Through the Noise

Do you know how much is actually going on in your city? Most people walk past some of the most historic and cultural buildings and sites in their city without every really know it. Erica Kritt is the Social Media Assistant for Cultural Tourism DC, and considers herself a specialist at content development. She started her career as a reporter for The Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland. After attending graduate school at Boston University she took the leap from traditional print media to the digital world writing blogs, creating social media posts and designing graphics among many other things for a travel agency and now uses these skills at Cultural Tourism DC. Cultural Tourism DC is a nonprofit dedicated to educating and enlightening people about the heritage and history of Washington DC. To do this the organization runs 15 self-guided heritage trails and puts on Passport DC in the spring and WalkingtownDC event in the fall.​ Mickey Panayiotakis is the managing partner and technical director for Infamia with 17 years of experience in the Internet backbone industry. He has worked for a variety of nonprofit and private sector organizations since 1995, with a commitment to process-driven management. He is an experienced leader of development and design teams with a unique capacity to translate client requirements into technical documentation and provide integral insights to clients throughout a project lifecycle. Infamia is a sponsor of Through the Noise and they provides website management strategy for associations and institutes, to ensure their projects get noticed.

What media isn't digital today? Traditional marketing and digital marketing have a huge overlap today. Kat Murti—a digital native and a long-time lover of liberty—is Digital Marketing Manager of the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., in which capacity she oversees Cato's presence in the online and social media spheres. Prior to joining Cato's Marketing and Communications teams, Kat was employed by the New Media department at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. In a previous life, Kat worked as a journalist and in drug policy reform. She currently serves on the board of Students for Sensible Drug Policy(SSDP), an international non-profit dedicated to empowering student activists to end the War on Drugs. Founded in 1977, the Cato Institute is a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government and free markets. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.

Giving tablets to kids in schools to help communicate. Many kids today do not have internet access. This makes it very difficult for them to communicate with others. Susan Koehler is Executive Director of Hopecam. In two years, Susan has grown Hopecam from helping 25 children each year to 360. Hopecam is a charity that helps kids with cancer stay connected to their friends and classmates.

Pushing the Needle is a new segment where we pair up a nonprofit professional with a vendor or consultant and see what happens! A good fundraiser keeps their donors feeling needed.They keep their donors around with a lot of relationship building and maintenance efforts And, good software can help a fundraiser keep on top of it all. That's why we brought these two together. Heidi is the Director of Development & Organizational Advancement at Cornerstone. She's a career development professional who brings an extensive network of contacts and wealth of knowledge about fundraising, non-profits, and board engagement. Ryan Ozimek is the CEO and co-founder of PICnet, a company dedicated to building technology to help organizations succeed in their online engagement. PICnet is the maker of Soapbox Engage, an online engagement platform used by non-profit marketing professionals for online fundraising, events, applications, and more.

Each year hundreds of thousands of tourists, both international and domestic, arrive in cities all over the world. Many of these tourists opt to stay in hostels not only for the convenience, but more for the experience. There is nothing like exploring a city for the first time while surrounded by others who are doing just that. Netanya Trimboli is the Communications and PR Manager for Hostelling International USA, where she oversees media relations for 55 unique hostels nationwide. Netanya has been doing marketing and communications for the hospitality industry for over 10 years, following 2 years of working, volunteering, and traveling across the U.S. and abroad. Hostelling International USA (HI USA) is a non profit organization with a mission to create a more tolerant world and the nation's leading brand of hostels.

Research and writing on policy issues may not seem like they have applications in the real world. You may hear lots of buzz about different new policies and may see them in action, but what you won't see is the scorecard on how they are doing that can determine their future. Andrew Moylan is executive director and senior fellow for R Street, where he heads coalition efforts, conducts policy analysis and serves as the organization's lead voice on tax issues. Prior to joining R Street, Andrew was vice president of government affairs for the National Taxpayers Union, a grassroots taxpayer advocacy organization. He previously served with the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute and completed internships in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives with members from his home state of Michigan. Andrew's writings have appeared in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and The Weekly Standard. The R Street Institute is a free-market public policy organization (or think tank). Our mission is to engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government. In addition to our D.C. headquarters, we have offices in Florida, Texas, California and Ohio (covering the midwest).

