If the Quad Cities’ tradition of generosity holds, this could be the year that the revered John Deere Classic’s Birdies for Charity program surpasses $200 million in charitable giving. As hundreds of volunteers hustled around TPC at Deere Run in Silvis and the golf pros and other tournament officials began arriving earlier this week, Birdies’ […]
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If the Quad Cities’ tradition of generosity holds, this could be the year that the revered John Deere Classic’s Birdies for Charity program surpasses $200 million in charitable giving. As hundreds of volunteers hustled around TPC at Deere Run in Silvis and the golf pros and other tournament officials began arriving earlier this week, Birdies’ Director Micaela Booth smiled as she called the pre-tournament preparations a “good kind of busy” mixed with a little bit of “organized chaos.” But the one detail not causing the seven-year JDC staffer any undue stress is the community’s support of the classic and its charitable arm, Birdies for Charity. Last year, Birdies carded a record-breaking year by raising a total of $15.97 million. It then turned around and distributed it to 476 participating charities within a 150-mile radius of the Quad Cities. The total surpassed the previous 2023 record by more than $1.8 million. In addition, it meant every participating Birdies charity – most of whom are in the greater QC – received an 8% bonus on top of their own Birdies fundraising. The 54th edition of the Quad Cities PGA Tour event begins tournament play today, July 3, and runs through Sunday, July 6. The 2024 JDC Champion Davis Thompson will be defending his title – and what was his first-ever PGA win. This year’s tournament offers an $8.4 million purse. But while the PGA Tour event captures the region’s full attention just this week, the work of Birdies for Charity is a year-round effort, Ms. Booth told the QCBJ in an interview at Deere Run.
Birdies sets bar high
This year marks the 32nd season for the Birdies for Charity. But since the tournament’s inception as the Quad Cities Open in 1971, the event has raised more than $189.6 million for charity and is expected to surpass the $200 million mark this year.“We’re not going to have any troubles hitting it,” Ms. Booth said of the milestone. “There are (PGA tournament) markets that put up similar numbers, but we’re able to do it year after year and as the smallest tournament on the PGA Tour, that’s something,” said Ms. Booth, who became the Birdies director in 2022. In fact, the JDC is the envy of the Tour’s other events. Launched in 1993, Birdies for Charity’s success has led the small, hometown nonprofit to license its program for other tournaments to use it. “Birdies for Charity has caught the eye of a lot of other tournaments across the PGA Tour and they want to do something similar,” Ms. Booth said. “We license the name and the program to about 15 other tournaments across the country just because of how successful it’s been here. And they’re seeing those same successes in their tournaments now.” She estimated that other tournaments still inquire each year about the fundraiser, the secret to its success and one to two new events license it each year. When this year’s campaign kicked off in April, JDC Tournament Director Andrew Lehman said in a news release “Birdies for Charity transforms the John Deere Classic into a philanthropic force within our community. We believe that by investing in our participating charitable organizations, we can help foster a vibrant and thriving community.”
Deere takes the way
While there has always been a charitable element to the tournament, Ms. Booth is quick – and proud – to point out that 99% of the $189 million raised has come since John Deere became title sponsor in 1998. “It’s just a testament to the support they show the tournament, the support they show the community and how much it pushes us into the success that we’ve had.” Birdies is where Deere steps in to show its support of the community and the PGA event. Mr. Lehman has said that because the company covers all the administrative costs of Birdies that ensures charities receive 100% of the donations they raise. In addition, John Deere (with its World Headquarters miles away from TPC at Deere Run) provides a $325,000 matching grant to the Bonus Fund. “This level of commitment has been essential in helping us achieve the remarkable success we see today,” he said previously. In addition to the hometown company support, Ms. Booth is equally proud that the JDC raises the most money per capita on the PGA Tour. “And we’re typically in the Top 3 when it comes to overall charitable giving,” she said. Ms. Booth, a QCBJ Forty Under 40 honoree in 2023, said that the “game-changer” was the introduction of the Bonus Fund. That fund, which Birdies staff work year round to raise money for, promises charities a minimum bonus of 5% on what they fundraise through Birdies, and potentially up to 10% bonus. The last time the bonus paid out the full 10% was 2017. But keeping that promise means the fundraising goal for the Bonus Fund continues to rise each year. Part of the JDC’s eight-person, fulltime staff, Ms. Booth and Anika Martin are the only two devoted exclusively to the Birdies program.
A year-long effort
Ms. Booth works with the participating charities and large-scale donors. Ms. Martin, a former JDC volunteer turned manager of donor and community impact in 2024, is focused on building contributions to the Bonus Fund.Outside of tournament week, they invoice donors, collect pledges and handle Birdies administration. They also work hand in hand with the charities that go out in the community and solicit pledges. Ms. Booth said every extra dollar Birdies raises goes toward building up the Bonus Fund. This week’s appearance by former Iowa Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder for an Executive Women’s Golf event at Deere Run served as a fundraiser for Birdies. It was held in conjunction with the Girls Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, who hosted Ms. Bluder – the winningest coach in Hawkeye women’s basketball history – for a luncheon at Bally’s Quad Cities in Rock Island. Also raising funds for Birdies will be the return of the 50/50 raffle. Ms. Booth said last year the winner won $11,000 with the other half going to benefit area charities. Volunteers from participating nonprofits will be on the course selling tickets. Although it is tournament week, Ms. Booth said many of the donation pledges still will be rolling in this week. This year’s deadline is Friday, July 4. To be part of Birdies for Charity and support the region’s nonprofit community, visit birdiesforcharity.com. “Birdies for Charity has shifted,” she said in the early days the work focused on recruiting charities. “Now the charities know the drill, they know the program well … our priority or what we’re focused on is growing that Bonus Fund to keep up with the momentum behind it.”Of the $15 million raised last year, she said $1 million of that was designated to paying out the Bonus Fund.
