DGA Giveaway - Day 4!

[timg]

Day 3 is complete! A bunch of great answers, most of which agreed that funding and community support were the most important resources needed to get a course in the ground. Check out the thread and no need to stop the conversation just because we're onto the next day! AndyJB's detailed post stuck out to me this time around. A lot of the answers from yesterday tie into today's question.

For those unfamiliar with how the giveaway works, here's a link to the intro post.

So on with Day 4! The prizes today are a Hardball Tee and an SP Breaker!

Raising funds can be a major hurdle in getting a course in the ground.


What are some creative ways you've seen or used for fund raising that may be of use to individuals or disc golf clubs working on a new course?

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[scunham]

A few years ago I had the chance to re-install a disc golf course at a local church camp that I'm involved with. As the camp is Non-profit I knew that my only option would be to raise the funds somehow by myself.

I created a flyer and sent it out to family members and friends. The flyer was also sent to supporting churches that work/support the camp. I offered 3 different monetary options for sponsorship opportunities, the most being the ACE sponsorship which would provide the costs for the whole basket, and the other two for half and a 1/4 of the cost. I was amazed that one church also took up a special offering one Sunday for this cause. To my surprise I was able to fund the 9 hole course and had money for all the materials and even some for some discs to purchase.

With the help of my father-in-law, and my wife we were able to install the course successfully a month before the Summer camp season started. To this day they now run a yearly disc golf event that raises money towards the Camper Scholarship fund. This fund provides every kid an opportunity to come to camp even if their families can't financially afford to do so.

To show my gratitude and thanks on the back of the scorecards that I also were able to have printed out I listed all the donors that had given towards the new course.

 

[archon21]

I kind of answered this earlier in day 2's thread about the hardest thing about putting in a course.

There are a couple things that I have or have seen done for raising momey. First is a donation box. Not really forcing players to pay to play, just giving players a place to donate to the course. We've had good success with making our local courses a dollar a day to play, but leaving the box there as an honor system. Sometimes people need to be reminded when we see them just walk onto the course without paying. The only problem we've had is people breaking into the lockbox around State Tourney time when all the courses get the most use.

Next are hole sponsorships which are a bit more difficult, but you can acquire more money quicker. I saw this used in ball golf and it seems to work quite will. Just a simple durrable sign to put up with the company name and some sort of contact info/address. Put the sign up for a year at a time on the hole they want to sponsor. Charge them the cost of the sign and plus whatever profit you need(within reason to not scare the sponsors off). Normaly an 8x8 plastic sign will run you about $35 so charging $50-$60 wouldn't be too crazy. Then just general upkeep of the property making sure no one is drawing anything on any company signs(like penises and weed and 420. You know, the normal vandalism). Another way you could use sponsorships is use the general course as a sponsorship. You can have a general sign out in front of the course or where ever all players will see it. This will eliminate the fear of "the company's" hole being skipped(if the hole was an alternate) and their sign not being seen.

Those are the 2 good ways I know of. Others may have better ideas but for now, this is what we use and it works. Just a donation box and course/hole sponsors.

 

[Cards-fan]

Well, I am in the long-term process of having a beginners course set up at my college in Missouri. The city park is good and all, but there are too many people using the park, and some play equipment poses a threat to both people and plastic, but getting to the funding part-
Our college disc golf club budget has $0 because it was created this year, so the fundraising norms in college are bake sales and car washes (bland). I plan on working with the Intramural Sports people to get a disc golf tournament started, which will ultimately attract more people to disc golf, but also get me some experience in tournament creating for my degree in Recreation and Park Administration. This will be a great start, but it won't cover the whole cost for my dream course. I will have to work the nitty-gritty jobs like cleaning the football stadium after games and probably some bake sales as well, but where there is a will, there's a way, and I plan to find it. (Thanks DGA for sponsoring these giveaways)

 

[sisyphus]

Haven't actually seen it done yet, but when a new course was installed recently by a friend (Cedar Sentinels; GMcAtee) using interlocking paver stone tees boxed by a wooden frame, it occurred to me that there were multiple potential benefits to this type of tee. First, there might be as many as 5 wide x 10 long x 18 holes = 900 stones (sponsorship opportunities).

But the most obvious, is that you could sell sponsorships engraved in the paver stones themselves. The donor cost would be for the stone, the engraving, and just a few bucks toward the other amenities on the course. They would receive a pretty permanent recognition and a reason to go visit 'their' hole.

Depending on the engraving, the tees might turn out to have improved traction. They are already 'moveable', if a better line or alternative evolves with the course, because this type of tee can be disassembled and reassembled as needed. Even hole numbers, par, and distance can be engraved. And stones might be reversible to engrave the reverse side if things change drastically...

...or if you want to sell the sponsorships for a specified duration.