Do you pay with your debit card, credit card, bitcoin, or other electronic method? The answer is most likely yes considering how 70% of retail spending is electronic today. Jason Oxman brings two decades of technology and policy experience to ETA, the global trade association representing more than 500 financial and technology companies in the electronic payments industry. He joined ETA from the Consumer Electronics Association, owner of the International CES®, where he served as senior vice president of industry affairs. Previously, Oxman served as general counsel of a technology industry trade association and as vice president of a Silicon Valley-based technology company. Oxman also worked at the Federal Communications Commission to develop and implement technology and broadband policies. He began his legal career as a law clerk for the Maine Supreme Court, and he is also a former broadcast journalist. Oxman received his B.A. cum laude from Amherst College, and his M.S. and J.D. from Boston University. The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is the global trade association representing more than 500 payments and technology companies. ETA members make commerce possible by processing more than $4.5 trillion in purchases in the U.S. and deploying payments innovations to merchants and consumers.

Nonprofits are about so much more than just raising money and doing good in the world. They can require a lot of extra attention as well. Here we talk about advancing non profits and increasing their capabilities when they can't focus on the fundraising and board requirements. A leader with more than 15 years of experience in the Metropolitan Washington nonprofit sector, Glen is passionate about addressing the issues affecting communities throughout the region. He has served as CEO of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement since June 2008. Before joining the Center, Glen served as president and CEO of Earth Conservation Corps. There he strengthened the organization's programmatic infrastructure and forged partnerships with nonprofits, public officials, foundations and corporations throughout the region. Previously, Glen worked for the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial's RFK Fellows program. Since 1979, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement has strengthened, promoted and represented its member nonprofit organizations throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. We connect our members to the tools and resources they need to meet their missions. Center members are a diverse group of large and small nonprofits serving communities in Greater Washington, across the nation and around the world.

Kevin Costner was wrong. If you build it, it will need lots of work. Especially if you are looking to raise money for a good cause. Greg Warner is CEO and Founder of MarketSmart, a revolutionary marketing software and services firm that helps nonprofits raise more money more efficiently. In 2013, Greg coined the phrase "Engagement Fundraising" to encapsulate his breakthrough fundraising formula for achieving extraordinary results. MarketSmart's innovative products and services use Internet tracking technologies to help fundraisers focus on the donors that are most likely to support their organizations with large, major or legacy gifts.

People act better when everyone is watching. Someone needs to keep an eye on the government. That may sound crazy but by working with journalists and the media, it is possible. Gabriela Schneider is the Communications Director of the Sunlight Foundation, and is responsible for leading Sunlight's Communications team and external affairs. Gabriela came to Washington, D.C. in the late 1990s determined to work in public policy serving the public interest, but shifted her career to focus in communications so she could help translate policy issues into something more publicly accessible. The Sunlight Foundation is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all.

It is one thing to have a non profit that is doing well and making a difference in the world. It is another to know just what that difference is. Results are great but if you don't analyze them you won't know how to move forward. Annette N. Brown is a Deputy Director for the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) and heads its Washington office. Prior to joining 3ie, Brown held executive and senior management positions at several development implementers, for which she performed technical assistance and research in more than twenty countries across all regions. Earlier in her career, Brown was Assistant Professor of economics at Western Michigan University and held research positions at the World Bank and the Stockholm Institute for Transition Economics. The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is a grant-making NGO dedicated to improving lives in the developing world by supporting the production of and disseminating evidence from impact evaluations and related research.

If you build it, they don't come. So many great causes today don't know how to raise money online. GlobalGiving is changing that. Kevin Conroy is the Chief Product Officer at GlobalGiving. He manages an amazing team that runs GlobalGiving's technology, marketing, communications, and customer service. He is head-over-heels-in-love with his job. GlobalGiving.org is the world's first global crowdfunding site for nonprofits in 160 countries.

You may think lots of kids are writing poetry and playing soccar and think how nice it is. But there is more too it then that. These types of programs and others offered by DC Scores are helping kids and building communities. Bethany Rubin Henderson is an award-winning social entrepreneur whose career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including service as a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration. She strongly believes every child deserves an equal chance and every community deserves engaged citizens. Bethany and her husband have two kids, a dog, and a blog about their struggles to juggle their two-career, two-kid household. DC SCORES builds teams for low-income DC youth that instill self-expression (through poetry), physical fitness (through soccer), and a sense of community (through service). We are one of the largest DC youth development organizations, and have worked with over 9,000 students.

