Maximize Your Fundraiser's Potential with These Unique Revenue Drivers

Are you planning a fundraising event and looking for ways to maximize your revenue? While your main method of fundraising, such as ticket sales or donations, may bring in most of the money, there are other revenue drivers that can help you increase your overall funds raised. In this blog post, we'll explore some additional revenue drivers that can complement your main method of fundraising and help you exceed your fundraising goals. From mulligans at golf tournaments to a heads or tails game of chance, we've got you covered with creative ideas to bring in more donations and support for your cause. 

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So, let's dive in and explore these revenue drivers that can take your fundraising event to the next level!

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Revenue Drivers for Your Golf Tournament

Golf tournaments are excellent corporate fundraising events. Main sources of fundraising income at golf tournaments include title sponsorship, hole sponsorships, and of course, the player registration fees. Let’s explore additional ways you can drive revenue at golf tournaments:

Mulligans

Mulligans act as a do-over for golfers. If a player isn’t happy with their shot, they can try again and the previous shot won’t be counted on their scorecard. Mulligans can be purchased in advance of the start of play. You can typically sell mulligans for $20 each, or 3 for $50. That’s expense-free dollars that go directly to your organization! Be careful not to sell too many mulligans to one person or the game will go on for too long.

Buy a String

There are different variations of this game, but one way to play it is to have players buy a string at random and at some point in the game, they place the string down and the length of the string is their starting point from the hole. 

Closest to the Pin

A fun betting contest that can be played and sponsored at a specific hole, Closest to the Pin is simple: players can wager on who will hit their ball closest to the pin. The winner gets a prize and you have more cash for your nonprofit.

Longest Drive Contest

Another straightforward contest name, the longest drive contest should take place at a straight and long hole. A volunteer or golf course staffer can measure each drive to see who from each team hit their ball the farthest. Players can opt in with a donation to participate in the contest, and the winner receives a prize or reward. We recommend that there be each a male and a female winner. 

Straightest Drive Contest

Draw a chalk line down the center of the fairway at one specific hole. The player(s) who hits the ball closest to the line, wins! Players can pay to opt into the contest, or you can have a company sponsor it. The winner can receive a prize that either you or your sponsor purchase.

Putting Contest

Drive revenue to your organization before your charity golf tournament even begins, with a putting contest. Charge an additional entry fee, or a price per ball for players to participate in this mini-event within your event. This is a great way help players make use of their time while they wait for the actual golf tournament to begin, and you can raise more money in the meantime.

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Helicopter Drop

This grand gesture will make your tournament the most memorable one in your town, and it can gain you an extra $1,000 dollars or more at your next charity golf tournament. Number 1,000 golf balls and sell them at a predetermined price. Load up all the golf balls into a helicopter and have the helicopter drop them all near a specific hole. The ball nearest to the hole wins a prize!

Potato Cannon Shot

In this game, players can pay to have their ball shot down the green through a potato canon. This is just another fun way to engage your players and raise a little money in the meantime. Be prepared for plenty of exclamations of, “FORE!”

Pay a Local Golf Champion to Take Your Shot

Enlist a local golf pro or competitive golfer to donate their time to your charity, and invite players to pay him or her to take their shot for them at a specific hole.

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There are many opportunities to drive revenue at charity golf tournaments. To keep the length of play manageable, we recommend using only two to three of these revenue drivers at your event. For more on these strategies at your charity golf tournament, tune into the Elevate Your Event Podcast, where we talk all about how to “drive” revenue at your next fundraising event.

