“Certificates of Authenticity” ARE MEANINGLESS for Charity Fundraisers!

 

Too many charities across the country believe this myth “Well, it has a Certificate of Authenticity so we know it’s real.” 

Now that I have your attention, let me both educate you and hopefully save you time, energy, money and your charities reputation.

First – can you imagine finding out that you sold counterfeit autographed items at your charities fundraiser?  The damage would be horrendous. 

A Certificate of Authenticity is absolutely, unequivocally meaningless!!!  Anybody could create a certificate of Authenticity that looks really impressive, using big words that are meant to impress you such as “Forensic Authenticator” – what does that mean?

If you look up what the term “Forensic” means, it says:  “Relating to or denoting the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime.”  So basically, a “Forensic Authenticator is a fancy way of saying they use scientific methods to authenticate autographed items.”  So why not just say “Autograph Authenticator”? 

Don’t be fooled – a fancy card with a bunch of technical sounding terms means absolutely NOTHING!!!  Plus when someone really checks the autograph for authenticity and they take it too someone who is a reputable authenticator, the card is meaningless. 

Don’t you think if the autograph is fake or counterfeit, the awesome “Certificate of Authenticity” that came with it is counterfeit too? 

They commonly use fancy seals and graphically designed cards along with big terms.  They will also put a sticker on the item with a number.  All of this is an attempt to make you feel comfortable. 

But again, the Certificate of Authenticity is absolutely 100% MEANINGLESS.  Why do I say that?

Think about this – anyone can say they are a Doctor correct?  But when you look, they have a diploma from “Johnny’s Doctor School” in Cuba.  Would you let them treat you?  Oh no way. 

What matter is – WHO THE AUTHENTICATOR IS !!!  Are they reputable?  Are they accepted by Ebay or other outlets.  Do they have a long outstanding reputation. 

Here is another issue – Does that company authenticate more than just one autograph companies items?

Do your homework.  Check out the company you are getting autographed items from and then, ask “Who authenticated the autograph?”  If they “Self Authenticate” – RUN.  If they use a company who is relatively unknown – RUN.  If no other company in the world carries the same autographed items, RUN. 

Here is the most important – If the autographs are not authenticated by JSA, PSA/DNA, Beckett or Radtke – RUN. 

DON’T BE FOOLED – A Certificate of Authenticity is MEANINGLESS – Who authenticated the autograph is worth it’s weight in gold or just simply toilet paper.

 

If you would like to learn more about how to tell if an autograph is real or counterfeit, or you would like to ensure that you have 100% authentic autographed auction items, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com, we would love to help you and your charity.

COUNTERFEIT ALERT: Charity Autograph Counterfeiter revealed and reported by “Inside Edition.”

What does “Autograph Authenticity” mean to you?  A lesson for Charity Fundraisers.  Why am I writing this?  Because we want to protect you - teach you and your charity.  Do we want to drive more business to us - of course BUT...the truth of the matter is, revealing that there are counterfeiters out there may drive people away.  But at least I'll be able to sleep at night.  

Unfortunately, like everywhere, there are a few companies who are documented Autograph Counterfeiters and one of which, was actually the subject of an “Inside Edition” story.  This company, located on the east coast, has been providing autographed items but in this case, an autographed Country Music Legends Guitar, for many years and also has a company providing very similar items.  The company which was the target of the investigation, had provided what was said to be a “Country Music Legends autographed Guitar.” 

Inside Edition investigators posed as a charity and ordered many guitars such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd and of course, the Country Music Legends guitar.  However, the investigation revealed that one of the autographs was Tammy Wynette.  Unfortunately, Tammy Wynette died in 1998 but the guitar was made in 2013.  Ms. Wynette (as said by the reporter) would have had to come back from the dead to sign the guitar.  The investigation revealed that all the guitars they received were counterfeit autographs. 

If you would like to watch the story – here is the link:

https://www.insideedition.com/videos/3420-watch-real-or-fake-rock-and-roll-memorabilia-investigation

However, these counterfeiters aren’t stupid – the items come with a Certificate of Authenticity verifying that they are real.  

Do you think they care that they are scamming and stealing from a charity?

The company in question then said there is no real way to prove that an autograph is real - BullShi@t !!!   All the guitars were returned by the company, however, charities are still utilizing the items.

I hear you “Why aren’t they going to jail?”  “Why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?”  I hear you and believe me, I’ve been screaming the same thing for years.  But I am going to hopefully educate you and hopefully you pass the word around throughout the charity world.

