Laura Atkinson Email & Phone Number

Portland, Oregon Area

MettaComm is a mission-driven boutique agency specializing in internal and external communications (content and consulting), strategic planning, marketing and community engagement, project management, and fundraising, serving nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and minority-owned small businesses. SPECIALIZATION:Communications – Strategic planning, content creation and delivery of targeted campaigns for diverse audiences- Writing, editing and design for internal and external communications: digital + social media + print + website- Identify opportunities and collaborations for evolving needs: data analysis, research, reporting, and trainingLeadership – Productivity and success: Motivate teams through reorganization, transition and growth eras - staff development, coaching/mentoring, SWOT analysis, goal setting and benchmarking with executive teamsEngagement – Increase donors and allies: planning and delivery – messaging, campaigns, projects and eventsRecruitment – Capacity building: Board trustees, advisory and service committees, volunteers, support staffEvent Planning – National and local: media events, workshops,, galas, targeted fundraisers – in person and online

Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area

Relay Resources (501(c)3) is the largest employer of people with disabilities in the Pacific Northwest and a leading developer/manager of affordable housing across Oregon.ROLE AND IMPACT:• People-Centered Storytelling: Editorial & multimedia production serving internal (800+) and external (mission & 5 enterprises) audiences• Employee Engagement: Craft strategies and execute inclusive campaigns that build connection, culture, and investment in mission and initiatives, including DEIB, sustainability, and philanthropy• Expanding Reach: Launch new employee app & related digital and conventional tools serving 200+ dispersed worksites – buildout, editorial, user experience• C-Suite Communications: Advise, build strategic plans & co-write for internal and external audiences• Best Practices: Design & lead employee communications trainings + individual coaching for, C-Suite, HR & 5 enterprises• "North Star”: Collaborate cross-functionally to build guiding principles for content creation & employee engagement• Earned media: Press releases / live events, online and in-person / Subject Matter Expert panels• Brand Ambassadorship: Craft strategic communication plans that engage employees and donors as brand champions, to build commitment to company initiatives, such as philanthropy and sustainability; lead supporting focus groups & trainings • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: co-create Relay's first DEIB committee and redesign & revitalize annual Employee Appreciation eventsSOFTWARE EXPERTISE INCLUDES:Adobe Creative Suite / Google Workspace / Google Analytics / Microsoft 365 Suite / Salesforce / Sharepoint / Social Media Management tools / Staffbase (Specialized Employee Communications tools)

Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area

New Avenues (501(c)3) is the largest wraparound services provider to homeless youth in Oregon. I served as a fractional Manager during a transition era.ROLE AND IMPACT:• Research and improve processes agency-wide to serve varied audiences through multiple channels• Write and design for organization-wide & segmented internal audiences: digital / print / intranet • Write and design for external programmatic + donor engagement-focused content: digital / social / print / website • Write and design for program content, public-facing and internal, collaborating with multiple stakeholders including executive team: digital / social / print / website• Fundraising events: Production and communications• Leadership: Manage daily operations of department, including team coaching, communications plans, project management, donor cultivation and ongoing engagement, administrative, and project management• Increase staff capacity and collaboration, resulting in top-grossing years for three annual events and 40% donation increase in citywide Give!Guide nonprofit fundraising campaign• Fundraising & Community Engagement: Increase event and programs volunteers 25% through appreciation activities + staff involvement• Update and build/acquire new tools and tactics for event planning and targeted giving campaigns, increasing donor base and a culture of investment in philanthropic and sustainability initiatives • Increase volunteer base and in-kind donations by 25% through targeted community engagementSOFTWARE EXPERTISE INCLUDES:Adobe Creative Suite / Google Workspace / Google Analytics / Microsoft 365 Suite / Salesforce / Sharepoint / Social Media Management tools / Staffbase (Specialized Employee Communications tools)

Portland, Oregon Area

P:EAR (501(c)3) builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art, and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives.

The Center for World Indigenous Studies is a global community of activist scholars advancing the rights of indigenous peoples through the application of traditional knowledge.

