Persisting in my firm belief that positive action is the best antidote to injustice, I was pleased to leverage this bias when serving as the chief marketing and communications officer of the Anti-Defamation League from 2012-2015, based in NYC. During this dynamic and productive period together we built several new forward-looking platforms and initiatives. These included a new taxonomy for representing the outputs of the ADL's considerable expert work fighting hate and anti-semitism while building a Centennial brand; building new national and regional (27) web platforms optimized for growth; serious expansion of the online platforms overall to include social, peer to peer, and significant year-end 'push' marketing resulting in significant new supporters and revenues with annual revenue increases of 12-15%.
During this time while supervising a team of 20 internal and external professionals in video, art, design, production, writing, and web work we gleaned multiple platinum and gold industry awards together for hard print and digital work.
Marketing & Communications
- Global 100 index of Anti-Semitism - global100.adl.org
- New optimized web platform for ADL - www.adl.org
- New decentralized content management regional website platform i.e. newyork.adl.org
- Guide to Best Practices in Responding to Cyberhate. - http://www.adl.org/combating-hate/cyber-safety/best-practices/
- Bullying awareness content for teachers and parents - http://www.adl.org/education-outreach/bullying-cyberbullying/
- Spanish Language community outreach - http://www.adl.org/education-outreach/hispanic-latino-affairs/
After 10 compelling years designing and implementing international programs in Mozambique, Malawi, and Myanmar, I decided to turn my experience, training and skills towards bringing that story home. Since returning to the US to join Save the Children in a new business development role, I have had the privilege to participate in the highly sophisticated US philanthropic market. I have identified a specific niche where I can create value and leverage it to the positive benefit of children.
As an authentic voice working to engage new long term partners in lasting change for children, I work at the intersection of high-level donor relations and program delivery: directly with high net worth individuals, their professional philanthropic advisers for wealth management and strategic philanthropy, and related professionals. In particular, the enormous growth of donor advised funds has proven a rich territory for donor education around program issues in the field while also educating partners on use of illiquid and complex assets for charitable contributions.
Donor engagement across generations, via social media, and through celebrity endorsements has also become a vibrant and creative space for partner development. In the first half of 2011 I was directly responsible for generating over $2,000,000 in private donations for Save the Children,and played a leading role in leveraging fundraising through new social media concepts.
Donor Engagement Strategies
Private Banks (examples)
- Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
- US Trust
- Northern Trust
- BNY Mellon
- Young Student in India
Donor Advised Funds (examples)
- Fidelity
- Goldman Sachs
- Vanguard
- Schwab
- Jewish Communal Fund
- Fairfield County Community Foundation
- California Community Foundation
Philanthropy Advisors ( examples)
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
- Arabella Philanthropy Investment Advisors
- Center for Disaster Philanthropy
- Air Traffic Control
Innovation Marketing
- Bringing team fundraising to Save the Children
- Music For Relief http://www.musicforrelief.org/
- Foundation Source http://access.foundationsource.com
- Soccer Saves http://soccersaves.org
- Yesterday’s Children http://www.davidashwell.com/
Community Engagement of Technical Advisors
Global Education Advisory Board
- This dedicated team of first rate external professionals in Education – formal and informal - offers skills to launch significant new technical programs while garnering substantial multi-year gifts
- Personalized donor engagement connections
Livelihoods Council
- Senior professionals in financial services industry provide sharp new thinking for technical field work such as microfinance programs while raising partner interest and substantial cash contributions for Innovations Fund
As Director of Communications, providing branded and unbranded media and educational field support to 19 products and several medical services, I was able to directly affect the national consumer uptake of goods and services to help save lives – and improve health of poor and vulnerable people in Myanmar. I built solid relationships with donors and developed superior skills in the social marketing of behaviors to influence individual health.
Product
19 branded products
Diverse materials for malaria awareness
Launch QC brand of HIV VCT
Targeted Outreach Program for sex workers and men who have sex with men
National media campaigns for malaria, HIV, and TB diagnosis and treatment
Non-Product
Creative leadership in Asian context
Use of ancient cultural mores for marketing and communications
Direct national malaria reduction program
Generate celebrity endorsements
High quality mass media campaigns (.pdf)
Intensive evidence based outreach communications for field staff use
Donor advocacy
Statistical evidence of behavior change
Studio work for film making, radio, print and design work
Promote communications to national censor boards
On Proposal writing team to bring in over $8,000,000 per year
Government advocacy
Lead creative unit of 25 media professionals
Grew productivity from 100 to over 400 communications pieces developed per year
Served as Interim Director for 6 months annum
Poverty and disease abound. My work as Operations Director and later, Communications Director for the world’s leading social marketing organization Population Services International, in Malawi, focused attention on making the working systems serve public health impact. In addition to commercial branding and product launches, I was on the team that founded two ongoing national behavior change communications programs: Youth Alert! and Pakachere.