Why do these companies routinely change their names and web addresses?  Seriously, because they are hiding.  They have had many different names…all it takes is a little searching on the Google and you’ll see. 

Ask those companies if they have photo's of the items being signed and who the authenticators are?  Are they the standards in the Memorabilia World such as JSA, PSA/DNA, Becket or Steiner?  No?   Ruuuuuuuuuuuunnnnn !!!!

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REALITY:

How to protect yourself and your charity by spotting a Fake.  Yes – authentic autographed guitars do exist but if they are truly authentic, not only are they incredibly expensive but they are authenticated by “Authentic Authenticators” and come with either a photograph or video of the person actually autographing the item.

I’ve heard the argument “Well it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity” – the reality is, anyone can also produce a certificate of authenticity but the reality and the real question is – “Who is the authenticator?”  Real or “Authentic Authenticators” have a track record and are widely known in the autograph industry such as JSA, PSA/DNA, Beckett and Steiner.  However, you should understand that all counterfeiters will provide a “Fake” Certificate of Authenticity just to cover their tracks.

Here is reality – these companies carry autographed items which no one has other than themselves or they have items which you may feel are acceptably expensive such as a Muhammed Ali autographed Boxing Glove for $1,000.00.  The reality is – he died many years ago and several years prior to his death, he could not write.  His authentic autographed boxing gloves are wholesaling for $3,000.00 or more.  Plus they are extremely hard to find.   Anyone who has passed away, their autographs are extremely rare and if you do find them – well, be prepared to pay a hefty price. 

Lebron James, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and iconic athlete’s such as they are – their autographs are EXTREMELY expensive and that is why – many of us don’t carry them.  They are mainly sold through a retail setting. 

ANOTHER POINT:  Don’t believe the story “They are signing them at a lower price because they are meant for charities” – Bull.  They could care less.  They want to be paid and that’s it.  Our company does 100’s of signings with athletes and they know who we are – “Pay me please.”

Ask yourself this?  Why doesn’t this company sell these items in a retail setting?  If you have checked the internet to see if you can find their items with other dealers other than the two (2) companies who are documented forgers, why are they the only ones who carry them? 

Another tip that will help you – Look at the autographs, do they appear all the same, signed with the same pen and appear very similar?  Let’s take for instance this authentic Rolling Stones autographed Guitar.  Understand – IT’S REAL – but the consignment price is nearly $15,000.00.  Notice how messy the autographs are?  Notice they don’t look similar or signed with the same pen?

The reality is ladies and gentlemen – many of you want to believe the fakes are real and honestly, don’t care if you are passing these frauds along.  Do you know that you are then a part of a criminal conspiracy?  

“All that Glitters is not Gold” – let your gut and your conscience be your guide.  Do you want your charity featured on Inside Edition or some other investigative TV Show like 60 Minutes?  I doubt it.

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Our Guarantee:

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising’s guarantee is simply this – EVERYTHING autographed we carry is 100% authentic – PERIOD.  If you want to show our items to other authenticators, please be our guests.  We don’t have life time guarantee’s – why?  Because our items are REAL – why guarantee them if they are real?

How does BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising have 100's and 1,000's of photo's with celebrities and athletes, standing with them, video's and photo's of them signing the items but the other companies don't?  Well that's a CLUE or a major HINT.  RUN!!!

When you go on our website, why don’t we have pictures of all of our items shown for you to reserve?  Because it’s impossible.  Authentic autographed items sell quick – We, because our items are real, don’t have an unending supply of items.  Why?  Because we can’t pay someone to fake the autograph. 

Every single autograph we carry is authenticated by Authentic Authenticators who are the standards in the memorabilia world – JSA, PSA/DNA, Beckett etc.  Our items come with a photograph of the item being autographed.

If you are want REAL or AUTHENTIC, there is only ONE (1) PROVIDER to come to – BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising.  That is why we are TRUSTED by the White House, the Armed Forces, Law Enforcement Charities, the NFL, the NHL, the MLB etc.

If we can help you or you would like to learn more about how to spot a counterfeit autograph, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com, we would love to help.  Also, please test us - ask for photo's and who our Authenticators are - WE WOULD LOVE TO SHOW YOU!!!

"You gotta spend money to make money"

As I begin to write this, I have to remind myself to stay as respectful as possible.  However, as my blood begins to boil and my head hits my hands, I asked myself “Why do charities think and do business the way they do?”  Or “Why don’t the people who work for charities and are planning fundraisers think like normal business men and women?”  You would think by now, that charities or fundraisers would already understand this important fact but obviously they still think opposite of what is true.  As it seems, charity fundraising is the only place where people believe that uneducated people, non-professionals are adequate for this endeavor.