 

[Mark1974]

Winning contests

My club is hardly a year old and we have barely enough money to pay for our permit and banking fees.
So what we do is trying to host the biggest ace race ever, well, in the Netherlands that is. In the meanwhile we try winning contests so we can do a raffle where all profits will be used towards clubdiscs. These discs will be used during clinics. The clinics will be free of charge but we hope to benefit from our positive attitudes, gain members and goodwill in our community.
Next step will be talking with the local government, who hopefully heard of disc golf by then! So we can get our own course!!!
We have contacted local stores and international disc golf manufacturers for raffle prizes too and we had some nasty replies but also found some true big disc golf hearts out there. Whenever that happens it makes me smile and feeling proud to be part of this international community! I mean, how amazingly awesome it is that people support us with the knowledge they will not benefit directly of it! They truly understand the underestimated art of giving.
I hope to get some pointers in this thread! Sometimes it feels like pioneering, an adventure but hey, we are in a hurry, we need to play.

 

[ZombieDuckWalk]

What are some creative ways you've seen or used for fund raising that may be of use to individuals or disc golf clubs working on a new course?

It seems that trying to raise funds for a new course would be quite a bit more difficult than for a existing course. Having a course in place allows the opportunity to hold a fundraising tournament, collect donations to play, and collect club dues for weekly minis. Not to mention the regular players that might feel inclined to put money forth to replace that broken sign or cracked tee pad. Although, without a course in place it could be much more difficult to raise the needed funds to build one.

In this situation you might look to your local courses and clubs. Using the same methods mentioned above to collect funds and putting it to a new course instead of course maintenance. Seeking out local businesses or individuals to sponsor a hole in exchange for advertising at that hole is also a widely used method. As the course nears completion it might be possible to presell entry for the inaugural tournament, even offering some incentive for those that pay early. In addition to the money that you raise, you will also be spreading awareness and building interest in an upcoming course.

This all seems to become so much more difficult when looking at more rural areas that don't have avid golfers or other courses nearby. Leaving you with possible, but much more unlikely options. With the right incentives crowd funding websites, such as kickstarter, could be useful. It might even be possible to convince your city or town to help fund a new park. It seems to reason that clearing the fairways and installing baskets first would allow you to raise funds in more traditional ways in order to pay for tee pads and signage.

Pay to play courses are not very popular in this part of the country, but with the right business plan taking out a loan could be an option.

While writing this I started to realize that it all seems to come down to generous golfers that want to grow the sport. Everybody that joins a yearly club, pays weekly club dues, and enjoys the local tournaments are partially responsible for every new tee pad, sign, and basket that you see at your favorite courses. Also, don't forget your local tournament directors and course managers that keep everything running.

The best thing that any of us can do for this sport is to be generous and helpful. Donate to your local clubs, whether it be by paying yearly dues as a member, playing the weekly minis, or just showing up on a work day to keep the course looking nice and appealing. Give away an old disc and convince a new friend to join you for a round, every new golfer has the potential to make a big difference in this growing sport.

 

[Stardoggy]

Our current local 9 hole course is upgrading to 18, and while much of that cost is being covered by the city, we are still responsible for tee signs and other amenities.

I'm fortunate enough to have a buddy that owns a bar (and disc golfs from time to time). He previously had sponsored our softball team, so being on good terms with a local business is a great starting point. Our little town (8000 people) has a daylong festival every June where they shut off the entire downtown, and local businesses are able to shill their wares, and there are many fundraisers. Our plan is to run a brat fry (WI thing), and have a few baskets out for people to mess around on, and raffle off prizes (discs, hats, etc) to not only raise funds, but to get the word out on the course and the updates.

It's also another great way to network with local businesses that are always looking for new and creative ways to get their name out there. Especially in a smaller town, small businesses are a great way to get funding!

 

[Valett85]

Day 4 fundraiser idea

Talk with a busy local business about puting a putting circle outside of there building and have people stand at the doors with fliers to let them know what the fundraiser is for. Send people in the direction of the putting circle and have a few people there assisting with helping young kids and others learn how to make a putt. Have donation boxes at each door and out at the putting circle.

 

[baileyt1212]

$5 optional 50/50 CPT at every club round or local tourney. It adds up.

 

[CapnCarson]

fundraising

While there are a ton of great ideas out there for fundraising, I've found the most successful method is having a tournament with a special kind of raffle. Almost every tournament I've been to had some kind of raffle for dg paraphernalia, but the most successful tournament I've been to had raffles for higher ticket items like guns or electronics. This way you have more than just the dg community funding your new course. You can sell tickets to friends, family, coworkers, etc. When you find a business willing to sponsor a raffle of this caliber they're usually also willing to sponsor a hole. It's a great way to network and possibly find supporters for future financial disc golf endeavors.

 

[Archangel442]

People, and companies, tend to donate to kids. Run a juniors tournament to inagurate the course.

 

[sisyphus]

Thanks TimG, DGCR & DGA. The prize pack for last week's promotion is pretty sweet and much appreciated. The fall winds around here are going to get a nice try out with that Breaker!

 

[timg]

Very cool! It's been crazy windy here the past couple of days. I have some new plastic I want to try but not in hurricane force winds