November Week 2: A motorcycle ride.

It’s time to show client appreciation in a new way this year.

Last week, we discussed gathering your best clients to help out at a local hospital or nursing home. This week, we’ll investigate a novel event centered on giving back — a motorcycle ride.

The challenge: Creating a notable client event or activity that is tied to your best clients’ interests, yet won’t consume too much of your time and energy.

The solution: Borrow an idea used successfully by advisers Yvonne and Neil Nirelli of Securities & Investment Advisors Inc. in upstate Canastota, N.Y., an affiliate of Syracuse, N.Y.-based Cadaret Grant & Co Inc. The couple’s favorite charity is a local hospital; their clients have a strong interest in motorcycles. The Nirellis have brought the two interests together and, in the process, raised more than $60,000.
The event has evolved over the years. It started as an amateur race car night to raise money for a local food bank in memory of a locally active close friend of the Nirellis.
When one of their own family members was diagnosed with breast cancer, Yvonne and Neil shifted their focus to raise awareness and money for cancer. They discovered that patients in treatment programs frequently find themselves unable to pay for transportation to and from treatment centers or for wigs, special food and other items not covered by insurance.
The couple contacted the cancer unit at University Hospital In Syracuse, N.Y. and began the Nirelli Cancer Care Endowment to cover those ancillary expenses.
To support the program, Neil decided to combine his passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles with fundraising. The couple created an annual client motorcycle ride, for which participants pay a fee that goes to the hospital, followed by a family barbecue at a local park. Clients often bring their children and grandchildren to the annual summer picnic, where guests can purchase tickets to help raise additional money for Cancer Care.
The 2007 ride and picnic drew the largest response ever — more than 40 motorcycle riders zoomed around Oneida Lake, later joining the 265 clients and guests at the picnic (from a client base of 325 families). This year, the Nirellis held the ride in October and the event at the nearby Boxing Hall of Fame museum.
In just seven years, the Nirellis have raised close to $60,000 for the charity, making a significant philanthropic impact and building lasting client relationships.
But how can motorcycling work in November and December?
Depending on the weather and where you live, November may not be too late for a group ride. And the client gathering afterwards can be an indoor “picnic” at someplace appropriate, including a local Harley-Davidson dealership. Many are spacious and would love to host an event attracting potential customers.
Another idea is to tie-in with a local Thanksgiving Turkey Trot where the event is already organized and focused on a local charity. You can organize your clients for a ride along on either motorcycles or bikes.

Event tips: Use the event planning checklist from last week to make it easy. Make sure your event is focused on showing client appreciation for helping to raise money for a worthy cause. Yvonne and Neil have found sponsors to help defray expenses; they leave it open for clients to make donations directly to the Cancer Care program.
By the way, if you think a motorcycle event is too blue-collar for affluent investors, think again. An article in Fortune magazine notes that an Atlanta Harley celebration attracted more than 100,000 riders. It also points out that the typical Harley owner is over 40 and affluent. That may not be a motorcycle manufacturer’s desired demographic — but it sure is the sweet spot for advisers.

Next week: A charity event for December

Maureen Wilke has helped thousands of advisers increase the value of their businesses. The founder of Wilke Associates Inc. in Glen Ellyn, Ill., Maureen has spent nearly two decades in executive positions in wealth management, sales and training. She has been associated with several highly regarded firms, including Nuveen Investments, and currently advises many product and advisory firms on issues of practice management and adviser productivity.
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