“Brains Over Bucks.”

Help a Worthy Cause to Help Your Bottom Line

By Jeff Slutsky and Marc Slutsky

Raising money for a worthy cause might just be the perfect opportunity for your business to build sales. Such was the case when Dirk Todd, the golf pro at Raccoon International in Granville, Ohio, discovered that someone he knew needed a life-saving kidney transplant. While insurance and grants covered much of the cost of the operation, the organ rejection medication needed was not covered. With the help of the family and their friends, Dirk coordinated a benefit day at Raccoon International golf course. Money was raised in many different ways:

• Fees for rounds of golf.
• Fees for "gimmies", "pro shots" and "Mulligans".
• Food and beverage sales.
• Silent auction.
• Hole sponsorships.

Many area businesses donated food so that 100% of the sales went to the cause. Donated food items included hamburgers, brats and a six-foot sub from Subway. One of the biggest money makes came from Hosters, a local microbrewery, which donated kegs of their own beer for the event.

Dirk organized tee off times in the morning and afternoon to accommodate all the golfers. Eighteen local businesses sponsored individual holes and a local sign company donated the signs for those holes. One very creative fund raising element came from the sale of "Gimmies," "Mulligans" and "pro shots” Gimmie (Give Me) sales were sold by the foot. Prior to the event you could by a length of string you wanted for a buck a foot. Then, on a given green you could cash in your string. If your ball landed within the length of your string that was your final shot on that hole. On the eighth hole, a particularly rough hole, which required you to drive over water, you could make a donation and have the pro drive the ball for you. These little games raised money and made the event very fun.

Over $5,000 was raised for the cause. After all of this work, what was the benefit to Dirk and Raccoon International? It brought many golfers out to his course that played it for the first time. As a result of that effort, many of them have become regulars and have brought other friends with them. This event was just one of several different marketing efforts Dirk used to create the best year in the history of the course.

Street Fighter Action Plan

1. Find a local organization or individual that needs to raise money for a worthy cause.
2. Organize a special event, using your business as the focal point, to help raise money for the cause.
3. Structure the event so that money is raised when people are paying for your products or services. All profits should go to the cause.
4. At your event, offer "bounce back" certificates to participants to motivate them to, once again, visit your business. However, instead of a discount, the dollar amount on the certificate is donated to the cause. Use a tight expiration period. (i.e. 30 days).
   
5. Promote the event through press releases, fliers, signs, banners and other inexpensive means.

 

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