Chairty Golf Outings, Bringing People Together

Restoration contractors most often find themselves on the back end of a disaster—it is the essence of their job to clean, restore and help put the pieces back together after disaster strikes, whether from fire, wind or water.

But as many contractors have discovered, hosting and sponsoring charity golf outings allows them an opportunity to figuratively “get in front” of disasters through proactive fund-raising for organizations that help prevent them and provide support when they occur. Charity golf outings bring together members of the industry and community and give businesses a chance to be a good neighbor—all while raising money for a good cause.

Charity golf outings are often hosted to benefit an organization that has a direct or indirect tie to the host’s business. For example, C & B Services of Beaumont, Texas recently hosted a golf tournament to sponsor its local American Red Cross chapter, an organization with whom the restoration firm has recently teamed with as Community Disaster partners. The two organization’s complementary roles in aiding disaster victims “creates a natural partnership in providing the Houston-area with a team that is experienced and equipped to handle any disaster,” said C & B’s president, Troy Crochet.

Two Ohio contractors maintain a similar complementary relationship with each of their golf outings’ respective beneficiaries; Cousino Construction of Toledo supports the burn centers of local children’s homes and OmniClean of Cleveland donates its event proceeds to the nationally renowned Burn Center at Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center.

“While our organizations do very different things, we share a common goal of helping after a disaster,” said Steve Osman, president of OmniClean. “Unfortunately, when there is a fire, there may be people that get hurt. We are happy to help an organization that helps victims after the unexpected happens.”

Some companies choose to sponsor an organization that holds special meaning to its employees. Green Construction Services in Lakeland, Fla., hosts an annual golf outing that supports an organization that provided immeasurable support to the Green family. The second annual Green Construction Golf Classic this year raised over $25,000 for the Children’s Cancer Center in Tampa in memory of Danielle Green, an 11-year old victim of cancer and the late daughter of the company’s president Alan Green. Four Star Cleaning and Restoration of Fremont, Calif., hosted its first golf outing this year to benefit the Breast Cancer Center of Oakland, an organization that holds special meaning to Four Star’s president Cary Adler, who lost his sister to breast cancer. Chelsea Construction of Warner Robins, Ga. is a major sponsor for golf tournaments that benefit youth outreach organizations in the community.

Regardless of why a beneficiary organization is chosen, there are plenty of good reasons companies choose to host or sponsor a charity golf outing in their community.

Bring people together
Who can argue with playing a round of 18 when it’s for a good cause? Golf tournaments bring together the people that keep a business moving forward—suppliers, contractors, clients, prospects, community officials, and even the next-door neighbor. People come together for an altogether “feel good time”—spending time outside the office playing golf and networking with other industry and community members, all while helping a good cause.

And bringing together industry participants—business partners and competitors alike—reminds us that we are part of the same community. Mary Ann Massolio, executive director of the Children’s Cancer Center, commented after the Green Construction Golf Classic, “what is especially unique and gratifying about this event is seeing the local industry participants really come together to raise money for the Center and support the entire Green Construction family.”

Companies that host annual golf tournaments also report that it is an event that boosts employee morale.

“We find that our golf outing is something that our employees look forward to every year,” said Greg Frith of Fireservice Disaster Kleenup in Fort Myers, Fla., which hosts an annual golf tournament in conjunction with its local chapter of the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” 18-hour fund-raiser. “It’s something that everyone can participate in, whether through planning or volunteering or playing, and I think it really raises the awareness for our whole company of the American Cancer Society and the good things they are doing.”

Opportunity for exposure
Any event needs promotion to be a success. Promoting a charity golf outing can garner significant exposure for the host company and its sponsors. Cousino Construction receives donated and/or significantly reduced rates from local media—newspapers, TV stations and others—to promote the event, thus also promoting their company. Fireservice parks its trucks at the golf course entrance for the event’s duration and also parks several trucks in the front of the larger “Relay for Life” event the week following their golf outing. Following up an event with a press release to local and industry press can earn additional coverage. All this adds up to free—or greatly discounted—exposure for your company.

Along with the exposure a golf tournament can bring, hosting an event also demonstrates the professionalism of a company. A well-executed event is a tremendous soft sell of the professionalism, attention to detail and commitment to execution of the host company. Dave Gard of United Services DKI in Griffith, Ind., which hosted an outing for the National Children’s Cancer Society for five years, points out that “a poorly executed event not only reflects poorly on your own business and jeopardizes the success of the event in the future, but can also unfortunately reflect poorly on the charity—and that’s not fair to that organization.”

Give back to the community
At the end of the day, regardless of our business or industry affiliations, we are all members of a local community. It is important to be a good neighbor to the community/communities in which we live, work and serve. Above all, giving back is simply the “right” thing to do. And demonstrating a character of caring in the community establishes a perception about a company that can differentiate it and keep it top of mind long after the last putt of the day falls.

And the efforts are appreciated; donations and fund-raising events are the lifeblood of non-profit and humanitarian organizations. Jason Sellers, executive director for the Beaumont, Texas chapter of the American Red Cross said “our Red Cross chapter saw a 171 percent increase in disaster relief efforts over last year, so the funds raised as a result of this first [C & B Services] golf tournament are very much appreciated.”

Not that planning, promoting and hosting a charity golf outing is a small task. As any company that has hosted a golf tournament knows, it is hard work and requires meticulous planning. Take it from the experts who do this every year:

• Select a beneficiary charity that has a natural tie to your business or holds a special meaning to your organization.

The closer the cause is to the heart of an organization, the more likely the event is to be a success.

• Allow sufficient time for a well-planned event.

Once again, the execution of the event reflects on the host company’s professionalism. Attendees will remember being treated to a fun, smoothly run event.

• Make your event stand out.

Particularly as golf outings continue to grow in popularity, “the more you make it a ‘want-to-come’ event, the better off you are as far as attendance goes,” advised Mike Cousino of Cousino Construction. In the past, Cousino has lured attendees with luxury vacations, cars, sporting event VIP tickets, cash prizes, even PGA pros to run a mini stroke-clinic and a “Beat the Pro” longest-drive contest. Gard agrees, adding “the more you can give away, the better your turnout will be.”

And because enticing giveaways can quickly add to the cost of hosting the event…

• Secure sponsors to provide donations and cover your costs.

Sponsors allow the host to maximize the final donation to the selected charity. Sponsorship levels may range from several thousand dollars for signage on each golf cart, donations of prizes for contests and giveaways, to a $50 single-hole sponsorship. And sponsorships provide fantastic exposure for business partners and suppliers looking to promote their company to attendees.

Bottom line: A good time for all, charity golf tournaments bring people together for a common cause and allow companies to proactively help other organizations that provide support and relief for disasters and other causes, ultimately providing immeasurable benefits and returns that go far beyond the bottom line.

Dale Sailer is president of Disaster Kleenup International Inc., a network of the leading, independent property damage restoration contractors across North America. For more information about Disaster Kleenup International, visit www.disasterkleenup.com.

Topics Contractors Construction