Be the Ball, Danny

We told you earlier this year in our "Special Events Study" that for many charities, the golf tournaments, galas, and fun runs not only don't make any money, but in many cases, lose money. Sure, they have other benefits (PR, rewarding staff, introducing new donors to your group, etc.) but more often than not, these events are losers.

For those of you still skeptical, check out this story from the Chicago Tribune about one of the worst special events I've ever encountered. This particular charity golf tournament crashed and burned in a way even I was shocked by, but as a cautionary tale, let's look at what the event had going for it:

• A legitimate charity with a compelling and sympathetic cause;
  
• A Caddyshack-style golf tournament presented by THE Lacey Underall! (Apparently, her real name is Cindy Morgan, but I, like most members of my generation have seen that movie 486 times, and I had no idea she even had a real name);
  
• Celebrity participants including Norm from Cheers, Tim Meadows, a couple of the Murray brothers (unfortunately not Bill), the guys who played Spaulding and Motormouth from Caddyshack, and a couple of random local sports celebrities including Jim McMahon;
  
• The lieutenant governor, who kicked off the event with a press conference;
  
• A premier golf course; and
• A ton of local media attention.
  

And in the end, all this got them was an event that lost a couple of hundred thousand bucks, some destroyed reputations, some ruined friendships, and a league of lawsuits. So before you decide to host a golf tournament, ask yourself if you have more to offer your donors than Lacey Underall and a good cause, not to mention the B-list celebs and the lieutenant governor. If the answer is no, why don't you just have a bake sale instead?