Where college students go for golf

Putting the "Fun" in Club Golf Fundraising

By Kris Hart

Golf fundraising exceeds billions of dollars every year, and we wanted to share a few easy ways you can get a few extra dollars for your club golf team.

University Funding

If you have a friend or classmate who holds a senate seat, make sure you contact them as early as possible; some of those bills can take several weeks to pass! If you are unsure of your college or university’s particular point of contact for these types of issues, your team’s advisor can always help you out. If you are paying out the rear end to keep your school’s doors open, they should be able to give back at least a little, right?

Partner with a Local Restaurant/Concession Stand Duty

Partnering with a local restaurant for a promotional event might be the easiest way for your club team to make a serious amount of money in just one night. Here is how it works: you call up a local restaurant and establish a time and date for your club team’s promotional night. Between your club team and the restaurant, you will agree upon a percentage of the revenue generated that will go directly into your bank account; all you have to do is advertise on campus. My team arranged a deal with our local BBW - who will you work with?

If all else fails, colleges and universities are ALWAYS looking for student organizations to operate the concession stands at sporting events. This obviously requires a lot more work; however, this might be the perfect opportunity to build teamwork among the new members of the club!

Raffles

This might be the oldest fund raising trick in the book, but it still works like a charm. An effective way to generate some revenue for the team is by hosting raffles throughout the semester. What I recommend is partnering with local businesses to donate small items valued between $50 and $250 to be raffled off by the team. For example, a local apparel retailer could donate a jacket with your college or university’s logo embroidered on it, a golf course might donate a student pass for the academic year, the movie theater in the area could give you ticket packages, etc.

After you land a donation, you will have to promote the raffle throughout campus and on social media (each NCCGA team will have a facebook and twitter account by the start of the fall so these powerful social networking tools can be a huge help!). Be sure that you are very clear on what the rules are, when a name will be drawn, and how the winner can redeem their prize. Effective raffles can double as a marketing strategy for your team as well as a great way to make money!

Family/Awards Luncheon

As college students, the only time we want to get our parents involved is when we need money. Hosting an “End-of-the-Year” luncheon or banquet would be the perfect way to cap off a great season and set aside some money for next year. Set a venue, order the catering, and, like all events that you host as a club team, promote it throughout your organization and throughout social media! Tickets to the event can be slightly overpriced so that you can profit from each guest in attendance.

Another good way to generate addition revenue at events like this is by hosting a silent auction. When sending out formal invitations give the guests the opportunity to bring an item to be donated to the club and auctioned off for the club’s profit. If played right, these silent auctions can bank hundreds of dollars in just a few hours.

**Chase Russell is the NCCGA President, contact him on Twitter @NCCGAPresident

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