TaylorMade 2¢

November 17, 2015
in TaylorMade Best Practices

Event sponsors are worth their weight in gold—sometimes literally! Sponsors offer much-needed revenue to help with event operations—and you’ll want to build close relationships with them over time. The trouble can be, after spending so much time, effort, and resources to attract new sponsors, the strength of a new partnership can easily start to wane after the first year. In the beginning, the newbie is treated like a VIP—they’re given lots of attention and fanfare—but as time wears on, the attention might shift to newer sponsors. It’s all too easy to take...

November 5, 2015
in TaylorMade Best Practices

While we can’t stress enough how important annual events are for your non-profit organization or company, we do know that these events come with a big price tag. The good news is that you don’t have to foot the bill alone. You can increase event revenue by securing some really great sponsors. Easy solution, right? Not so fast—getting sponsors on board with your event and mission can be a lot of hard work. If you’re looking to attract sponsors to your next event, the following tips will help you start some lucrative...

October 22, 2015
in TaylorMade Best Practices

Every small business, large corporation, and nonprofit needs to be flexible and nimble if they want to keep up with competition, market demand, and business trends.That’s one of the reasons outsourcing is so popular – and why companies like TaylorMade Experience exist. Let’s face it: You don’t need to have a full-time, in-house team that is dedicated to event planning and fundraising. You might not need an in-house general counsel or CPA or digital marketing team, either – but you do need them in your Rolodex. There are numerous advantages of outsourcing,...

October 1, 2015
in TaylorMade Best Practices

Everyone thinks they are a VIP, and you know what? They are absolutely right! Here at TaylorMade Experience, we make sure all of our clients and customers are given platinum-level treatment. After spending years catering to important event guests, celebrity speakers and entertainers, politicians, diplomats, we now have some tips and tricks in place that make all of our clients feel like total rock stars. If you’re looking to take a few plays out of our playbook, here’s how we work with the VIPs we encounter in our field. Board members From the very...

September 24, 2015
in Culture, The TME Team

Do you experience frustration with terrible service when you shop, eat out, check in to a hotel, attend an event, or travel? At every turn, I seem to notice a lack of customer service—and I’m sad to say, top-notch service has become a dying art. This is a topic that I hold very near and dear to my heart. When I started in business, I worked for Marriott International, a company that prides itself on “above and beyond service.” Providing excellent service is something that was ingrained in me at the...

September 17, 2015
in TaylorMade Best Practices, Tips for Nonprofit Fundraising

Whether you’re looking to increase donations, sales, exposure, or your guest list, holding an engaging event is your ticket to success. Your guests want to be immersed in an experience. They want to enjoy a night that’s inspiring and invigorating—they want to walk away from the event feeling like they’ve gained a lot just by attending. So, how do you provide your guests with an exciting and engaging experience that will increase donations or ROI? Start with the following: Know your audience This is the number-one, hands-down, most important aspect to throwing a fabulous event....

September 10, 2015
in Events, TaylorMade Best Practices

There are a million details involved with planning an event—from booking the venue in advance to sending thank-you notes to your guests. However, with so many moving pieces to manage, it’s easy to overlook a few crucial details. Specifically, there are five major—yet easily avoidable—mistakes you could make during your next event. Making these mistakes could cost you attendee engagement, exposure and awareness, donations, or ROI. If you want your next event to be a smashing success, then you’ll want to prevent the following mistakes from ever happening: Not including a testimonial For non-profits,...

August 20, 2015
in Events, Lessons Learned, TaylorMade Best Practices

Whether you’re a corporation or a non-profit organization, annual events are a key component to your company’s success. Before we dive into the importance of why you need to have annual events, let’s talk about the why they need to happen annually. While we understand an event takes time, energy, and resources, it is vital to have one at least once a year—especially for non-profits. Here’s why: You want to stay in front of your customers and donors.  If you hold bi-annual events, you run the risk of donors or customers forgetting...

July 21, 2015
in Culture, The TME Team

When I was young, I knew that one day I wanted to have my own business, be my own boss, make my mark on the world. I had absolutely no idea that I would build a company that my clients love and appreciate and my employees enjoy working for. Here’s how I did it - and how we continue to do it: Do work you love My entire career has been spent in the event industry, and I could not imagine doing any other work. I am a people-person, and I thrive in...

July 8, 2015
in Lessons Learned

Golden Rolodex: noun A magical list of names that results in immediate and large donations to your cause. See also: gold-filled pots at the end of rainbows and geese that lay golden eggs. First, the bad news: I am very sorry, but it’s true. The Golden Rolodex is a myth. During our years managing the fundraising process and conducting outreach on behalf of our nonprofit clients, we have yet to meet anyone who has a list of names they can call and immediately gather millions of dollars in pledges. Now, the good...