Getting into your readers heads can be difficult - especially considering the vast audience of baby boomers and millennials. Learn more about how to write your content (even if its always the same) for your audience Tania Anderson is a senior writer for Bisnow Media, covering technology, associations and nonprofits, and commercial real estate. The DC native's background includes stints at Washingtonpost.com, the Washington Business Journal, Potomac Tech Journal, About.com, and Washington Technology. Bisnow Media, based in DC and New York and launched in 2007, publishes over 30 e-newsletters covering major cities all over the US and Canada.

We all know the wonderful organization, Wreaths Across America. Find out more about how they got started and how they spread holiday cheer every year. Born in Concord, NH but moved to Maine in the third grade, so Maine is home. Graduated from Bangor HS and received a BS in Education at the University of Maine Orono. After 7 years of ROTC during high school and college received 2nd Lt Commission in the US Army, Military Police Corps. Served in the Army from 1967-1971 with assignments in Alaska, Vietnam and Alabama. Rose to rank of Captain before leaving service. Received two Bronze Stars for service and achievement in Viet Nam. What began in 1992 with a trailer load of wreaths, decorated by volunteers and laid at the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery (See: The Arlington Story - How the Arlington Wreath Project was born) has now become a national organization with over 700 participating locations - all focused on the mission to Remember - Honor - and Teach.

Getting the right information to the right people is an important part of business and marketing. Technology today is helping to make business emails and communications more effective to clients by learning what users might like or need. Noland Chambliss is the Director of External Affairs at Change.org. He manages the company's outreach to strategic communities and influencers, including high profile brands and public figures. He has previously worked as a brand and communications strategist for a wide range of companies, campaigns and public figures. He is from Kentucky and loves bourbon and loud music. Change.org is the worlds largest petition platform.

How do you teach play writing? Young Playwrights Theater is teaching just that too students. Learn more about how they are helping bring to the arts to young students today. As the Communications Associate for Young Playwrights' Theater, Jeff Gilliland spends his days promoting events, writing blog posts and designing materials to share the work of YPT and its students with the larger community. He can often be found staring off into space, wondering how to say, "Common Core-aligned, arts-integrated creative writing program" in a hashtag. Young Playwrights' Theater inspires young people to realize the power of their own voices, teaching English Language Arts, critical thinking and creative expression to public and public charter school students in Greater Washington through the art of playwriting.

Are you a non profit without a brick and morter office? Learn how an association management company can provide back office support with event planning, program management and more. Carol Montoya, CAE is the principal officer of Potomac Management Resources (PMR), where she is responsible for client service, business development, and human resources. Carol brings her expertise in nonprofit management and operations, communications, strategic planning, and event management to clients in wide range of industries, from attorneys to general contractors to communications professionals. PMR provides full service association management—administrative services, board support, communications, meeting and event planning, program management, membership services, and financial management—to nonprofit organizations. PMR currently has 17 clients on its roster, ranging from less than 100 members to over 11,000. PMR is committed to providing the tools, skills, and expertise that volunteer leaders need to bring their strategic vision to life.

Sometimes you need someone to help with RFP's. This can be a long and difficult process. That's is where Professional Services Council can help. Stan Soloway is president and CEO of the Professional Services Council. Soloway assumed the presidency in January 2001. PSC has a membership of nearly 380 companies of all sizes, performing services of all kinds for virtually every agency of the government. The Professional Services Council is the national trade association of the government professional and technical services industry.

We had a conversation about how effective is the use of social media and PR for nonprofits. Anne gave us insights into her community engagement efforts, Blake wasn't sure what PR professionals do, and Ernesto pondered how difficult it is to create and manage a nonprofit. One thing we all did agree on is that a nonoprofit is a business and nothing about that is easy. Anne O'Dell is currently a Candidate for a Masters in Fine Arts in Arts Management at the University of Oregon where her work focusing on cultural planning and arts administration is informed by her experience as a vocal artist living in the US. This past summer, she interned with an Arlington County organization and was able to see up close and personal how continued professional development impacts effective leadership skills and community engagement and despite the sarcasm in this podcast, yes, she is a feminist.

