FIVE ADVANTAGES OF USING AN EVENT WEBSITE FOR GOLF FUNDRAISERS & HOW NONPROFITS CAN GET A FREE ONE

Using a registration website for fundraising events can save event organizers, volunteers, and even players and sponsors tons of time. It’s especially ideal for golf fundraisers. Here are five advantages of using an event website, plus tips for getting the most out of it and how qualifying nonprofits can get a free event website through GolfStatus.org’s #golfforgood initiative.

1. MAKE EVENT PROMO QUICK, EASY, AND EFFECTIVE.

An event website for your golf event allows you to include a link to the site on all communications and marketing surrounding the event, including emails, social media posts, and mailers. This links players and sponsors directly to a professional and branded website with all the information they need to choose a registration or sponsorship package, add it to their cart, and make a purchase in a couple minutes. Be sure the website is mobile-friendly, so players and sponsors can access it from their phones and submit payment anytime, anywhere. Streamlining registrations in this way saves your staff tons of time, as it’s way more convenient than managing entry forms and checks.

Quick tip: Ask each board member to email or text a link to your event’s registration website to five contacts who might be interested in either playing in or sponsoring your golf event. A personal message with a clear call to action and a way for the recipient to act immediately will ensure that these asks are effective.

2. CAST YOUR EVENT AND ORGANIZATION IN A PROFESSIONAL LIGHT.

A clean, professional event website for your golf tournament keeps information organized and gives you a quick, sleek way to tell the story behind the event, your organization, and/or the cause it benefits.

Quick tip: Use the site’s landing page to tell the story of the event in a way that reminds donors and sponsors who/what they’re supporting and why. Look for opportunities to equate dollar values of support with measurable impact in meaningful ways, so that donors stretch to fill needs and fund the projects crucial to your mission.

3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONLINE REGISTRATION.

Online giving and event registration are increasingly common. The convenience of providing donors and corporate connections the ability to commit to your event the moment they receive information about it (whether they hear about it through word of mouth, online promo, or an email blast) means they’re substantially more likely to do so.

Quick tip: Be sure the website provider/event platform you use includes built-in, secure payment processing, making things easier for everyone.

4. CUSTOMIZE SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES AND DISPLAY COMMITTED SPONSORS.

An event website should display each sponsorship level and is also a great opportunity to display sponsorship logos once purchased. This makes it easy to recognize sponsors via email and social media, and encourages other sponsors to get involved. Look for an event website provider with a sponsorship management interface that streamlines this process so sponsor images always appear clean and professional, but don’t require additional hands-on management from your limited staff.

Quick tip: Make one last push for sponsors and players a couple weeks ahead of the event by recognizing this year’s supporters through a simple email blast to your database and a couple corresponding social media posts. This shows your appreciation while also encouraging more support from others.

5. TRACK PLAYER AND SPONSOR INFORMATION IN ONE PLACE.

Perhaps the biggest time saver is that an online registration site with all the features you need means you don’t have to manually process every registration. Players register themselves. And you can still accommodate those who mail in, call, or email by jumping onto the site and entering their info. Players and teams stay organized, and event organizers, volunteers, and even staff at the golf facility can quickly log in to access and update player and team info on the back-end. This also makes things easier to coordinate with the golf course in the days leading up to and the day of the event—when you’ll need to knock out team pairings, hole assignments, tee sheets, cart signs, and other logistics—making things easier on everyone.

GET A FREE WEBSITE FOR YOUR GOLF FUNDRAISER

Through its Golf for Good program, GolfStatus.org works with nonprofits large and small to streamline golf fundraisers beginning with a free website that does all of the above and more. In addition to its simple platform, GolfStatus.org has an in-house customer success team ready to help get your website up and running. To inquire about a free event website for your organization’s upcoming golf fundraiser, fill out this online form or email events@golfstatus.org.

This article first appeared on Golf for Good, a blog devoted to helping fundraisers leverage golf’s unique connection to business and philanthropy to raise more dollars for their organizations.