The reason I am saying this is something that I deal with on a constant basis.  Nearly every single day, I am confronted with someone who works with or for a charity who believes they know how to effectively and successfully raise money.  Then, when I hear just how much money they raised, I only sit back and shake my head. 

“Why don’t they ask for help?”  “Why don’t they want to hire someone who understands what is needed?”  “Why don’t they use common sense?” 

Just this morning, I received a call from a charity looking for help with items for their event.  Obviously, I told them that would be easy and we could help them with everything they could possibly want and more.  But then I asked if they were having a Live Auction.  The person on the other side of the phone said “Yes and we are having Bid-Pal.”  So, of course I asked “Do you have an auctioneer?” 

This is where I nearly fell out of my chair – the answer was “No, we can’t afford it.”  So, hold on, you can afford Bid Pal which will not make you a dime, it just makes bidding easier but when it comes to having someone, a professional who is incredibly crucial in your fundraising success, you can’t afford that.  I attempted to explain but she just wouldn’t listen. 

Ladies & Gentlemen – it’s now 2018.  Fundraising has changed drastically.  Are you an educated fundraiser?  Do you know what the difference between success and failure?  Do you know how much money you should raise and how to raise it?  If you don’t, you need to consult with a professional. 

Successful fundraising is crucial to your survival.  Having someone stand up in front of everyone and “Act” like an auctioneer is like asking your mechanic to take out your Appendix.  You would never let someone perform something very important for you if they weren’t a professional!!! 

Why in the charity fundraising world is this simple thought completely backward to how charities plan and conduct their fundraising business?

Anyone planning a charity fundraiser should understand that there are 104 Million charities in the United States.  The beginning – the absolute beginning of successful fundraising is $100.00 Net per guest.  That means if you have 300 people, you should at the very least profit $30,000.00.  Do you or have you even hit that mark?  Don’t lie to yourself….did you hit it or at the very least get within a few hundred dollars of it?  The last place you should scrimp is in the planning and execution of your fundraising event. 

As with most charities, people are asked once a year to plan a fundraiser.  Normally, they just repeat what happened last year without knowing last year’s result.  Or they copy one they attended previously without knowing their result either.

Please heed my advice – whether it be BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising or one of the many incredible Charity Auctioneers across our great nation such as Renee Jones, Jeff Manning or Shelly St. John,  etc. - please hire a professional please.

As professional fundraisers, we want your event to be incredibly successful for you and your charity.  Plus we also want to have the ability to help you make it successful. 

We, BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising, study successful fundraising 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  What you may think is successful or might be successful maybe exactly opposite of what is successful. 

Have you ever heard the term “You gotta spend money to make money”?  Well, that statement is so true – it’s the difference between a windfall of fundraising dollars raised and a yard sale.

We would love to help you plan, manage and host an incredibly successful, highly profitable fundraiser.  Go to our website and contact us, we would love to meet with you and discuss how we can help.  Go to www.BWUnlimited.com.

Houdini was a magician, not an Auctioneer !!!

Over the past several months, we have broken records for our business, helping more charities than ever.  We are helping more charities plan, manage & host events than we ever have.  But with this, especially as we transgress our great country, we are faced with several issues which plague charities.  Most of the problems arise from not being educated and still believing in the various myths that still exist.

Charities, or I should say the people who make up the charity and actually planning their next fundraiser, tend to live in a “Fantasy Land.”  It’s not their fault, you must understand but trying to educate them so that they not only better understand the “Reality of Charity Fundraising” is harder than trying climb Mount Everest backward in a "Speedo and flip flops." 

Charities don’t want to believe that the items donated to them are not going to bring full value (aka Retail Value).  The refuse to believe it – in fact, while I am often am talking to them about their fundraising, they stare blankly back at me with a dazed look on their face.  The reality is that they never go back and look to track what the items they had at their event, actually did or how they performed.

Sadly, charities (I am truly talking about the people) don’t think when seeking donated items, what kind of items they should be going after.  And, here is where you want to rip my head off, don’t truly care about the business who donated the item, they only care about how much money they could possibly make from the sale of it.  How do I know?  Because I use to be the “Donation King.”  I had it down to a science.  But then when I really figured it out…that is when I became a Donation God!!! 

