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.

Are you stuck in a fundraising "Rut"?

Because we work with over 1,000 charities each year, meet with many of them and talk to every single one on the phone, we are fortunate to be able to determine when a charity is caught in a fundraising “Rut.”  But normally, the reason they are talking to us is to get out the situation they are in and start on a course of success.

However, we also talk to many more charities who are not even aware that they are stuck there.  Remarkably, they are unaware that their situation will never change in regard to raising more funds year after year.  When I have the chance to speak to them, they normally remark that they need to attract “Big Spenders” and ask if I can bring them to their event.  The sad part is, they don’t realize why they are there and will rarely listen to wise advice.

To determine if you or your charity is caught in a fundraising rut, let me ask just a few questions that you obviously can answer to yourself:

#1 – How many years have you been hosting your Charity Event?

#2 – Is your charity event a Fundraiser?  An Awards Ceremony?  A Community Event?  Or all of the above?

#3 – Have your fundraising dollars increased over that time?  Meaning, have you made more each year?  Or has your fundraising dollars decreased?

#4 – How many guests do you have attending your charity fundraising event?  Have your guests increased year after year?  Or has attendance gone down?

#5 – Has your charity fundraiser changed or evolved each year?  Or is it the same?

#6 – Based on your event, have you attracted more and more Event Sponsors?  Or lost them?

#7 – Do you go to the same Donor’s year after year and ask for similar donations as you did the previous year?

#8 – Do you only use donated products in your events live and silent auction?

#9 – Do you truly know what the “Net” or Profit was from your last event?  Do you know the previous years “Net”?

Now, using the above questions as a baseline in order to determine if you are in a fundraising rut, we need to first understand what Successful Fundraising truly is.   But in the same vein, you should also understand that Awards Ceremonies and Community Outreach events such as Festivals are fantastic but cannot be thought of as a “Fundraiser.”  There may be a fundraising component to each of these types of events but the focus should be on the mission of the event itself – awarding community members and employees or building awareness of your charity by inviting everyone to come to a Festival of sorts without a ticket cost. 

A successful fundraising event is structured, planned for financial performance.  Guests of fundraising events understand that the event is being hosted to raise funds with a certain “Ambience” to attract them.  The “Ambience” is a dinner, drinks, music with various fundraising platforms such as a Live & Silent Auction and various games/raffles. 

To best show a true example of a charity who understands successful fundraising as well as absolutely needs the funds to be raised, I will show you their numbers – however, I am going to call them “Charity ABC.”

As reported to Charity Navigator (www.Charitynavigator.com), in 2013, here are their numbers:

Charity ABC fundraising statistics:

Contributions & Gifts:       $32,184,911

Federated Campaigns:      $406,557
Membership Dues:            $18,742,745
Fundraising Events:           $22,808,171
Related Organizations:   $333,099

Total Revenue:   $185,148,845.00

 

All of the above numbers come directly from their Fundraising Events.  They sell memberships to their Charity at their Fundraising Events, in fact, you must purchase a membership in order to attend – it’s a part of the ticket price.  They conduct their campaigns via their events and gain mailing lists for other campaigns from their fundraising event guest lists.  Related organizations?  That is other charities donating money at their fundraising events.

This charity, like other charities similar to them, determined several years ago that a successful fundraising event is the absolute best place to grow their organization.  Why you ask?  Because people attend their events for the “Event” of it and not necessarily to support their charity. 

Charity ABC employs many intelligent people who understand the above statement “Attending the event for the Event of it and not to support their charity.”  Using that knowledge, by the time the guest leaves, they are members and receive quarterly newsletters for one (1) year.

Most importantly, Charity ABC and the other charities similar to theirs, all utilize a similar fundraising tactic – great items in their Live & Silent Auction. 

FACT:  I recently met with an employee of Charity ABC and he bluntly told me that they refuse to rely on donated items, in fact, they discourage their use.  They insist on PURCHASING great items for their events – because great items, attract great people and higher bids.

By the way, “Charity ABC” is Ducks Unlimited. 

How to get your charity out of their fundraising “Rut”

In order to break out of your fundraising “Rut”, you must understand that “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”  It takes determination and discipline.  If you would like to see your fundraising dollars skyrocket, you first must understand that it is not on a one (1) year plan.  What that means is, you can’t change your event around and expect immediate results.

