For more than two decades, Tammy Dickerson has forged a reputation as a key name in strategic event production in Los Angeles. After working in marketing roles at Xerox and Coca-Cola Company, she struck out on her own in 2000. As founder and principal owner of The Baker Group (tbg in lowercase for short), Dickerson has built a career at the intersection of logistics and storytelling, producing events for some of the city’s prominent foundations and institutions, from the Milken Institute Global Conference and Magic Johnson Foundation to the LA84 Foundation and the Dodgers Foundation. Just this May, tbg Events served as a production partner for Milken Institute’s 29th Annual Global Conference in Beverly Hills.
The Baker Group started as a corporate and entertainment events firm but has now evolved into something a lot more mission-driven. Over the past decade, nonprofits and philanthropy organizations have grown to make up about 30% of her firm’s business, Dickerson told me. And now with the World Cup in full swing and the Olympics on the horizon in the City of Angels, Dickerson is thinking about what’s next.
I caught up with Dickerson recently over Zoom to talk about courting and retaining donors, the particular mindset of athlete givers, and what she’s learned about bringing the right people into the room. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
You’ve been in business 25 years, but the nonprofit and philanthropy work is more recent. When did that pivot happen, and what drove it?
When we started or launched the company, we did primarily focus on corporate and entertainment events. And then I would say about 10, 12 years ago, we really transitioned to also supporting lots of nonprofits and philanthropy organizations. It’s really because we wanted to change our direction on events — from not just making everything beautiful and handling all the logistics, but also working with high-impact organizations to help them tell their stories, create experiences as part of their communication strategy, build more connection with donors and so on.
I think it actually started with the National Association of Women Business Owners. I was a member, but people didn’t really know about them or their story, so they hired us to come on board to help them with that. We were able to see, from a member perspective and then from a partner perspective, how working with this nonprofit brings more meaningful work. And from there, it has expanded.
I know you’ve done a lot of events for sports foundations. Can you talk about navigating that world?
I think what we find in working with some of these large foundations is that there’s a balance in how they produce events. Most of the events they produce are part of their communication strategy, but it’s also about creating impact and, of course, raising dollars. There’s a balance between how sophisticated the event can actually be and how many dollars they can spend toward it, because they want to generate as much revenue and funding as possible. So it’s working with them to make sure that sponsors associated with the event understand the value proposition in being connected with these organizations. Working with celebrities and entertainers, making sure that they feel the mission as much as the nonprofit does, is important. So we have lots of conversations with them about the use of their name and how their association with the foundations supports that.
You’ve been observing donor behavior up close for 25 years. What have you learned about how high-net-worth individuals and foundations operate in rooms like this?
People are definitely becoming more intentional around where they’re spending their dollars, what organizations they’re being associated with, understanding the mission, the value proposition, the work that they’re doing. When they work with us, they really want to create experiences — experiences that connect with the people and the impact and why they’re there. They don’t want their names to be used lightly. So if they’re going to be involved, they want to be involved in a very serious matter.
From a donor engagement perspective, we’ve found that we have to focus more of our events on storytelling. Not just making sure the room is beautiful, but how do we tell the story of the organization? How do we make people feel connected when they’re sitting at that table enjoying a chicken dinner? It becomes less about the ambience and more about the story on the stage.
What have you seen so far as the Milken Institute has evolved, and what are they really focused on now?
I would say — and not speaking on their behalf, but certainly what I’ve seen — they’re becoming really focused on health and education. Those are two really big pillars. Making sure that as a global world, we really understand what’s happening from a health perspective in this country, and how they can be a conduit with other organizations to support everything happening in that space. And then around education, I know Mr. Milken has a personal vested interest in education and teachers, supporting through scholarship programs. So we have worked alongside them to curate smaller programs, even within the Milken Institute Global Conference, that focus specifically on health and education. Even though the conference itself is large in terms of numbers, they create very small and intimate discussions around those particular subjects.
I know you’re also expanding into luxury retreats for high-achieving women. What’s behind that, and is it philanthropic, community-driven, or something else?
I would say that’s for sure more community-driven. We’re actually in our third year curating and producing our own women’s retreat for women 50 and beyond, primarily corporate executives, mompreneurs, women who are wearing multiple hats. Really trying to create an intimate space where these women can come together, rest, be restored, talk about wellness and restoration, and what it means to manage all of these very busy lives. We’re excited to be launching our third one in August in the Hill Country in Texas.
L.A. is buzzing right now with the World Cup and Olympics on the horizon. Beyond the business opportunity, is there a community or equity dimension you’re thinking about?
Yes. I actually live in Inglewood, less than 10 minutes from SoFi Stadium, so I’m already seeing the buzz. And not only just from a business perspective, but even more from a community perspective. Bringing together a conglomerate of people who are going to be working alongside each other in a variety of capacities. I don’t think it could happen anyplace else than Inglewood. As an agency, we want to be in the center of that. As a women- and minority-owned agency, we absolutely want to be in the rooms, have those conversations, and educate people about how they can use their own talents and their own wealth to make a difference in the city of Los Angeles. Events are a conduit to make that happen, a platform for people to connect and have these dialogs.
When you look at athlete foundations specifically, are you noticing any new trends in terms of where athletes are focusing their philanthropy?
I’m actually seeing a little trend toward staying active and sports-related activities. Research has proven that technology has taken over the generation, and kids aren’t getting outside, they aren’t exercising, they aren’t playing sports like they used to. The percentage of young boys in sports is being reduced. So I’m seeing heightened awareness around celebrities and other individuals really getting involved in how sports can play a major impact on the overall health of individuals. And I think that’s going to benefit us as we experience events like the World Cup, the Super Bowl and the Olympics, because that’s what those three events stand for. It’s all about sports and the impact they can make on individual lives, from a team perspective and a community perspective.
After 25 years, what does the next chapter look like for you and the firm?
Innovation is really where it starts. Making sure that we are staying on top of all the industry trends, understanding how events have evolved, especially post-COVID. What has really changed? What are people looking for? What are the budgets around events? So we make sure we’re attending the educational conferences that are out there, staying up with the trends. And then, from an innovation standpoint, using technology to help us understand how we can become more efficient and support our clients as they’re producing events.
For me, philanthropy events are the ones where people really stay connected. Whether it’s a small nonprofit impacting the lives of 500 kids in very low-income communities, or the Milken Institute with multimillionaires in the room, the discussions are the same. It’s about impact. It’s about giving back. It’s about coming together as a community and serving on a deeper level. That’s where tbg Events loves to be.
