Tannis Walker, the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation's manager of special events, began working there six months ago, and she and her team are already prepared to take on the more than 90 events on the cancer nonprofit's 2005 calendar, with one of the foundation's largest events, Vintages of Distinction, coming up in May. Walker shared what her new job has taught her thus far.
What distinguishes your events from other fund-raisers?
The cause itself. It affects people from every lifestyle, so our events reach out to all sectors of the community. We are planning events to embrace the different cultures in our community; for example, we are working on a gala event for the Pakistani community next year.
Do you have a preferred list of vendors, or do you constantly try out new companies?
We absolutely have a preferred list; there's no time to shop for different vendors. But when we do work with a new one, it is usually after a recommendation from a trusted source or based on results we see at other events we attend.
What percentage of your events are sponsored? How do you keep the sponsors coming back?
Almost 100 percent of our events are sponsored. We keep them coming back through innovative and different events, and we treat our sponsors and donors very well. We make sure to follow through on our promises to them, and we are very careful about where our money goes and how we use it. For every dollar raised, we only spend eight cents on expenses.
How does fund-raising affect the design of your events?
Fund-raising does not affect the design at all, but it does affect the approach. Depending on how much money we need to raise, we often have to tighten how we negotiate with vendors. The logistics are affected, rather than the overall look.
How do you keep from burning out?
We have so many great, hard-working volunteers, donors, and committee members that help make my workload more obtainable. However, I make sure I have a good amount of "me" time. I try to balance my work, social and private time accordingly.
What is the best lesson you've learned during your event planning career?
I have gained a huge understanding of human psychology and behavior; you can't avoid it when you work with so many different people with different personalities.
What advice would you offer to other event planners?
My advice is to be a mentor. Our best resources are one another, and we need to rely on new energy coming to the industry from graduate programs. As a former intern myself, I would say be available and accessible to those entering the industry.
—Robyn Small
Posted 04.18.05
What distinguishes your events from other fund-raisers?
The cause itself. It affects people from every lifestyle, so our events reach out to all sectors of the community. We are planning events to embrace the different cultures in our community; for example, we are working on a gala event for the Pakistani community next year.
Do you have a preferred list of vendors, or do you constantly try out new companies?
We absolutely have a preferred list; there's no time to shop for different vendors. But when we do work with a new one, it is usually after a recommendation from a trusted source or based on results we see at other events we attend.
What percentage of your events are sponsored? How do you keep the sponsors coming back?
Almost 100 percent of our events are sponsored. We keep them coming back through innovative and different events, and we treat our sponsors and donors very well. We make sure to follow through on our promises to them, and we are very careful about where our money goes and how we use it. For every dollar raised, we only spend eight cents on expenses.
How does fund-raising affect the design of your events?
Fund-raising does not affect the design at all, but it does affect the approach. Depending on how much money we need to raise, we often have to tighten how we negotiate with vendors. The logistics are affected, rather than the overall look.
How do you keep from burning out?
We have so many great, hard-working volunteers, donors, and committee members that help make my workload more obtainable. However, I make sure I have a good amount of "me" time. I try to balance my work, social and private time accordingly.
What is the best lesson you've learned during your event planning career?
I have gained a huge understanding of human psychology and behavior; you can't avoid it when you work with so many different people with different personalities.
What advice would you offer to other event planners?
My advice is to be a mentor. Our best resources are one another, and we need to rely on new energy coming to the industry from graduate programs. As a former intern myself, I would say be available and accessible to those entering the industry.
—Robyn Small
Posted 04.18.05
