WGC Bridgestone Invitational & Ronald McDonald House to set new benchmark in 50/50 raffle proceeds
Aug 30th, 2013 |
Earlier this month, the Ronald McDonald House chapters of Cleveland and Akron, OH, in conjunction with Northern Ohio Golf Charities, used the PGA Tour's WGC Bridgestone Invitational as a successful platform to run a highly successful electronic 50/50 raffle, Split the Pot for Charity, which generated over $40,000 in net proceeds.
Partnering with Pointstreak 5050, the leader in electronic raffling technology, the Ronald McDonald House chapters raised over $20,000 in charitable proceeds while one lucky fan also walked away with over $20,000. Golf fans were able to follow the growth of the raffle pot size in real time with their smart phones through a dedicated mobile microsite, developed by Pointstreak that also allowed the event to collect valuable spectator data.
Don Padgett, III, Executive Director of the Bridgestone Invitational commented, "We are always looking for ways to enhance our fans' overall experience, and the Split the Pot For Charity raffle certainly added some excitement and allowed us to raise additional dollars for our charitable partners, a definite win-win for us."
The enthusiasm and support of the Ronald House volunteers were big factors in the success of the Split the Pot For Charity program.
Mary Horoszko, Director of Development for the Ronald House of Cleveland remarked, "Golf is an effective fundraising tool for our organizations and as the Anchor Charity for the Bridgestone event, we welcomed the partnership with Pointstreak and the opportunity to raise awareness and additional money for the Houses in Cleveland and Akron." The total raffle pot of just over $40,000 represented an increase of over 150% of last year's results.
Bart Kendall, Senior VP of Pointstreak added, "Our success is a testament to the support of the event, the Ronald McDonald House, and a solid support team. This bodes very well for us we continue to grow our fundraising efforts with other professional golf events in the future."
About Pointstreak 5050:
Pointstreak 5050 (Formerly 5050 Central), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc., is an electronic raffle system that drives consumer participation in raffle events while providing accountability to the raffle process. The Pointstreak 5050 system electronically captures every transaction
while providing updated real-time raffle information to display devices located throughout the venue. Tickets are sold to fans through fixed touch-screen terminals and mobile devices, creating an effortless data collection system providing faster sales transaction, longer selling periods, accountability and substantial increases in average raffle proceeds.
Pointstreak 5050 boasts some of sports' best brands as clients, including the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Braves, Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets.
For more information, visit www.pointstreak5050.com.
Ronald McDonald Houses of Cleveland and Akron
With over 300 Houses globally, the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) offers a comfortable place to call home at little or no cost, so families can access the best health care for their children, regardless of their location. They allow entire family units to stay together, which can help children heal faster and cope better. RMH supports families and children by providing a home-like environment and essential resources and services in order to strengthen families during their most difficult times. Northeast Ohio has two Houses, Cleveland and Akron, which serve thousands of families annually.
About Northern Ohio Golf Charities
Northern Ohio Golf Charities is part of a volunteer organization that has sponsored professional golf tournaments at Firestone Country Club for 60 years. Since 1984, tournaments have provided more than $22,000,000 to local charities seeking to improve the quality of life in Northeast Ohio through the Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation. More than 200 charities have benefited from Firestone Country Club tournament proceeds, including Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, American Red Cross, Beacon Journal Charity Fund, Regional Food Banks of both Akron-Canton and Cleveland, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Northeast Ohio. This year, over $925,000 has been awarded to 49 charitable organizations in the region. For more information, visit www.nogcf.org or contact Glenda Buchanan at 330.245.2302.
About the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
The Bridgestone Invitational is one of four World Golf Championships sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the Accenture Match Play Championship, Cadillac Championship and the HSBC Champions.
The Bridgestone Invitational annually donates approximately $1 million to charities throughout Northeast Ohio. Over the years, professional golf at Firestone Country Club has donated more than $22 million to worthy causes in Northeast Ohio, including the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeastern Ohio, Akron Children's Hospital, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, and The First Tee Chapters of Akron, Cleveland and Canton.
