How early do I need to start planning my golf tournament?
AFP Asks:
How early do I need to start planning my golf tournament?
Answer:
Planning a golf tournament—whether you’re doing it for the first time or have been planning fundraising events for years—doesn’t have to take a ton of time. But, particularly if it’s your first time, it’s a good idea to give yourself plenty of time so you’re not dealing with the added stress of last-minute timeline in addition to establishing a new tournament. You’ll also have more choices in terms of courses and open dates, as well as more time to attract golfers and solicit sponsors.
Four to six months is generally a good timeframe for planning a golf tournament. This gives you ample time to promote the event, secure sponsorships, rally your supporters, and handle all the details and specifics. If yours is an annual fundraiser, it’s also a good practice to have the date and location for next year’s tournament when you send post-fundraiser thank yous and follow ups so players keep your event on their radars and sponsors include you in their annual budgeting.
But depending on the size, scope, and goals of the event, it’s possible to pull together a lucrative event in as little as six weeks, if necessary. For example, the Neal family in Lincoln, Nebraska planned a memorial tournament to honor their father and raise money for brain cancer research in about six weeks in its first year and raised over $12,000. Play Like a Girl, a nonprofit in Nashville, planned their first ever Play Like a Girl on the Green golf tournament in just 12 short weeks and raised over $215,000!
Check out this event planning timeline and checklist to get you started. For even more information, check out this step-by-step guide to planning a golf tournament fundraiser. No matter how long you have to plan, an event management platform built for golf will help streamline the process and keep everything organized in one easy-to-access place.
About AFP Asks
The AFP Asks content series is part of a strategic partnership between GolfStatus.org and the Association of Fundraising Professionals to support frontline fundraisers with resources, tools, and technology for planning new and existing golf fundraisers. GolfStatus.org’s powerful, user-friendly technology is available to all AFP members and the organizations they serve at no cost. Click here to get qualified or email [email protected].
