A Community That Shares Your Passion
The challenges nonprofit marketers face are unique. As we begin to emerge from a historic time of change, you still continue to find new ways to pivot and reimagine the work you’re doing so you can positively impact society.
At the AMA Nonprofit & Cause Marketing Virtual Conference, we’ll help you keep the momentum moving into the future. You’ll learn how to reach new audiences while staying authentic, market on a shoestring budget and collaborate more efficiently across teams.
Gain insight and expertise from some of the top minds in the nonprofit community. You’ll leave refreshed with the latest best practices and tactics that can make the most effective use of your time and money.
On Demand Virtual Conference Access
This event is approved by the American Marketing Association to earn continuing education units (CEUs) toward maintaining any AMA Professional Certified Marketer® credential. To learn more about pursuing certification or to claim your credits, click here.
DAY 1 (ALL TIMES CT)
Opening Keynote: Trends That Will Be Reshaping Nonprofit Marketing: It's Happening Already
There are many emerging trends that are affecting the future of marketing in the nonprofit world. From the fast-emerging social business model that is a new approach to the commitment of cause marketing, to the social purpose efforts of the for-profit world’s commitment to cause marketing that impacts nonprofit efforts. From the upcoming seismic transfer of wealth that will empower the younger generations in new expectations from nonprofit marketing efforts to new ways to identify and create donor engagement for your nonprofit’s mission.
Clinton will showcase a case study from the International Center of Photography and its #ICPConcerned effort. During the pandemic, ICP involved its community in a new form of marketing that led to high engagement, a new exhibition, a book and new development and fundraising approaches.
Key takeaways will include:
- How can your nonprofit participate in the new social business space?
- What things can you do now to communicate with millennials who will be recipients of the great wealth transfer.
- The ICP case study and how you can adapt some of the best practices to your nonprofit
Note: Michael Clinton’s newest book, ROAR into the Second Half of Your Life – Before It’s Too Late (Atria Books/Beyond Words, Sept. 7, 2021) explores how to get the most out of your life experience in work, lifestyle and relationships. Don’t miss it!
Michael Clinton
Former President, Marketing and Publishing Director, Hearst Magazines and Founder of Circle of Generosity
How To Amplify Your Mission
Messaging matters (a lot)! How you market your brand in the crowded nonprofit space makes all the difference in accomplishing your goals. Consistent messaging and strategic partnerships will help you stand out from the rest. This session can help you craft the right messaging to amplify your mission and make an impact in your community.
You’ll learn:
- Developing strong key messages
- Crafting nonprofit audience personas
- Managing strategic partnerships
Christina Sanders
Senior Inbound Marketing Manager, Lucidpress
Using Journeys for Conversion
Nonprofits know the importance of building supporter journeys that keep supporters engaged. But how do you build and utilize these journeys to grow your organization? And beyond a welcome journey, what other kinds of journeys are beneficial to the supporter experience? Join us to learn how to expand the use of supporter journeys to drive long-term advocacy and allyship.
Brad Shapiro
Principal Success Architect, Salesforce.org
Jas Finnell
Manager, Digital Strategy, Riley Children’s Foundation
Chris Lowe
Principal Solution Engineer, Salesforce.org
Marketing Operations in 2021 - Why the Future is DAM
Early last year, as marketing teams made the shift to working from home, many operations that were built with the office in mind started to crumble. Project hand-offs were more complicated, communication channels were reduced, and on-site servers were rendered useless. What’s become clear in 2021 is that the future of marketing operations is remote.
One of the most glaring gaps in marketing operations is consistent, easy and secure access to files — the logos, images, videos and graphics your team needs to do their job. Leading marketing teams are closing this gap with a digital asset management system.
This session will share how digital asset management systems (DAM) are helping lay the foundation for future-proofed marketing operations. It will share:
- Why DAM is the foundation of strong marketing workflows,
- The benefits of upgrading from a server or file sharing solution
- Real-life customer success stories
Carlie Hill
Senior Manager of Content Strategy, MediaValet
DAY 2 (ALL TIMES CT)
Opening Keynote: Think Differently: The Path to Marketing Success
What makes your organization different? How well do you know your audience? What can you do to think differently about how to share your best engaging stories to help enhance your impact in the world? How do you expand your brand promise to help others see you and your mission in a new light? This session helps you think about you can bring innovation into your marketing strategy while thinking differently about how to influence your marketing efforts. Join Jennifer GoodSmith, an award-winning nonprofit marketer, as she shares insights, strategies, and stories that stand out while leaning into marketing success. From flash fiction, to innovative exhibits, to puppies and kittens, this session talks about to build your strategy and pitch your story to have the most impact.