However, here are the keys to success:

#1 – Guest Training – If you have been hosting a mediocre fundraising event which

has had either similar or declining results, you must begin to train your guests on your spending expectations.  Recently, we were assisting a charity and their guests routinely asked where the cheap items were.   After they saw our items mixed in with many donated items, their spending went from rock bottom to extremely high on the donated products – beyond the expectations of both the Chairman of the Board and several of the volunteers.  You must train your guests on what is expected of them plus you must stick with it for more than one (1) event.  

 #2 – Type of Fundraising Event – If you are hosting an event which has a small fundraising component or fundraising is not the main focus of the event, separate the two (2) events – host an Awards dinner or a “Community Outreach” event with a small fundraising component.  Then plan a Charity Fundraising event and let the focus be on that specifically.

#3 – Argumentative Staff or Volunteers – If your staff or volunteers argue that they like the “Old Way” they were doing things but you and the leadership know they need to make a change, have the discipline to explain why you are changing the tactic and why.  Remember, argumentative staff means they have passion for your charity – use that to your benefit.

#4 – Understanding and accepting fundraising reality – Perhaps the hardest part of this is both you and your staff understanding and accepting the reality of successful fundraising in 2014.  I have written blogs on this topic but in summary, putting it bluntly, businesses cannot donate fantastic items.  They can only donate items which they either want to get rid of or are not selling in their stores.  You must have items available that attract people while urging them to bid – and bid high.  Using our “No Risk Auction Items” benefits you and your charity and in fact, is guaranteed. 

In summary – while planning your next fundraising event, if you are “Aiming Low” financially, you will hit low.  But if you have the discipline to train yourself to “Aim High” financially, you will hit high.

But the question is – are you ready?  If you are, BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising would love to help.  Contact us today at www.BWUnlimited.com.  Let us help you and your charity break out of the Fundraising Rut you are in.

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a Charity Fundraising Leader in North America in a “One Stop Shop” setting.  The staff at BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is the foremost experts in regard to planning and executing a successful Charity Fundraising event.   BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising can not only consult you on how to plan and host your event but can also provide you and your charity with a wide array of “No Risk Auction Items” such as Charity Travel Packages, Autographed Memorabilia, beautiful Decorative items as well as exquisite jewelry.  If you would like our help, contact us today at www.BWUnlimited.com.  Let us help you with your next charity fundraising event.

Secret to Fundraising Success #5 – Bidder Numbers and Why?

Recently, BW Unlimited was assisting a Charity in the Washington D.C. metro area with their fundraising event and during the event check-in we spoke to hundreds of happy people as they signed up for their Bidder Numbers.  If you are not familiar with “Bidder Numbers”, they are given to each guest during check-in, in exchange for their contact information. A bidder number is quite simply a large card with a big black number on it.  Guests use this number to bid on the Live and Silent Auctions.  On some occasions, depending on the event, a guest may even purchase raffle tickets using this number.  At the end of the event, each guest will check out and pay for each item on which they were the highest bidder as well as the raffle tickets they purchased. 

 

While watching the Silent Auction, I observed many people browsing through the items and monitoring the bidder sheets of specific items on which they wanted to bid.  Interestingly, I watched as two gentlemen closely inspected one particular item.  They both stood talking about it and openly commented how fantastic it was.  Over the course of the evening I watched both of the men independent of the other come to the Silent Auction table and bid on that specific item. 

As the bid price climbed higher and higher I watched as they would place their bid and look around the room to see whom they could possibly be bidding against, when unknowingly, it was their friend.  As we announced that the Silent Auction was closing, both men went straight to the item and again began to bid.  Suddenly they both started laughing loudly finally aware that they were bidding against each other.  Ultimately, one of the gentlemen gave way to the other allowing him to win the bid without any further competition.  The most important thing to note in this example is that the final bid amount was fantastically high.

How did they not know who they were bidding against, its simple; they were each using a Bidder Number.  I cannot tell you how many times I have seen charities who choose to use bid sheets with bidders names, not do as well as those who use an anonymous Bidder Number. 

