Strategic Golf-Based Fundraising: How Twilight Golf Club Maximized a Dormie Network Foundation Partnership
When a nonprofit receives an in-kind golf membership to use as experiential fundraising, it’s easy to treat it as a one-time prize. Twilight Golf Club (TGC) shows what’s possible when it’s treated as a long-term asset instead. In one year, a single one-year Dormie Network membership donated by Dormie Network Foundation (DNF) raised money for youth golf and supported a community course. It also fueled business partnerships, strengthened board relationships, and created a family milestone.
This is how TGC turned one donated membership into four purpose-driven trips, and what other nonprofits can learn from it.
About Twilight Golf Club
Founded in 2020 by Stephen Edwards, Twilight Golf Club is a USGA- and Carolinas Golf Association-affiliated organization with a unique approach: it operates without a physical home clubhouse. Instead, TGC unites golfers across the Carolinas through a shared love of competition, community involvement, and athletic fellowship, making golf welcoming and accessible to players of all skill levels.
Advancing Equitable Access
Youth Empowerment: TGC’s primary charitable beneficiary is First Tee – Triad, an organization that introduces young people to golf while teaching essential life skills.
Community Development: Edwards and TGC spearheaded the development of Old Field Golf, a community-focused 6-hole short course designed by Smyers, Craig, and Coyne in Davie County, NC.
TGC Leadership Grant: Established in 2026, this grant directly funds equitable golf initiatives and raised over $3,000 within its first few months of launch.
For Edwards and the TGC community, these efforts reflect a central belief: golf is a powerful force for good when used to build relationships and create opportunities for others.
Twilight Golf Club Partners with Dormie Network Foundation
Edwards learned about DNF after seeing how peer nonprofit organizations utilized DNF’s innovative in-kind membership donations to spark major donor support.
In late 2025, DNF donated a one-year Dormie Network Membership to support the annual Twilight Open Fundraiser. Edwards stepped forward with a significant personal donation to secure the membership, directing 100% of the proceeds to First Tee – Triad.
This year, the seventh annual Twilight Open had a specific focus to raise funds for the newly established TGC Leadership Grant.
Four Strategic Dormie Network Trips
Instead of treating the membership as a passive perk, Edwards and TGC turned it into an active tool for organizational growth. Over the next year, Edwards and TGC board members would use the membership to visit four of the seven Dormie Network destinations. Each trip had a different goal: planning, business development, board fellowship, and family connection. Together, they show that the value of a golf experience extends well beyond the course.
Victoria National in Newburgh, Indiana
Date of trip: October 2025
Goal of Trip: Planning Retreat
Old Field Golf is a new community-focused, 6-hole short course in North Carolina designed by architects Smyers, Craig, and Coyne. Founded by TGC, the course was built to be a welcoming space for families, beginners, and junior players.
While visiting Victoria National, the project’s founders met with the design team to finalize plans for the 2026 opening. That productive session sparked an ambitious idea: pitching a $10,000 donation proposal to an anonymous donor through the Outpost Foundation. The pitch succeeded, securing full funding for "The Outpost,” the social hub and clubhouse at Old Field Golf.
Briggs Ranch in San Antonio, Texas
Date of Trip: March 2026
Goal of Trip: Business Development and Peer Networking
As Vice President and Family Wealth Advisor for Baird’s Wray Trollinger Bolton Edwards & Shore Group (recognized on Forbes’ Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams), Edwards turned this trip into a professional growth summit. He joined 12 financial advisors and DNF Director of Philanthropy Howie Hutchinson for Baird Wealth Management's inaugural Emerging Leader’s Summit Baird Cup.
“This was an opportunity for peer-to-peer sharing, great conversation, and encouragement of one another in taking care of our clients and helping others flourish, while also having a blast at Briggs Ranch,” says Edwards.
The gathering also deepened engagement with Baird leadership. Three Baird individuals who held donated memberships prior to the retreat converted to a Signature Membership for business purposes, while another attendee committed to a donated membership following the event.
Edwards describes the trip: “Phenomenal lodging, dining, care of staff, and what a great golf course.”
Ballyhack in Roanoke, Virginia
Date of Trip: June 2026
Goal of Trip: Leadership Celebration & Board Fellowship
Located just a short drive from TGC’s North Carolina community, Ballyhack provided the perfect backdrop for internal community building. Hayes Wauford, TGC Vice President, led a group of board members and executive committee leaders to the course. The retreat served as a celebration of key organizational milestones, a planning session for the upcoming summer league season, and an opportunity for meaningful fellowship beyond the game.
ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Nebraska
Date of Trip: June 2026
Goal of Trip: Personal Connection & Family Milestones
The final trip highlighted the personal side of donor stewardship. Edwards visited ArborLinks with his son to celebrate his 10th birthday, pairing the trip with a visit to the College World Series during Father's Day week.
The two enjoyed the course, hospitality, and most importantly, time together. For Edwards, the experience brought the membership's personal value into focus. It connected his professional involvement in golf with the same sense of discovery and enjoyment that makes the game meaningful to families and friends.
Key Takeaways
Together, the four trips during Edwards’ one-year Dormie Network donated membership illustrate the range of what experiential golf fundraising can make possible.
The partnership between Twilight Golf Club and the Dormie Network Foundation proves that an in-kind golf donation can achieve far more than a single event bid. Across one year, Edwards leveraged golf to:
Fund vital community golf infrastructure (Old Field Golf)
Support youth programs (First Tee – Triad and the TGC Leadership Grant)
Build executive and corporate partnerships
Strengthen internal volunteer fellowship and family ties
For nonprofits seeking innovative ways to engage major donors, strategic golf experiences offer a powerful path toward long-term alignment and sustainable impact.
Learn More and Get Involved
To learn more about Twilight Golf Club or support their mission in North Carolina:
Website: https://www.twilightgolfclub.org/
Instagram: @twilightGolfNC
Facebook: Twilight Golf NC
Curious about partnering with the Dormie Network Foundation? Read our guide: 6 Signs Your Nonprofit is Ready for Experiential Golf Fundraising with Dormie Network Foundation.