This advocacy organization represents women in the world that live in extreme poverty (under a $1.25 a day). Through partnerships and coalitions, they work on Capitol Hill to make sure the U.S. government helps create the conditions for economic opportunity and supporting quality education for all. While their work is focused on policy, they make sure the message is delivered through stories. Lauren Supina is Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Women Thrive Worldwide including philanthropic outreach to corporations, foundations and private sector partners. She has worked, lived and traveled extensively around the globe. Appointed by President Clinton as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Women's Initiatives and Outreach at the White House, Lauren reported to the President on issues important to women and families, and represented the United States on international delegations. Women Thrive Worldwide is a non-profit organization working on behalf of women and girls who live in poverty globally. We advocate on issues such as economic opportunity, violence against women and girls, education and food security.

Content management systems can help you to keep control of your site and ward off trolls. Laurence is here with us to teach us about what a content management system can do for a project. Laurence helps organizations develop and implement their Content Management and Information Governance strategies. He has led a wide range of projects including content digitization, Records Management, BPM, and Collaboration for both the commercial and public sectors. Today Laurence is a free agent, working with people and organizations on the best direction that they and the industry can take to finally make Content Management an easy challenge.

We have all attended some fundraising event for charity before in our past. But have you ever really stopped to think about what those fundraising events were able to accomplish? Here is a little bit about the good causes behind fundraising. Currently the Director of Development & Organizational Advancement at Cornerstone Montgomery, Heidi is a career development professional who brings an extensive network of contacts and wealth of knowledge about fundraising, non-profits, and board engagement. Previously at the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF), Heidi led a successful $7.2 million capital campaign, grew the donor database by an average of 30% a year for over 5 years. Charities LIKE NCCF thrive under Ms. Webb's leadership advice and coaching, which ultimately results in strong, effective, and collaborative development departments. In addition to her work, Ms. Webb volunteers extensively. She is a Rotarian, and has served on benefit committees for multi-million dollar fundraising events for American Cancer Society, Duke Ellington School for the Arts, and the Larry King Cardiac Foundation. Heidi served as Campaign Chair for a State Legislator. In that role she authored and signed into law, a teen suicide prevention bill for the State of Maryland in 2005.

Diego Torres Coló tells us about the freelancing and independent business opportunities in a tourist town such as Playa del Carmen. We talked about the importance of creating a community of entrepreneurs with the objective of creating a healthier economy and having a better lifestyle. With over 12 years of international experience in different sections of the corporate, tourism and leadership industries, Diego has been living in the Caribbean for over 4 years and is now the founder and Networking Director of Independent Playa. Inspired by the drive and passion of freelancers in the area, Independent Playa is the most reliable and trustworthy directory of Independent Business owners and it has become a consulting agency for this very special niche.

If you have an idea to help your community but don't want to go through the process of incorporating a charity, there is hope. As Executive Director of United Charitable Programs, Jan does whatever it takes to keep her organization in top condition, to keep up on the latest laws and regulations, to keep her staff and Board happy and humming, and most importantly, to keep pushing for better ways to make doing charitable work easy and make giving fun and rewarding. UCP's mission is to make philanthropy accessible to everyone by providing the infrastructure required to efficiently and effectively run charitable programs through the management of Fiscally Sponsored Programs and Donor Advised Foundations.

Managing money can be difficult especially in these last 6 years. For non profits, this challenge exists as well. Brad Hawkins is a Financial Advisor and Vice President with Bernstein Global Wealth Management. He advises nonprofits and individuals on a variety of investment strategies. Since 1967 Bernstein has focused squarely on providing research and investment management services to institutions and individuals. Bernstein currently manages assets for over 3,000 endowments, foundations, charities and trade associations.

Need to get the right group together or put pressure on a hot topic? Or do you need something not to become a hot topic? Digital content may be the way to go. Simon Owens is the Director of Digital Content at LEVICK. A longtime journalist, Simon built out the social media presences for US News & World Report and has written for The Atlantic, Harvard's Nieman Lab, US News & World Report, and others. LEVICK is a communication firm specializing in crisis PR, public affairs, lobbying, and grassroots mobilization.