Are you ready for a dose of reality?  Are you sure?  Before I go into it, let me tell you a little story.  I was helping a charity at an event which they had donated some very high end art.  In fact, they brought in the artist from out of the country – six (6) in total – all from South America.  The artists insisted that it had to be displayed in a very high trafficked area with amazing visibility of the artwork.  Understand that the event was very high end and the place, high end as well.  But…I know the reality of the reality.  I asked the artist if there were “Reserves” on the art which they said there were none.  I explained to the Artist what may happen and they obviously disagreed with me.  The pieces ranged (retail mind you) from $7,000.00 to $15,000.00 Retail – original art.  Because they wanted the art to be prominent, I ensured that everyone could see it and it was the centerpoint.  This same art took up the majority of the Live Auction.  Again, I asked them if they would be upset if it did not receive high bids, they laughed and shook their heads as if I was telling a joke.  Well during the live auction as I began to sell the art, the room fell silent (can you hear the crickets?).  The highest bid for the art was $350.00 for a $15,000.00 piece of art.  Then at the end of the evening, one of the buyers tried to back out of the bid so that he could buy items from us (our No Risk Auction Items – Mike Tyson autographed Boxing Trunks and a Sugar Ray Leonard/Roberto Duran dual signed Boxing Glove).  The artists were devastated but came over to me after the event and thanked me for educating them while asking if they should ever do it again – I told them no.

I could provide you with example such as when a donor was present at an event and the item which his business (which he was the owner of) donated an item worth $900.00 and it sold for $45.00 – he walked out immediately after seeing it sell for that amount furious.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I am sorry if you think differently, but Auctioneers are not Magicians.  We auctioneers cannot turn water into wine or make money fly magically out of people’s pockets.  Not one auctioneer in the world can.  You have to provide people with items or experiences that they would want.  Unfortunately, in the example above with the Artists, our Decor items sold higher than their original art – I find that sad.

Furthermore, charities must market the items which they have and will be available to bid on.  Facebook and email newsletters are perfect for this.  But putting people in a room and expecting them to bid on stuff just because…doesn’t happen. 

Another myth – this one will probably sting so gear up – people do not bid on items at your charity fundraiser because they are helping your charity.  This is 100% false.  What is true is this – they bid on items that are attractive, that they want.  The items that get the most bids are Hard to find items, things they have never seen before or Travel Experiences.  If this weren’t true, why do people get buyers remorse and try to return the items the following day?  Charities tend to think people walk in the door blind folded with a stack of $100 bills in their pockets and just throw it up in the air…wherever it lands is what they are going to buy and say “Well it’s for charity” – That is totally false and those days are over.

Be smart about what you are doing, be strategic when seeking donations and then market your donations as much as humanly possible.  Use Facebook religiously to market your event and the items available.

Something else very important – why is it acceptable to pay a venue for food & drinks, a florist for floral arrangements but not to use consigned items and travel on your live and silent auction?  I’ll leave you with that thought.

If you would like to learn how seek and get incredible donated items while ensuring the donors are happy by the result and how to also absolutely ensure that those items bring an amazing amount of money - or if you would like to learn more about how to host a successful charity fundraising event and how to plan your fundraising platforms such as the Live & Silent Auction effectively, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com, we would love to help you exceed your fundraising goals.

"The Reality of the Reality of Donated Items"

If you are a fan of mine or read my blogs, you repeatedly have heard me say repeatedly the same things over and over again.  As with most things I say, the lessons I am trying to teach come from real “Honest to Goodness” mistakes I’ve made or have seen made over the vast amount of years I’ve been involved in fundraising.

I am always incredibly inquisitive about why charities have the beliefs they have and why they do what they do.  What do I mean by “Do what they do”?  Well, what I mean is simply this – charities believe that donated items will bring close to if not higher bids than what they are worth.  Or, why they continually put items in a fundraising event which will not have the return they believe.

Ok – so the best examples are real life stories or real life examples right?  Well, I hate to admit but over the weekend, I saw most of what I preach against happen at an event which we were a part of. 

What most charities do not know is this – the larger, more profitable charities don’t even deal with small donated items.  They know these items are not profitable and only go after Sponsors and large items which are always on their live auctions.  They educate themselves because in the end, they are evaluated on their fundraising successes on a continuing basis.

