Charities BEWARE!!! Investigation of Counterfeiters taking advantage of Charities

Normally, I write Soap Box Blogs for your education and to assist you along with charities across North America.  However, over the years, I have wrote many Blogs that address this topic. 

Honestly, this blog was somewhat long, but after I wrote it, I realized I could sum it up in just a few sentences. 

Before you read this – please read this article from a recent “Inside Edition” show about counterfeit autographed items offered by a certain company:

Real or Fake?  Rock and Roll

Memorabilia Investigation ~

Inside Edition

The above investigation revealed that a certain very well known Charity No Risk Auction item provider, provided a COUNTERFEIT autographed item to a Church.  And when confronted with the fact the item was FAKE, they ran.

This same company offers charities all across North America very high profile autographed items which are not authenticated by reputable companies.  After review by one of the most reputable companies - PSA/DNA, the autographed guitar was found to be COUNTERFEIT.

To summarize everything I was trying to say in the blog that I wrote and erased, I simply want everyone to know this about our company:

“BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising will NEVER offer counterfeit autographed items.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is family owned and operated and was founded on simple belief “Charity First.”  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising will only offer charities across North America authentic autographed items along with Charity Travel Packages at the absolute best prices.  BW Unlimited will offer the finest services along with expert assistance in regard to Event Management and Successful Fundraising Trend consultation. 

    We do not offer a money back guarantee if an item is reviewed by an authenticator and found to be fake or counterfeit– because we only offer 100% authentic items.  Why give a money back guarantee when the items are 100% authentic?”

-        George F. Wooden, President/Owner, BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising

Thank you for reading this – we promise that we will continue to be the absolute most reputable company in the charity fundraising arena. 

 

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising offers charities across North America 100% authentic autographed items reviewed and authenticated by the two most reputable Authentication Companies in the World - JSA & PSA/DNA.  These two companies are the standard in the Autographed Sports Memorabilia world - and with that, they are BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising's Standard.  BW Unlimited does not offer or carry the high profile items these companies do, due to the fact that these items are not authenticated by these companies and are not found in the Autograph world. 

 

Fundraising Secret – How does your next event reach “Rockstar” status?

Do you remember the movie Field of Dreams?  What was the main quote from that movie?  “Build it and they will come.”  In this blog, I will help you begin to build it, and they will definitely come and come in droves.

Have you seen some of those incredibly huge charity events that are held in your area?  Or the ones across the United States?  Filled with celebrities, Rock Stars, Politicians and hundreds upon hundreds of people?  Believe it or not, those same charities were just like yours and started with an idea.  However, at a certain point, they started to plan their events accordingly. 

I am going to share a Secret with you – Just with our Fans, Friends and Clients.  I know for a fact – the exact way those Charity events became so large and how your next event can be the "Rockstar" in your area - where everyone wants to be.  To see people and be seen by people.

First, have you ever wondered just how many charities are in your area?  If you knew, it most likely will shock and scare you.  Go to www.Taxexemptworld.com and search your area, you will be amazed and maybe dismayed.  All the charities in your area are without a doubt, your competition.  “How are they our competition?” you ask.   The answer is simply that they are also trying to raise money in your area and get donations from the exact same people and businesses you are. 

Take the number of charities in your area and multiply it by 10.  10 is the number of people involved in that charity which are looking for donations from local businesses, trying to sell tickets to their fundraising events and seeking financial donations.  That’s a lot of people.  If you want to be frightened even more, expand your search to your city, county or even your state. 

If you recall my blog “Above the crowd noise”, we spoke about all the charities trying to get the attention of new supporters and charity event guests.  In the United States, there are 104 million charities in only 50 states.  From TV, Radio, Print Advertisement etc., charities today are working hard to get the attention of anyone who can possibly listen.  However, the problem is, they all drown each other out.  People begin to tune them out because everywhere they go, they are getting “Pitched.”

The question is – how does your charity get noticed and become the Celebrity Event in your area?  The key is creating an Event and not focusing on the charity.  I know this does not make sense, however, remember that your competition is also screaming for their share of the pie.  With 104 Million charities conducting marketing, how to differentiate yourself is to plan an event that everyone wants to be a part of.

How is this done?  In order to understand this appropriately, I am going to ask you to think like someone who knows nothing about your charity.  It may be hard, but try just for this exercise. 

To attract people to your charity, you first must put out the “Bate” in an essence.  What does everyone across the United States enjoy?  A great time right?  Great place with good food, great friends etc.  So, in order to attract people to your charity, you first must plan an event which provides the above – simple right?  The cornerstone of any great event is both the location and the menu quality.

You most likely are saying “Well, we are already doing that.”  Not true – you must plan your event as the guest sitting in the seat, instead of the charity.  Plan your event as though you are thinking of your “dream event.”  That means the food, the drinks, the venue and even the parking lot should all be up to par.  No one wants to go to a rundown venue with bad food. 