Portland, Oregon Area

TOC (501(c)3) presents diverse performances and events that reflect and enhance Portland’s culture. (I served as a fractional Director during organization rebranding and board development.)ROLE AND IMPACT:• Strategic marketing plan development: increasing community awareness and donor engagement • Communications: Campaigns / Writing / Design / Multimedia production – Digital / Social media / Print• Lead focus groups through rebranding development that debuted at launch of 50th Anniversary year, engaging community members as brand ambassadors promoting TOC as a modern arts center• Identify and engage new resources to meet goals to increase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the organization’s programming, staff, board, and attendees• Build new Development & Fundraising Committee, increasing donors and partnerships > 25%• Create new annual fundraising event and outreach activities supporting TOC’s 50th Anniversary• Build affinity group network to support long-term sustainability through sponsorships and referrals

The Culinary Trust is a national 501(c)3 with a mission to provide youth and professionals the education, resources, and opportunities to understand and act on critical issues in the world of food (co-founded by Julia Child). ROLE AND IMPACT:• Manage daily operations, including oversight of several programs, project management, communications, development and administrative• Lead strategic planning and track outcomes for fundraising, program development and marketing– year-round: cultivate and steward a portfolio of individual, corporate and foundation stakeholders; create and lead two or more major fundraising events/activities annually in addition to annual gala– annual: lead fundraising and programming development for annual IACP conference at sites across the country, including organization and logistics for The Culinary Trust’s largest fundraising gala each year• Craft development-focused writing and design for print, social media and website – marketing, PR, website, program brochures, donor engagement – for multiple audiences nationwide inside and outside food industry• Connect and serve multiple stakeholder groups, including boards of TCT and IACP, program committees, grantors and grantees, business and nonprofit partner organizations, and IACP members• Manage all programming activities, including new program design, advisory committee development and committee member training, with emphases to guide, coach, and develop performance standard• Conceive, launch, and lead new focus on action-based grants and programs model, “Growing Leaders”• Recruit, train, and mentor interns and volunteers for program and granting committees service and fundraising

Portland, Oregon Area

The Culinary Trust is a national 501(c)3 with a mission to provide youth and professionals the education, resources, and opportunities to understand and act on critical issues in the world of food (co-founded by Julia Child). (www.theculinarytrust.org) ROLE AND IMPACT:• Manage daily operations, including oversight of several programs, project management, communications, development and administrative• Lead strategic planning and track outcomes for fundraising, program development and marketing– year-round: cultivate and steward a portfolio of individual, corporate and foundation stakeholders; create and lead two or more major fundraising events/activities annually in addition to annual gala– annual: lead fundraising and programming development for annual IACP conference at sites across the country, including organization and logistics for The Culinary Trust’s largest fundraising gala each year• Craft development-focused writing and design for print, social media and website – marketing, PR, website, program brochures, donor engagement – for multiple audiences nationwide inside and outside food industry• Connect and serve multiple stakeholder groups, including boards of TCT and IACP, program committees, grantors and grantees, business and nonprofit partner organizations, and IACP members• Manage programming activities, including new program design, advisory committee development and committee member training, with emphases to guide, coach, and develop performance standard• Recruit, train, and mentor interns and volunteers for program and granting committees service and fundraising

Portland, Oregon Area

Portland, Oregon Area

Portland, Oregon Area

Portland, Oregon Area

Neighborhood House is one of the largest 501(c)3 social services providers in the Pacific Northwest, offering wraparound education, anti-poverty and senior services to foster self-reliance, economic independence and dignity in people of all ages and backgrounds. (www.nhpdx.org)ROLE AND IMPACT:• Writing and design for print, web and social media supporting community outreach and fundraising for one of Portland's largest social service agencies, including marketing, programming, and donor engagement – newsletter articles, e-blasts, reports, brochures, presentations, and event collateral• Build new in-kind donor relationships in collaboration with program managers, resulting most successfully in a 20% increase in food donations to our Emergency and Senior Food Box programs• Lead teams for several major annual fundraising activities, including spring food drive, “Partnership Campaign” annual appeal, and create new fundraising opportunities, resulting in exceeding goal of increasing individual contributions by more than 10% despite the economic downturn• Analyze, evaluate, and modify operating methods and procedures for donor cultivation strategies, including creating a new annual events to attract more in quantity and more diverse donors• Create and manage timelines for multiple concurrent projects, increasing new project capacity by 25%

Street Yoga supports homeless, at-risk and incarcerated youth through yoga and mindfulness training to cope with trauma and create a life that is inspired, safe and joyful. (www.streetyoga.org)Responsibilities included:• Research and writing: grant applications, media releases, program reports for board, training materials• Lead teams in organizing several fundraising activities, including annual gala – results surpassed individual and business donor income goals for 2010• Enhance communication scope and impact: created new content categories and design template for monthly e-newsletter and redesign of www.streetyoga.org• Design promotional materials for donor appeals, quarterly fundraising events and monthly workshops I also served as an SY Volunteer Yoga Instructor for five years (2008-2013), bringing yoga and mindfulness training to youth living with homelessness, housing insecurity and trauma, at organizations including: Outside In, p:ear, Morrison Child and Family Services/Rosemont Treatment Center, Fir Ridge Alternative High School, and Pioneer Special School.

Portland, Oregon Area

Greater Nashville Area, Tn

Greater Nashville Area, Tn

Knoxville, Tennessee Area