Revenue Drivers for your Charity Gala or Dinner

Galas can take on many different formats. Whether they’re fancy or casual, most gala events include dinner, entertainment and/or a keynote speaker, and some combination of a silent auction, a live auction, and a paddle raise. With these elements in place, let’s look at some ways you can boost your revenue at a gala event:

Gift Card Tree, Wine Pull, or Jewelry Pull 

All of these are conducted the same way, each bringing its unique value. Conducted as a mystery drawing, here’s how it works: Wrap each individual item in an unmarked envelope or bag, and then number them sequentially. These items should range in value, and the price to participate should be somewhere in between the two values. For example, if you’re hosting a wine pull, you can get bottles of wine donated that range from $25 to $200 in value, and the price to participate is $75-$100. Participants are taking a chance by participating, knowing that they could come away with real value for their money! Either way, people are happy knowing that all the funds are going toward your organization.

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You can duplicate the example above with gift cards or even mid-level jewelry, and all of this can be done in Handbid, with our sales, games, and drawings feature.

Donations with Unique Amounts

Do a promotion throughout your event that encourages people to donate a unique dollar amount. For example, if it’s the 27th anniversary of your organization or your event, encourage each person in the room to donate $27.00.

Whiskey Wagon

Fill a wagon with liquor (we like how “whiskey wagon” has a ring to it, so we went with that!) Then, invite guests to make a donation to participate in a drawing to win the whole wagon. Be sure you know your county and state’s rules and guidelines for a game like this before hosting it at your next event. 

Merchandise Sales

Create t-shirts, bags, or glassware with your event or organization’s logo and sell them on the night of your event for guests to take home as a souvenir. These make for great volunteer and sponsor thank-you gifts, too!

Golden Ticket

Another game of chance type of activity, the Golden Ticket is just like in the movie: People buy chocolate bars (we suggest selling them for at least $100 each), and the winner of the Golden Ticket gets to choose one live auction item from the lineup. Guests can win an item worth thousands for their $100 donation!

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Heads or Tails

This is a 50/50 chance game, usually run by your emcee or auctioneer, and it’s a great way to rally the crowd together and get their attention before your program begins. Have staff and volunteers sell bead necklaces or something guests can wear in bulk. The person leading the game will flip a coin and guests have to “call it” by putting their hands in the air or down by their sides. If the coin lands in their favor, they get to keep playing. If not, they lose a “life,” in this case, it’s a strand of beads. The last player standing with beads wins a prize or a rake of the money! Be careful, though. You don’t want this game to last too long, so you might want to consider limiting the number of chances guests get to buy.

Last Man Standing

A fun cross between a paddle raise and a live auction, the last man standing is a contest where the last person to bid gets a prize. It sounds like a live auction, except the donation amount stays the same with each paddle raised. Here’s how it works:

You as the organization need to get a prize donated. In this example, or prize is field passes to a home game for our local NFL team. Your emcee or auctioneer will explain the rules of the game and set the donation amount. For our NFL tickets, that amount is $50. Guests who wish to win the tickets will raise their paddle, and each time their paddle is raised, they’ve committed to a donation of $50. The last person to raise their paddle wins the prize. It’s very important with this game that the person explaining it is very clear that each time you raise your paddle you’re committing to a new donation.

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For more on the Last Man Standing game and other revenue drivers for your event, tune into this episode of the Elevate Your Event podcast!

Centerpieces

You can sell the centerpieces right from the tables and send them home with your guests! You can either sell them at a flat rate or hold a mini-auction and sell them to the highest bidder at each table. 

Voting Contest

If you have a creative event theme, consider promoting a contest at your event. For example, if you’re hosting a Kentucky Derby-themed party, have a hat contest. With the right mobile bidding software, guests can vote by donating a nominal amount (we suggest $1) to vote for the hat of their choice. 

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There are many ways to engage attendees and encourage them to donate at your event. Each of these revenue drivers has its unique benefits and can be tailored to fit the event's overall theme and goals. The success of the event depends on careful planning and execution, as well as the generosity of the attendees. Ultimately, these events offer a fun and memorable way to raise funds for a good cause while enjoying a day of golf or an evening of entertainment.

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Learn how Handbid’s charity auction platform can work for your nonprofit!

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