Jennifer Goodsmith
Vice President of Mission Advancement, The Anti-Cruelty Society
Virtual is Here to Stay: How Nonprofits Are Successfully Leveraging Virtual and Hybrid Events
During the past year, marketing and event professionals across the globe were forced to adapt to the “new normal” of virtual events. Although most of us missed our in-person meetings, we discovered some advantages of virtual events like extended reach and accessibility. This has unlocked new opportunities for non-profit organizations to build valuable relationships with their constituents and donors through live events – both virtual and in-person. We are entering the era of year-round live engagement programs and it’s important to find a long-term virtual event solution that enables you to deliver best-in-class content, connect your audience members, build community, and allow for activation opportunities along the way.
In this session, we’ll share tips and best practices on how to improve your event channel so you can deliver great virtual and hybrid events that further your mission.
During the live presentation, you’ll learn:
- The latest technology trends impacting virtual and hybrid events
- The ongoing role of virtual events in your total event program
- How to build an engaging event your attendees will love
- Best practices from your non-profit peers for virtual and hybrid events of all sizes
Adam Laufman
Regional Sales Manager, Event Solutions, Cvent
Jordan Clark
Manager, Event Program Design, Cvent
Accessibility and Inclusion in Web Design: The Art of Listening
Inclusive design and website accessibility are much more than buzzwords.
The World Health Organization cites that over 1 billion people live with some form of disability; the CDC states that 61 million adults in the United States, or one in every four (26%) Americans live with a disability—from physical impairments to functional challenges. And, in 2020, there were 2,523 website accessibility lawsuits filed in U.S. federal and state courts. Beyond accessibility, basic usability problems abound on the internet, frustrating users and driving away donors.
When considering inclusive, equitable, and accessible web design, the most important thing you can do is pay attention to your audience. How are you creating access for all of your users? Join Executive Creative Director Chris Cacci and UX expert and Lead Developer Andrew Ortolano as they walk through some Dos and Don’ts of accessible, inclusive web design. With user stories and insights from their own research and practice, Chris and Andrew will offer practical tips to make websites more usable to all people regardless of their abilities, identity, economic situation, age, education, or viewpoints.
Chris Cacci
Executive Creative Director, Lipman Hearne
Andrew Ortolano
Associate Director, Product Development, Lipman Hearne
Where Consumers Go, Content Must Follow: Winning Donors with Experiences Powered by Content
Building lasting relationships with donors is critical. Consumers expect emotionally satisfying experiences from their brands and personalization is key to delivering these satisfying experiences. But a common challenge for non-profit marketers today is reaching their donor market with compelling messaging that inspires action. Many miss the mark of truly personalizing their content to the right audience at the right time. It is often viewed as a nice-to-have but usually too much to actually take on. Marketers are becoming pre-occupied with producing more content, yet they struggle to get it out fast enough. Omnichannel personalization at scale has become the new expectation and marketers have been tasked to make it work and keep the cost down.
Attendees of this session will walk away with learnings on how marketers can achieve omnichannel content production and distribution at scale while creating compelling content that delivers a story that inspires and wins donors, powered by personalization and content.
After this session, you’ll be able to:
- Build content at scale and centralize content for agility
- Develop content strategy and an experience map
- Deliver experiences that connect through content
Julia Gebhart
Product Marketing Manager, Sitecore
DAY 3 (ALL TIMES CT)
Opening Keynote: AMA Foundation Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Panel Discussion
The American Marketing Association Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award honors extraordinary leadership and achievement in the field of nonprofit marketing. Nominated by a peer in their field, the regional and national recipients of the Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award have achieved breakthroughs in organizing and planning in nonprofits organizations.
Join us for a panel discussion to hear insights and key takeaways on how they have transformed their nonprofit organization through creative approaches to marketing and communications.
This award is made possible in partnership with Lipman Hearne.
Christian Doucette
Director of Community Engagement · CaringKind, The Heart of Alzheimer's Caregiving
Amy Pearson-Wales
SVP, Communications & Public Affairs, SightLife
Adapt or Die: Lessons in Agile Marketing Success During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D television episode, “Adapt or Die”, a set of plucky heroes race to stop the Chronicoms from unraveling history and the greater good. Similarly, the heroes of SightLife’s story leaned into adaptive thinking to overcome potentially catastrophic consequences when the U.S. Surgeon General and state Governors suspended elective surgeries, including corneal transplants, so hospitals could move resources to the pandemic’s frontlines. These actions, which SightLife supported to help flatten the curve, nearly overnight fractured our nonprofit eye bank operations. Even after elective surgeries resumed in May 2020, the early days of the pandemic were forecasted to cost SightLife more than $5 million – money we did not have because the recovery, processing, and distribution of human organs and tissue in the U.S. follows a federally regulated fee-for-service model. And so, like the Agents of S.H.I.E.LD, SightLife quickly shifted gears, executed new approaches, and ultimately delivered unprecedented results. In this talk, Amy Pearson-Wales will detail how a cross-programmatic team of dedicated real-life heroes dug deep to secure government and philanthropic relief funding that not only sustained SightLife’s mission, it expanded our impact in innovative new ways.
