To get the word out about the golf event, Megan started with social media and the local newspaper and expanded to having a booth or presence at various community events where she could talk about RiseUp Malawi’s work and promote the golf tournament. She also tapped into her local alumni group to connect with other graduates of the University of Southern California. “Alumni groups are super powerful!” Megan says. She leveraged the group’s networking events to share information and relied on word of mouth among members.

Sponsorships

Megan and her family were relatively new to the Castle Pines area, so she didn’t have a huge local network to reach out to for sponsorships. Megan started with a GolfStatus guide, Types of Businesses to Target As Sponsors for Your Golf Event, and used connections on her planning team to create a target list. She also found success through the local Chamber of Commerce. She joined as a member and started attending events, chatting with business owners and sharing information about RiseUp Malawi and the upcoming golf fundraiser. “The personal connections were so important and we didn’t have to spend a ton of time on cold calls,” says Megan. She also advises approaching sponsors as early as possible before they allocate their budgets.

Two sponsors even made a connection during the golf fundraiser—Burley Brewery and Redemption Road Coffee—and later collaborated on a special coffee porter beer that was offered in the brewery’s tap room. They also hosted a fundraising event during February and kicked back part of sales to RiseUp Malwai, raising about $5,000.

Megan leveraged GolfStatus resources, the local Chamber of Commerce, and personal connections to sell sponsorships.

Tech & Support

As a first-time event organizer, Megan knew she would need some help. “GolfStatus’ blog and resources were helpful as I tried to figure out where to start and what to do next,” she says. She says the software was straightforward and easy to use, but that the support GolfStatus provided was second to none. “GolfStatus’ support team was really my partner in this, so helpful and communicative,” Megan says.

As a nonprofit organization RiseUp Malawi qualified for the Golf for Good program and was able to use GolfStatus’ tournament management software at no cost. Megan says the free event website gave the tournament instant credibility. “We wanted to make the tournament look legitimate and like we’d been doing this for a long time, and the event website did that,” Megan says. Every event website powered by GolfStatus includes online registration and integrated, secure payment processing. “Online registration was great, I could export a list of everyone who had registered.”

The event website also gave the tournament’s sponsors added visibility and digital exposure as soon as they committed to sponsoring the event. Logos, links, and other assets are submitted and stored right in the software so it appears on the site right away. “There was a real sense of pride once we had sponsors committing—we’d look at the site and think, ‘Hey, look at those sponsors!’” Megan says.

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“We wanted to make the tournament look legitimate and like we’d been doing this for a long time, and the event website did that”

— Megan Mathis, CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING at Riseup malawi

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Cause Connection

Megan and the planning team looked for ways to help golfers better understand RiseUp Malawi’s work and why the cause is so important. They utilized the in-cart screens to play a video showing Hudson and the kids thanking them for their support. They also worked with a local coffee company that has a Malawian bean blend (coffee beans are one of the country’s biggest exports) to can it as cold brew and provided it in each golf cart.

The goal for the tournament’s second year is to raise money to build casitas adjacent to the guest house.

looking ahead

Megan hopes to build on the success they had in the event’s first year. They’ve already broken ground on the guesthouse in Malawi, so money raised from year two of the golf tournament will fund the construction of the casitas adjacent to the guest house for additional rental income. They hope to top $50,000 in the event’s second year.

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GOlfing for good

GolfStatus is proud to help nonprofits of all types and sizes tap into golf’s giving power. Its tournament management software streamlines golf events for first-time organizers and veteran event planners. Plus, its exclusive sponsorships and add-ons and built-in fundraising tools help raise even more money for your cause. If you’ve got questions along the way, GolfStatus’ in-house support team is there to help and troubleshoot. Best of all, through the Golf for Good program, 501(c) organizations and those planning golf events to benefit one can qualify to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost. Click the button to learn more and get qualified.

GolfStatus’ powerful tournament management software (TMS) has gotten an upgrade, with a refreshed, easily-navigable interface and additional features to make your next golf event the best one yet.

Track payments and donations and export robust reports.

Manage sponsor logos and assets right in the platform.

Easily navigate between workflows to make updates, additions, and edits.

View and modify rounds, hole assignments, and scorecards and create skins games.

Create a professional event website and build custom team and sponsorship packages.

View players and make hole assignments quickly and easily.

The software’s core functions remain the same, saving tournament organizers time and providing built-in tools to save more money. But the newest version of TMS has a number of notable improvements and new features to better streamline golf tournaments and fundraisers, including:

• Intuitive organization and workflows. The refined layout of the software makes it easier to navigate between workflows. Prompts and alerts help users move from section to section quickly and seamlessly.

• Work in TMS on any device! The new backend is completely responsive, so you can make edits to your event website, review registrations, check payments, and more, all from your phone, tablet, or computer.

• Custom event site URLs. Improve SEO and branding with a custom URL for every tournament’s event website.

• Improved image editing. There’s no need to hassle with graphic design programs or websites—now you can resize logos and images and make necessary edits right in TMS, saving you valuable time. Plus, you can customize the overlay on the event website’s hero image.

• Now processing Canadian dollars! Canada, we’re here to make executing a lucrative golf tournament easier and more efficient. 

• Simplified organization management. Manage user access and permissions and standardize settings, imagery, logos, and links across tournaments.

• Improved skins games management. It’s now simpler to start a skins game and manage players and teams that want in on the action.

• Additional paid features. Send sponsor invoices through the platform and set up discount codes for registrants. Tournaments can access these premium features for a fee.

All of this (with the exception of the paid features), plus GolfStatus’ professional event websites, live scoring and leaderboards, exclusive sponsorships, digital sponsor exposure, and more, is still available at no upfront cost for qualifying nonprofits and charity golf tournament organizers through GolfStatus’ Golf for Good program.

And like always, GolfStatus’s in-house support team is here with live support seven days a week to answer questions and troubleshoot issues.

Ready to Find Out More? 

Get in touch with the GolfStatus team to find out how you can start saving time and raising more money with your golf tournament today. Whether you’ve got a tournament on the calendar or are just exploring the idea, GolfStatus can help. Click here to connect with our team and get qualified for the Golf for Good program.

Already a GolfStatus Client?

Get in touch with your Client Success representative to learn more about the updates and make the switch to the newest version of TMS!