There is a lot of planning that goes into a successful fundraiser golf tournament. From the first day of planning a few months in advance to the week after the tournament and everything in between it takes a team of people to ensure no details are left incomplete. I wanted to give you a sneak peek into what goes on the day of our golf tournament. As much as it takes our full staff to ensure the tournament goes off without a hitch, it certainly wouldn't be possible without a dedicated board of directors volunteering their time and we feel like we have the best board around to make sure the job gets done. Our board and staff start solidifying dates with the venue and other vital companies as much as a year in advance. We have some amazing companies in Casper that see the value in supporting OCF and we greatly appreciate their willingness to save the date for us. As the day of the tournament rolls around, it’s time to put all of the planning pieces into action! MORNING: We start the day bright and early to get everything set up before the first golfers arrive to check in. This year we did a double shotgun start with a morning and afternoon flight. We have a registration area where golfers check in, receive their gift (customized OCF golf towel and poker chip), and purchase any tickets (50/50 golf ball drop, golf helper packages to give them a leg up on their score, and extra tickets for our raffle giveaway). This is where we coordinate with the golf pros about any last minute changes are made if there are any player replacements or no shows. We also offer a sneak peek at the silent and live auction items. It takes a team of volunteers in the morning to set up the items to look attractive and create a good flow. After the morning flight starts we prep for the afternoon shotgun and get to go around the course ensuring everyone is happy and mingle with the guests. AFTERNOON: Now it’s time for the second flight to check in and we go through the same process as the morning. Once these golfers are off on the course it’s time to break down registration and move and set up the auction items to the banquet tent! The golf course event staff are a great help with setting up the banquet so it looks beautiful. We just added a few decorations and coordinated the auction items. EVENING: After all the golfing is done, we get to move onto arguably the most fun part of the tournament- the banquet! Guests arrive for a cocktail reception where they get to chat and start bidding on silent auction items. As dinner kicks off the guests enjoy speeches from our Founder/CEO and board members to remind them of the impact they are making by supporting the event. It is so important to connect the mission of the Olivia Caldwell Foundation back to the reason we are all gathered at the tournament. This was the first year we did a golf ball drop and it was a blast. Not only did golfers have the opportunity to purchase a 50/50 numbered golf ball but it was open to the public as well. We put all of the purchased numbers into a bucket that was hoisted into the air by a crane. They were released and plummeted to the ground at a target. The golf ball closest to the target was chosen as the winner to split the cash pot 50/50 with OCF. The winner graciously donated the proceeds back. After the golf ball drop, the live auction kicked off. We started with a Mission Live Auction that allowed guests to donate in such a way that 100% of the proceeds benefit pediatric cancer research and our Pediatric Specialty Clinic. It is pretty amazing how generous our golfers are and we are so grateful for all of the support they provide. The second part of the Live Auction involves auctioning off our larger packages. This is where the energy in the tent goes up. People are bidding against each other in hopes of winning some fun vacations, golf packages and other unique items. After all of the scheduled events take place the rest of the evening is spent enjoying each other’s company and thanking everyone for all of their hard work and support. The beauty of a golf tournament vs other fundraising events we host is that there are moments of down time. Most events we are on full speed the entire time but when the golfers are off on the course the staff and board have a short span of time to decompress and enjoy the wonderful weather and guests! Overall the golf tournament was a huge success. We cannot thank our volunteers enough for ensuring this event went smoothly and for our supporters and their drive to ensure children battling cancer and other serious diseases have the best possible chance and surviving and thriving. We look forward to seeing what’s possible for next year’s tournament!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories
All
|