Fundraising 101: Incorrect thinking when planning for your guests and supporters.

I just have a simple question - are you or is anyone involved in the planning of your event a "Magician" or a "Mind Reader"?

No?  Then continue reading - A major problem that occurs when charities or their planners are planning their event is simply this – they think for themselves and not for their guests.  Perhaps, this is the WORST practice that anyone could ever do. 

Let me give you an example – Charities often plan events with a theme and as an example, lets say it has a “James Bond 007” theme.  Here is where the problems begin:

#1 – They chose a menu which matches the theme.

#2 – They contact us and ask for James Bond items.

#3 – They ask their guests to dress within the theme.

Now from the outset, it seems like a very interesting theme however, the reality is simply this which most planners seem to forget – Just because there is a theme, people still like what they like and all people are generally the same. 

When planning your event, you have to think for your guests and not for what you like.  This is a common problem and devastating to the end result.

Let’s say planners are planning a “German” themed event.  They want a German menu, German drinks and then will inevitably want German themed items on their auctions along with German music.  They may even have it in a German venue.  So here are questions to ask yourself:

#1 – Will your guests like this?

#2 – Will your guests like the menu?

#3 – Will they like the music?

#4 – Will they bid on German themed items?

#5 – Will they like the venue?

The reality is simply this again – everyone enjoys the same things – good food, good music or entertainment and of course, exciting items to bid on.

Since we are an auction item provider to well over 1,400 charities a year – we are well aware of what people like…because of all the mistakes we have made in the past.  We have planned many events with many different menus’ – both plated and buffet in many different venues.

In every crowd, here is a common theme – keep in mind, people are the same in Maryland as they are in Texas, in Florida, in California, in Alaska, in Michigan and in Boston. 

#1 – Everyone enjoys a very nice venue.

#2 – Everyone enjoys great food and plenty of it.

#3 – Everyone likes good drinks.

#4 – Everyone likes to be entertained and most commonly, they enjoy a wide array of music types – that is why I normally suggest a DJ.

#5 – In every single crowd, there are people who like Sports, Jewelry, exciting décor and Vacation Packages.

#6 – Everyone enjoys a well-planned event.

When you insist that your guest like what you do, you will lose every single time.  Try to think for the masses and not for yourself or your group.  Don’t insist they like what you do or make them like it.

Here is another issue which I always advise my clients and vitally important when planning your event.  The two most important aspects to understand that ensures your event is a success – the Venue & the Menu.

You can’t argue with me, this is a “What will you do for me” society.  The Venue is VITALLY important to the success of your event.  No one wants to go to a place that is “Less than.” 

A common mistake which if you think about it, makes ZERO sense is that if a charity hosts an event at a “Lesser or Cheaper” venue and don’t spend much on food or services, they will make more profit.  This is the exact opposite of what is reality.  Here is why but I want you to ask your husband or wife:

#1 – If you had the choice – would you go to the American Legion or Ruth Chris Steakhouse for dinner?

Do I need to give you the answer?  Everyone wants to go to a nice place, get dressed up and have a great time.  Going the “Cheaper Way” will give you a less than successful event.  You can’t mark up your ticket prices at a less than venue - your guests know what they should be paying and will be angered by paying a high price for a "Less than" menu - and that will immediately hurt your profit or fundraising success - believe me.

The venue is key but you have to grasp and understand “You have to spend money to make money” – The venue and menu is the bate to come to your event. 

In closing, when you are planning your event, don’t think about yourself, what you like and what you want…think about what your guests and supporters would enjoy.  Also, remember, the venue is 100% important  to the success of your event – “You have to spend money to make money.”  Ask yourself this:

#1 – If you were having legal problems – would you want the best attorney or some guy up the street to represent you?

#2 – If you had medical issues – would you want your mechanic neighbor giving you medical advise?

If not, why then do charities place people in charge of planning their fundraisers who have absolutely no experience?

If we can help you plan an event that will attract many more supporters and give your guests the event they will love, contact us at www.BWUnlimited.com.

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a North American Charity Fundraising leader in a convenient “One Stop Shop” setting.  While helping over 1,400 charities a year, we are only charity fundraisers and don’t do anything else such as real estate auctions, plan weddings or bar mitzvah’s…we are only charity fundaisers and are the absolute experts in the field across the country.

"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.

Nothing better than Reality instead of fluff

Recently, a member of a charity contacted us and was asking about how we can help them.  But wanted to know what the costs were etc.  Before I began informing her about our cost structure, I asked her about their fundraising events.  Needless to say, they believed they were successful but in reality, they were far from it.  In fact, the reality of it was that they were making very little without an enormous amount of effort.  The problem is, when it comes to charities, they have it all wrong, completely wrong.  In the “For Profit” world, you go after and pay the best in the business to get maximum results for your company.  The price you pay is minimal compared to the result.  However, in the charity world, the belief is exactly opposite – spend very little to make as much as possible.  Does this make sense at all?  And why do charities think like this?  And why?  So here is her question and my response:

---------

QUESTION:  For my event, it would be great to have more info from you regarding fees and such, should the organization decide that they would like “outside” help.

ANSWER:  I would absolutely love to help you.  Can we talk about your event more? 

