McMahon, Colin - Donate to Drive

Property: The Creek at Qualchan

Location: Spokane, WA

Program Contact: Colin McMahon

Contact Phone/Email: 509-448-9317, cmcmahon2@pga.com

Name of PD Program: Donate to Drive

Type of PD Program: Other

Dates of Program: June 1, 2018 – July 31, 2018

Details of Program

The driving force behind this program is the idea that if we can reach a small percentage of new or relapsed golfers from the 2nd Harvest Food Bank database, it gives us an opportunity to gain and hopefully retain a new customer who will continue to hit balls and play golf at the Creek at Qualchan. This program is also an opportunity for The Creek at Qualchan to foster goodwill in the Spokane community, while significantly benefiting the hungry in the Spokane community.

• We strived to reach our target audience of new and relapsed golfers by teaming up with the 2nd Harvest Food Bank and utilizing their database.
• We achieved this by sending out e-blasts from our personal databases and social media services and also by having 2nd Harvest Food Bank send out an e-blast about this program and posting on their social media platforms.
• Customers donate 2 cans of food to the 2nd Harvest Food Bank and receive a bucket of balls at no charge at The Creek at Qualchan.

A Yamaha Grant was used to reimburse the exchange of range balls.

Results of Program

Over 25 pounds of food was donated during this 2-month period, and we handed out over 50 buckets of balls.

This program was never designed to generate more revenue, it was an opportunity to try and improve the community that Qualchan is a part of, as well as get some new faces out to the golf course in an effort to grow the game of golf. Overall I think the program was a success due to the small size of the program. We were able to create a great relationship with a nonprofit organization in Spokane WA along with retaining a few new golfers that have since made Qualchan their home practice facility.

Recommendations

Recommendations I would make to other PGA Professionals attempting to create a similar program is to incorporate a teaching aspect into the program, something along the lines of doing a clinic that your entry is a food donation or monetary donation to the Nonprofit. That way the consumer is seeing added value for his donation, and creates a relationship with that consumer who wants to benefit his/her community.