Cha ching!
In what has become a fixture in the Wall Street philanthropy circles, agency-only broker BTIG raised over $5 million dollars for charity this past Tuesday, May 13, at its 12th annual Commissions for Charity Day event.
The annual BTIG Commissions for Charity Day is an event where celebrity participants join BTIG sales traders as brokers in an effort to raise money for a variety of charities. Clients who call into the broker to execute or place an order they often speak to a celebrity, such as an athlete, model or other famous person who provides them trading color and coverage.
See Images of Celebrity Sales Traders
“The 2014 BTIG Commissions for Charity Day was a huge success,” said Steven Starker, co-founder of BTIG. “We traded record volumes and believe we will be donating $5 million to charities around the world. The BTIG event is unique because it brings clients, celebrities and employees together in a collaborative effort. In the past 12 years we have had over 120 celebrities and professional athletes work with us in support of hundreds of well deserving causes. It’s a fun day and we are very proud of the great results.”
One celebrity sales trader, Shaquille O’Neal, was so adept at working the phones and orders that he was sure he could be Wall Streeter in another life.
In what has become a social phenomenon, many celebrities and BTIG staffers took selfies to commemorate the event. Actress Bridget Moynahan was seen with her cellphone taking selfies with NFL Footballer Eli Manning for her son and another with fellow actor Padma Lakshmi for herself.
The event takes place in BTIG’s New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London offices.
This year’s celebrity sales traders included: NFL Footballers Victor Cruz and Eli Manning; actors Bridget Moynahan, Padma Lakshmi, Matt Dillion, Heather Storm; Model Petra Nemcova; activist and TV personality Beth Ostrosky; Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban; baseballer Matt Harvey; basketballer Carmelo Anthony.
Celebrities that have participated in past Commissions for Charity Day events include: Michael J. Fox, Michael Strahan, Matt Dillon, Joe Girardi, Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Tom Coughlin, Rex Ryan and Eli Manning in New York City; Ronnie Lott, Joe Morgan, Marshawn Lynch and Vida Blue in San Francisco; Marcus Allen and Tony Gonzalez in Los Angeles; and Mike Gatting OBE, Chris Tarrant OBE, Brian Conley, Aled Jones MBE and Sinitta in London.
Last year, BTIG donated over $4 million to more than 170 nonprofit organizations. While the charities supported are nominated by BTIG clients, the firm encourages clients to select child-focused charities. This year’s nominees include, among many others:
– Project Sunshine – http://www.projectsunshine.org/;
– St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children – http://stmaryskids.org/;
– The First Tee of San Francisco – http://www.thefirstteesanfrancisco.org;
– The Jackie Robinson Foundation – http://www.jackierobinson.org/; and
– Year Up – http://www.yearup.org/.
BTIG’s first Commissions for Charity Day in 2003 raised funds for three charities. Over the past eleven years, Commissions for Charity Day has grown into an international event, with BTIG US, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia offices participating. More than $28 million in commission profits have been donated to hundreds of charitable organizations around the world since the inception of the event.