PR and marketing should not be done for the sake of getting it done. It needs to have results. And not everyone is a marketer or PR person. On this episode, get real advice from Greg who gives you the truth about PR and marketing. Greg is an award-winning creative director, digital strategist, writer and motion graphics artist. He serves as the Vice President on the board of the DC Ad Club, and also speaks at colleges in the D.C. area about DC Ad Club. Carousel 30 is a digital agency that helps brands translate business objectives into strategies that incorporate tactics such as advertising and marketing campaigns, websites, mobile apps and more.

Want technology to do your work? That's what Hossein does when he is not playing soccer (or football) for nonprofits with his software solution CharityEngine. Hossein Noshirvani is the President of CharityEngine overseeing the sales and marketing teams. Prior to joining CharityEngine, Hossein was founder of gym management software company, Motionsoft. Along with his brother, they grew the company to over $30,000,000 in annual revenue with a staff of 125 people. He currently resides in Potomac Maryland with his wife, and tiny dog, Miso. In his spare time he enjoys biking, gardening, fishing and playing soccer. CharityEngine's "One Platform. One CRM. One Support Team." solution gives nonprofits more control over the technology behind their online fundraising, communications, events & donor management.

Since 1905, the YWCA has been advocating for women. Between running adult education and youth development programs for women, the YWCA works hard to provide comfortable environments for personal growth and development. LeAnn gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how communications works for this busy nonprofit. LeAnn Harley is the Manager of Marketing and Advocacy Communications at the YWCA National Capital Area in Washington DC. She joined the YWCA in 2010 and handles all communications and branding to support the youth development, adult education, and advocacy programs. The YWCA is one of the oldest women's organization in the nation and the National Capital Area aims to provide a majority of women and girls of color in high need communities across the national capital area with the resources and support necessary to achieve personal, educational and professional success.

Getting an award is great recognition for hard work, but how often do we think about how contests are managed? Here's a hint, if you have more than fifty submissions on a spreadsheet, there's a better way. We brought in Tim Spell and Tim Herchenroeder of OpenWater to talk about online awards management. Timothy Spell, CEO of OpenWater, possesses an innate ability to translate and break down complex technical information to non-technical people. While focused on the marketing and sales side of the business, Tim is also an avid rower and competes across the country with Potomac Boat Club. Tim Herchenroeder, Director of Business Development. Colleagues call him as "Tim H" to avoid confusion with Tim Spell, one of the Co-Founders. Tim H's approach to business development is simple: Nuturing interactions with prospects. The philosophy is, "We'll either find value in working together or we'll decide to 'call it quits'." OpenWater is a software platform that automates awards, abstracts, conferences, events and more.

What do digital political strategists do? Probably a better question to ask is, what don't they do? From helping political candidates get elected, to helping organizations and their activists engage those politicians who got elected, Alan and his team at turn4D have a busy schedule developing online strategies. Alan Rosenblatt, Ph.D. is partner and Director of Digital Strategy at turner4D. He is a pioneer and thought-leader at the intersection of digital & social media with politics, advocacy & media. A columnist at SocialMediaToday.com and CQ-Roll Call's Connectivity, Alan is the host of the Internet Advocacy Roundatble (@IARoundtable) and a digital political strategy professor at Johns Hopkins and American Universities. He can be found across social media at @DrDigiPol. turner4D was founded in 2000 as Turner Strategies by refugees from large communications agencies and progressive organizations frustrated by the focus on the bottom line at the sacrifice of true societal change.

Alison Serota's unique job is to coordinate events and communication efforts around man's greatest invention: ice cream. As a franchise catering warehouse, Alison's job is to make sure there's plenty of ice cream to get around Washington DC area for special events; from employer appreciation days, to Blue Angle flyovers, weddings and school fundraising events. Alison is the Director of Marketing & Events for Ben & Jerry's in the DC Metropolitan Area. She oversees marketing efforts, catering and event management, and branding efforts for the largest Ben & Jerry's Franchise. Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream started in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont.

