Charity Fundraisers: Building a Quality Product to Benefit Nonprofits

“If you are going into a company or sales, always sell the best, premium product.” This was advice Brian Rechtman ’05 received from a professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business while he was studying finance. “Even though you may not sell as many units, you will have the superior product on the market. That’s what I’ve always tried to deliver.”

Rechtman is the founder and president of Bluetree Marketing. They source and curate trips and experiences used by nonprofit organizations to raise money for their charities. “We act as a full concierge after the fundraiser is over, and we work with the winning bidders to directly book the entire experience.” They also source tangible products like memorabilia, but most of the items are experiential.

Originally from Florida, Rechtman found his way to the University of Maryland because of the Smith School’s reputation and his desire to experience new things, ”like winter,” he joked. His interest in finance began when he was young and learned how to buy stocks in elementary school.

His entrepreneurial journey got its start shortly after graduation when he competed in the Cupid’s Cup, an entrepreneurial competition that evolved into the Pitch Dingman Competition of today. Rechtman was a finalist that year in the competition. “It was great to learn about putting together a business plan and then pitching in front of investors,” he said. 

He returned to Florida and was introduced to the auction business through a former high school classmate. “I realized there are so many different charities that we could help, and so many different auctions. I kind of put two and two together, then kind of just fell into this model that has kind of shifted with time.” Bluetree has been in business for almost 20 years. In that time, Rechtman said they have worked with nearly 10,000 different auctions, raising money for charities all over the world. “I’m an entrepreneur, but it's a social company. We’re helping all these different organizations raise money for their causes.”

The Smith Terp has his eye on the future and continued growth. There are so many nonprofits to try and connect with, and he hopes to keep building awareness for his company by providing “good service and good packages to get more unique experiences” that can help charities.