AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference a Way to Learn and Gain Inspiration

One of the ways I give back to the wonderful industry I work in is to help key organizations develop and deliver educational opportunities for nonprofit professionals.  One such organization is the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the AMA Foundation, which has as a part of its mission to help nonprofits better market themselves.

I had the pleasure of serving as the chair of the 2008 AMA Nonprofit Marketing Conference, combining my past life in event marketing with a passion for nonprofits.  I got involved because I wanted to do my part to invest in a community made up of people who all worked, in some way, with nonprofit marketing. 

This year, I have the honor of serving on the advisory council for the event and following the wise guidance of Cynthia Round, this year's conference chair and the EVP of Brand Leadership for the United Way of America.  Working with Cynthia is, well, an honor.  There's really no other word for it.  She's smart, savvy and knows her stuff, which you'd expect given that she is responsible for the stewardship of the United Way brand around the world.

Cynthia is one of a number of nonprofit marketing visionaries who jumped the fence from the forprofit world (she worked at Proctor & Gamble and Ogilvy & Mather).  She and others are devoting time, energy and expertise to bringing valuable content to those interested in developing as marketers within their own organizations. 

This year's conference will be in Chicago, a change from years past when it was in Washington, DC.  The theme is Thriving in Times of Change and offers content in three areas -- Changing Audience (multi-generational marketing); Changing Channels (interactive marketing and social media); and Changing Economy (doing more with less). 

The conference kicks off on July 15th with a session called "Lessons of Victory: How to Make Online Campaigning Work for Your Organization."  The speaker is Thomas Gensemer, managing partner of Blue State Digital, the firm that orchestrated President Obama's online marketing and issue advocacy campaign.  Other speakers include Joe Green, the founder of Causes (a success story that begin on Facebook) and Jay Aldous, the 2008 AMA Nonprofit Marketer of the Year for his work at the US Fund for UNICEF.  Finally, and most importantly, conference attendees will get a chance to put what they are learning into action in some hands-on sessions. 

I really enjoy and value the work that is being done to ensure this event is top notch.  Under Cynthia's leadership, it's sure to be great.  I'll be there and hope to see you there, too.