RSVPs Don’t Count: How to Get Committed Support for a Tournament Fundraiser

You’ve asked around and people are excited. You’ve started to spread the word and floated potential dates to gauge interest in a charity tournament. Perhaps pickleball, perhaps three-on-three volleyball, basketball, or even a cornhole tournament. People seem to like the idea, but how do you get them to actually commit? And does it even matter if you do? The short answer is yes! Here’s why formal, legitimate commitment from players, sponsors, and other supporters is crucial to the success of a tournament fundraiser–plus actionable tips for how to get it! 

How Commitment Impacts Outcomes

Until someone officially registers or purchases a sponsorship, the unpleasant truth is that you can’t fully count on their support. People have limited time, and in the busy reality of their lives, stuff happens. That’s why commitment is important. In fact, it’s well-studied: According to survey data around event trends, free events tend to have higher no-show rates. That is, events that charge even an nominal fee, tend to have approximately 40% better turnout rates than those with free registration or RSVPs alone. Fundraising event donors who register and pay in advance are 70% more likely to make an additional gift beyond the event, compared to those who attend without registering. 

Behavioral science echoes these findings in concepts like the sunk cost fallacy and loss aversion, which suggest that once people have paid or committed something tangible, they are much more likely to show up to "protect" their investment. So, it stands to reason that supporters are more likely to follow through in attending and further supporting an event when they have formally registered, and–importantly–when they have already paid for their registration. 

Other Reasons Commitment Matters

Importantly, declared commitments from registered event supporters are also important for planning and logistics. Knowing what to expect in terms of turnout helps you plan accurately. When players and sponsors are locked in, you can confidently reserve venues, order supplies, and organize brackets without guessing how many will actually show up. You’ll also need some level of reliability to plan pool play/round robin play, match scheduling, and your events bracket(s). A few last-minute changes can be easily accommodated (especially with the right tournament management platform, but if you have a lot of no-shows, building a meaningful tournament bracket can be a real challenge. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, if your event depends on raising a certain amount through entry fees, sponsorships, or donations, casual interest won't get you there—only real commitments will.

Tips for Ensuring Supporters Commit

• Put registration front and center. 

  When you announce, email, post about, and otherwise communicate about your event, make sure people know they have to register and purchase a team. Note pricing and deadlines. 

• Make it easy to register instantly. 

  Provide links to purchase teams online with clear steps for submitting payment so it’s super easy and participants can do it instantly–as soon as they see a post or get a reminder email or text from a committee member. 

• List sponsorships online, too.

  Flyers outlining available sponsorships can be useful, but they’re not actionable. Be sure your sponsorships are listed online so they can be purchased alongside teams and other add-ons quickly, easily, and securely.  

• Add sponsor logos to your event website ASAP.

  Adding sponsor logos creates urgency for people who intend to support your event but haven’t yet pulled the trigger. They see others committing and are more likely to act. 

• Create events on social platforms and link to registration.

  Create an event page on platforms your audience frequents (such as Facebook and LinkedIn). Clearly note registration deadlines and info in the about section and invite community members.  

• Post on social media recognizing sponsors. 

  Create posts thanking and acknowledging supporters as they purchase sponsorships. Encourage board and committee members to engage with and share these posts, which serve as reminders to people who haven’t yet committed. 

• Include a simple call to action on all communications. 

  Add a simple one-liner at the end of communications (including posts and shares) along the lines: If you haven’t purchased a team, become a sponsor, or made a donation, there’s still time. Deadline to register is [date]. Register here: [Link]. 

• Use early-bird pricing and other incentives.

  Create urgency with discounted pricing for people who register early. This helps encourage commitments from teams and sponsors.

• Highlight activities and tournament elements. 

  Remind people what they can expect at the event, including raffles, special competitions like a long-toss or face off, coaching clinic(s), wine pulls, auctions, entertainment, prizes, drawings, and more. This conjures of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and gets people talking about the event. 

Start with an Event Website

When it comes to ensuring committed supporters, there’s simply no better starting place than an event website. This provides all the information players, sponsors, and community members need to commit to supporting your event–plus an easy way to do it on the spot. RecDay can help. Event websites powered by RecDay make it easy to centralize all the information your community members needs–so you can link directly to a seamless display of event info, available sponsorships, team packages, and information about the cause, people, and impact their dollars support. Ready to get started? Use the link below to get in touch.