So at this event we were a part of – prior to, we had begun to help their founder but our tactics seemed extremely counter intuitive.  But because she believed in what we were saying, she allowed us to do what we are known to do.  In her many donations, we found a basket which was better than most.  Because of the quality of items and that we also believe that a smaller scale fundraising event should not be all of our items – we placed this basket in the Silent Auction.  If I were to guess, the retail value would have been well over $200.00.  But as you hear me say over and over and over again, donated items only bring 1/8^th to 1/4  of retail in any Silent or Live Auction.  Well, it brought only $65.00 – exactly what I say day in and day out.  Proof positive.

Then, another issue which I address all the time is donated Vacation homes as well as locally donated items.  I tell our clients continually how if someone can get a vacation home either given to them free or less, they will not bid on those items.  Same with locally donated items, if you live close-by to a store which donated items in the fundraising event you are attending, you’re not going to bid to the retail value – you and everyone else is looking for deal 100% of the time.  This is always correct at every single event we do.

So, after the event was over and we were packing up to leave, I overheard a friend of our client say to her “I wasn’t going to bid on that because I can use it for free” about a Vacation Home which was in the Live Auction.

I literally fell out of my seat yelling “Oh my God”….in fact, I said to my client “Remember that, we will talk about it tomorrow.”

Folks – people do not want donated items.  If you are solely relying on donated items, you will see the inevitable result – that everyone is looking for a deal.  People are NOT and will NOT bid on items anywhere near what they are worth despite the fact that they are attending a charity event.  This NEVER EVER happens!!! 

People bid with their wallets, not with their hearts.  It’s sad, gotcha, but it’s the truth.  Wake up to the reality of fundraising.  Fundraising is a treacherous place to be.  There are monsters under the bed if you go looking. 

If you understand the reality of the reality, you will make the right decisions which will always prove to be profitable. 

On another note, smaller charities believe that consigned items (like ours) pull money away from their donated ones.  This cannot be farther from the truth, in fact, they pull money out of the crowd that would not have been spent otherwise.  This is the same belief as previously stated above – that people pay full retail for donated items (Fantasy and Myth).  In fact, the profit they make on our items at the starting bid far exceeds the highest bids on the donated items.  I challenge anyone reading this to see how people will win items at very low levels for the donated items but will bid on our items which the starting bids are much much higher. 

Your guests DO NOT walk into your charity fundraiser with blindfold on and a pocket full of cash, throw the money up in the air and spend it blindly.  This ideal or thought process can’t be further from the truth but for some reason, charities think this way.  Your guests bid on items they want and will bid heavily on them.  However, if the items have a known retail, they are looking for a deal and will not bid anywhere near the retail.  However, on items such as ours or another provider, these items have no known retail causing your guests to make incredibly high bids over and over and over again.

This my friends is the “Reality of the Reality of donated items.”  I am not saying do not go after donations and only use consigned items, I am saying if you are going after donations, to use them in a way that they have a certain high profit return.

If you would like help with understanding the reality of charity fundraising and how to use your donations in such a way that they have a very high return, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com, we would love to help you.

Understanding how to play the charity fundraising "Game"

Most people have no clue how large the charity “Marketplace” truly is.  I routinely ask new clients I meet with how many charities do they think exist in the United States.  2,700?  10,000?  100,000?  No – there are an unbelievable 104 Million charities.  If you then remember there are at 10 people involved with every charity, the number goes astronomical.

Synopsis:

There are 104 Million registered U.S. Non Profits.  Most popular charities realize that growth comes from opening “sub charities” in other areas of the country, these “sub charities” are called “chapters.”  Chapters not only spread the mission of the charity but they also are a highly successful fundraising method – basically the children of the charity feeding the mother. 

With that in mind – the 104 Million registered U.S. Non Profits grow to 150 million counting the “Sub Charities” in the equation. 

There are two types of fundraisers:

a.    Charity fundraiser – A registered 501(c)3 Non Profit – Basically a charity business.

b.    Benefit fundraiser – When a community comes together to hold a fundraiser     for someone or something in order to help them.  The IRS allows for an unregistered group to host one (1) fundraiser a year for a cause which is deemed non-taxed.  These types of fundraisers are routinely for an ill child, a storm damaged community or a family hit with an unseen tragedy.  These are called “Benefits.”  These “Benefit” fundraisers are not tracked nor are they counted in the 104 million.

With the above in mind, going from 104 million registered U.S. Non Profits, adding the sub-charities/chapters, the number rises to 150 million fundraisers.  There are an untold number of Benefit fundraising events going on but we know they are going on constantly.  Adding 50 million benefit fundraisers a year, the number rises to 200 million fundraising entities holding fundraising events each year.  So how do you still out above the crowd?

