My longtime friend Dane Peachee invited me to help launch this nonprofit. Coming up with a name for this new organization was just the beginning of the adventure. I'm working to launch and establish Truth In Business's presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. I've also written copy for the website, and I'm responsible for updating the site between our events.

People occasionally make the mistake of thinking that working for a church must be boring and slow. That's definitely not the case for my role at WellSpring!To ensure consistency within our brand, I manage the church's social media presence (posting to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), write for / update our website, run online ad campaigns around key events, craft and schedule app notifications, and write copy for most of our all-church communications (weekly e-newsletter to 900+ recipients, guest information handouts, visitor assimilation letters, etc.). Working with our Graphics Coordinator, I write scripts / outlines for videos to introduce new teaching series. I created the workbook content for four visitor assimilation sessions, which we refer to as our "LifeTrack;" over 1200 people have attended these sessions, and I lead most of them. I also have the privilege of providing leadership and support to over 70 small group leaders and co-leaders. Before joining the WellSpring staff, I spearheaded the promotional and communication efforts for the "Putting Down Roots" capital campaign to build our first ministry facility. In my current staff position at WellSpring, I've had the privilege of taking the same role for our "Trusting the Promise" capital campaign to expand our building and plant a satellite campus; nearly $1.2 million has been raised so far.As part of my role, I have the honor of occasionally speaking to large groups, whether as a teacher or communicator of information (trainings, announcements, etc.). I also serve on our Executive Team, a core group that tackles strategic and operational issues.Over 1,000 people consider WellSpring to be their home church, so this role is very challenging and rewarding!

For several years, entrepreneurial friends and area nonprofit organizations asked my advice on how to expand their reach and connect with new customers. I quickly discovered that I loved the thrill of putting these ideas into action and watching the results, so I packaged up these services and offered them to the public. It's Just Plain Genius was about helping businesses and non-profits be brilliant. I wasn't the genius---the name described that magical feeling of arriving at the perfect idea that takes a business or non-profit to the next level. Services included advertising, copywriting, marketing, website consulting (developing menu hierarchies and site content), social media, business naming, and slogan ideation. My client list was pretty diverse: churches, lawyers, professional organizers, preschools, heavy machinery movers, and more.I wound down It's Just Plain Genius after joining Compassion International, but I still enjoy helping my friends and colleagues launch, brand, and name new ventures!

As part of a team charged with creating a new revenue stream for our organization, I took on a range of responsibilities. Writing copy and leading the creative process for promotional materials and advertisements were regular parts of my job, and I also worked with clients to improve their ad when the submitted creative didn't align with Lifeway's brand values. I interacted daily with a national team of sales representatives, answering questions about available ad space and suggesting new areas of possible growth. During my last year here, I managed the production process for nearly $1 million in advertisements, working cross-functionally with another department to ensure that each ad was accurately placed. As a Salesforce admin user, I worked closely with our internal team and external consultants to enhance and customize our implementation; this often included training our end users on new processes. I also led an RFP (request for proposal) team, was tapped to research the use of social media in the magazine industry, and was selected to be a part of our organization’s inaugural enrichment and development program for rising leaders.

I wrote a recurring column for The Advertiser News, my city's local newspaper. The subject matter varied, but I tried to bring a bit of humor to local topics and family life.

Working as an advertising sales representative gives you a unique perspective into the world of marketing. In this role, I served as a print and online ad sales specialist for over 700 organizations. I partnered with our advertisers and in-house editorial staff to create content for special advertising sections, and I also served on a magazine redesign team. At the time of my transition to LifeWay, I was achieving 143% of my print and online ad revenue goals.

What if you stopped viewing a purchase as a one-time transaction and instead sought to build a long-term, mutually-beneficial relationship with your most loyal customers? In this role, I built and managed grassroots marketing teams for some of the biggest brands (i.e.--recording artists) in our industry. After learning about the nuances of our core fans and customers, I also made strategic print and online ad buys (and wrote the copy for those campaigns) to broaden our audience. I also helped develop official websites for our brands, creating special pages and sections that would resonate with each unique audience and working with our creative team to find just the right look and feel for each site.

Great marketing ideas often come from those who work on the front lines. In this role, I worked with our field sales team and our corporate marketing team to support and maximize the impact of regional retail marketing campaigns. I also gained some experience in event planning, having worked with artist management, radio stations, and retail store managers to coordinate in-store promotional events.

The first—and perhaps the most critical—step in marketing is to understand your audience. In this role, I used consumer data from The NPD Group, focus group sessions, surveys, and qualitative research to build consumer profiles. I presented these profiles to brand managers and label executives at the beginning of the product development cycle, essentially representing the “voice of the customer.”

Working in conjunction with a field sales representative, I represented EMI CMG media releases to hundreds of retailers in a large, multi-state territory. After learning about each store’s purpose and target audience, I suggested appropriate products and programs that would help the store owner/manager meet his or her goals. I was also a proud member of our industry’s 2003 Telesales Team of the Year.