0920_September Comstock's Magazine September 2020 | Page 89

Capital Region Cares
TEEING UP TO
SUPPORT NONPROFITS
ASacramento tradition is teeing up to raise funds for nonprofit organizations and charities in
the Capital Region. It’s not unusual, of course, for organizations to use a golf tournament to
mix fun and fundraising. But in just five years, the Capital Cup has established itself as one
of the region’s most generous sources of revenue for dozens of nonprofits.
Its formula for success combines competition with convenience. For CEOs and senior executives
who have big hearts but crowded schedules, it can be difficult to accept multiple
invitations to play golf for charity that they may receive every year. So why not organize a tournament
that allows players to raise as much money in a weekend as they might raise playing
golf for several events over the course of a year?
This year, 28 senior executives from companies around the Capital Region have signed up
to play. The first donation comes out of each player’s pocket — the $2,500 entry fee — but the
bulk of the funds come from each player’s ability to generate pledges. The two-dozen nonprofits
and charities this year begins alphabetically with the Alliance for Compassion and Education
Development, includes the Special Olympics, and ends with Wellness Within.
Donors can choose to give to their favorite organization on the list or put their money down
on a specific player. The competition — Sept. 27-29 at El Macero Country Club, Del Paso Country
Club and North Ridge Country Club — divides the players into two teams playing a format
similar to the Ryder Cup tournament (various match play between players from the two teams,
with the winner receiving a point and a half-point awarded for any match tied after 18 holes).
Like golfers anywhere, the executives are playing to win — especially because the winning
team gets to divvy up an extra $100,000 among their chosen nonprofits.
Since its founding in 2015 by Curt Rocca, managing partner at DCA Partners and a member
of Comstock’s Editorial Advisory Board, the Capital Cup has grown steadily, raising $5 million
for the region, including $1.97 million in 2019. This year, event organizers hope to match that
goal, acknowledging the challenge of raising donations in a pandemic-damaged economy. The
players are expected to practice social distancing throughout the tournament, which typically
is played without spectators.
But if there is a barometer that measures the generosity of the region, it might be found in
this year’s annual online Big Day of Giving that raised $12 million, the most in its eight years. It
found that 25 percent of donors who contributed to a record day of fundraising were donating
for the very first time, and that’s impressive during a recession.
Regardless of how players do on the golf course, the real score for the Capital Cup is a hole
in one for the nonprofits that struggle to fill constantly growing needs in our community.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
September March 2017 2020 | | comstocksmag.com 89 89