Frequently Asked Questions

A short list of common questions we get.  If you don’t see an answer to yours here, please contact us and we’ll be glad to help.

General Questions

  1. What is The Justice League of WNY?

    The Justice League of WNY are a group of fans of various shows, series, films, movies, animations and comics, who have come together out of a love of fandom, costuming and who want to help bring some cheer to those in need. We are an all-volunteer organization formed for the purpose of of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. We seek to promote interest in fandom through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes in contributing to out local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.
  2. Does the Justice League of WNY charge for their appearances?

    NO. We do not charge a fee for our appearances, either public or private. We do encourage that donations be done to charities in our name. 
If you do not have a charity of choice, our group would gladly provide a list of some that we support. Examples include Oishei Children’s Hospital, Courage of Carly Fund, Ronald McDonald House, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Shriners Hospitals for Children. We do welcome assistance covering travel and lodging costs.
  3. Is the Justice League of WNY a charity?
    Yes. On Monday May 20th 2019, we officially incorporated as a NYS registered non-profit organization.
    On Tuesday August 20th 2019, we were recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. 
    The IRS letter granting the Justice League of WNY its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is available upon request.
    The Justice League of WNY Tax Identification Number (EID) is 84-1878052.
  4. How do I make donations to the groups charities?
    Donation inquiries can be sent to justiceleagueofwny@gmail.com.
  5. How do I donate to the Justice League of WNY?
    Please visit this link for donation options.
  6. How can I have the Justice League of WNY at my event?

    We love attending events, especially charity ones.
    Please use our Event Request form to reach us and we will be happy to discuss your needs and what we offer.
  7. What can the The Justice League of WNY do for me?
    There is nothing like having a group of your favorite characters appear to bring awesome attention to events. We work as a group to create a real-life fan experience with our wide array of professional-grade costumes and props. Our group’s standards help us ensure a high level of professionalism both in action and appearance for quality fun events.
  8. Is The Justice League of WNY a part of DC, Marvel, Disney or any other media company?
    The Justice League of WNY recognizes it holds no claim over the costumes and characters it portrays. Our organization acknowledges and respects that these characters are owned by others. The members of The Justice League of WNY acknowledge and accept that while in costume, we represent their brands, and will do so in a professional and responsible manner at all times.

Costuming

  1. Where do I get a costume?
    Our members put in a lot of time carefully researching their characters, and either building or buying the components needed. Most are hand made and built as our spare time allows. We are happy to assist our members in finding the people and places to do their own costumes and props, but as all of the characters we portray are the intellectual property of other companies it must be stressed that we do not provide or manufacture costumes or components for purchase.
  2. How “screen accurate” does my costume have to be? / I tried to join another group and they rejected me?
    1. We accept both beginner and expert costumers, and those in between. We do however require our members to own an accurate, complete, and professional-quality costume, that the member is able to functionally wear. “professional-quality” doesn’t mean complicated, or expensive, just that it be of good quality, and that someone looking at you can suspend ‘reality’ and believe you’re that character.
    2. We love seeing our members develop, improve and enhance their costumes and costuming skills. We are happy to assist our members in finding the people and places to do their own costumes and props, but as all of the characters we portray are the intellectual property of other companies it must be stressed that we do not provide or manufacture costumes or components for purchase.
    3. Or to put it shortly, no we aren’t going to triangulate every seam and rivet, but we’re not likely to approve something that only marginally passes for a character.
  3. Are there any restrictions on costumes?
    1. Depending on the type of event we are doing, there may be some restrictions such as only expert level costumes, or one of a particular character at a time (ex only 1 Superman or Captain Kirk) or only from a particular show/series (ie movie opening), but other times can be more relaxed.
    2. All of our costumes must meet some ‘safe for public’ guidelines.  Full details are in our Costume Guidelines, however the short version is nothing explicit, overly revealing, violent or scary.

