Planning and hosting a golf outing fundraiser can be exhausting, time consuming and somewhat risky. However, the results can be very profitable for a COTA patient who lives in your area. In fact, golf outings remain one of today’s most profitable, and most popular, special event fundraisers. A new template posted at www.cota.org, Patient Campaign Volunteer link, offers tips, ideas and samples to help. Here are a few tips for planning a fundraising day on the greens:
Identify the maximum number of attendees. Golf events are popular. Players who have participated in other community charity outings are likely to register for yours as well. When it comes to budgeting for your participants, consider these stats:
An 18-hole course can handle a maximum of 144 players, but this number of players will create long delays in play and will limit tournament formats.
72 players (18 foursomes) will result in a good pace of play.
When estimating numbers, account for the non-golfing volunteers who will be present at the event – everyone at the event impacts overall costs.
Choose a golf course. Whether public or private, golf courses and amenities differ so keep the following in mind:
Consider guest travel times to/from the course.
Inspect the clubhouse locker rooms, banquet and meeting facilities.
Confirm the club has sufficient equipment, golf rentals, and carts.
Get to know the club sales manager, catering manager and golf pro.
Develop an event agenda. Here is a sample golf outing itinerary:
9:30 a.m. - Registration
10:0 0 a.m. - Welcome Remarks
10:15 a.m. - Distribution of Box Lunches / Opening of the Putting Green
11:00 a.m. - Shotgun Start
3:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Dinner, Awards, Auction
Select the food and beverage. Catering costs can quickly add up when you need to provide enough food and beverage for a full slate of golfers who are participating in an entire day of activities. The following tips can help keep costs in check and make your golfers happy:
Ask if you can bring in your own food or caterer. If you can, work to get the food and services donated as a gift-in-kind.
Choose box lunches; not a formal catered lunch. This will also help keep play moving at a steady pace.
Review beverage needs. Will you be charged for beverage cart stock based on consumption or a set limit?
Plan a simple buffet dinner to allow mingling and allow time to view auction items. An Italian-themed menu is often an economical option.
Select the tournament format. The most popular golf format is the ‘Scramble’, which allows each player to tee off, with play continued from the best tee shot. This continues until the ball reaches the cup on that hole. Another popular format is ‘Best Ball’, which allows all players to play their own ball, but only the best score in the foursome is recorded. Whatever format you choose, you will also want to add games and gimmicks. A list of such on-course revenue boosters is noted in the new, online COTA Golf Template.
Submit your budget. COTA must approve your budget and should review all contracts related to your golf outing. Golf outings have the potential to be a leading form of fundraising, but they also can be costly to pursue. Plan to negotiate with the course management and to research the following expenses:
Green fees per person.
Food and beverage.
Tournament gifts and prizes.
Hole-in-one contest insurance.
Signage and promotional materials.
Invitation and Flyer. When your plans and budget are confirmed by COTA’s staff, the next step is to get golfers interested in your event. A promotional flyer being used by the team planning COTA patient Kaitlyn Cross’ golf outing is posted in the Patient Campaign Volunteer password area of www.cota.org. This sample includes:
Date, time, and location
Event agenda o Event chairperson contact name, phone, and email
COTA Patient information and photo
IRS wording
Payment options
Sponsorship opportunities
Determine the pairings. The last detail to prepare for your golf outing is to put the foursomes together. Enlist the help and guidance of your course’s Golf Pro to ensure a smooth and organized start to a great day on the greens – a day that can earn ‘green’ for your COTA patient’s second chance at life.
Funds raised at your event can be sent to: Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. For more information about a COTA patient in your area you needs your help, please contact us at
or 800.366.2682.
How many people did you communicate with today? What if each of the people you emailed, text messaged, or voice mailed in the past 24 hours got a chance to learn about your COTA patient? While you may not want to make a formal fundraising pitch, there are some things you can do to subtly get people interested in learning more about your COTA patient, and perhaps in making a financial donation.
On your computer:
Add an inspiring quote to your signature line. Include the patient’s COTA website address. For example; While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. Angela Schwindt Help me make a difference in ______’s life. Log onto www.cotafor____.com.
Send a brief update to those in your online address book telling them you are volunteering for a great cause. Urge them to reply with how they can help make a life-saving difference.
Create a screen saver. If your employer allows you to personalize your computer, add a scrolling message to inspire action or add a photo and the patient’s COTA website address to grab the attention of those who pass by your desk.
