For the StuMo at Missouri State Team

This isn't just a fundraiser.
It's a Bear Lead for your support team.

The StuMo Classic is the warmest room you'll ever get to introduce a friend to this ministry — and to the chance to join your support team. Here's why I'm asking every one of you to get behind it.

Mon, Aug 10, 2026 Rivercut Golf Course 4-Person Scramble Goal: 20–30 teams

Why I'm asking

Two wins from one day.

1

We build the campus fund

Every year we need more in the campus fund, and every year we spend more from it. I've already raised $600/month in recurring income — that's the foundation. The Classic is how we build an annual base on top of it. One repeatable event we can count on, year after year.

2

You grow your own support team

This is the part most of us miss. The tournament is a relationship-building engine for your personal support. Your donors bring friends, those friends meet students and staff, we warm them up — and now you have a warm room full of people you can ask. Both budgets get healthier from the same day.

The big idea

Think of it like a Bear Lead.

Why do we run Bear Leads? To build a relationship — and then give the biggest ask we can: an invitation to know Christ.

Apply the exact same logic here. Why invite someone to a golf tournament? So you can build a relationship and then give the biggest ask we can: "Will you join my financial support team?" The tournament does the warming-up for you, so the cold referral your donor was afraid to make becomes a warm introduction on the course.

Here's what it already looks like for me, right now:

I have 2 donors bringing teams just to help me raise support — that's 6 potential new donors I don't even know yet. I have 2 friends bringing teams and I'm hoping they bring referrals. And I haven't even asked my support team yet! Every one of you has donors who want to send you referrals; the cold intro is just hard for them. The tournament removes the hard part.

So here's the ask to give your donors:

"Will you bring a team — and bring 3 other people I could get to know and possibly ask for support?"

Let's name the fear

Don't be afraid of "losing" a donor to the campus fund.

I know the worry: "What if I bring a big donor, they give $10k, and it all disappears into the campus fund?" Let me be clear about that.

There is no scenario where you bring a big donor, they give generously, and I quietly keep all of it for the campus fund. I don't know yet exactly how every dollar will break down — but I will be generous, and I will be open about it. The healthier our staff is financially, the healthier MSU campus ministry is. We are a team. Let's use this to raise funds for the team.

Bring your people. You're not losing them — you're introducing them to something bigger, and we'll take care of each other.

Why the ask lands easier

A sponsorship "hits different" than a donation.

Here's something I learned: a $600 charitable gift and a $600 team sponsorship hit a person's budget in completely different ways. It's like buying a steak at SSC on the Ramp card versus buying one in Springfield out of your grocery budget — same steak, totally different feeling.

For a small business owner, sponsoring a team or a hole is a business expense — a "Ramp card" expense — not a personal charitable line item. That's a far easier "yes." This event lets us cater to the budget people can say yes from. So when you think about who to ask, think about your friends who own a business.

The numbers

Even with zero donations, this works.

Conservative model: $100 all-in cost per player, foursomes at $600, the title sponsor (taken) at $5,000 incl. 2 foursomes, and 18 hole sponsors at $200. This assumes not one dollar is donated at the event.

 20 teams25 teams30 teams
Foursome revenue ($600 ea.)$12,000$15,000$18,000
Title sponsor$5,000$5,000$5,000
18 hole sponsors ($200 ea.)$3,600$3,600$3,600
Gross revenue$20,600$23,600$26,600
Player costs ($100/player)–$8,800–$10,800–$12,800
Net — with zero donations$11,800$12,800$13,800

The takeaway: even before anyone donates a cent at the tournament, we clear roughly $12–14k. Every gift made on the day is upside on top of that. And notice the margins: a paying team nets about $200, but hole sponsors are nearly pure profit — which is why they're the easiest, highest-impact ask you can make.

One more group to invite

Bring the Kaleo parents.

Let's invite the parents of our Kaleo students — as a natural way for them to get to know the students and the staff after Kaleo. It keeps the relationship going, and it puts more good people in the room.

What I need from you

Three asks.

  1. Recruit foursomes. Mobilize your current donors: "Would you consider playing in the tournament and bringing some referrals?" Put it in your newsletter.
  2. Recruit hole sponsors. Just $200 to sponsor a hole — an easy yes for most friends who own a business. This is the highest-margin thing you can do.
  3. Title sponsor — already taken. One less thing to worry about. ✓

The team goal

20 minimum  ·  30 maximum

teams on the course August 10

June 15
Title sponsor commitments
July 13
Sponsor logos for signage & program
Aug 3
Foursome registration closes

Make it easy — steal these

Copy-paste scripts.

Don't start from a blank page. Grab one, swap in your name, and send it.

📰 Newsletter blurb
This August, our team is hosting the StuMo Classic — a golf tournament at Rivercut Golf Course (Mon, Aug 10) supporting college ministry at Missouri State. It's a great morning of golf, lunch, and a glimpse of what God is doing on campus. Here's my ask: would you consider playing? Grab a foursome ($600 for four players) — and if you know a few people who'd enjoy a day on the course and might want to hear what we do, bring them along. You can also sponsor a hole for just $200, a simple way for a local business to get behind the work. I'd love to have you there. Reply and I'll get you all the details.
⛳ Donor foursome ask (text / email)
Hey [Name] — I've got a fun one for you. Our team is hosting a golf tournament August 10 at Rivercut to support our work at Missouri State, and I'd love for you to be there. Two things I'd ask: would you put together a foursome and play? And — this is the real gift to me — would you bring 3 other people I could get to know? No pressure on them at all; it's just a great way for me to meet some of the good people in your life over a round of golf. It's going to be a great morning. Can I count you in?
🏷️ Hole sponsor ask (business friends)
Hey [Name] — quick one. We're hosting the StuMo Classic golf tournament on Aug 10 to support college ministry at Missouri State, and we're lining up hole sponsors. It's $200 to sponsor a hole — your business name and logo on a sign at the course and in the event program. It's an easy, affordable way for [Business] to get its name out and back something good at the same time. A lot of our friends find it's a natural fit as a business expense. Want me to put [Business] down for a hole? I'll handle the rest.