Led by James Scotney, Town and Country Law are specialists in estate planning and will writing, providing a full spectrum of services to help clients plan for their future and beyond, including lasting powers of attorney, wills and trusts. This article will provide tips and pointers for those interested in staging a charity golf day to support the British Heart Foundation, raising collateral for a cause that funds more than £100 million of lifesaving research into circulatory and heart diseases annually.
For those keen to help charities raise vital funding, it can be hard to know where to start. Golf is a sport that continues to enjoy rapid growth worldwide, with circa 42.7 million on-course players today, a figure that has increased by an impressive 3.1 million since 2022.
Golf days offer significant scope for fundraising, translating a popular hobby into a potential money maker to support life-saving research. Organising a charity golf day requires a cohesive event committee to oversee planning, with roles allocated in line with each team member’s individual expertise and interests.
Once of the first considerations is venue. Organisers should sound out local clubs. They will also need to think carefully about the event date to avoid clashes with any cultural or major sports events.
Other aspects to consider include catering, logistics, sponsorship and promotion. In terms of raising awareness of the event, contacting the local radio station, newspaper, and golf websites and publications can all help to get the word out, as can sharing posters and leaflets around the local area. In a digital age, social media is a particularly popular and effective means of raising the profile of events. Creating a Facebook event page enables organisers to keep followers updated regarding their fundraising activities.
In the run-up to the golf day, the event organisers may wish to reach out to local businesses that may be interested in getting involved, be it sponsoring a hole as part of a corporate hospitality day or even sponsoring the whole day. Where event participants work for a company that operates a matched giving programme, this can be powerful means of boosting fundraising efforts.
During the event itself, organisers will need to say a few words about the charity and its lifesaving impact. Hosting an after-dinner event such as a raffle or auction ensures organisers can raise even more money, as well as providing an opportunity to reward the players for their achievements by presenting awards for best putt, longest drive and golfer of the day, etc.
It is crucial for anyone considering organising a golf day to keep things safe and legal. The British Heart Foundation offers a comprehensive collection of fundraising resources on its website, including ‘Keeping It Safe and Legal’ guidance.