organiser · · By , Founder of Sonna Golf

How to Plan a Charity Golf Day That Actually Raises Money

How to Plan a Charity Golf Day That Actually Raises Money

How to Plan a Charity Golf Day That Actually Raises Money

A charity golf day has two jobs, and you can't do the first well without the second: it has to raise money, and it has to be a genuinely good day. Get the day right and people come back next year, sponsors renew, and word spreads. Get it wrong and you've spent months organising an event that broke even and won't happen again.

The good news is that golf is one of the best fundraising formats there is: it gives businesses, supporters and donors hours to connect in a relaxed setting, with several natural ways to contribute throughout the day. The trick is stacking those up deliberately rather than relying on entry fees alone. This guide shows you how. It builds on our complete guide to organising a golf society day and the corporate golf day guide; here the focus is squarely on the fundraising.

Start with a target, and know the difference between gross and net

Before anything else, set a fundraising goal. It focuses every decision and gives sponsors and players something to rally behind.

Then hold onto one number that trips up a lot of first-time organisers: net, not gross. It's easy to be delighted that the day "raised £8,000" and forget that £5,000 went on green fees, catering and prizes. The charity gets what's left. So the real skill isn't just bringing money in: it's keeping costs off the charity's side of the ledger, ideally by getting them covered by sponsors (more on that below).

Build a simple budget: expected income from each source, minus expected costs, equals what actually reaches the cause. If that number is small, redesign before you book anything.

Choose an inclusive, sociable format

Fundraising maths is simple: more players and teams means more entry fees, more people buying into the on-course games, and more folk at the dinner. So you want a format that welcomes everyone, not just good golfers.

The Texas Scramble is the charity day's workhorse. Teams play the best shot each time, so a complete beginner can come along, contribute, and have fun without holding anyone up or feeling exposed, which means you can sell teams to businesses whose staff don't all play. It's sociable, forgiving, and keeps the mood light. (See our guide to golf day formats for the alternatives and the right handicap allowance for each.)

Stack up your revenue streams

This is where charity days are won. Rely on entry fees alone and you'll raise a modest amount; layer several streams together and the total climbs fast. The proven ones:

An important legal note: raffles, lotteries and paid prize draws are regulated. A raffle run solely at the event may qualify as an incidental lottery and may not require a licence, but specific rules still apply, including when and where tickets can be sold. Selling tickets before the event or online can put the draw into a different category, and broader society lotteries can require local-authority registration or licensing. Check the latest Gambling Commission guidance and speak to the charity before launching it. This article is general guidance, not legal advice.

Sponsorship: cover your costs, then some

Sponsorship is where a charity day goes from "raised a bit" to "raised a lot," because a good sponsor package can cover your entire cost base, meaning entry fees and everything else are able to flow much more directly to the cause.

Offer a tiered menu:

Make the pitch about value, not charity alone: sponsors get their name in front of a room of local business people all day. And give them a reason to come back, which is really about how the day feels.

Collect entries and donations early

A promised team is not the same as a paid team. Set a payment deadline, make cancellation terms clear, and avoid relying on people to bring cash on the morning. Chasing twenty separate bank transfers in the final week is how organisers lose both time and money. Where possible:

Collecting early protects the fundraising total and turns "we think we've got about 18 teams" into a confirmed, paid field you can plan around.

Planning a fundraiser? Set up your event, add teams and organise the groups in a few minutes. [Create your charity golf day free →]

Keep the costs down

Every pound you save is a pound to the cause:

What the fundraising could look like

To make it tangible, here's an illustrative example for a 20-team event (not an industry benchmark, and your numbers will vary):

The exact figures don't matter; the principle does. Sponsorship and donated prizes protect the money raised through entries and activities, so more of the total reaches the cause.

The experience is your best fundraising tool

Here's the part people miss: the biggest driver of next year's total is how good this year felt. Sponsors renew, teams rebook, and donations grow when the day runs smoothly and feels like a real event rather than a well-meaning shambles.

Live scoring does a lot of the heavy lifting here. Players (one scorer per team is plenty) enter scores from the course, and the leaderboard updates in real time on phones and the clubhouse screen, which keeps the competition alive all day and lets you run the prize-giving straight off the standings instead of tallying cards while the room waits. That's what Sonna Golf is built to do. The live leaderboard also creates a natural focal point for the event and, as Sonna's organiser tools develop, an increasingly valuable place to recognise the businesses supporting the day.

There's a fundraising bonus, too: after the round, players can revisit the results and share the leaderboard, helping the event and its cause reach beyond the people in the room.

Quick checklist

Do the fundraising by design rather than by hope, keep the costs off the charity's side, and run a day people enjoy, and a charity golf day can raise serious money year after year.

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