Ron Barrett sat down with Ernesto Gluecksmann and Blake Althen to give a sobering view of the challenges that nonprofits face when they solicit charitable contributions across state lines (or country borders). That "donate now" button on an organization's website has a lot of regulatory implications that nonprofits must carefully understand to avoid running afoul with the IRS or state regulators. Fortunately, there's help. Ron Barrett is the Vice President of Nonprofit Services at National Corporate Research, Ltd., where he developed a comprehensive suite of nonprofit services, including corporate filings, charitable solicitation registrations, compliance filings, and sales tax exemption management. He is the co-author of Nonprofit Fundraising Registration: The 50-State Guide (Nolo, 2nd Ed., Nov. 2012), has authored numerous articles, and has presented public and in-house CLE seminars on state charitable registration requirements around the country. National Corporate Research is a professional registered agent company that provides nationwide corporate, secured transaction, business license, and nonprofit services.

Ashwin Jayaram brings us in on what it's like to be a boutique agency for brands like Google and Adobe as well as agencies of the federal government. It starts with understanding what is the strategy is behind everything they do for their clients and for themselves as a business. Ashwin is the Chief Strategy Officer at Insomniac Design responsible for driving organization strategy and delivery. In addition to overseeing the firm's growth and expansion in domestic and international markets, Ashwin leads large scale projects including strategy consulting, global campaigns, web and mobile projects, data visualization, and enterprise applications. Insomniac Design is an award winning full service creative agency with a strong commitment to making a lasting impact on brands, people, and communities.

Lisa Iannarino talks about how her communications team supports fundraising for ongoing research and treatments for those affected by blood cancers. From tracking leads, participants, and conversions, to setting up workshops to train their runners in the fundraising process, LLS's success has helped it grow from a $30,000 annual event to a billion dollar organization over the last 20 years. Iannarino is the Director of Marketing & Communications for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) National Capital Area Chapter, overseeing communications, marketing and branding for the organization's second largest chapter. A long-time volunteer for LLS, Iannarino joined the LLS staff in 2010, and contributes to major campaigns including Team In Training, Light The Night, the Leukemia Ball and LLS's national branding campaign "Someday is Today". The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the nation's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to finding blood cancer cures and improving the quality of life of blood cancer patients and their families.

Pandit Wright gives us some insights on how she steers her organization to make a difference with afterschool programs for the DMV area kids. We talked about the transition from board member to executive staff, the challenges of funding programs, and measuring community impact. After almost 30 years in corporate HR and senior leadership positions around the world, in 2009 Wright became President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. After having served 10 years on the organization's Board of Directors, Wright was in a unique position to embrace the challenges brought on by a tough economy, organizational mergers and rising demands in the needs of Club members – kids and teens who need us most. BGCGW is dedicated to providing the 1200 kids and teens it serves daily with the experiences and skills necessary to help them become productive, healthy citizens contributing to their communities and country.

David Schmidt shares his story about working for Oscar Mayer to joining the Bush Administration and his appointment to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Now as the head of International Food Information Council, Schmidt shares with us IFIC's communication successes and strategies for explaining food science to the public. Schmidt serves as President & CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and International Food Information Council Foundation. Previously, he held the positions of executive vice president, vice president and director and has been a frequent speaker on a wide range of food safety and nutrition issues. The International Food Information Council and its Foundation is dedicated to the mission of effectively communicating science-based information on health, nutrition and food safety for the public good.

Sacha Cohen guides us into the world of communications for small to mid-sized businesses. Her process begins by defining her clients' key communication challenges and goals for the year, and then looking to meet their goals through a multi-pronged approach. Yes, it includes social media. Cohen is the founder and President of Grassfed Media, she began her career as a business and lifestyle writer, and transitioned to the online world during the first dotcom boom. She was an early adopter of social media and continues to stay at the forefront of technology, innovation, and communication. Grassfed Media is a boutique communications firm that works with socially responsible companies on PR, marketing, and social media strategy.

Jake Lloyd talks about his work with DC SCORES. He shares his tips on how he keeps in touch with their top followers and guide them into supporting their regional and national work. As Communications Manager, Jake is responsible for all of DC SCORES' marketing efforts, including managing eight social media networks, building relationships with traditional media, and leading online fundraising campaigns. Additionally, Jake — also a freelance sportswriter for the Associated Press — organizes the DC SCORES Cup, the Washington, DC, area's largest charity soccer tournament. DC SCORES builds teams through after-school programs for 1,500 low-income DC youth at 47 schools by instilling self-expression through poetry, physical fitness through soccer, and sense of community through service-learning.