Product
Chishango condom is re-branded for modern Malawian men
Launched WaterGuard safe water treatment
Chitetezo mosquito nets and insecticide treatment
Thanzi Oral Rehydration Salts
Faith Based programming
Youth Alert! Lifeskills program
Youth Alert! - Mix weekly radio show for youth in Malawi
Pakachere Health and Development Communications
Trusted Partner Campaign
Non-Product
Market research
Qualitative focus groups
Creative development
Packaging, media campaigns: mobile, outdoor, TV, radio, print
Financial oversight
Sales over 5 million units with government clinics
Commercial marketing and communications skills
Coordination of Diverse Religious denominations
Change management of underperforming company
Audit management
Development of video production unit
Built Communications Unit
National school based program
Set up of radio show production studio
Oversight of youth program development
Founded Malawi franchise of Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communications
Operational control of 150 staff
Replicability
As a Country Representative for a USAID-funded project in Portuguese–speaking Mozambique I provided leadership in management and program capacity building for local non-profit organizations in the remote North. In the capital Maputo, our coalition of national and international partners produced an acclaimed cutting-edge, digitally-produced, HIV communications campaign for youth.
PRODUCT
Media poster series on HIV Awareness for youth in Mozambique- Capacity building brand rollout in Mozambique
NON-PRODUCT
- Portuguese language skills
- Organizational Assessment tool development
- All aspects of Non Governmental Organizational Development for Health NGOs and Micro Credit NGOs in rural northern mozambique
- USAID grant management
Collaboration with National AIDS Council- Led local and expatriate staff
- Corporate representation as chief of party of US based int'l development company
- Proposal writing
- Exit strategy development
- Collaboration with PSI
1992-1995 Art for social change in prisons - Running the art program for prisoners in Connecticut honed several skills: fund raising, working with diverse cultures and disenfranchised groups, dealing with volatile situations and tough partners. Creative work included publishing, exhibitions, and early web-based technologies. I produced Sam Connor’s Togo Songbook with top musicians.
1995-1998 Social Marketing for behavior change in prisons - Beyond Fear HIV Awareness Program for prisoners embodied social marketing: high-energy entrepreneurial practices to influence consumers’ behavior. The impact of our work on prisoners began to be measured by social and health scientists; creative products emanated from national publishing houses and Centers for Disease Control.
PRODUCT 1992 - 1995
- Art program brand promotion
NEA / CCfH addiction series - view pdf- Exhibition invites
- Cartoon
Art in Corrections Journal on internet- Equal People Publishing Company
Sam Connor’s Togo Songbook CD and Jacana recording company logo
NON-PRODUCT 1992 - 1995
- Study of non profit management
Teaching art for social change- Proposal writing
- Coordination of teams of artists
- Strategic planning
- HTML based Web site development
- Political advocacy
- Audio production values
- Branding
- Intellectual property rights protection
- Organizational development
PRODUCT 1995 - 1998
Beyond Fear- Video "Beyond Fear"
Nationally distributed educational graphic novels by Channing Bete
NON-PRODUCT 1995 - 1998
- Branding and launching new program
Curriculum design- Focus group design and facilitation
Coordination with senior state officials in prisons and health dept- Health research
- Program measurement
- Evidence based program feedback and design
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Participation in Kellog Int’l Fellowship for Community Development
- Portuguese and Spanish language study
Returning to my homeland England in my late twenties I had an opportunity to translate what I had learned in Africa and consider application at the macro level. Working variously with environmentalists and corporate entities exposed me to both commercial and charity work in the UK. Music performance remains prominent.
Product
- Launch Speech Services Corporate Brand
- Ecologist magazine
- Voice Power
Non-Product
- Corporate relations
- Sales
- Training services
- Group Facilitation
- Book review
- Environmental Research
These dynamic years living in a mud hut in the compound of a village family and running the national appropriate technology center in Lama Kara taught me the value of social cohesion and mobilization, the importance of human-scale development work, and the value of a strong philosophical foundation. Collaboration and creativity also generated original music compositions.
PRODUCT
- Improved cook stoves
Hand dug wells- Water catchment cisterns
Solar energy cookers and hot water heaters
NON-PRODUCT
- French language skills
- Management of national technology center
- Social mobilization of women
- Fundraising advocacy to national government
- Report writing
- Training of new Peace Corps Volunteers
