Has your group met for next season's tournament yet?

[Tom King]

Remember, most golf tournament sponsors pay for their sponsorships out of their advertising rather than their charitable donations budgets. Only a percentage of charitable donations are deductible. All of an advertising purchase is deductible, so it makes more sense to pay for golf sponsorships out of the ad budget. The majority of American businesses operate with a fiscal year that begins in January. It simplifies tax accounting that way. So this time of year, most businesses are working on next year's budgets.

If you want to get into next year's ad budget, September through December is the time to do it. Even if your tournament isn't till next fall, you need to get yourself into the budget now! Get those sales people out on the streets now if you want full sponsorship for your tournament. Sponsorships that have to be carved out of an existing budget tend to be smaller than ones that are figured in the budget ahead of time.

Now's a good time to see if you can pick up a media sponsor and create some advertising/golf sponsorship packages. Their sales people will sell sponsorships for you and take a great deal of the load off your tournament committee. For more information, drop a question on the forum or pick up a copy of my book for the complete story.

Tom