200 Million Fundraising entities in the United States, each needing to fundraise each year to keep their mission going with only 50 states in the nation. 

Fundraising competition is ridiculous!!!

The “Fundraising Myth”:

Most charities or fundraisers simply have no idea about the above number.  Each understandably believes that they are an “Island amongst themselves.”  They believe that their charities mission or why they are hosting a benefit fundraiser is more important than any charity in existence.  They believe that everyone will want to be a part of it and everyone will want to donate to their upcoming fundraiser.  They believe that everyone will want to come to their fundraiser.  With that belief, they advertise their fundraiser with the name of the charity because that is what is going to attract people to their personal mission.  They sit back and wait….and wait….and wait.

The “Donations Myth”:

Many charities believe that because their charity or benefit is so important and valuable, that businesses and individuals will line up to donate.  They also believe that if they ask, businesses will donate high end items such as Harley Davidson motor cycles, cars etc.  If they do donate, they donate items which will bring the retail price or higher because people will want to give and pay above the retail price.  They believe that every business they approach will say “Well, what do you want or what can we give you.”  Same holds true with sponsorship – companies will flip open their checkbook and say “Okay, how about $10,000.00?” 

The “Reality of Fundraising”:

Forget the myth above – it’s entirely 100% false.  Do you remember the amount of charities I reported above?  There are so many charities out there with everyone screaming, paying for marketing etc. that everyone chooses a “Pet Charity” or a charity they believe in and give to that one if any at all.  The citizens of the United States are also bombarded with charities asking for money.  Everywhere they go, they are asked to give.  They become “numb” to being asked for money which makes them numb to the mission of the charity so they tune it all out.  No matter where you turn, someone has their hand out – right?  Right.  People are not paying attention.  Here is the hardest part to understand and comprehend – people don’t care because of this.  They just can’t – its reality.

The reality is that people involved with charities “Hit Up” businesses constantly. Everyone is asking for donations and businesses can only give so much – they have to worry about keeping their own businesses afloat and their lights on.  If they give, they give something they can afford to give away – most likely something that is not selling in their stores.  But we as charities believe that those items will bring full retail or above – this never ever happens. 

Donated items are only bringing 1/8 to 1/4 of retail across the county in any Silent or Live Auction – People are looking for a deal and will not get anywhere near the full retail value – here is why:

Local People – Attending a Local Event – with items donated by local businesses = If your guests wanted those items, they would go buy them, themselves.

No one attends a charity event looking for a “Teeth Cleaning”, “Will preparation”, “Home Inspection” or “Botox Treatments.”  Items like this sell for an embarrassing low amount of money. 

Businesses donate because they want a return on their money.  They want “drivers” into their businesses.

The Solution:

Understanding all of the above, charities need to understand that it is vital to not act like the “Norm.”  They must plan their fundraising events as events and not as fundraisers.  They must stand outside the crowd.  They also must have a plan to give businesses what they want as well as their guests.  They must have a plan to utilize their collected donated items in a platform which will bring much more than 1/8 to 1/4 of retail. 

How does a charity plan an event which will sell out?  How does a charity raise well above the norm, more than they have ever raised?  How do they stand out in a crowd of millions? 

If donated items do not bring a lot of money in a Silent or Live Auction – then what should they do? 

Solution to the Solution:  

A charity must spend money to make money.  Fundraising events must evolve, change year to year.  They must be exciting and fresh and be more about the event and less about the charity.  This will bring people to your event and to your charities mission.

Are you ready to grow and be more successful, if so, contact us today.

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a North American charity fundraising leader in a convenient “One Stop Shop.”  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is known across North America for planning fundraising events which have ridiculous successful results – not only financial but charity growth year after year.  Contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com.

CONTROVERSIAL: The "Snowflake Approach" to fundraising

WARNING:  If you are offended easy, stop reading now.  As you see, there is a lot of content below.  Stop reading if your feelings get hurt easy.  You’ve been warned.  By the way, if this Blog offends you, I really don't care.  Feel free to comment about how nasty I am, or use the word that most people do, that I'm "Abrasive" - I won't be offended.

No lie, literally, I just received a phone call and could not stop laughing.  It totally made my week.  This is a TRUE story, but the names are changed to protect the innocent parties lol.  But here it is.

Last year, I worked with a charity who had never done a fundraiser before.  Now, knowing me, do you think I walked softly through our meetings and used a soft tone of voice or was I me?  You remember me don’t you?  The retired State Trooper, former Undercover Narcotics Detective, 6 foot 5 former Marine and notably the best fundraiser in North America – yes I said it.