Steven O'Connor brought us into the world of international development, from helping Vietnam establish regional trading standards to dealing with the unimaginably tragic crises of loosing a colleague in the field. Based in Bethesda, MD, O'Connor oversees internal and external communications for an organization active in more than 100 countries, including in some of the world's most challenging operating environments. DAI is a global development company dedicated to shaping a more livable world. At the end of 2013, DAI joined forces with HTSPE Ltd., an international development consultancy based just outside London.

Jenn Taylor Howell gives us insights into what it is like to work for one of the largest and oldest societies in the U.S., the American Chemical Society. Marketing internally between the many departments and divisions is uniquely challenging and important work for this 161,000 member society. Taylor Howell is a marketing professional at the American Chemical Society. In her current role as Program Manager of ACS on Campus, she works to promote the Society's programs, products and services to the next generation of chemical science professionals through on campus events catered to students. The American Chemical Society is a congressionally chartered independent membership organization which represents professionals at all degree levels and in all fields of the chemical sciences.

Tim Neill spends a lot of time traveling between Mexico City and Washington DC. He filled us in on what it's like to work for an international digital agency that does tactical support for companies in Mexico and in the U.S. Here's a hint: it always starts with finding out who's the buyer. Neill is an entrepreneur and executive with over fifteen years of business operations and management experience responsible for developing and executing strategic plans that drive growth and improve overall market positioning. Ingenia Group is a global digital marketing and technology agency.

Abigail Goliber gives us the scoop on the importance of developing partnerships for your organization. She also shares with us why having professional IT support can positively impact an organization's mission. Yes, we get a little techy with talk about CRMs, infrastructure, servers and data migrations. Goliber is the manager of outreach and business development at 501cTech. She is a nonprofit professional with extensive fundraising, financial, and operational experience. 501cTECH delivers sustainable technology solutions for nonprofits serving the common good.

Melissa Ovard gives insights into contracting with federal agencies and the importance of paying attention to detail when responding to Uncle Sam's RFPs. Melissa Ovard is the founder and President of Snowbird Services. She consults with small businesses on marketing communications, federal contracting, and proposal development services. Snowbird Services is a federal contractor in the environment and international development spheres as well as offers consulting services and is based in Washington DC.

Christie Gunden shares how she manages her marketing efforts with Hubspot and Ektron. From increasing traffic, to increasing conversions, these sophisticated tools makes it easy to track who is engaging your organization. Christie Gunden is the marketing manager at Syscom Services. Founded in 1986, Syscom Services has pioneered the way organizations effectively communicate with the people they rely on most.

Melanie Spring gave us the low down on what branding is and the importance of starting with defining your core values. She also told us about her "Live Your Brand" U.S. tour. Melanie Spring is the founder and chief inspiration officer at Sisarina. She teaches senior level management and marketing professionals how to rock their content. Sisarina is a branding company based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Dennis and Julie share insights on what it's like to work in a creative agency managing projects for nonprofits - from print advertising, to websites - as part of integrated campaigns. Managing projects is sometimes about finding the balance between what a client wants and what creatives know will work. Dennis Goris is the CEO, creative director and the driving force behind strategy development for campaigns at Bremmer & Goris. Julie Smith is the director of operations working with designers, account managers, project directors, and clients. Bremmer & Goris Communications is a leading design and branding company based in Alexandria, Virginia.

Banafsheh Ghassemi teaches about how the American Red Cross delivers unique customer experiences based on the signals we leave behind as we interact online. She is the VP of Marketing, CRM, Customer Experience & Marketing Excellence at the American Red Cross. She established the first customer experience organization at the Red Cross and lead the design and implementation of enterprise-wide CE and eCRM strategies. The American Red Cross is largest non-governmental humanitarian and disaster relief organization in the United States.

Chistopher Doscher shares some of the policy topics he covers for the restaurant industry, from healthcare and immigration issues, to patent assertion agencies and renewable fuel standards. Chris Doscher is a senior writer and editor in policy communications for the National Restaurant Association. He writes on federal and state legislative and regulatory issues that impact how the nation's nearly one million restaurants operate. The National Restaurant Association is the largest foodservice trade association in the world.