Morris Gad on Sports for Charity

Athletic events aren't only entertaining. They can also be a fundraiser for a favorite local or international charity. Morris Gad understands the role sports play in charitable giving. His company, Diamond International, has sponsored several golf tournaments in the Caribbean. The tournaments raised money for a range of causes, including a local hospital, the Big Brothers Big Sisters corporation, and substance abuse rehabilitation centers.

Golf Tournaments

Golf tournaments have been shown to be reliable ways to raise substantial amounts of money for a charity. The charity itself can decide to hold the tournament or a local company can hold the event in honor of the charity. In a lot of cases, a business will provide sponsorship for a golf tournament in exchange for having its name on the event. For example, in 2008, Diamonds International was the name sponsor of the Sundowner’s Charity Golf Tournament on Antigua.

If a single company is unable to fully support your tournament, consider asking several companies to sponsor a portion of the event. For example, a company can donate a certain amount of money to sponsor a tee. A sign at each tee would state who sponsored it.

Companies can also choose to sponsor individual golfers in the tournament. The golfer could wear a shirt with that company's logo on it during the event. Likewise, golfers could also raise money for their own sponsorship. They could ask friends and families to support them, donating all of the proceeds to the charity.

Other Events

Athletic events for charity aren't limited to golf tournaments. A local soccer team could face off against another team to raise money for a favorite charity. The proceeds could come from ticket sales to the game as well as from the sales of drinks and snacks during the event.

Audience Involvement

While the golf or other game is the main attraction at an event, a charity can raise additional funds by having contests and games for the audience. For example, if a professional golf player is available, he can be brought in to compete against regular people. People could wager to see if they can get a better score on a hole than the golfer. Other ways to involve the audience and raise money include having a raffle for a chance to kick the soccer ball into the goal at halftime or the chance to make a basket from the 3 point line at a basketball game.

Donated Items

 In addition to the main event, a lot of sports fundraisers feature auctions or raffles that let people win items donated by area companies. The money raised by the auction or raffle goes to the charity. People who win an item at auction are usually quite happy, because they've ended up with a valuable item for a good price.

Raffles are a great way to raise money, too, as people are encouraged to increase their chance of winning by purchasing multiple tickets.  Raffle items can be small, or they can be quite valuable. Morris Gad recommends having a mix of both small and pricey items.