Birdies For Charity® is a fundraising program of the Houston Open. The program is designed to give participating charities & schools the opportunity to generate contributions through one-time flat rate donations. The Houston Open administers the program, invoices all donors, and turns over 100% of all funds collected to each designated organization.
Registration for the 2022 fundraising program begins Monday, February 21 and will close Monday, August 15, 2022. The fundraising campaign will launch Wednesday, August 17, 2022, and conclude Sunday, November 13, 2022.
PLEDGE SOLICITATION:
Each participating charity has the opportunity to solicit donations from individuals and/or corporations. The Houston Open will not solicit pledges on behalf of any participating charity or school.
100% of the donations collected will go to the individual charity who solicited the Birdies For Charity® donation. It is intended that all information relative to BFC will be communicated by the individual charitable organization through their normal communication vehicles, i.e., newsletter, website, phone calls.
Each charitable organization will have access to reports within the registration system. Charity representatives will be able to identify those that have donated, pledges received, and donations still pending. Donor information is not accessible, except the name and email provided in the donation reports.
CHARITY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Participating charities will have sole responsibility of fundraising and collecting flat rate donations on behalf of their organization. To collect donations, donors should be instructed to use the direct link the charity provided to their page OR go online to HoustonOpenGolf.com under Donate to view a list of charities. Charities should incorporate BFC in their annual fundraising plans.
Each participating charity must designate one (1) representative as the primary contact for Birdies For Charity®. Charities should login to the website to check their pledge total and reach out to donors that have not yet paid to let them know when the deadline is approaching.
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible to participate, a charity must:
1. Be a publicly supported organization recognized by the IRS as an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) (3) organization. (Documentation must be provided with commitment form.)
2. Be a Houston charity or local school program.
3. Committed to utilize generated funds in the area.
4. Maintain its status as an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) (3) organization and no member, director, officer, employee, or agent of such organization may receive any direct or indirect pecuniary benefit.
PROGRAM INCENTIVES:
1. CHARITIES
On-Site Exposure at the Houston Open
The top six donation-collecting charities and two lucky participating charities drawn at random will receive a day in the Birdies For Charity® booth at the Houston Open during tournament week. The Birdies For Charity® booth may be used as a means of gaining additional exposure for the charity, as well as for collecting additional donations at a high traffic location onsite. Two booth spaces will be set up onsite. Two charities per day will be assigned, starting Thursday, Nov. 10. AGF staff will assign charities to each specific day. The top six & two randomly drawn charities will be selected by Wednesday, October 12.
Bonus Bucks
This year our bonus program is $100,000! Thank you to our Birdies for Charity partner, THINK Neurology for Kids for helping us reach more charities. The top fifteen (15) organizations that collect the highest total of donations and four randomly drawn organizations has the opportunity to receive an additional bonus. Below is a breakdown of the bonus incentive.
#1 Ranked Charity – $25,000
#2 Ranked Charity – $15,000
#3 Ranked Charity – $10,000
#4 Ranked Charity – $5,000
#5 Ranked Charity – $5,000
#6 Ranked Charity – $4,000
#7 Ranked Charity – $4,000
#8 Ranked Charity – $3,500
#9 Ranked Charity – $3,000
#10 Ranked Charity – $3,000
#11 Ranked Charity – $2,500
#12 Ranked Charity – $2,500
#13 Ranked Charity – $2,500
#14 Ranked Charity – $2,500
#15 Ranked Charity – $2,500
Four (4) Randomly Drawn Charities – $2,500 (to qualify for the random drawing you must raise at least $1,500.)
Invoices must be paid to determine those that qualify for the bonus program. The final rankings will be determined once all invoices have been paid. Astros Golf admin will invoice up to two times for pledges after the tournament.
2. INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Guess the Birdies Contest
Guess the number of birdies that will be made by PGA Tour Pros during the Houston Open. One grand prize will be given to the person who guesses the correct number. In case of ties, winners will be randomly selected. One lucky supporter of the Houston Open Birdies for Charity program will win an Astros *Suite Night at Minute Maid Park. *Suite night date will be determined by the Astros organization and sent to the winner once determined. Suite night will take place in 2023 season.
Individuals are entered into the contest when they donate to one of the local charities registered for the Houston Open Birdies for Charity program. Donors can make a one-time flat rate donation. After the tournament, the donor will be mailed a notice of the pledge amount due.