On your phone:
Include in your voicemail greeting that you are volunteering for a local COTA campaign and you could use donations of time and money.
In person:
While you may not have time to spend telling your patient’s story around the water cooler, you may be surprised at the multitude of opportunities that exist each day to share your COTA patient’s story. As you purchase your groceries, perhaps you can share with the store manager that in the coming weeks you need to get supplies for a fundraiser and would like he/she to consider a donation. Your own cart full of groceries you are buying supports the grocery store management’s willingness to help with this local cause.
Remember, the worst response you will ever get is “no”, and “no” is better than no response … because you never asked. Start spreading the word today – People Can’t Help If They Aren’t Asked.
Most people have cars – cars that need the grime and dirt from the winter months washed away. Why not host a car wash and donate the proceeds to a COTA patient in your area? Here are some simple tips and strategies for some "good clean fundraising."
First, determine a location. You will need to ensure you have access to water and sufficient space to wash at least one car while others wait in line. Try to find a location with lots of car traffic and with an easy entrance so ‘passersby’ can pull off once they see your signs. Some suggestions include a bank parking lot, a gas station parking lot, an oil change quick stop and a church parking lot.
The next step? Finding volunteers. Your volunteers must be willing to commit to the hours of the event, and must come to the car wash full of energy and enthusiasm. People seem to enjoy volunteering at a car wash (even though it can be physically tiring) versus committing to other fundraising activities like selling items, preparing food for dinner fundraisers or soliciting in-kind gifts for auctions. Car washes are a lot of good, clean fun. During your car wash, make sure all volunteers are prepared to wash the cars and are prepared to offer a heartfelt thank you for the donation that will make a life-saving difference.
Finally, you must have cars to wash. Your signage must be bold and easy to read as cars pass. Kids can help by holding up signs, but remember to always have adults supervising your smallest volunteers to ensure their safety.
You can also add to your event day proceeds with some of these pre-event fundraising ideas:
Wash-A- Thon. Ask your car wash volunteers to collect pledges, in advance, for every car they can wash. This can be a really fun contest amongst your volunteers.
Wash For Free. How can a free car wash generate funds? Research indicates that people actually donate more when they are not asked for a set amount. For instance, if your sign says each car wash is $3.00, that is all you are likely to get. If your sign says the service is free, the driver may give you a $5.00 donation. You will be most successful with this strategy if your volunteers are willing to share information with the driver about the COTA patient your car wash is supporting.
Sell Coupons. There are lots of advantages to pre-selling coupons for your car wash. Pre-selling allows you to know how many people will likely come to your car wash, meaning you can better plan labor and supplies. Some ticket buyers will never show up, but you already have their donation. And if it rains on the day of your event, you are washed up, but not washed out.
As you roll up your hoses and hang the towels to dry, celebrate the fact that your hard work has helped COTA to give hope, and possibly make a miracle, for an area child or young adult. Funds raised at your event can be sent to: Children’s Organ Transplant Association, 2501 West COTA Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403. For more information about a COTA patient in your area you needs your help, please contact us at
or 800.366.2682.
Funds Available for Patients’
Transplant-Related Expenses
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) provides Services at No Cost and a Challenge Grant Program. The Children's Organ Transplant Association does not charge for its services -- 100% of funds raised are available for transplant-related expenses. Every fundraising campaign is eligible for up to $10,000 in challenge grant funds in the first year of fundraising. All funds raised for patients are always used for patients.
Planning and hosting a golf outing fundraiser can be exhausting, time consuming and somewhat risky. However, the results can be very profitable for a COTA patient who lives in your area. In fact, golf outings remain one of today’s most profitable, and most popular, special event fundraisers. A new template posted at www.cota.org, Patient Campaign Volunteer link, offers tips, ideas and samples to help. Here are a few tips for planning a fundraising day on the greens: 
How many people did you communicate with today? What if each of the people you emailed, text messaged, or voice mailed in the past 24 hours got a chance to learn about your COTA patient? While you may not want to make a formal fundraising pitch, there are some things you can do to subtly get people interested in learning more about your COTA patient, and perhaps in making a financial donation.
Most people have cars – cars that need the grime and dirt from the winter months washed away. Why not host a car wash and donate the proceeds to a COTA patient in your area? Here are some simple tips and strategies for some "good clean fundraising."