Birdies for Charity

The Illinois Jaycee Charitable Foundation has become an approved charity with the Birdies for Charity Foundation. Participating charities must be approved by Birdies for Charity and must be a publicly supported charitable group recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501[c]3 organization. This fund raising activity runs from February 1st through July 1st.

There are two means in which the Illinois Jaycee Charitable Foundation can receive financial support: Individual Pledges and the Partners Program.

How Birdies For Charity Works

The way Birdies for Charity works is for charitable organizations to obtain pledges (donations) of 1 cent or more for every "birdie" made during the John Deere Classic. Remember a "birdie" is a score of one stroke or better than par for any golf hole. The John Deere Classic is held in mid-July in Moline, Illinois.

Birdies for Charity Pledge Forms can be obtained from any IJCF Board member, the IJCF Executive Director or by downloading the form from this web site. Any individual or Jaycee chapter who wishes to serve as a solicitor (referred to as a "Little Bird") may obtain pre-printed pledge forms from the Executive Director.

"Little Birds" solicit pledges on behalf of the IJCF using the Birdies for Charity Pledge Form. The IJCF is Bird Number 1087. Solicitors then submit their completed pledge cards to the Executive Director by July 1st. Completed pledge forms are then submitted to the Birdies for Charity Foundation. Birdies for Charity then collects the pledges and donates all money received to the charity written on the pledge card. The more a "Little Bird" collects, the more his or her charity receives.

Birdies for Charity will donate ALL money received on behalf of the IJCF to the Illinois Jaycee Charitable Foundation. All administrative or promotional costs of the program are paid by John Deere Health. All the money goes to the IJCF!

For every accumulated 15 cents worth of pledges per birdie solicited by a "Little Bird", they will receive a free pass to one day of the tournament.

Each person who makes a pledge to Birdies for Charity has an opportunity to guess the exact number of birdies that will be made at the John Deere Classic. The one person who guesses the exact number will win a new Buick Rendezvous. Over 500 other great prizes will be awarded.

All money received by the IJCF must be used in Illinois. No part of the proceeds may be sent or used outside the state!

1,634 birdies recorded during 2003 John Deere Classic.

Birdies for Charity marked its 10th anniversary in 2002 with a record number of birdies - 2,027.

The 2002 John Deere Classic Birdies for Charity Program raised a record $1,070,000 in pledges, an increase of more than $116,000, or 12 percent, over last year.

The Birdies for Charity program now has raised approximately $5 million for regional charities since 1993.

Some 22,000 pledges of at least one cent per birdie were made to one or more of the 380 charities that participated in the program in 2002.

Thus, for every $1 of pledges obtained, the IJCF would receive approximately $2,000. The "Little Bird" would have no risk or expenses and the individual's donors would have a chance at a car or other great prizes.

Special promotions for this year's Birdies for Charity include the Drive the Middle contest and Bonus Bucks.

Drive the Middle

The Drive the Middle contest is a hole event sponsored by Waterpark Carwash for those that made a pledge to Birdies for Charity. You could win a full week pass to the John Deere Classic, or even a Pro-Am spot!

Bonus Bucks

Once again, the John Deere Classic is giving away $100,000 to charities that participate in Birdies for Charities. Put simply, Bonus Bucks means we will actually receive MORE THAN 100 PERCENT of its donations from the Birdies for Charity program.

How is that possible? The John Deere Classic has donated $100,000 as a bonus fund to be distributed to charities participating in the program this year in proportion to the pledges collected on their behalf.

Here's how it works: Assume that $200,000 in total donations is collected by the Birdies for Charity program and that the IJCF collects $10,000. Because the IJCF collected $10,000 of $200,000, or 5 percent of all the money collected, we would receive 5 percent of the $100,000 Bonus Bucks, or an extra $5,000. Birdies for Charity would donate a total of $15,000 to the IJCF.

The only limitation to Bonus Bucks is that no single charity can receive more than $10,000 from the bonus fund. Also, Bonus Bucks are paid on collected pledges only and not on total pledges made.

How the Partners Program works

The Partner Program provides individuals and companies with additional incentives to make it charitable contributions through the Birdies for Charity program. Donors make a straight dollar donation (minimum $750) rather than a pledge based on the number of birdies made during the tournament.

There are four levels of partnership that an individual or company can obtain. Their level of contribution will determine the rewards for the partner.

Platinum Partner - $5,000 donation

Gold Partner - $3,000 donation

Silver Partner - $1,500 donation

Bronze Partner - $750 donation

All donations made through the Partners Program are eligible for additional funding from the Bonus Bucks fund.

Partner Program commitment forms can be obtained from the Executive Director or by downloading the form. Commitments are required by June 1st and the donation is due by June 29th.