Helping non-profits to connect with their community and gain new supporters through powerful storytelling, creative ideas, and audience-focused strategies. Building digital marketing and fundraising programs from the ground up. Experienced manager who thrives on creativity, collaboration, and experimentation.
Contact for marketing and development consulting opportunities, writing opportunities, and speaking engagements.
Experience
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries
Director of Development Marketing
2022 – Present
Lead non-profit’s burgeoning development efforts through creative online and direct mail campaigns to increase fundraising revenue by $3 million in one year
- Hired and manage three direct reports and development budget toward $13 million annual goal
- Increased recurring donor revenue by more than 150 percent in two years
- Instituted monthly direct mail program to increase fundraising revenue by more than $100k/month
- Raised more than $5 million toward the Word on Fire Bible Project through online and direct mail
- Brainstormed campaigns and wrote marketing copy for online and direct mail fundraising efforts
- Led awareness-building campaigns to generate new leads, media placements, donations & evangelization including Works of Mercy Fund, College Bible Donation program, and worldwide prayer efforts.
- Instituted “Radical Stewardship” initiative to personally call donors who give $250 or more, leading to tangible increase in donor retention and number of gifts per donor
- Managed transition to new CRM database (Bloomerang), established protocols for data management
University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
February 2021 — Present
Director of Marketing and Communications
August 2018 — February 2021
Established marketing and online fundraising strategies to triple size of email list, increase social media following by 118 percent, increase online giving exponentially, and heighten mission awareness
- Generated thousands of new email leads and successfully converted hundreds of new donors through Facebook advertising, email segmentation, and creative digital content and social media campaigns
- Launched seminary’s Formation podcast that reached 10,000 downloads in less than six months
- Oversaw livestreams, virtual events and in-person events to attract and retain younger demographics
- Raised more than $50,000 in online donations for Giving Tuesday 2020 through creation and execution of Blessings Begin Here campaign
- Planned, produced and promoted virtual May Crowning 2020 livestream event to raise more than $80,000
- Planned, wrote, produced and promoted virtual Celebration of Mundelein 2020 livestream event to raise more than $380,000, second-highest total in 27-year history of the event
- Wrote and pitched press releases increasing positive media placements in local and national outlets
Catholic Extension
Senior Manager of Strategic Communications
April 2017 — August 2018
Manager of Digital Communications
July 2014 — April 2017
Led cross-channel marketing strategies to bring national fundraising organization into the digital age, doubling online fundraising total in three years through creative social media, email and digital advertising campaigns.
- Oversaw digital communications and online fundraising efforts including website, social media and email communications
- Conceived, planned and executed digital campaigns to spread awareness of organization’s mission and attract new donors and email list subscribers
- #FlatFrancis campaign won 2015 Best in Class Associated Church Press Award for Public Relations/Marketing Campaign
- Represented Catholic Extension on national media outlets including Relevant Radio and EWTN and other local news outlets to promote digital campaigns
- Managed and collaborated with direct report to update website and social media platforms with compelling and relevant content
- Produced multimedia content for digital channels, digital solicitations and large-scale fundraising events
- Managed website redesign that improved usability and cross-platform responsiveness and increased traffic
- Improved SEO of website content to significantly increase positioning in organic search results
- Created and oversaw online giving and email communications strategies to improve fundraising and stewardship and attract new donors
- Implemented new email and online giving tool to support annual giving program by delivering segmented content to various donor audiences
- Managed external agency to run Google Grants, Digital display, and Facebook ad campaigns
- Helped implement parish partners program to increase local awareness and fundraising efforts at Catholic parishes in Chicago
Northwestern University
Web Content Producer
October 2008 — July 2014
Created and executed NU’s first-ever institutional social media and digital content strategy, guiding the digital voice of the university and establishing new platforms for storytelling.
- Created and executed NU’s first-ever institutional social media and digital content strategy
- Created and grew NU’s official social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and other platforms; conceived and executed social campaigns
- Created university-wide listserv for social media managers to unify social media management across the university and better coordinate efforts; organized and led quarterly university-wide social media summits
- Produced first-ever multimedia news and features for NU home page and news site, including more than 100 stories on campus life, news and events
- Managed content on top-level university home page and news site
- Assisted with selection and implementation of a new university-wide content management system
- Consulted on the redesign of NU home page and news site
- Produced half-hour documentary on history of NU architecture that aired on the Big Ten Network
Adjunct Instructor
January 2010 — January 2017
Taught introductory freshman courses on writing, reporting and multimedia at Medill School of Journalism. Taught elective course on blogging and digital storytelling at School of Professional Studies.
- Taught lab sections of introductory freshman Reporting and Writing course and Multimedia Storytelling course at Medill School of Journalism
- Provided instruction and graded journalistic assignments across platforms including print, audio, photography, video, and WordPress
- Developed class presentations, facilitated class discussion and promoted ideals of journalistic professionalism and ethics
- Faculty Honor Roll 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, and 2013-2014 recognized by student vote among all NU full-time and adjunct faculty for excellence in the classroom
- 2014 Medill Students’ Choice Award, chosen by undergraduate students from all Medill faculty for having positive impact on students and their journalism careers
Teaching Technologies Specialist
Medill School of Journalism, September 2006 — October 2008
Helped implement a revamp and modernization of journalism curriculum to transform education at Northwestern’s Medill School.
- Instrumental in carrying out “Medill 2020” revamp of the curriculum to ground all journalism students in multimedia storytelling techniques
- Instructed undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty members in using various multimedia software for storytelling
- Created and continually updated documentation for numerous software programs including Photoshop, Premiere, Audacity, InDesign, and WordPress
- Provided user support for above software programs and general computing issues
- Helped oversee implementation, documentation, instruction and user support for school’s new content management system
- Co-taught two graduate-level courses on blogging, interactive storytelling, Web design and website management
Daily Herald
Freelance reporter
June 2004 — September 2008
Wrote local features and covered suburban meetings and events for third-largest daily newspaper in Chicago as freelance reporter and editorial intern
Education
Northwestern University
Master of Science in Journalism
New media concentration
- Winner of Medill’s Harrington Award for academic success and professional promise