Amy Pearson-Wales
SVP, Communications & Public Affairs, SightLife
Closing Keynote: The Worst (Nonprofit) Marketing Advice I've Ever Received
As we start to emerge one of the craziest marketing eras of the past century, we’ve been privy to a lot of advice. Some of it’s been helpful when we’ve needed it more than ever. But it’s not all helpful. So let’s steal a few moments to reflect, call it out, and turn all of that misinformed or assumptive advice and turn it into marketing gold.
In this humorous, relatable talk, Julia McDowell of Five Ones, a career nonprofit marketer, will offer up 20 pieces of “bad advice” and how nonprofit marketers can turn lemons into lemonade.
Julia McDowell
Nonprofit and Association Marketing Specialist and Founder & CEO, Five Ones
Michael Clinton
Former President, Marketing and Publishing Director, Hearst Magazines and Founder of Circle of GenerosityMichael Clinton is the former President and Publishing Director of Hearst Magazines and currently serves as special media advisor to the CEO of the Hearst Corporation. He is also a writer, author and photographer who has traveled to over 120 countries. He has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Town and Country, O, the Oprah Magazine and other national media. Clinton is the Founder of Circle of Generosity, a nonprofit that grants random acts of kindness to those in need, and serves on multiple nonprofit boards. His newest book, ROAR into the Second Half of Your Life – Before It’s Too Late (Atria Books/Beyond Words, Sept. 7, 2021) explores how to get the most out of your life experience in work, lifestyle and relationships. He recently completed his Master’s Degree in Nonprofit management from Columbia University.
Jennifer Goodsmith
Vice President of Mission Advancement, The Anti-Cruelty SocietyJennifer GoodSmith has a passion for nonprofit marketing having supported various nonprofits in healthcare, higher education, and association management. As Vice President of Mission Advancement at The Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago—Chicago’s largest and most comprehensive animal welfare organization—Jennifer provides leadership in all aspects of marketing, communications, and fundraising as the Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief Advancement Officer. Her focus is on cultivating and stewarding donors and animal lovers to become part of the Society’s community of caring. By building experiences through data-driven integrated marketing while embracing holistic marketing operations, strategic planning, brand management, and strategic communications, she drives brand positioning to help raise the profile and impact of the mission. Key to her marketing philosophy is DE NOVO—bringing innovation and fresh thinking to all projects and, above all, she is committed to the right message to the right audience at the right time. Jennifer is proud to have received the 2019 AMA Nonprofit Marketer of the Year award for regional nonprofits and is committed to furthering the value of nonprofit marketing across all channels.
Julia McDowell
Nonprofit and Association Marketing Specialist and Founder & CEO, Five OnesJulia McDowell is an award-winning marketer, having helped create marketing strategy and awareness campaigns for some of the most well-known nonprofits and professional associations including the USO, American Red Cross, Special Olympics, and Boys & Girls Club of America. She is also Co-Founder and CEO of Five Ones, an agency that delivers strategic guidance and exceptional execution to organizations in need of visionary leadership and marketing momentum. She draws upon her roots in entrepreneurship and blends it with her creative spirit to create and implement solutions to reach clients’ ambitious goals.
Julia wrote and self-published her first book, the Marketing Plan Workbook, for everyone in need of a marketing plan. It blends her passion for marketing, helping others harness their ideas, and create personal and professional success. She also launched a video series, breaking down complex marketing tasks into five things you can do in five(ish) minutes. During the pandemic, along with a colleague, she launched Two Marketing Moms, a podcast covering the struggles, the fails, and the wins while balancing being a boss in the marketing and advertising industry, home life, and (arguably the most demanding job) being a mom. She is with her husband and three kids at various kids’ sports activities in her spare time or performing the viola with the Cherry Blossom String Quartet, a group she founded more than 20 years ago.