For example – if you went to a Charity Fundraiser and went to bid on an item, but saw that your friend or coworker had previously bid, would you bid against them?  Most would answer with a resounding, “No, they would not”.  Utilizing Bidder Numbers makes the bidding anonymous therefore allowing for the maximum profitability potential for the charity hosting the event.

How it works – during guest check-in, there should also be a table for Bidder Registration.  Your guests sign up and provide their name, address, phone number and email address.  Once they fill out their information they are provided a bidder card with a large black number on it.  After the event, the charity maintains the bidder registration for various reasons but can also utilize it for event marketing.  It also provides a simple way to contact bidders who leave the event without picking up or paying for the item or items they won.

There are several other notable reasons that charities should utilize bidder numbers especially during a Live Auction.  After an item sells, the winning bidder raises the bidder card with their number on it for the Auctioneer to acknowledge and call out to the Auction Clerk; this also eliminates the need to write down a buyers name and information in a high pressure situation. 

Let’s speak directly to a company-sponsored table of ten (10) people who were given the tickets for free.  The charity will not have the contact information for the guests sitting at this table unless they were registered as bidders when they checked in.  Make sense?  While planning your next event, we recommend using the Bidder Number process and watch as the bids for your event items climb higher and higher; plus, you will benefit in having the contact information for all of the guests.

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a leader in Charity Fundraising in North America in a “One Stop Shop” setting.  The fundraising experts at BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising monitor successful fundraising trends, as well as negative trends, in charity events across the country.  BW Unlimited can guide you and your charity through the myriad of fundraising pitfalls through the planning and hosting of your next event.  If you would like our help, don’t hesitate to contact us at 410-658-8808 or contact us through our website today at www.BWUnlimited.com.

 

Secret #4 – The "Ultimate" Key to Fundraising Success – Underwriting

What I am about to offer you is without a doubt, the #1 Key to a Charities Ultimate Success.  At BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising we take great pride in the fact that we live every day under one simple mantra “Charity First.” Today, when companies all over the world are only concentrating on their profit, the Fundraising Experts at BW Unlimited are focused on our charities profits first.

In all of the meetings that I attend, rubbing shoulders with charity employees and volunteers, not one of them has ever mentioned this method or brought it up in conversation.  It is the #1 answer to all the blogs I have written and to the many questions charities ask us before working with them.

What I am referring to above is the fundraising method of “Underwriting.”  Underwriting is a lesser form of Sponsorship but it impacts an event in two ways:

#1 – It pays for all service costs and auction items, but most importantly

#2 – It creates a very focused marketing tool for donors and their businesses

Underwriting can best be defined with a very real financial acronym “OPM” – Other People’s Money.  Even though this term seems crass, it truly answers charities problems.  Here is why it is the answer to a charities prayer:

In the world of charity fundraising, charities will incur certain service costs in order to host their fundraising event.  In fact, they are already getting these costs underwritten but don’t realize it.  For instance, Event Tickets – charities charge a ticket cost, which defers the cost they are paying to the venue for each individual meal.  However, there is no marketing for each person that is “donating” his or her money for the ticket.  Before I go too far, I need to define and explain Underwriting.  Prior to seeking it, a charity needs to identify all of the service costs and auction item costs, which they are incurring.  For instance, all of our BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising No Risk Auction Items are available to a charity for their fundraising event, along with the associated cost to non-profit for each item.  Pre-event, a charity chooses perspective businesses or supporters and asks them which item or items they would like to underwrite or pay for in advance.  They donate the money (the cost to non-profit) to pay for the item therefore allowing all profit, when auctioned off, to go directly to the charity cause. 

However, we need to fully understand the real reasons why businesses and individuals donate.  As an example, how many hospital buildings, libraries and museums do you see with someone’s name attached?  Part of the agreement when these philanthropists informed the charity of the anticipated donation, was that the building be named after them, therefore marketing the business or individual.  Make Sense?

To re-emphasize the point, Underwriting:

#1 – pays for all service costs and auction items …

#2 – creates a very focused marketing tool for donors and their businesses - Every business needs to be marketed.  In fact, they pay for marketing via print adds, commercials etc.

