We’re so proud to work with passionate community leaders dedicated to making a lasting impact – and Eddie Collazo, founder and organizer of the Collazo Charity Golf Invitational is certainly no exception.
When we recently sat down with him to learn more about his tournament-planning journey that he first embarked with his inaugural invitational in 2014, he told us that one of the keys to fundraising success is truly “believing in what you’re doing.”
And believe, he does.
Watch as Eddie reflects on his tournament planning journey & using Event Caddy tournament management software
Our tournament “is for (Johns Hopkins) All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete,” Eddie told us. As a Remax Broker, he has a long-standing history of supporting the Children’s Miracle Network, and has always wanted to find more ways to make a difference in the lives of these deserving children and families.
Hence, the Collazo Charity Golf Invitational was born.
From a “one time thing” to an annual occasion
“I didn’t think it would be like this 8 years later”, recalled Eddie when sharing about his journey up until this point. Adding that he thought his first Collazo Charity Golf Invitational would only be a “one time thing”.
But when his first-ever tournament came and went, Eddie’s passion for making a difference made him want to keep going year after year: “So the next year in 2015, I was like ‘you know what? Let’s do it!’… I just believe in it, and it felt good.”
Eddie’s cause is so close to his heart, it’s become a tradition he involves his whole family in. With the exception of this year due to COVID, “we go to the hospital (together) and give the donations”, he told us.
Growing in success ever since… even amidst a pandemic!
Having gone from 40 players in his inaugural tournament to an incredible 130 in 2020, Eddie was able to push forward and double his donations even in the face of a global pandemic.
Despite the unique challenges that came with the unprecedented times, he was able to pull through for his cause, encouraging his golfers to use his Event Caddy golf tournament website more than ever as a social distancing-friendly way to register.
“In 2020 with COVID… a lot of challenges come into play” he explained, but with his Event Caddy website, “I was able to tell people ‘this is the place to go’… So they started registering – and I think by August I already had 100 people.”
His advice for other charity golf tournament organizers
Eddie says that while every tournament organizer is different, his personal secrets to tournament planning success have boiled down to three main things:
- Starting his planning as early as possible
- Using tournament management software to make things easier
- And, of course, using his passion as fuel to keep him going!
“The past couple of years I’ve had more success just by starting early. I was spreading the load and able to accomplish more. Starting early makes your life easier – and with the system, it makes your life easier as well… It definitely saved my life. Just keep going… If you want to do this, you’ve got to believe in what you’re doing!”
Eddie has set a goal to double his donations once again in his 8th annual tournament fundraiser in 2021, and with a can-do attitude like his, we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next!
To learn more about Collazo Charity Golf, make a donation or sign up for his December 2021 tournament in the Tampa Bay area, you can visit Eddie’s tournament website here.