The Greenbrier Classic is rolling into its sixth year of helping nonprofit organizations reap benefits through the Badges for Charity program.
The program has garnered $4.3 million for participating charities over a five-year period, said Jim Sweetwood, tournament coordinator. Numbers for this year will not be available until the event is over.
The program "gives us the opportunity to focus on local and regional charities, the ones we feel do a lot," Sweetwood said. "It helps us in ticket sales as well. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the event."
When Jim Justice launched the tournament in 2010, he pledged the event would be an economic boon for the state as well as a chance for local charities to raise funds for their respective causes.
Under the program, registered charities promote ticket sales and in return get to keep 30 percent of the funds. The program ended in mid-May this year with 32 charities participating.
Officials try to keep the number of participants close to 30 in order to make the program productive. The first year about 100 charities participated and more than 150 the second year.
The first couple of years it appeared some were advertising their charity while doing little to promote ticket sales, and many sold no tickets at all, Sweetwood said.
"It was not being used effectively by 75 percent," he said. "I think everyone had good intentions. We decided to limit it to about 30. That seemed like a good number. We want the charities to make money. We thought it best to limit it to those with a plan."
Applications to participate in the program go out in mid October with all potential participants required to have nonprofit status.
"We have them put together a marketing plan to show us how they will use the event to sell tickets and create revenue for the charity," he said.
When people buy weekly grounds badges for the event, they are given the choice of buying regular ones or choosing from the list of nonprofits in the Badges for Charity program.
A top fundraiser each year is The First Tee of the Roanoke Valley, part of a national organization that uses the game of golf to help teach life skills and golf techniques to youth. The Roanoke Valley chapter works with youth in Virginia and West Virginia.
Other organizations also find the Badges for Charity a plus and do well competing for dollars. Sweetwood said participants are not always the same and there are typically a couple new ones each year.
A variety of nonprofits are on board this year such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Huntington Museum of Art, Lewisburg Rotary Foundation, Make-A-Wish West Virginia, Marshall University Alumni Association and many more.
Aside from the Badges for Charity program, any proceeds above costs associated with the tournament also go to support local and regional charities.
"For the tournament, we area a 501C3 charitable organization ourselves," he said. "Every penny above operations for the PGA event is given to charity. It is not a revenue producing event."
Go to greenbrierclassic.com for more information.
Contact writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith at charlotte@dailymailwv.com or 304-348-1246.