Sponsorships are one of the main ways a charity or corporate golf tournament raises money, alongside entry fees. Getting them is mostly ordinary groundwork: knowing your number, knowing what you are offering, and asking the right people in the right order.
This article walks through that groundwork in sequence. If you want worksheets and templates to go with it, the free guide further down has them.
Start with a sponsorship goal, not a wish list
Before you contact anyone, work out how much sponsorship the event actually needs. Add up what the event will cost, add the net amount you want to raise, then subtract the entry fees and other income you expect, such as a raffle. What is left is your sponsorship target.
Here is a hypothetical example. If an event needs $55,000 in total revenue and expects $35,000 from entry fees and add-ons, the sponsorship target is $20,000. Those figures are for illustration only; yours will depend on your course, your market, and your format. The budget section of How to Plan a Golf Tournament covers the cost side in more detail.
Build packages a sponsor can understand in a minute
A sponsor should be able to read your offer quickly and know exactly what they get. Most events use a small set of levels: a top presenting sponsor, a few mid-level tiers, and low-cost hole sponsorships. Many add specific options, such as food and beverage or an on-course experience, and accept goods or services in place of cash.
Give every level something distinct, and put the benefits in writing. Then test your prices against your target: multiply each price by the number you realistically expect to sell, add them up, and compare the total with your goal. If the plan only works when every package sells out, adjust it. For ideas that go beyond a logo on a sign, see Sponsorship Ideas That Give Sponsors Real Value.
Make a prospect list, starting close to home
Start with the people who already know your organization, then work outward:
- Your closest circle. Committee and board members, volunteers, past golfers and donors, and the businesses where they work.
- Local businesses. Vendors you already pay, and local businesses that want to reach the people who will be at your event.
- A wider reach. Regional companies with community giving programs, and businesses that sponsor similar local events.
Score each prospect on your relationship with them, how well they fit your golfers and cause, how likely they are to be able to give, and timing. Ask the best-scoring prospects for the biggest packages first. Expect many to decline or say not this year, so build a list that is longer than the number of sponsors you need.
Make the ask
A personal introduction from someone on your committee is usually a stronger start than a cold email. Whichever route you take, a few habits help:
- Keep the first message short and specific. Say who you are, the event date, what the money funds, and one or two main benefits.
- Attach a one-page proposal. Show the packages side by side and make it easy to say yes.
- Ask for a small next step. A 15-minute call is easier to agree to than a commitment.
- Plan to follow up. Many people do not answer the first message. A short email about a week later, then a phone call, is a reasonable pattern.
- Give a real deadline. Tie it to something concrete, such as the date you order signs.
Build a Better Sponsorship Plan.
Download our free Golf Tournament Sponsorship Guide to learn how to create sponsorship packages, set fundraising goals, approach potential sponsors, and organize sponsor activations.
- Eight package types, plus a sample package grid
- A revenue calculator with sample figures and formulas
- Outreach emails, a phone script, and a tracking sheet
- Activation ideas, event-day fulfillment, and a checklist
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Deliver what you promised, then follow up
Treat every promised benefit as a checklist item on event day: signs in place, announcements made, activations staffed, and a photo of each sponsor’s placement. Assign one volunteer to look after sponsors so nothing gets missed.
Within a couple of days, thank each sponsor personally. Within a week or two, send a short recap with your real results and photos of their placement. Then ask about next year while the event is fresh. A sponsor who received everything they were promised, and can see what the money did, has a concrete reason to renew.
Where to go deeper
Sponsorship Ideas That Give Sponsors Real Value covers how to move beyond signage, and Golf Tournament Activation Ideas and the Vendors Behind Them covers the activations you can pair with a package. How to Plan a Golf Tournament places sponsorship in the full planning timeline.
If one of your sponsorship packages is a pre-round experience, a sponsor can underwrite a staffed stretching activation. See how Golf Stretch Academy runs one for golf tournaments in Orange County and San Diego.