Nonprofit Groups Yield Profits for Industry Newcomer
by Judy JacobsFocusing almost entirely on group travel, with an emphasis on nonprofits, has proved to be a path to profit for an enterprising Pennsylvania travel seller.
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While many agents decide to sell groups as a way to expand their business, Bobbi-Jo Romanishan of Bright Life Travel in Wilkes-Barre created her agency with group travel in mind.
A professional webmaster who had a web design firm for more than a decade, Romanishan was looking for new opportunities after her second son was born in 2006.
Travel and developing a worldwide perspective were values she and her husband wanted to instill in their children. Romanishan decided that having a travel business was an excellent way to do this.
Groups a good fit
“I started with groups and concentrate on groups because I have children, and it’s easier for me,” Romanishan said. “I don’t have time to do 20 individual itineraries, but I can put 20 people on one itinerary.”
Group travel also fits her personality. “I’m very social and love the group environment,” she said.
Romanishan escorts many of the groups she sells. “I’m there to provide an additional level of service and make things happen. Say we’re in Vienna and we just learned about the stallions and want to go to the riding school, I’m there to make that happen.”
Nonprofit focus
Romanishan began doing groups for nonprofits, because she’s familiar with that world. Her mother served as executive director for several nonprofits, and she’s been a volunteer on countless occasions.
“I know how nonprofits work. I could never go after golf groups. That would be insane for me to do. I know nothing about golf,” Romanishan said.
Familiarity with the target market is important in selling group travel, she said. “There are unlimited opportunities out there, but you have to know the language they speak. If you have teenage kids in private schools private, schools could be your market.”
Organic growth
Bright Life started small in 2008 and has grown to an annual sales volume of more than $1 million.
In the beginning, Romanishan sat down with a map. She put her home at the center and drew a two- to-three-hour driving distance radius from there and made that her target market. She has since expanded that to a five- to six-hour driving distance.
She’s also starting to work with organizations on the West Coast, which can be done by phone and email now that her business is well-established.
Tenacity required
Selling group business requires tenacity, she warned. It took her two and a half years to sell a group trip to one organization, which went through three employees during the process.
“Once you get into an organization and you do a really good job, it’s repeat business, and it grows exponentially,” she said.
Initially a lot of Romanishan’s business came from cold calling, but now the heads of organizations she’s worked with are reaching out to other organizations, and she’s getting referrals.
None of the organizations she works with had done group travel before.
“In this economy and marketplace today, nonprofits are looking for new innovative ways to do fundraising, and group travel is one of those ways,” she said. “But the focus needs to be on bringing the membership together.”
Anything with a membership base
Romanishan handles group travel for all types of nonprofit organizations, including art museums and historical societies. She’s also starting to work with churches.
“I deal with anything that has a membership base,” she said. “Anything where people are coming together around one common issue or around an organization.”
She operates both private group trips for organizations and public trips open to anyone that sometimes operate as fundraisers. The former includes the 3,500-member Union League of Philadelphia, for which she’s organizing a trip to Russia and the Danube this fall and a trip to Italy next year. The purpose of both of the tours is to bring supporters together for community building.
Romanishan also helps organizations put together group trips strictly for fundraising. While details vary, typically the comp trip spaces normally given to the organizers are donated back to the group to sell and make a profit. Also, the cost of the trip will include a donation to the organization, usually $100 per participant.
In addition to promotional marketing materials and tour or cruise information nights, Romanishan provides a custom website for each tour, using the website design skills she developed in her previous business.
FITs too
Romanishan also handles FITs, which make up about 10% of her business. She takes FIT requests on a case-by-case basis, charging service fees and requiring a deposit. Although she does pre- and post-packages for her tour groups, some participants want to stay even longer, and she handles their travel as well.
Romanishan is convinced that getting into travel was the right move for her. “There’s a tremendous opportunity to make a lot of money and have fun,” she said. “The opportunities are there, you just have to find them.”
