UDE SPEAKS

{tag_tellafriend}

The UDE Group cordially invites its clients, staff and charitable organizations to attend Sophisticated Socialization, a showcase of our clientele to a variety of target markets.  This golden event will take place on September 18, 2011 at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on 4701 Martin Luther King Drive from 6:00pm- 10:00pm. Entertainment will be provided by violinist extraordinaire Richmond Punch and the comedic prowess of The Freshman Comedy Group.

UDE places great value on our clients. This year, we are acknowledging our clientele by showcasing their business ventures, while thanking them, and giving back to one of our charitable organizations simultaneously. We want to celebrate and recognize all of our outstanding and remarkable clients and shine the spotlight on their success and accomplishments. The UDE Group has made great strides in creating a solid platform, which exceeds the expectations of our client’s business development needs.  

The Influence Group (TIG) and Helping Hands, a division of The UDE Group that selects charitable organizations that benefit from our philanthropic efforts, organized this wonderful event.  We will use the proceeds from this event to benefit an organization that works with the people of Swaziland, Africa. Your donations and participation will help build better learning facilities provide proper clothing and supply clean and healthy food and water to Swaziland children and families. Proceeds will also aid a mission trip to Swaziland, Africa for volunteers to go and provide on-site aid to ensure Swaziland natives are receiving proper health care and education.  Your ticket purchase contributes to this great cause and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in silent auctions and premium gift raffles. The premium gift raffle does not require participants to attend the event, however, raffle tickets must be purchased online. 

 

 

Thank you for your continued support,

The UDE Group

The UDE Group is a full service business development and marketing firm that caters to its clients individual business development needs. We have made great strides through our undying dedication to our clients, staff and charitable organizations. This year, we are celebrating their efforts by showcasing our clientele while thanking them and giving back to one of our charitable organizations simultaneously. 

The UDE Group cordially invites you to attend  Sophisticated Socialization, which will benefit the people of Swaziland, Africa and will showcase the talents of our clientele. Your donations and participation will help build better learning facilitates, provide proper clothing, and supply clean and healthy food and water to Swaziland children and families. Proceeds will also aid a mission trip to Swaziland, Africa for volunteers to go and provide on-site aid to ensure Swaziland natives are receiving proper health care and education. This golden event will take place on September 18, 2011 at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on 4701 Martin Luther King Drive from 6:00pm- 10:00pm.  Entertainment will be provided by violinist extraordinaire Richard Punch and the comedic prowess of The Freshman Comedy Group.

This wonderful event is organized by Helping Hands, a division of The UDE Group that selects charitable organizations which benefit from our philanthropic efforts. Your ticket purchase not only contributes to this great cause, but will allow attendees the opportunity to participate in silent auctions and premium gift raffles. Premium gift raffle does not require attendance to be a participant, however, raffle tickets must be purchased online.    

In order to purchase tickets, enter raffle, and/or place a donation please click below:

Purchase Tickets

Thank you for your continued support,



The UDE Group

Sometimes its hard to fill in that blank and identify with who cares about you, your company, your organization, your foundation, your passion, your goals, and your dreams. Time and resources are very rarely at your fingertips and most likely what you need to proceed forward was needed last week, last month, or last year. The process of finding investors, sponsors, donors, or any type of resource is truly an art form, and has rules like anything else. Clients have events all the times and find out just how hard it is to secure sponsorships. Its not that organizations don't think you have a worthy cause, but when everyone is asking for a donation, you have to seriously consider what it's going to, and how it will benefit

Within the past year we have been working diligently with Beyond The Game, a charity organization dedicated to providing awareness and support to the children of Swaziland, Africa. For a country that is the size of New Jersey and is surrounded on three sides by South Africa, it has a population of 950,00 and out of that 120,000 of them are orphans.  44.6% of the people have AIDS, the average life expectancy is 28.7 years, and 70% of the children will be HIV positive by age of 15. 56% of children are not in school because they cant afford school fees and 60 % of the people are unemployed.  When you review all of that you can only imagine why Chanita Foster and her husband, George Foster founded the organization to begin with. They are diligently working to build a school, a care point, and a clinic in Swaziland, where the children can find some relief.

Once I read about Mrs. Fosters journey to Swaziland and starting the organization, we knew it was an organization  we would want to assist in. I remember her telling me that I was going with her to experience what she was so passionate about. Even though she told me on March 28, 2010 for a trip that began on April 16, 2010, I knew we knew enough people to make sure that we went and were able to leave a mark. Now, I want to make sure I relay that it is not a good idea to start fundraising or looking for donations and sponsors less than 30 days before you need to meet your goal. The rule of thumb, especially when dealing with larger corporations, is to allow for a 90-120 day lead time. This will give you time to navigate their donation and sponsorship portals and processes.

For instance, my first sponsor to assist me with this task was Delta Airlines. BTG had all these donations and products that it needed to take with them to supply the Princess Party they were hosting for the young girls. Once it was all totaled up, we needed to transport 36 suitcases and bags with us. Delta already allows for 2 bags for free with international travel. So that brought our count down to 26 bags that needed to be transported. With the $200 fee per additional bag coupled with the $200 fee for over-sized luggage fee, we were looking at $400 per bag, and that was just one way. When we calculated that, it came out to $10,400 just to transport us there. I placed a call to a colleague at Delta, and started the conversation off with an apology. They laughed and then heard me out on my request. Delta was kind enough to waive our luggage fees for up to 20 suitcases on top of our own luggage allowance. With a round trip ticket that saved BTG $12,400 in total, and allowed us to give these young ladies the party below. Delta Cares!

