Custom Chopper for Charity

Custom Chopper for Charity

The Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers Association Raises Thousands for Make-a-Wish® Using a Famous Custom Chopper

When the average person thinks of an independent insurance agent, a custom motorcycle doesn’t usually come to mind. But that’s the connection that the Minnesota Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers Association (MIIAB) made to help promote its Trusted Choice® marketing brand while raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. It’s a collaboration that has helped its independent insurance agent members reach out to their communities and support a respectable charity to the tune of thousands of dollars each year.

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The Trusted Choice® Custom Chopper program started in 2012, when the MIIAB’s national organization, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) commissioned a chopper (a motorcycle with high handlebars and an extended front wheel fork) to be built in partnership with the Discovery Channel show American Chopper to raise money for Make-A-Wish®. The initiative featured a Make-A-Wish® child, whose wish was to meet American Chopper star, Paul Teutul, Sr.

After the chopper was built by Teutul and others at his business, Orange County Choppers, in New York, it was unveiled on an episode of the TV show. The child was able to meet Teutul, check out the bike, and tell his story to the crowd of supporters. Then the IIABA took the chopper on a year-long tour around the country, raising money for Make-A-Wish® and highlighting the benefits of the Trusted Choice® brand. When the chopper went up for auction, the MIIAB purchased it and has been showcasing it at member events around Minnesota ever since.

“We offer the chopper to all our independent insurance agents around the state,” said Amy Rau, the MIIAB’s Director of Education & Events and self-described “chopper keeper.” “From Thief River Falls to Rochester, it’s a great member benefit that gives them recognition and awareness, as well as supporting Make-A-Wish® or their own charities.”

“Through the Trusted Choice®Custom Chopper, the MIIAB hasbeen able to raise approximately$75,000 for Make-A-Wish®.”

With a trailer and hauling vehicle of its own, the chopper has been the main attraction at conventions, celebrations, golf outings, Classic Car Days, the Walk for Wishes®, and the annual Make-A-Wish® ball. Through the Trusted Choice® Custom Chopper, the MIIAB has been able to raise approximately $75,000 for Make-A-Wish® since it acquired the chopper.

As part of the Trusted Choice® brand, independent insurance agents can show consumers the benefits they offer: extensive resources, multiple markets, competitive pricing, and local accessibility with a real member of their community. Since marketing can be a challenge for independent insurance agents, Trusted Choice® provides a national, cohesive brand that helps agents connect with the consumers looking for their services. Trusted Choice® offers online referrals so agents can meet consumers

when they are shopping around for insurance coverage. The MIIAB also uses the Trusted Choice® Custom Chopper as its own membership initiative.

“We took the chopper to TCF Bank Stadium as part of an industry recognition initiative,” Rau said. “There were Make-A-Wish® children down on the field along with the chopper, helping connect the story of Make-A-Wish®, Independent Agents, and the Trusted Choice® brand.” Surpassing its goal of raising between $8,000-10,000 for Make-A-Wish® each year, the MIIAB crafts its marketing efforts around the Trusted Choice® Custom Chopper program.

All of MIIAB’s members are independent insurance agents throughout Minnesota, along with partners and vendors like AAA, Western National, Safelite, and West Bend, to name a few. They currently total about 6,000 individual members and 450 agencies that provide a wide variety of insurance products.

In addition to its marketing and charitable work through Trusted Choice® and the Custom Chopper program, the MIIAB helps its members in other ways, such as lobbying, networking, events, sponsorship opportunities, and an Emerging Leaders program. In Minnesota, it maintains relationships with the offices of the Governor and Attorney General, as well as the Department of Commerce. Through MIIAB and IIABA, independent insurance agents have advocates in both St. Paul and Washington, DC.

The MIIAB is also the largest provider of continuing education to its members and the insurance community, so they can maintain their licenses. With over 100 years of experience representing independent insurance agents, they are well-respected and a trusted voice in the industry. “We strive to provide that connection between our member agents and other related markets and companies,” Rau explained.

Learn more about the MIIAB by visiting www.miia.org.

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