The American Marketing Association Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award honors extraordinary leadership and achievement in the field of nonprofit marketing.
Nominations are now open for the 2024 award through March 26, 2024. Click on the button below to nominate.
Watch this video to learn about marketing trailblazers whose work has been honored by this award:
Eligibility
Nominees must be currently employed at a nonprofit organization with an active 501(c)(3) category tax status and their current responsibilities must focus on the branding, marketing, and communications aspects of a nonprofit organization.
When nominating someone for the AMA Foundation Nonprofit Marketer of the Year, please consider the following three categories:
Strategy
- Has the candidate achieved breakthroughs and advances in organizing and planning in the context of nonprofit organizations
- Has the candidate developed unique methodologies?
- Has the candidate shown effective collaboration inside the organization as well as with outside partners?
- Has the candidate successfully implemented creative approaches to solving marketing and communication problems?
Results
- Has the candidate employed effective methods of measurement?
- Has the candidate’s work helped their organization achieve both short- and long-term goals?
Vision and Leadership
- Has the candidate’s work helped advance or transform their organization or the field of nonprofit marketing?
- Has the candidate shown thought leadership by speaking and writing on nonprofit marketing?
- Has the candidate been recognized by others in the field for their work?
Process
Nominating someone for this award is simple. Fill out a short form and we’ll notify the nominee, asking for a more detailed candidate profile. (Self Nominations are Accepted).
At that point, nominees will be asked to choose which of our two award categories best fits their organization:
- National/International Nonprofit (Larger nonprofit with a wide reach)
- Regional/Local Nonprofit (Smaller nonprofit making an impact in their direct community or region)
Traditionally, a six-judge panel consisting of members of at least one AMA Foundation Committee member, and at least one past award recipient will evaluate the entries. The AMA Foundation reserves the right to appoint judges outside of these categories as it sees fit in order to maintain a representative judging committee in terms of marketing expertise and function. All judges will be leaders and experts in the field of nonprofit marketing with careers as nonprofit marketing academics, consultants, and practitioners. The Award Committee reserves the right to reassign applicants to the award category they deem appropriate. It is up to the discretion of the Awards Committee to reward and acknowledge honorees as the committee deems appropriate.
Recognition and Benefits
The recipient(s) of the AMA Foundation Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award will receive:
- One year paid membership to the AMA
- Complimentary registration to a future event
- Recognition and an award presentation in and/or virtually
AMA Foundation
As the philanthropic arm of the AMA, the AMA Foundation champions individual marketers who are making an impact in our profession and community. We recognize marketing visionaries who have elevated the field, and we support the next generation of marketers who will transform the profession.
Previous Recipients
- National Nonprofit: Cindy Rahman, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, March of Dimes
- Regional Nonprofit: Katie Ferrell, Director of Marketing & Communications, Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana
2021 Winners
- National Nonprofit: Amy Pearson-Wales, SVP, Communications & Public Affairs, SightLife
- Regional Nonprofit: Christian Doucette, Director of Community Engagement, CaringKind
2020 Winners
- National Nonprofit: Lisa Sherman, President and CEO, The Ad Council
- Regional Nonprofit: Justine Burke, Vice President of Marketing, Metropolitan Ministries, Inc
2019 Winners
- National Nonprofit: Melissa Fors, Vice President of Marketing Strategy, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
- Regional Nonprofit: Jennifer GoodSmith, Vice President of Mission Advancement, Chief Advancement Officer/Chief Marketing Officer, The Anti-Cruelty Society
2018 Winners
- National Nonprofit: Artis Stevens, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, National 4-H Council
- Regional Nonprofit: Andrew Goldberg, Vice President, Marketing, Adrienne Arscht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
2017 Winner
- Lisa Bowman, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, United Way Worldwide
2017 Honorable Mention
- Amy Shearer, Chief Marketing Officer, Philadelphia Zoo
2016 Winner
- Nicole Dorrler, Vice President, Marketing, Truth Initiative
2015 Winner
- Ettoré Rossetti, Director, Social Media & Digital Marketing, Save the Children
2014 Winner
- Kate Grant, Chief Executive Officer, Fistula Foundation
2013 Winner
- John G. Rodman, Director of Museum Experience, The Preservation Society of Newport County
2012 Winner
- Anne Marie Dougherty, Executive Director, Bob Woodruff Foundation
2011 Winner
- Brendan Hurley, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Goodwill of Greater Washington
2010 Winner
- Stephanie Hogarth, Chief Marketing Officer, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
2010 Honorable Mentions
- Joel Bartlett, Director of Marketing, PETA
- Susan de Cuba, Vice President of Community Outreach, Treasure Coast Hospice
2009 Winners
- Nonprofit Marketer of the Year Award: C. Eric Overman, Director of Online Communities & Social Media, Operation Smile
- Special Marketing Initiatives Award: Anne Bergquist, Vice President, Brand Management and Marketing, YMCA of Metro Chicago
- Social Media Award: David J. Neff, Director of Web, Film and Interactive Strategy, American Cancer Society – High Plains
2008 Winners
- Jay Aldous, U.S. Fund for UNICEF
- Kyle Zimmer, First Book
2008 Honorable Mentions
- Carl Mitchell, Virginia Economic Bridge, Inc.
- David B. Waters, Community Servings, Inc.
- Douglas A. Staples, March of Dimes Foundation
- Linda Smith, Opportunity Village
- Mike Tringale, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
- William “Bill” Robert Gombeski Jr., University of Kentucky Medical Center