Christian Doucette
Director of Community Engagement · CaringKind, The Heart of Alzheimer's CaregivingAMA Foundation Regional Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award Winner
Amy Pearson-Wales
SVP, Communications & Public Affairs, SightLifeAMA Foundation National Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award Winner
Amy Pearson-Wales is a mission-driven executive with 20 years of cross-sector experience leading advocacy and communications strategies that compel and sustain social impact. As Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at SightLife, the world’s largest nonprofit eye bank and global public health organization dedicated to eliminating corneal blindness, Amy’s award-winning work has mobilized resources, bolstered public-private partnerships, catalyzed policy agendas, and strengthened organizational morale, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to SightLife, Amy helped crystalize as well as amplify the technology sector’s role in Responsible (Product) Design and, before that, co-led the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation book of business at Weber Shandwick. For nearly a decade, she also served in-house at PATH, where she elevated the profile of novel immunization delivery and supply chain technologies that now reach millions of health care providers and patients globally. Outside of work, Amy pursues her passion for civic engagement through volunteer commitments that help expand participatory democracy locally and nationally. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Health and Social Policy from Oxford University, a dual Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and International Relations from Middlebury College, and a certificate in Women’s Health Advocacy from the Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Brad Shapiro
Principal Success Architect, Salesforce.org
Jas Finnell
Manager, Digital Strategy, Riley Children’s FoundationChris Lowe
Principal Solution Engineer, Salesforce.org
Carlie Hill
Senior Manager of Content Strategy, MediaValetCarlie Hill is the Senior Manager of Content Strategy at MediaValet, a leading digital asset management system in Vancouver, BC.
With an expertise in DAM and marketing, she strives to provide organizations with the tools they need to maximize the ROI of their digital content.
Christina Sanders
Senior Inbound Marketing Manager, LucidpressChristina joined Lucidpress with years of marketing experience under her belt. She serves as inbound marketing manager developing both B2B and B2C marketing channels. Most recently she worked as a campaign manager at 97th Floor, a digital marketing agency where she managed integrated marketing campaigns. Christina graduated from BYU’s public relations program.
Outside the office, you’ll find Christina teaching piano lessons or cooking a new recipe she found on Pinterest.
Julia Gebhart
Product Marketing Manager, SitecoreJulia Gebhart is a Product Marketing Manager at Sitecore, the digital experience cloud and best-in-class CMS. She develops differentiated content, product positioning and messaging for Sitecore Experience Platform, helping digital marketers everywhere own their experience. Julia is passionate about continuously improving the user experience and has over 15 years of digital marketing experience in strategy, execution and demand generation in leading energy, mortgage & finance and software brands.
Adam Laufman
Regional Sales Manager, Event Solutions, CventAdam Laufman is a Regional Sales Manager working remotely in Nashville, Tennessee. He joined Cvent in 2011 and was one of the first Cventers to move into the mobile solutions space following the acquisition of CrowdCompass in 2012. As a Cvent boomerang, he has worked with non-profits and associations, SMBs, higher education, as well as the Fortune 500 across the U.S. and Europe. Today he primarily supports non-profits and associations across the Southeast. When he isn’t working in the events industry, you can find him spending time with his family, rock climbing, or training for the next ultramarathon.
Jordan Clark
Manager, Event Program Design, CventJordan Clark manages the Event Program Design team at Cvent where she focuses on ensuring clients have the right support for their meeting and events program. She graduated from the University of Washington, with a BA in Business Administration and is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration.After graduation, Jordan spent over 10 years in the Meeting, Events and Travel industries supporting notable organizations, associations and non-profits define, create, and manage their Meeting and Travel Departments. Jordan resides in Vancouver, WA with her son and dog when they are not traveling the world together.
Chris Cacci
Executive Creative Director, Lipman HearneA designer and strategist with deep and wide-ranging experience, Chris uses her strong design aesthetic and marketing expertise to lead the agency’s creative and digital teams. She approaches every project as an opportunity to create work that is beautiful, striking—and strikingly effective. Chris earned her B.F.A. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a master’s in design methods from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. She served on the AIGA Chicago Board as Community Outreach Chair and as Director of Website Experience for AMA Chicago. Chris is also a shameless Sharpie hoarder and self-described Post-It nerd.
Andrew Ortolano
Associate Director, Product Development, Lipman HearneAndrew is an experienced developer and a passionate advocate for digital accessibility. A natural big-picture thinker, he’s also happy to roll up his sleeves and tinker with the details for campaign sites, enterprise-scale.edu projects, and more. He has given talks, written articles, and presented case studies on screen-reader-accessible solutions for tabs and accordions, in addition to other topics relating to WCAG compliance.
Andrew has a B.M. from Northwestern University and is completing graduate studies in human-computer interaction at DePaul University. In his spare time, Andrew bikes, bakes, and keeps the beat in multiple bands.