Now, marketing for the donor or business may simply be a “Tent Card”(a small white card folded in half) next to the item with “Donated by Dr. John Smith” and their website or address. Remember to list all of the Donors or Underwriters in the Event Program (this allows for 2 of the 3 forms of marketing).  Then, during the event, the Master of Ceremonies (MC) should announce all of the donors while thanking them – that’s #3.  If the donors are in the crowd, they will love it and especially if they are

asked to stand or raise their hand.

If Charities get the items in the Live Auction underwritten, the Auctioneer can read the name of the donor while preparing to sell the item and ask them to stand.  Again, this is especially effective if the Underwriter or Donor is a guest at the Fundraising Event.  They will receive a fantastic round of applause, which everyone loves. 

Here perhaps is most likely the Ultimate Secret.  When I tell you this, a light bulb should go off in your mind with you telling yourself “WOW…” 

With all the blogs I have previously written, we talked about Donations as well as the formidable charity competition in your area.  I have recommended that you research this site to find out how many charities are in your area by looking up your city, county or state on www.taxexemptworld.com.  After you check this link you will either be amazed or suddenly have a sinking feeling.  Without going into it, all of these local charities are asking the exact same businesses to donate just like you.  Please see my blog "The Evolution of Charity Fundraising" for more on this.

But here is the “Secret” that will astonish you, guess which businesses are rarely if ever asked to donate?  Professional services such as Doctors, Lawyers, Realtors, Accountants, and Consultants etc.  Why?  Because they do not have anything (i.e. an item) to donate from their business!

What is even more exciting…these professional people and businesses are normally in attendance at every charity fundraising events.  Another set of businesses that are never asked is suppliers such as office supplies, electric Companies and real estate owners.  One humorous business that we assume is never asked to donate, because oddly enough, what would they donate?  Trash Collectors.

Service providers such as Landscapers, Painters, Construction Companies and so on

would love the chance to underwrite something at your event because they can only donate services and due to high employee cost cannot offer this.  Every single business out there would love to put up a billboard to your guests, let them!!!

Then if you really want to step it up, you can go to the same businesses that everyone else contacts to ask them to underwrite much higher profile items.  Now if you remember me telling you that businesses are donating items not sold in their stores, the item that they can underwrite is much higher profile.   And after speaking to these business owners, many will tell you they would rather write a check instead of donating something.

Charities can underwrite everything from the cost of the items they utilize on the Live and Silent Auction, the cost of the Event Program, DJ or Band, the decorations and so on.  If you are reading this, I recommend that you immediately begin to write down all of your costs, talk to your committee or team and go after underwriters – you will be astonished – just remember who suggested it.

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a Leader in Charity Fundraising in North America.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising provides everything a charity needs in a “One Stop Shop” setting.  We provide a wide array of “No Risk Auction Items” to services such as Check in and Check out personnel, Silent and Live Auction Assistance as well as a top-rated Auctioneer in North America.  The Fundraising Experts at BW Unlimited provide their expertise absolutely free of charge to ensure that our charity clients are extremely successful.  If you would like our help, please do not hesitate to contact us today at www.BWUnlimited.com.  We look forward to helping you exceed your fundraising goals for this year and many years to come.

“It’s the Thrill” – Why Raffles greatly benefit Charity Fundraising

Just this morning, while stopping for my morning coffee, I saw an older gentleman in the convenience store near my home purchasing “Scratch Off” Lottery Tickets.  Since I have had several conversations with him about his golf game in the past, I asked him about his success in winning the lottery.  He told me that he was won $2,500 twice in his life, but lets make this clear, he is in his mid 70’s!  I then asked jokingly “How much do you believe you have spent buying tickets” in which he chuckled and replied, “Oh my George, 1,000 times that.”  I asked him…with such low success, why do you buy lottery tickets and he replied “It’s the thrill.”  His comment about “the thrill” caused me to pause for a second and immediately decide to write my next blog with this as the subject.

Today, Charities all across North America are planning their next fundraising event.  Hopefully, they are also studying their previous fundraiser in order to determine how to improve their financial success.  Many charities are not taking full advantage of all who attend by adding several fun and exciting Raffles and/or Games.