So the phone call goes like this “Hey I just wanted to call you and tell you why my charity isn’t hiring you this year.”  Of course I said “Okay, why?”  The caller, lets call him Steve said “Well let me tell you about the meeting we just had.  The person who is now in charge of doing our fundraiser actually said and I quote….I don’t want anyone’s feelings to get hurt so if you don’t mind helping us, we would really appreciate it.  We aren’t telling you to sell tickets or demanding you do but if you don’t mind, would you please help us sell some tickets.  If you have something to say, because we don’t want your feelings to get hurt, we want you to speak up because it’s very important that you’re feelings aren’t hurt.” 

That is when I fell out of my chair in total laughter.  I dropped my phone while falling and could hear “Steven” laughing as well.  I picked up the phone and he said “And that is when I walked out of the room.”  I was speechless – are you kidding me? 

Now look to the left at my picture, do I look like a guy who cares if I offended your feelings or if I care that the way I talk is abrasive?    

Because I am a "Take Charge" kind of guy, I don't mince words and I'm extremely direct, my direct approach is not and how do I say "Loved by all."  I have no room or time to hand hold.  You hired me to raise a ton of money for your charity, so lets get it done and here is how we are going to do it.  I can't just shake off 20 years as a State Trooper to suddenly be someone's babysitter.  That's not me...eventhough some people have tried to teach me a "Kinder, Gentler Approach."

But then this is what the world has came too.  Political correctness, which you already know I am not, has taken hold into every facet of our world, now to include fundraising.

Now lets take this in direct contrast of a charity I just met with –which I don’t have to mince words or change names.  I work with A LOT of police agencies and Law Enforcement foundations.  These guys and girls could care less that you what you say, in fact, if  you don’t drop the “F” bomb every once in awhile, they will think you’re weird. 

They are take control kind of people, do as they are told and follow orders.  Let’s take as an example Chris Heslop or as I call him “Mr. Happy.”  Chris is the President of the Police K9 Association and without a doubt, does not mince words.  He says whats on his mind and is very course in the way he says it – I love it!!!  Jen Krauss from the Prince George’s County Police K9 Section – she tells it like it is and will tell you to go “F” yourself if she doesn’t like what you have to say.  But then these two have hosted incredibly successful fundraising events.

So as I’m wiping the tears away from my eyes from laughing so hard, I told “Steven” that I was going to write this Blog and title it “The Snowflake Approach” and he please do.

When planning a fundraising event that you want to be successful, the very last thing you want are people on your committee who need a participation trophy when your event fails.  You don’t need people around who get their feelings hurt if you say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing – you need people who are go-getters!!!  People who are not afraid to walk up to someone and say “Buy tickets.”  Snowflakes are people who will be absolutely worthless to you and your committee and in the end, your fundraising event.  They won’t sell tickets to come, they surely won’t get donations because they don’t have the “Guts” to walk in and ask for donations.  You need people the exact opposite. 

Now it all makes sense.  Now I know why it was like trying to climb Mount Everest backward carrying a 1,000 lbs. on my back planning their fundraiser.  Remember, in order to be successful at anything in life, you have to GO AFTER IT!!!  In order to host a successful fundraising event, you can not be afraid to hurt anyone's feelings, you can not be a snowflake. If you are, you’re in the wrong game. 

Do you think anyone who ever became very rich or successful was a snowflake?  Doubt it.  Now that I’m thinking about it, every single event that we have done that was highly successful, none of them were ran by snowflake type people.

In order to be successful, you must have people who are Type A.  Who are not afraid to talk to everyone and anyone.   Non-negative, Positive from beginning to end people who will kill themselves nearly to ensure that you are successful. 

If you would like to learn more on how to grow a successful charity fundraising committee, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com. 

Charity Fundraising 101: What does it mean?

Before I start, you should know and I’ll admit, a very long time ago – I could care less about sports.  Seriously, I was a fair weather fan and didn’t watch any of it.  But, since I started in the business and had to get to know what I was talking about or when someone was talking to me, I quickly learned everything I needed to know.  Shortly thereafter, I started being very interested in all sports. 

But when it comes to authentic autographs, I had to learn a few “Secrets” that no one else did.  So I thought I would share them with you.  So here they are:

How do we acquire autographs? 