Then create a name or title for your event.  The title should be then followed by “supporting or sponsored by “ABC Charity (Insert your name here).” 

In order to stand out above the crowd of charities in your area and to begin to make your event reach “Celebrity Status”, here is where the planning begins.  As you are planning your event, every small detail should be accounted for.  But remember, plan it as though you know nothing about the charity who is hosting it.  Keep in mind that no one likes long winded speeches but everyone likes to watch a “Video.”  No one wants to sit through endless awards but would like to hear about the great deeds SOME of the people involved in the charity are doing in the community.

Here is a question I get asked all the time “How do I attract the big spenders?”  When I tell you the answer, you may not believe it.  It’s best to give you a real life example – there is a catering facility nearby our offices.  The food, the place etc. are all somewhat “Fair.”  However, no matter what the event or charity is that is holding an event there, the “Affluent” crowd in the area will NOT go there.  I don’t care what it is, they will not be caught dead there. 

Then it’s about the items available to bid on or win.  Every single charity out there has the normal Gift Baskets or Gift Certificates or a donated vacation home.  The key to attract people is high quality items and/or Travel packages.  You have to be not the “Norm.”  Don’t be boring, be unique.  Take a Risk…go out on a limb.

Another important thing to tell you, did you know that your ticket price dictates how well you will do at your event?  Many charities out there think that a low ticket price will attract people.  They believe that they can pack the room full of people and then those same people will spend money.  However, the opposite in charity fundraising is true – the lower the ticket price, the more of a chance people will just come, eat and leave.  A moderate ticket price – let’s say $60.00 to $80.00 for a single ticket is a great starting point.  The ticket price is a hurdle in some cases and nearly pre-qualifies your guests to determine if they will have the ability to spend or donate money (i.e. bidding on items and purchasing raffle tickets). 

In future Blogs or even older ones, I will let you in on many secrets – all which will help you grow your event and most importantly, your fundraising dollars.

If you would like our help, planning your event, contact us today – we would love to help. 

Did you know that BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a leader in Charity Fundraising across North America?  BW Unlimited is truly one of the fastest growing companies in North America, assisting more and more charities each and every year.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is the Charity Fundraising “One Stop Shop” assisting charities with “No Risk Auction Items” as well as Event Management Services such as an Expert Charity Auctioneer, Event Set up, check out assistance and much more.  If you would like our help with your next event, please contact me at George@bwunlimited.com or  www.BWUnlimited.com.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Charitable Giving Grew 4.9% In 2013

We all love to read good news, but great educational news is even better.  Forbes Magazine just published an article reporting that charitable giving is up 4.9% from 2013 and gave the credit to On Line Giving and a strong Social Media presence.

With the 2008 recession having a major impact on Non Profit’s (NPO’s) across North America, many small charities were forced to close their doors.  Why did that happen? 

The reason many charities had to close their doors was due primarily to strong, educated charities understanding the need for change.  They began to educate themselves on how to professionally market themselves through social media outlets such as Facebook and Emails blasts. 

These charities also focused on how to effectively fundraise.  With an eye on their local area and the recession’s negative effects on businesses, they began to effectively strategize on how to approach their fundraising efforts through a more of a professional approach. 

Formerly, they relied heavily on Grants, however, the recession also ended many of these.  The financial donations they were receiving also began to slow while donated items for the fundraising events were harder to receive and the quality of the items also fell.

These charities began to employ Event Planners and seek out higher quality items through businesses such as BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising for items that had a higher appeal.  They also began to place the ability to receive donations on-line and also sell tickets to their events via an on-line outlet.

The most common trait that all of the successful charities share is the fact that they continually educate themselves on how to approach fundraising based solely on what is happening across the country.  They listen to their supporters while searching out ways to gain more support. 

The recession was and still is a great way to learn about how to approach successful fundraising in the future.

 

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a Charity Fundraising Leader across North America in a “One Stop Shop” setting assisting both large charities and smaller ones.  BW Unlimited assists Schools, teams, Charities of all sizes from Maryland to Alaska each year – 1400 events a year.  The BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising staff constantly monitors both positive and negative fundraising trends in order to consult our clients through the myriad of fundraising pitfalls.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising offers a host of “No Risk Auction Items” such as Autographed Memorabilia that is 100% authentic, 100% of the time.  BW Unlimited is the only provider utilizing 3^rd Party Authenticators from the world’s most reputable Autograph Authenticators – JSA & PSA/DNA.  BW also offers an incredible inventory of Charity Travel Packages including Once in a Lifetime and Vacation destinations worldwide.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising would love to help you and your charity with your next fundraising event.  Contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com.