When we spoke, I remember your Net was low in accordance with the amount of people you had in attendance.  Look at it like this - # of guests divided by your Net.  The absolute beginning of successful fundraising, which is a guide for professional fundraising is $100.00 a head Net.  400 people = $40,000.00 net (after pay alllllllll the bills including us).  We are paid through the event and not from your charity.  The difference between us and doing it alone is this - Baseball Teams go after the best players who they have to pay heavily for to win games and eventually the World Series.  We pay Doctors, Lawyers, Contractors for their expertise - we are the #1 fundraisers in North America. 

Having a volunteer or someone who doesn't truly know, study or even understand fundraising will believe it's all about the charity - the financial success that is.  When in reality, it’s not at all - it's all about the event.  Namely, the Venue/The Menu/The Fundraising platforms such as a Live & Silent Auction & Raffles.  The belief that fully donated items are the way to go in regard to fundraising when in reality, donated items are only profiting 1/8th to 1/4 of retail in any live or silent auction across the United States.  How to attract major financial sponsors, what they are looking for and why they sponsor - its not about the charity, its about the event.  How to successfully get your attendees to willingly donate money to your cause and why they do? 

When you have a major donor of an item - how not to make them mad because their item they donated does not bring top dollar.  Why have a live auction and who are you targeting with it.  What types of items do people pay ridiculous amounts of money for time and time again.  What types of event excite people who do not know about your cause, will want to be a part of as well as successful event marketing trends which bring the spot light on your event.  How to get above the crowd noise of the 104 Million registered U.S. Non Profits out there who are trying to get people to donate like yours is. 

But mainly - think of it like this.  What was the "Net" of last years event?  Now you have to be absolutely honest with yourself when it comes to this because its a real eye opener.  Divide your true "Net" by the amount of people it took to plan the fundraising event.  Then, divide that number by the amount of months (the true amount of months) it took to plan it.  Now, look at that number....does it make sense?  Would you work that long for that low amount of pay in your own life? 

Another common mistake is that charities believe that people want to hear speeches,

watch presentations or people given awards when in reality - no one likes to hear long winded speeches and it slows down the momentum of the event itself.  Speeches need to be kept to a minimum.  The charity should "Work" the room, meeting their guests and sponsors.  To deliver the mission or to tell people about how wonderful your charity is, Video is the absolute best way and is entertaining.

Summary - we are proud to say we hit 1.8 to 2.5 above the national norm for successful fundraising of $100.00 a head net.  We are proud to say that our events normally sell completely out because of the way we build, plan and market it.  At our events, it’s a "Norm" that people will ask to buy tickets for the very next event, which is a year away. 

Our events are extremely fun, entertaining and all about the excitement of the event itself....that is what brings success - excitement and happy people.  Happy people donate heavily.  Bored people do not.

It's all about desire - the desire of your charity - if they truly want to be successful.  Why have a volunteer or someone who does not know how to fundraise or specializes in planning these type of events, planning your event!!!  Would you want your mechanic doing your surgery?  Would you want your housewife friend representing you in court when she has no background in Law?  Would you want your accountant building your house when he has no background in building?  Or - would you want the best in the business cutting into your skin, representing you in court or planning and building your house?

It's all about desire to be better - we are not expensive, but it is expensive when you have someone with no background doing your fundraising - which it seems you already do.  For some reason, people's mind tend to shut completely off when it comes to fundraising.  They plan an excellent event at a fantastic venue but when it comes time to actually fundraise - they think cheap is better when in reality, its not at all.  The most important thing a charity can do is to have a professional helping them. 

In a down economy, when fundraising is tough, wouldn't you want the best in the business helping you with a proven long term track record?  All of our current clients do.  In fact, we go back year after year after year after year. 

Here are some incredible examples:

A small group needed to raise money - they said in their wildest dreams they would love to raise $40,000.00.  They hired us, their 1st event did $161,000.00 Net.  2nd event did $248,000.00 net.

A small, unknown charity needed to raise $90,000.00.  Over 6 years, they had only raised $6,000.00 and couldn't get 50 people to come to a dinner fundraiser.  1st event - 810 guests with $141,000.00 Net.

A very well-known national charity was reporting to their board that they made $360,000.00 however; the money in the bank did not equal what they were reporting.  Their chairman of the board asked that I look over the financial reporting quietly.  I determined that 95% of the money raised came from pre-event sponsors but when they had their event, the actual event was in the negative forcing them to spend money which the pre-event sponsors donated.  They shouldn't have even had the event.  We took over, the event made $458,000.00 with the pre-event sponsors. 

The list goes on and on and on and on....

Successful fundraising is strategy...it’s not a wish or a hope.  Rarely do charities go back and examine what their event did or what made money or what their losses were.  They take the money, accept it and make themselves believe that they were successful.  They never try to improve by learning by their mistakes.  We do...

So - all in all, we are the best in the business with a proven track record and resume.  We would love to help you.

We can provide a management team which includes everything from graphic design, to event set up, paperwork, planning, managing and hosting – directing the committee
and being onsite to manage the event...to even providing an entire event staff that our clients don't even have to do anything other than check people in and do your program (Awards, speeches etc.).

In summary – does it make sense to put the most valuable tool in a charities arsenal (their fundraising) in the hands of someone who has no background in it when it’s absolutely crucial to the funding of their mission?  No it does not but charities do it day in and day out all across North America every single day.

Testimonial from the Maryland State Police Alumni Association

https://youtu.be/B7xegvfnyOg

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.

Charity Fundraising 101: The importance of building a committee and how.