Super Bag Line was also instrumental in the impromptu trip that BTG took this past December and donated 300 bags to the organization on the spot. Super Bag Line Cares!




This year we had a lot more time to work on this. Now the art form comes in developing and cultivating relationships. The number one rule to sponsorship and donations is this: if a company, organization, or person supports your cause, you make sure you fulfill all their requests and make good on your word. When you do this, you allow for their to be a long standing relationship with them, and they will support you in the future. Second rule: Always be respectful, regardless if their response to your request is a yes or a no. Sometimes organizations just want to see what your true color are.  Third Rule: Be respectful of their time. Sometimes your requests is an emergency, but normally emergencies stem from procrastination. Make sure you use that lead time that was given above.

This art form was definitely apparent in our pursuit of one of our sponsors for the trip in September. After experiencing the Princess Party last year, it became evident what products seem to work better in that environment. One of those products were Crocs shoes. Their simplicity allows for each distribution and comfortably for the children who walk long distances on a frequent basis. The first two times we reached out to them, we had either just missed their yearly allotment or they were in the middle of a major sponsorship. However, making sure that we followed the rules above in March we received an email that they would be willing to consider our request, and today, we received word that they were shipping the shoes to the foundation through their organization Croc Cares. So for BTG Croc Cares!




So as we embark on yet another journey to Swaziland on September 25- October 8, 2011, we wonder will YOU Care? You can do so by:

For the last 8 months I have been saying that I was going to re-brand the company. We had been going through a complete restructuring and I knew it was important to make sure that our new name reflected the new culture of the company. Since 2007, we have made it our goal to provide custom service to meet their individual business needs. While we make it a point to take care of our clientele, most consulting firms, fail to take care of themselves.

Our branding process has been an interesting one to say the least. We always knew what we wanted to say, but to depict that visually so our clientele and the masses could understand is no small feat. When I first started the firm, I used my "advanced" knowledge of web design and graphics to come up with this beauty:

I wanted it to be known that we could service any person any where in the world. I place it on a purple, blue, and green background for the website, and said I was in business. It's quite comical now, and I wish I still had the web files I used to create that site. So you could see that masterpiece as well.

As we grew, it became apparent that we were going to need to do an overhaul and a complete image makeover. I was working in the corporate world, and I needed my image to depict that image as well. So we once again undertook the task of making ourselves into a firm who's brand could not only service our US clientele, but cross the waters as well.

When our clients first come to us, we have them fill out multiple questioners to acquire a better understanding of them, their product, their company, and their goals. Why we never bothered to fill out a questioner for ourselves is beyond me. I did know that we had just relocated our headquarters to Chicago. We wanted the businesses here to know not only did we have global aspirations, but domestic and local capabilities as well. So we came up with these next renditions:


We of course ended up choosing the one in the middle, because it was unique and dynamic, just as our name stated. When we began to develop the business cards and stationary. We wanted to make sure that when someone saw our materials they could immediately identify who it was coming from. If we said your contract is in the mail, it was hard not to notice once it arrived.


We paid homage to the the City of Chicago where we are headquartered, and undeniably has one of the most beautiful skylines in the world, stayed along the color lines of royal blue, green, and white to depict growth, prosperity, and success; and placed it on a black background for the website so it would leave a lasting impression.

Two years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Chanita Foster, wife of then Detroit Lions George Foster, for the first time. Our firm had been working on a project for an organization that she was involved in. When I first met her all I could think is she is so over the top. When you think of someone who does everything BIG, your first thought should be Mrs. Foster. She runs five companies, has 4 or 5 degrees, is a mother to 5 girls, and an adopted son, is a wife, and a mentor. Typing all of that just made me tired, but that wasn't enough for her.

In the beginning of 2010, while at the Superbowl, we had a conversation in regards to a project or a trip she wanted to go on. In kind, we were both at that point where doing over the top birthday celebrations just was not desired anymore. She was searching for her true purpose, and I was just searching for something. Well between that time and April, she took a trip for her birthday to Swaziland, Africa and had a life changing experience. Upon her return Geroge and herself founded Beyond The Game, an organization determined to lend a helping hand to the children of Swaziland.

In April of 2010, she asked me if I would accompany her back so I could have a hands on experience with the goals she was wanted to complete there. Of course I said yes. Needless to say from the moment we arrived, I could see why her heart was so committed to these people and their needs. When we left we had established some clear milestones: build a care-point, build a school, and build a health clinic. This upcoming August we will be going back to Swaziland to begin the building of the care-point. We are incredibly excited about this, and wanted to make sure that we shared this incredible experience with you as well.

Beyond the Game wants to give every person the opportunity to help others. Be HANDS ON in Changing the World! Here are some ways you can help! You can click on the links below to learn more on how you can donate in different areas as listed below:

Below is a video of our April visit.

 

We thank you in advance for your support!

This is our first blog post on this website - this online business to be exact!

Feel free to grab a cup of tea and a cookie, put your feet up and take a look around. You'll find heaps of great content and information about our company, and there's plenty of goodies.

We are excited about all the new opportunities and ventures that we are embarking upon. Below is the new ad campaign that recently launch in The Crisis Magazine:

We also want to showcase our clients and what have done for them, and what we can do for you:

I hope you enjoy and feel free to let us know what you think!