Simply put, we pay athletes to sign their name.  No, we don’t stand outside the stadium or a locker room or over the dug out and ask for autographs, they are paid and paid very well to come and do an autograph signing.  In fact, this is something you should especially understand, if one company is the only company in the world offering certain items that no one else has, they are definitely counterfeit – Charity world, take note.  Why are there only two (2) companies in the charity fundraising field who offer autographed guitars, signed movie posters, signed drumheads etc.?  When a REAL autograph signing occurs, everyone is alerted across the country – and companies get in.

What does Inscribed or an Inscription mean?

Athletes or whoever is signing anything are paid once price for their actual “Autograph.”  But if they write anything else, that is an extra charge – making the price of the item go even higher.  For instance, on the baseball signed by Pete Rose to the right, the sentence "I'm Sorry I bet on Baseball" is an inscription.  Inscriptions are like an extra added bonus normally detailing awards or records, for instance, here are a few you will commonly see:

“HOF” – Hall of Fame

“HT” – Heisman Trophy Winner

“MVP” – Most Valuable Player

“SB MVP” – Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

“CHOF” – Collage Hall of Fame

“HR 500” – Home Runs 500

“CY” – Cy Young Award Winner

What types of items are there?

Items range from Pro-Line “On Field” Helmets meaning the same type of helmet worn on the Field, to actual Game Worn helmets/Jerseys etc.   Then there are Full Size Helmets (aka Replica Helmets).  These Helmets, in my opinion, are the best because they are much cheaper than a “Pro-Line” Helmet.  They look exactly the same when sitting on a shelf or a desk.  True collectors want Pro-Line’s.  Then there are real Nike or Reebok Jerseys – these Jerseys are intrinsically expensive so having one autographed is that much higher in price.  However, there are Custom Jerseys which appear to look exactly like a real Jersey however there are no insignia’s of the NFL or Nike/Reebok making them much cheaper.

What is an Authentic Authenticator?

In my professional opinion, there are only a few REAL Authenticators in the world.  Or companies which authenticate their own items but these companies are highly reputable. 

You should also understand in the real world of Sports Autographs, these two companies are the absolute “STANDARD” and widely accepted.  There are no other Authenticators which true collectors will accept. 

The only two Authentic Authenticators, in my opinion are:

JSA – James Spence Authenticators - http://www.spenceloa.com/

A Letter's of Authenticity are guaranteed to be accepted by all collectors, dealers, and auction houses worldwide, or your submission fee will be reimbursed.  JSA is an eBay approved autograph authenticator.  Increased value and a confident buyer for faster sale of autographed memorabilia.  JSA's extensive autograph exemplar database is second to none in the autograph industry.  Peace of mind that your memorabilia is deemed authentic and ready to be sold, passed along to a family member, or cherished forever.  Secure, virtually impossible to replicate proprietary watermark JSA Letter of Authenticity with corresponding high-resolution image and a unique alpha-numeric certification sticker.    Quick and simple online confirmation of your JSA certification number.  All JSA Letters of Authenticity are fully transferable without resubmission.  JSA's services are utilized by more major auction houses than any other autograph authentication company in the world including:

PSA/DNA – http://www.psacard.com/

PSA/DNA is the world’s leading third-party authentication service for autographs and authenticates signatures from the worlds of sports, history and entertainment.   Our experts have a diverse knowledge base that is complemented by proprietary methods and technology to form the following four-step authentication process.  PSA/DNA experts conduct ink analysis, autograph structure analysis, object evaluation and side-by-side comparisons.  Experts may also use a video spectral comparator to further evaluate the autograph.  Once the autograph is deemed genuine, the item is marked with invisible ink that contains a synthetic DNA sequence specific to PSA/DNA. A unique, serialized label is also provided.  Either a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) or a Letter of Authenticity (LOA) is issued with the genuine autograph. The document contains the same alphanumeric serial number to match the label on the item.  The certified autograph can be verified publically using our online Certification Verification webpage or mobile application.

Companies that authenticate their own items but are highly respected and their items are certified to be authentic:

Steiner Sports

SportsMemorabilia.com

To read about BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising's extensive Authentication Policy, go to http://www.bwunlimited.com/AUTHENTICITY-POLICY-BWunlimited.html

I hope this explains just a few of the terms used when reading our catalogs.  Knowing is much better than not knowing.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is the only Charity Fundraising auction item provider that continually provides absolutely 100% authentic, authenticated items by the world autograph experts.  If BWUCF doesn’t carry it and others do, most likely those items are counterfeit.  If we could help you with your next charity auction, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com.