THE PLAYERS:
A partnership between THE PLAYERS Championship and UNF's Fraternity and Sorority Life
FORE! DRIVING COMMUNITY IMPACT THROUGH STUDENT VOLUNTEERISM
Since 2010, THE PLAYERS
Championship Golf Tournament and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) at
UNF have worked together (annually) to admit patrons to one of the most
prestigious PGA Tour events. Taking
place at the storied TPC-Sawgrass, with the infamous and historic 17 Island
Green, members of the fraternity and sorority community have opportunities to
be involved with and participate in a first-rate international event, with an immense benefit to the Northeast Florida region on many levels.
STUDENT VOLUNTEERS INCREASE EFFICIENCY
For eight years, UNF
fraternity and sorority students constituted the majority of volunteers with
the Admissions/Will Call Committee.
These student volunteers work at least six-hour shifts and are often the
first faces patrons encounter upon coming to the tournament. The students assist eager fans to enter the
course by selling and scanning tickets, providing information, and being a
welcoming presence. The support of
fraternity and sorority student volunteers slowly grew over time and because of
their effort, the tournament has been able to merge two committees Admissions
and Will Call into one area and spread out their remaining volunteer pool to
other areas of the tournament. In a
pinch, fraternity and sorority students may also volunteer with another
committee to help fill an opening in the volunteer schedule.
THE PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT
Consistently, the
tournament has anywhere from 50-75 student volunteers from the fraternity and
sorority community, along with the staff members from the Office of Fraternity
& Sorority Life. Because the implementation
of THE PLAYERS Championship is structured around volunteers and partnerships like the one with OFSL, the tournament has been able to provide $100M in charitable giving
since 1977. This money has been vital to
many non-profit and community organizations that also have partnerships with
UNF employees and students in a variety of ways.
EXPERIENCES THAT CREATE CIVIC LEADERS
Every year, THE PLAYERS
Championship volunteer leadership donates money to local non-profits and
charities throughout the northeast Florida area. This amount has steadily climbed each year,
with a total of $8.7M donated in 2017. UNF
is one of the beneficiaries of this philanthropic giving, where THE PLAYERS
Championship earmarks an endowed fund of $1.5M to provide First Generation
Scholarships that provide access to college for students who would not
otherwise be able to attend. Over the
course of the partnership, THE PLAYERS 
Championship has provided $125,000 in
funding to the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, money that has been
put towards educational programming and leadership development for
students. Thus, creating a culture of well-educated and trained leaders to
positively impact UNF and become civic leaders after
graduation. Not to mention, students who
have volunteered have been able to secure internships and full-time positions
with the PGA Tour because of networking and relationships they developed
through the volunteer experience.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
As the tournament continues to grow and flourish, the
partnership between UNF’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and THE
PLAYERS Championship will do the same in order to advance the philanthropic
aims of the tournament and benefit the Northeast Florida region in immeasurable
ways.
For more information on Fraternity and Sorority Life, please visit: https://www.unf.edu/fraternity-sorority/
For more information on volunteering with THE PLAYERS Championship, please visit: https://www.theplayers.com/volunteer.html
