NCGA Foundation Five Year Strategic Plan June 1, 2007 December 31, 2011 MISSION Promote life skills and values to deserving youth in Northern California through the game of golf. Support the growth of the game while providing youth the opportunities and motivation to become productive citizens and lifelong golfers. VISION The NCGA Foundation will help enable youth in Northern California to contribute positively to society through exposure to the virtues and values of golf. The Foundation seeks to promote good citizenship and responsibility among youth and enhance the quality of their lives. We will help develop golf skills and provide opportunities to play and enjoy the game while creating lifelong golf enthusiasts. BACKGROUND A. NCGA The Northern California Golf Association was formed in 1901 by five clubs - Menlo CC, Oakland GC (now Claremont CC), Presidio GC, Linda Vista (now San Jose CC), and San Francisco GC - with the sole purpose of participating in the Pacific Coast Amateur Championship. From that humble beginning, the NCGA has grown to an association consisting of 400 regular clubs and more than 850 associate clubs with a total membership of approximately 175,000 encompassing the area from the Oregon border to central California and east into Nevada. The NCGA is recognized as one of the largest state/regional golf associations in the world. Although the NCGA corporate office is located at the Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, the association depends on a multitude of volunteers, including an active board of directors, who have offered their time selflessly throughout the years. In 1986, the NCGA opened Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, the first course in the United States to be owned and operated by an amateur golf association. Poppy Hills has played host to several prominent tournaments, including the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It consistently ranks among the top public courses throughout the United States. In 1996, the association continued to grow with the addition of Poppy Ridge Golf Course in Livermore. Poppy Ridge is easily accessible to NCGA members as Page 1 of 5
approximately 90,000 NCGA members live within one hour of the course. In 2000, the property companies for each course merged to form Poppy Holding, Inc. B. NCGA Foundation The NCGA Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 organization through which donors may support youth initiatives and Foundation-funded programs. The NCGA Foundation, founded in 1989 as the charitable arm of the NCGA, operates as a separate organization, and works closely with the NCGA maintaining a strong link to assure continuity of purpose and performance. The first Foundation staff member was hired in December, 2004. The NCGA supports the Foundation resulting in less than ten cents of every donated dollar spent on administrative expenses. The Foundation is focused on becoming a leader for youth development in Northern California through involvement with golf. Our target is the 3 million 5-17 year-olds in our region. Foundation grants and programs currently impact approximately 25,000 of the 200,000 Northern California junior golfers. The Foundation recently initiated an aggressive effort to raise funds to enhance our ability to accomplish our mission and recently surpassed more than $1 million in giving. CHALLENGES Several challenges face the Foundation in achieving the strategic plan, they include: o Lack of the game s visibility and exposure to youth o Youth perceptions of golf/acceptance of the game by peers o Competing alternative activities and sports for youth o Access to and affordability of the game o Insufficient data and resources regarding demographics and youth participation GOALS The Foundation currently relies on the generosity of private donors to support initiatives and programs and is not aligned with any local, regional or state agencies. The following five goals will help the NCGA Foundation make the biggest possible impact: 1. Evaluate, support and enhance youth golf-related programs 2. Help to identify, expose and attract deserving youth to golf 3. Increase access, affordability and expanded golf opportunities 4. Support personal development and employment opportunities for young golfers 5. Develop a comprehensive business plan Page 2 of 5
GOAL 1 Evaluate, support and enhance youth golf-related programs A primary focus on collaboration with existing programs will best support the accomplishment of our mission. An evaluation of their needs will help shape our priorities. The Foundation will identify and assess these programs, build relationships and coordinate mutual efforts. o Research and evaluate currently established golf-related youth programs o Determine underserved geographic/demographic areas in Northern California o Identify and partner with relevant government and other youth programs o Increase communication, cooperation and collaboration with partners o Help increase the quantity and quality of life skills education to youth o Align, improve and expand Foundation s current grant program o Develop innovative means of supporting our partners GOAL 2 Help to identify, expose and attract deserving youth to golf The Foundation will help identify and attract deserving youth that can benefit from exposure to the values and virtues of the game. While there are thousands of junior golfers that already know and play the game, the Foundation will reach out to those who do not, and collaborate with organizations to develop compelling promotional and educational programs. The Foundation intends to collaborate with athletic departments, after-school programs, golf clubs and other organizations to achieve this goal. o Partner with youth organizations to promote life skills and values through golf o Provide youth programs with golf-related educational materials o Help develop a fun process by which youth obtain life skills education o Recruit inspirational role models to interest youth in golf Page 3 of 5
o Create fun, youth-centered media to attract youth, build character and increase interest in the game o Support and expand transportation initiatives o Provide free clinic/lesson programs o Support initiatives tied to golf clubs/courses o Create reward programs to promote participation and excellence GOAL 3 Increase access, affordability and expanded golf opportunities We will address the lack of accessibility and growth opportunities for junior golfers in Northern California by increasing the number of golf courses that provide access to youth while significantly reducing the cost of each round of golf. Visibility and growth of the Youth on Course program will play a prominent role in achieving this goal. o Promote and attract participants to the Youth on Course program o Increase number of Youth on Course participants to 100,000 by 2012 o Increase availability of Youth on Course through life skills-based online initiative o Increase number of facilities offering Youth on Course rates to 200 by 2012 o Subsidize 200,000 youth golf rounds through Youth on Course by 2012 o Subsidize range balls, teaching, and practice opportunities as part of Youth on Course o Subsidize 1 million buckets of range balls through Youth on Course by 2012 o Provide competition for all skill levels o Create and implement a junior golf development program Page 4 of 5
GOAL 4 Support personal development and employment opportunities for young golfers The Foundation will seek to provide opportunities for youth to further develop and apply life skills while increasing career and educational opportunities. Golf-related internships and other employment programs will be actively supported. o Evaluate opportunities to collaborate with youth development programs o Create internship/mentorship programs for life skills-certified participants o Promote youth employment opportunities with Member clubs o Create a scholarship program for deserving NCGA youth program participants o Help prepare and assist deserving juniors to compete for collegiate golf scholarships GOAL 5 Develop a comprehensive business plan We need an organized, aggressive, and successful business plan to achieve our goals. We will build our donor base by increasing the NCGA Foundation brand visibility while expanding our program offerings to positively impact deserving youth. A detailed plan of action and milestones is needed. o Create and implement an NCGA Foundation marketing plan o Create and implement an NCGA Foundation fundraising plan o Increase annual program spending to more than $1.3M annually by 2012 o Grow endowment through a capital campaign to $10,000,000 by 2012 Page 5 of 5