Of all the questions we are asked here at The Bazel Group, Inc. – the single most popular by far is “Will an Artist appear at our charity fundraiser for free?”. Time and time again we have well meaning people contact us with some really amazing causes and charities. Their passion and their drive are truly impressive, and believe us, here at The Bazel Group, Inc. – we understand fundraisers.

Time and time again we have well meaning people contact us with some really amazing causes and charities. Their passion and their drive are truly impressive, and believe us, here at The Bazel Group, Inc. – we understand fundraisers.

HOW UNDERSTANDING YOU MIGHT ASK

While we do donate funds to the Girl Scouts to buy their Thin Mint cookies (yum) – we go much deeper than that. Case in point – our VP of Operations Gina Cheshire was named the “Big Sister of the Year” for both Nashville, andfor the state of Tennessee by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee. Our CEO Ed Bazel once organized “The Transcontinental Ride For Hope,” and rode a bicycle from the end of the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA. To the end of the St. John’s Pier in St. Augustine, FL. That is 8 states, 278 cities and towns and over 3,000 miles on a bicycle – to raise money for the City of Hope. We think he’s a little crazy, however our team at The Bazel Group, Inc. has some serious understanding when it comes to fundraising and causes.

Good news/bad news

Through our years of experience on the front lines of the music industry, we have found that most Artists are wonderfully charitable, and do indeed donate a portion of their time to their own personal causes and charities. That’s the good news Now for the not-as-good news: Anything over and above this amount of donated time, and the Artist (or Artist’s business manager) are forced to consider the event as a normal paying engagement. Believe it or not, like all of us, they have bills to pay and sometimes a large number of people on their payroll. We are not exaggerating when we say that Artists are asked to give their performances for free on a weekly basis.

There are still ways that you can make your fundraising event work

We have found that most professional fund-raisers will go ahead and find corporate sponsorship and then secure the Artist at their normal appearance rate. This way they can be 100% sure the Artist will perform and they can confidently sell tickets to raise funds for their event. Again, they will make sure to have their sponsor’s financial commitment in place before they lock in the Artist.

We have also seen many professional fund-raisers with excellent marketing skills. In addition to regular ticket prices, they also sell gold circle tickets (higher priced which include front row seats and a Meet & Greet with the Artist) to get the best return on their investment. We are sure there are plenty more ways to maximize the use of your entertainment, as there are some very sharp and efficient fund-raisers out there.

We want you to know that while your event is deeply important to us

We have another passion in addition to music. We feel it is equally important to give back to those less fortunate than us. We make it our mission to donate a portion of our proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, KIVA and The City of Hope. It is a vital part of our business mission, to know that we are helping to change the lives of others by donating a portion of our proceeds from booking events.

We hope this helps you in your fund raising efforts. We stand ready to assist on checking on the Artist’s availability when you are ready to move forward. However for donated/free events – we simply do not have the staff to field your calls. Remember, we do understand – all 3,000 miles on a bicycle and more.

If you are planning a special event and are seeking serious professional entertainment coordination – our team of professionals at The Bazel Group, Inc. stand ready to consult and deliver celebrity talent for corporate events, conventions, conferences, sales meetings, new product promotions, holiday parties, concerts and more.