“You need to know what kind of handbags are popular,” she said. Over the past 10 years, Brenda has learned more about handbags than she ever thought possible. That’s true in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. Successful salespeople know their customers. Thinking about hosting a fundraiser? Here’s Brenda’s best advice for putting on a successful event: Know your Audience Since starting the fundraiser in 2010, Brenda has raised a total of $1.4 million for the American Red Cross of the National Capital Region. Nine years later, she more than tripled the attendance, selling 320 tickets and netting $179,000. The first year, Brenda got the event up and running in just 90 days, selling out all 100 tickets and raising a total of $22,000. She named her fundraiser IN THE BAG and chose the American Red Cross of the National Capital Region as her charity because she wanted the funds to support a cause that has a broad mission and serves a wide swath of the community.
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“I called up some people I knew, small business owners, and told them that I wanted to create a handbag auction for charity. “Every woman needs a handbag,” said Brenda, the 2018 Invest in Others Community Service Award winner. It didn’t take long for her to narrow in on a theme: handbags. As a financial advisor to a predominately female clientele, Brenda wanted to appeal to women, especially working women. She thought carefully about the type of fundraiser she should host. But 10 years ago, the McClean, Virginia-based financial advisor was ready to support her community in a more focused way, creating a fundraising event that would also help with building her small business. Since its founding in 2006, Invest in Others has amplified these efforts by providing a platform for advisors to increase awareness, visibility, and funding to their favorite non-profits.Brenda Blisk has always believed in the importance of giving back. The inspiration for the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity, came directly from the financial advisors who invest in others by giving back to their communities with overwhelming generosity and dedication. Top sponsors of the event included Allianz Exchange, Cetera Financial Group, Fidelity Investments, LPL Financial, and Merrill Lynch.Ībout the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation Corporate Philanthropy – Financial Institutions: Berkshire Bank of Boston, Mass.Corporate Philanthropy – Advisory Firms: SkyOak Wealth of Medford, Ore.A charity of each winner's choice received a donation of $5,000 from Invest in Others. for Good Griefįinancial companies were honored with the Corporate Philanthropy Award. Lifetime Achievement Award: Pat Sullivan of Private Advisor Group in Morristown, N.J.Volunteer of the Year Award: Sacha Millstone of The Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James in Boulder, Colo.Global Impact Award: Jim Quigley of Barrington Wealth Management in Chicago, Ill.for the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region Community Service Award: Brenda Blisk of Blisk Financial Group in McLean, Va.for the Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation Catalyst Award: Carrie Coghill of Coghill Investment Strategies in Pittsburgh, Pa.In addition, 10 finalists received donations of $10,000 to each of their charities. Invest in Others donated $40,000 to each winner's designated charity, with the exception of the Lifetime Achievement Award winner, whose charity received a $50,000 donation. These donations will impact thousands of people in need."Īwards were presented to financial advisors in five categories. Invest in Others has doubled the donation amounts it is awarding to the charities of this year's winners. "We're thrilled to not only celebrate and honor them for this work, but also help their charities make a difference in the communities they serve. "The charitable efforts of this year's honorees stand as examples for all of us," said Megan McAuley, Executive Director & President of Invest in Others.
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Nearly 700 financial advisors and financial services executives attended the event to recognize and celebrate the charitable work of financial advisors and firms in communities across the country and around the world. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - The 12th annual Invest in Others Awards Gala was held on September 27, 2018, at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston, Mass.