Most golf tournaments are held to raise money whether the cause is supporting a local charity, a national foundation, or a neighborhood sports team. Secondary to raising funds is the awareness factor, you want people to associate your cause or effort with a memorable event to help spread the word.
So the top two things on your mind when it comes to tournament fundraising should be how to draw sponsors and how to draw players and frankly these are very interconnected concepts, to draw top sponsors you need to let them know that they will be seen prominently during the event by a large number of participants and to draw participants you need sponsors to fund exciting contests at your tournament.
If you get this right what could it mean for your tournament? Well, here are some real world examples of how much our tournament directors have spent on contests and signs in our Tournament Shop, and what they have earned in return:
Spent Earned
$292.35 $2,240.00
$466.75 $16,790.00
$597.00 $18,263.00
$597.00 $3580.00
$900.00 $5,560.00
$927.50 $10,125.00
$1,330.50 $10,135.00
$1,765.00 $13,450.00
The table above represents a sample of recent tournaments hosted through our software where the tournament director has personally shared both their financials and outcomes. As you can see the return on investment is very lucrative.
So, how does this work? As a guaranteed prize firm we offer several services to make your tournament stand out in a crowd. Remember the sponsors you are talking to are also approached by others on a regular basis, so they are already inclined to say no or to take the easiest path (small item donation). This means you need to make your offer so compelling that the sponsor wants to open their checkbook and invest with you.
You can imagine how contests can help to achieve this. Pretend you are a sponsor and I am coming to you to ask for money, and instead of relying strictly on my charitable cause, I tell you that I am offering a vacation to Africa as one of my hole in one prizes and for a donation of $200 you can have a custom made sign with your businesses name on it sponsoring that prize. Your company is now known as the company that is offering a trip to Africa, and that will entice you to come through as a sponsor. I could also offer you a deal that for $300 you can sponsor the $15,000 hole-in-one. Now, your company name is synonymous with a big ticket item, and because it is a prize hole, every participant will linger at the hole in front of your logo on the custom made sign. You could even have a sponsor present at the hole as a great marketing opportunity. The best part is, the prize is actually guaranteed by JRyder Group, so you as a sponsor get all of the credit and you hold none of the liability for the prize!
This is the approach you can use when selling to sponsors, and we know you can successfully execute it, even as a beginner, because thousands of tournaments a year use our software and buy our packages with great success.
Now here comes the best part, participation from players. Players will automatically be drawn to your event by virtue of sharing the same interest in your cause, charity, or fundraiser– but you can do better. Try going to the golf course and the local paper and ask them to promote your event to the local community with a headline that reads “My fundraiser is offering a chance to win a trip to Africa or a $15,000 hole-in-one event to help a good cause.” Of course, this advertisement strategy will attract more players, specifically players who play the course but don’t know your cause personally. Players that read about you in the paper will also be interested in getting in on the game, even if it is only for the opportunity to win a great prize and get in a round of golf. Your event will be the local buzz, and with your golf event website, you can make it really easy for everyone to sign up.
You can also offer lower priced sponsorships for hole sponsors, lunch sponsors, and any other item, location, or event that you already have on the course. Putting a sponsor hole sign on a tee box transforms it from a regular hole into a money making opportunity. In this way, you can turn every pin flag, drink station, and golf cart into an advertising opportunity with a simple sign. These sponsors won’t get as much attention as the contest sponsors, but it is a great opportunity for middle of the road level sponsors to get their name out there.
Before approaching sponsors, the first step is deciding what contests and signs you want on the course. We have contest prizes for Long Drive, Closest to the Pin, Putting Contests, Hole in One, and Shootouts, and in addition to our prize packages, we offer all of the custom signs your event needs to look professional and polished. We have sponsor signs for all contests, welcome banners, cart and beverage services. I you can name it or conceive it, we can deliver it. The best part is, we will consult with you all along the way: our expert advice has been the foundation of our services for over 20 years.
Our job is to ensure that your tournament is the best tournament possible. We want your event to be popular and we want to make it so easy for you, so that your tournament becomes an annual event. If it does become an annual event (and you feel we have given you good service), then we hope to see you again next year and the year after until we have become a little part of your family.
Cheers to an outstanding tournament and if you have any questions feel free to call us, we love sharing our passion with you.