Membership

  1. Who can join the Justice League of WNY?

    The Justice League of WNY is an inclusive, equal-opportunity fan club and will not tolerate discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, social class, political beliefs, religion, disability, age, gender, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.
  2. What are the requirements for membership?
    The requirements for full membership are:
 Ownership of an accurate, complete, and professional-quality costume, that the member is able to functionally wear. 
The member must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
  3. How can I join the Justice League of WNY?
    Simply click here or on our menu where it says “Membership Application” and follow the instructions.
  4. What does it cost to be a member of the Justice League of WNY?
    Membership is currently free.
    We do have 2 optional Membership Kits that are available for purchase.

     

    1. The Basic Membership Kit is $10, and includes your ID card, 100 basic business cards and a print copy of the Member Handbook.
    2. The Deluxe Membership Kit is $65, and includes the Basic Kit, plus 500 personalized Trading Cards, a group tee shirt, and a lanyard and ID Badge.
  5. I’m a member of another group/club. Can I still join the Justice League of WNY?
    Of course.
    Who would want to be part of a group that tries to limit your fun and enjoyment of fandom/cosplay/costuming?  That’s not fun. Our members are free to associate, participate, help out and play with whomever they like. Many are members of multiple groups, which only increases the fun for everyone.
  6. Can JLWNY members be part of other groups?
    Absolutely.
    In fact, we encourage it. Each group offers different opportunities, does different events, and helps different charities. So our members are welcome to join or hang out with members of other groups, and we invite members of other groups to join us in the fun ahead.
  7. I’m not really into Superheroes, but I love Anime/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror/etc.  Can I still join the Justice League of WNY?

    Of course.  We love all the different aspects and genres.  We have members who cosplay a wide range of things including Dr. Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, BattleStar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Scooby Doo, the worlds of Disney and so many other great shows/series.  We’re fans, and fandom is supposed to be about fun.
  8. Why was my application rejected?
    An application can be rejected for many reasons.  Some of those include costumes not up to our standards, past “drama” involving the applicant, a history of causing problems in the fan and cosplay community, and being a convicted sex offender.   We may simply be at our current ‘max membership’ and not have room for another person at this time.
  9. ‘Max Membership’?
    The goal of JLWNY is not to be the biggest cosplay club in the area. So that we may grow at a controlled pace, we periodically cap our membership so that we can adjust and evolve our internal procedures and controls for smooth operations.  We want our members to enjoy being part of this group, and want the public to enjoy our appearances. That means not taking on more than we can professionally handle.

Group Operations

  1. What is the “Steering Board” and what’s it do?

    The Justice League of WNY’s Steering Board handles the basic operations of the group, and arranges and coordinates events.  They take care of new member applications, costume reviews and approvals, and all other day-to-day things as needed. Our goal is to minimize stress for our members so that they can focus on the core idea of entertaining the pubic and bringing attention to the causes and charities that are important to us.
    The Steering Board handles arranging events, talking to supporters and sponsors, managing the web stuff, and all that businessy ‘behind the scenes’ stuff.  The goal is, our members know when things are, where they are, what the plans for things are, and can relax knowing that things will work smooth, and any ripples taken care of.
    This is intended to be an informal group, not a ‘Board of Directors” or “Senate” or such with a 600+ page rule book.  We use the term “Steering Board” here, but even that is too ‘formal’.
  2. How do you get on the “Board”?  Will there be elections?

    For the short term, the Steering Board is static, however we are planning on our first elections November 2019.
  3. So, do members get to offer feedback?

    Most certainly.
    Any member is welcome to talk to any member of the SB, or talk with all of us.  Everyones input and ideas are welcome and in fact encouraged.
  4. What about committees?

    We will be setting up on an temporary and as needed basis casual teams of a few members to handle certain things.  For example, we might have a group outing, so would ask for a few people to take care of the details. Arrange a picnic, do a flier crawl, help us weed through costume approvals, examine things like our guidelines, code of conduct, and so on.   But we don’t think at this point in our existence we need to overly complicate things.  KISS Theory.  Keep it Simple Silly.   Focus on awesome costumes, helping others and having fun.