Birdies For Charity: COVID-19 Update

Greetings to our participating Birdies for Charity organizations,

We hope all is well with you and wanted to give you a John Deere Classic update.  We have had weekly calls with the PGA TOUR since mid-March and it remains clear that their intent is to resume playing scheduled tournaments as soon as it is safe.  With that, we are planning at full speed for our July event.  The TOUR has promised to keep us informed of any changes, and we promise to do the same with you. 

Current events have, however, demanded changes to the other important part of our business, the Birdies for Charity program.  We are committed to having another successful year but have had to make the following changes for 2020.  

• The BFC kickoff event scheduled for April 13^th has been indefinitely postponed.  Participating charities may print forms from the pledge form PDF found on our website.  For the safety of our participants, volunteers, and staff the JDC office is closed until at least May 1^st to the general public and all business will be done remotely. In addition, pledge forms will not be available for pick-up at satellite locations until further notice.
• New charity sign up is closed for 2020. The John Deere Classic will focus on managing all charity business for current participants. Organizations previously enrolled may participate in 2020 and will receive all JDC & BFC communications by email. Please update your contact information on the 501 (c) 3 Verification Form, which must include an active email address for all 2020 correspondence.
• Participating charities should make every attempt to collect and turn in payments with pledges. The BFC bonus is guaranteed for all paid pledges. 
• With shorter timeline, charities are encouraged to remind donors of electronic pledging capability where payments and receipts are all accomplished in a single transaction. Online donations can be made to your charities here.

That’s it for now.  Stay safe and we look forward to another great 2020.    

Kristy Ketcham-Jackson
Director of Birdies for Charity