Fraternity Golf Tournament Fundraiser

Fraternity Golf Tournament Fundraiser

Having a golf tournament as a fundraiser is a way to have a great time and fundraise a lot money for the fraternity.

You will first need to find a course to host the tournament. Find the cheapest local course you can find. Remember, it is a fundraiser. Keep your expenses minimal.

One key caveat to finding a course is to make sure they allow you to have a beverage cart. Often courses will not let you do this unless you pay a corking fee. Often that is a minimal fee. Again, be sure to run the numbers in accordance to the rules the course sets.

Next you will need to find people to play in the tournament. You need to create a buzz with your alumni. If you can get one or two influential alumni to take interest in the event, often they can convince others. Also, invite friends and family to the event. You really don’t care who plays, as long as a lot of people do.

Several days before the tournament you should have a good head count. Say you charge $20 over what the course charges you. Take half of that and buy prizes (if you can’t find local businesses to donate them). Do not focus on golf prizes either. Most people who will playing probably won’t be golfers and won’t be interested in a dozen balls. The event is supposed to be fun, and is going to be with friends and family. This is the perfect opportunity for gag prizes.

Now you have to focus on making serious money off this thing. Get people to sponsor each green, fairway and tee on the course. That will be 54 sponsors total. Contact your local Kinkos to have signs made to place on the course. Make it everyone’s responsibility to find sponsors. If you have 27 brothers, everyone is responsible for finding two. They can have their grandmother be a sponsor or alumni they are close with. They can have their Dad’s business or the local college bar sponsor. Charge whatever you think a reasonable rate is that they will pay. If you charge $25 a sponsor (which is on the super cheap end) – that is $1350. Take out $150 in expenses to make signs and you have a profit of $1200. That is a good return for minimal effort.

On tournament day, don’t forget to sell mulligans and red ball busters. A mulligan is a do-over and a red ball buster is an opportunity to hit from the girls tees. Offer this option for at least $5 a pop. That will net you a quick hundred or two.

Another source of funds is selling drinks. Have a brother and a pretty girl work the beer cart. Beer should cost you a buck or so when you factor in the cart fee. It should be no problem making a couple hundred bucks this way. Be sure to let everyone know that they need to buy the booze from you, and not the course. As always, remind everyone that you are in public and not to embarrass the fraternity. Remember the cost of a wrecked golf cart will ruin all the effort that went into the tournament.

Finally, set up a hole where you offer the golfer a chance to win $20 by placing a $10 wager. Make sure it isn’t too easy. You should get lots of takers.

All in all – you can turn a simple event into a serious fundraiser. And everyone will have a good time in the process.

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