The Way forward
Lots of big ideas? Let’s turn them into a plan.
Marketing can feel like a constant balancing act.
There’s an exhibit to promote. An event that needs registrations. Membership goals to hit. A fundraising campaign around the corner. Stories you want to tell. Emails to send. Social media to keep moving.
And while you’re busy marketing what’s happening today, it can be hard to find the time to think strategically about what should happen next.
The Way Forward gives you that time—and an experienced museum marketing partner to help you make sense of it all.
This focused 90-day marketing engagement is designed to help organizations get organized, identify what deserves their attention, and build a practical plan for moving forward.
The opportunity is there. Is your marketing ready for it?
Nonprofits are navigating a complicated moment.
Budgets are tight. Donor expectations are changing. Competition for attention is growing. And organizations are being asked to do more—raise funds, engage supporters, attract new audiences, build partnerships, promote programs, and demonstrate impact—often with the same limited staff and resources.
But there’s opportunity, too.
People still want to support organizations that make a difference. They want to understand the impact of their dollars, feel connected to a mission, and know that their support matters. Nonprofits are also finding new ways to build sustainable revenue through memberships, corporate partnerships, events, sponsorships, individual giving, and earned revenue.
That creates opportunity.
It also creates more things to market.
You don’t have to do everything. You need to know what you’re trying to accomplish, who you’re trying to reach, and where your marketing can make the biggest difference.
That’s where we start.
Here’s what you’ll get.
60-Minute Strategy & Discovery Session
This is where we dig in.
We'll talk about your organizational goals, upcoming exhibits and programs, membership and fundraising priorities, audiences, current marketing and the challenges your team is facing.
Maybe you need to increase attendance.
Maybe you're trying to grow membership.
Maybe you have 15 events coming up and aren't sure how much marketing each one actually needs.
Or maybe you're doing plenty of good marketing already—you just need a better way to bring it all together.
We'll start with where you are and where you want to go.
Customized 90-Day Marketing Roadmap
I'll take what we uncover and identify the priorities I believe deserve your greatest marketing attention over the next three months.
For each priority, we'll look at:
The goal. The audience. The focus. The opportunities. The next steps.
For example, instead of simply putting “Promote fall exhibition” on your marketing calendar, we might identify the goal as driving first-month attendance, determine the audiences with the greatest opportunity, establish the story we want to lead with and identify the marketing channels that deserve the most attention.
The goal isn't to give you more to do.
It's to help you make better decisions about what you do.
ComCal Planning Template
You'll get the communications calendar system I've developed and refined through real nonprofit marketing work.
It gives you one place to see your exhibits, programs, campaigns, email, PR, social, membership, fundraising and other communications—making it easier to plan ahead, identify conflicts and keep your team on the same page.
Event Marketing Guide + Template
Stop reinventing the wheel every time another event hits the calendar.
You'll receive a repeatable framework your team can use to plan event marketing across your website, email, PR, social media, partnerships, paid promotion, and more.
Use it for lectures. Workshops. Exhibit openings. Member events. Fundraisers.
Then use it again.
60-Minute Strategy Wrap-Up
Once your roadmap is complete, we'll reconnect.
I'll walk you through my recommendations, show you how to use your new planning tools, and answer your questions.
You'll leave knowing:
What matters.
Where to focus.
What comes next.
Investment: $3,000
I know nonprofit marketing because I do nonprofit marketing.
The Way Forward isn't based on what I think nonprofits should be doing.
I've spent the past several years leading marketing and communications for the National Museum of the Great Lakes, bringing nearly two decades of broader marketing, brand strategy, and communications experience to the work.
During that time, I've helped drive double-digit growth in museum visitation and revenue, dramatically increased museum store revenue year over year, and developed fundraising campaigns that have consistently exceeded their established goals.
And I've done it while navigating the same realities nonprofit teams everywhere face:
Limited budgets. Small teams. Competing priorities. Lots of great stories. And never quite enough hours in the day.
The results matter.
But so do the systems and strategy behind them.
I've learned how to organize a tremendous amount of marketing activity, prioritize what deserves attention, turn great stories into campaigns, and build processes that make ambitious goals feel much more manageable.
The Way Forward is my opportunity to bring that experience to your organization.
Imagine knowing exactly where to focus for the next 90 days.
More organization.
More intention.
More confidence in the decisions you're making.
And a team that can see how today's marketing connects to the bigger goals you're trying to achieve.
That's what I want you to walk away with.
Not more ideas piled onto your plate.
A clearer path through the ones already there.
The Way Forward
A focused 90-day marketing engagement for museums.
Your $3,000 investment includes:
60-minute Strategy & Discovery Session
Customized 90-Day Marketing Roadmap
ComCal Planning Template
Event Marketing Guide + Template
60-minute Strategy Wrap-Up
No long-term commitment. No giant consulting engagement.
Just an opportunity to step out of the weeds, get an experienced perspective, and create a plan for what comes next.