With this in mind, let’s discuss why Raffles and Games are an incredible success 100% of the time.  As you know, all charities are scouring the countryside looking for donations.  Either with Gift Baskets or Gift Certificates, all charities are looking to get items donated.  Often, they receive items which are “Less than” exciting but anything donated is great – right?  Right!!! However the answer has a twist, and I want to warn you as to the answer:

Commonly, charities not utilizing Raffles and Games will place every single item they were donated on a Silent Auction Table.  The table becomes cluttered with Gift Certificates and Gift Baskets causing the great items to be buried in the “run of the mill” donated items. 

Across North America people are only bidding from 1/8 to 1/2 of Retail cost on donated products.  I have discussed in earlier Blogs why this is occurring and why it is bad for all parties.  Understand that “EVERYONE” is looking for a deal.  Gift Certificates are bringing only about 1/2 of face value.  Everyone wants to say “Look at this deal I just got – a $50.00 Gift Certificate for only $25.00.”  The charity can say “Well we made $25.00 at least and it didn’t cost us anything.”  But does that help the donor?  No.  Actually it hurts them because it drives down the marketability of the item and it means their services or item is worth far less.  Plus let’s be honest with ourselves, $25.00 is not a whole lot of profit including the time it took to get the item, the set up, etc.

But what if you utilized the “Non-Exciting” donated items such as Gift Baskets, Gift Certificates and Kitchenware (such as coffee makers, bread makers, toasters etc.) in a way that would bring ten (10) times the retail guaranteed – would you do it?  I hope you answered with a resounding “YES”!!!!  The answer is – Raffles.

I am going to tell you about two recent events that I was a part of which had opposing results:

#1 – Bad idea

I attended an event in which the charity placed around twenty (20) Gift Certificates on a board and asked their guests to pay the face value.  Very few sold leaving the charity with gift certificates instead of profit.

#2 – Good idea

Another of our clients utilized all of their donations in a raffle at a very small event with only 150 attending.  If you added up the value of all the Gift Certificates they had in the raffle, it only totaled $135.00.   That was the total retail value – but if we use the math and every single gift certificate would have received a bid – they would have made only $70.00.

We gave them one of our many “Tried and True” raffle ideas which ended with $900.00 in ticket sales!!!  $900.00 dollars for $135.00 worth of Gift Certificates.  Plus they also raffled off a Charity Charm Bracelet that we provided to them with a Cost to Non Profit of $80.00, it brought them $500.00 – 6 times the cost!!!

This client was overwhelmed and thanked us over and over again.

Why does this happen?  Because people like to win – remember, “It’s the Thrill.”  People would rather give you a $10 bill for a raffle ticket then they will to put a $10 bid on a bid sheet.  It’s the truth.

What else does a raffle do for you the Charity?  Raffles make the event “Fun” – they put the “Fun” back in Fundraising.  Raffles make your event memorable with people saying, “Wow they were giving out prizes constantly.”  These people will tell everyone about how much fun your event was, helping you sell more tickets the following year. 

When businesses donate, do you think they want to hear after your event that the item they donated only brought in 1/2 of their asking price?  No way.  But, think about this, when they ask (which they always do) if their item helped and how much it brought?  You can proudly say it helped you raise 10 times the retail price!!!  And if you know just how much the raffle made you can disclose that as well?  Raffles guard against unsuccessful sales.

It just makes sense!!!  People love to win and people love to have a fun time.  Use your time, effort and the donated items in the best possible way – start utilizing Raffles to greatly improve the success at your next event.  Your success is not only in the money profited, but it can also be measured in your guest’s enjoyment.

If you would like to learn about how raffles will greatly influence your next charity fundraising events bottom line or if you would like fantastic, rock solid raffle ideas contact BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising today at www.BWUnlimited.com.  We would love to help.

BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is a Leader in Charity Fundraising across North America in a “One Stop Setting.”  While assisting charities all across North America, the Fundraising Experts at BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising study successful fundraising trends in order to help their charity client’s success.  BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising is known all across North America as the absolute best provider of “No Risk Auction Items” with a 100% guarantee of success as well as being known for only offering Authentic Autographed items.  If you would like more information on how BW Unlimited Charity Fundraising can help you and your charity, contact us today at www.BWUnlimited.com.