Paul's Proposal

PROPOSAL

Rationale:
At this early phase of development for Divine Feminine Mystery School, it is critical that the organization have the expertise required to position, promote and manage it’s marketing/outreach function in a strategic, economic and timely manner. The immediate presence of a marketing manager would make an important contribution to the overall direction of the organization and long-term prospects for financial success. This proposal presents a case for raising funds to hire an experienced marketing manager for a one-year period to fill this role. It also presents a qualified candidate who has extensive experience helping educational organizations similar to Divine Feminine Mystery School.

Financial Goal:
The goal is to raise $80,000, either through a tax-deductible donation from a single donor or through a group of ‘gold circle members’ who believe in the importance of the work offered by the Divine Feminine Mystery School. These funds will be used to hire a marketing manager for one-year and meet travel expenses.

Purpose:
A marketing manager for Divine Feminine Mystery School would serve the following purpose:

1. Research and craft a Strategic Marketing Plan to guide the organization for the next two years. The Strategic Marketing Plan would include:
—SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
Threats)
—Analysis of Target Audiences
—Competitive Analysis
—Positioning Statement
—Pricing Analysis
—Analysis of Growth Opportunities, including recommendations
on best markets to locate weekend workshops for higher visibility
and maximum return-on-investment
—Analysis of Merchandising Opportunities
—Two-Year Promotional/Advertising Plan with Objectives, Budget
and Schedule
—Revenue Projections
2. Subsequent to completing the Strategic Marketing Plan, lead a fundraising effort among investors/high-end donors to raise additional funds for growing the organization
3. Introduce a sophisticated market-driven approach into organization early-on, with an emphasis on building a strong customer base/membership and brand loyalty in order to drive long-term growth
4. Provide immediate assistance in designing brand identity and establishing this identity across all promotional platforms (this is especially important in this early phase of the organization’s development)
5. Provide immediate assistance in managing overall marketing/ communications effort, including promotion of planned events in ’06 and ’07, with a focus on reaching targeted audiences through cost-effective direct marketing techniques; manage and direct resources for multi-tiered promotional campaigns designed to increase traffic and direct sales
6. Fill an important function that is currently distributed across other staff positions or not being adequately addressed at all; shift marketing/promotional activities away from current professional staff allowing “teachers to teach”


Benefits:
The major benefits to the organization of adding a marketing manager to the management team at this time are:

• Increase revenue, in both the near- and long-term
• Improve profitability by ensuring cost-efficiencies on current and long-term spending
• Ensure adequate cash-flow for meeting payroll, operational and marketing expenses
• Secure further investments/donations by investors/high-end donors to fuel immediate and long-term growth
• Continue to assess needs, interests, motivations, satisfaction-levels, etc. of targeted audiences, as well as maintain reliable demographic and psychographic profiles, for effectively positioning the organization, ensuring quality-of-services, and attaining long-term brand loyalty
• Design and integrate critical ‘brand identity’ features early in growth phase, avoiding costly changes and loss of momentum later
• Ensure strong promotional support for current and planned workshop/retreat initiatives


Candidate:
Paul Nelson, M.Ed. has more than twenty five years of experience in strategic planning, branding, marketing, advertising, fundraising, and events management, working principally in the service sector with hospitals, schools, arts organizations and non-profit groups. He served as a senior marketing consultant with National Medical Enterprises, as corporate director of marketing communications for a national provider of brain injury rehab services, and as director of marketing for the highly successful start-up of an 80-bed psychiatric hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.

On the agency side, Paul has more than six years of experience as a Creative Director working with the Millard Group and Brick Mill Studios where he held responsibility for designing direct mail fundraising campaigns for some of America’s most respected membership organizations, including Defenders of Wildlife, Guideposts Ministries, Girl Scouts USA, World Wildlife Fund, Boston Museum of Science, Phoenix Zoo and Dexter College.

In 2000, Paul started his own consulting firm called emoticom. Through emoticom, Paul and his partners have offered ‘emotionally intelligent marketing communications’ to dozens of organizations where “relationships matter most”—especially in healthcare, education, human services and wherever organizations dependent on the acquisition and retention of members and donors. To learn more or to view a list of clients and a portfolio, visit www.emoticom.net.

In addition to his background as a marketing and fundraising professional, Paul founded and served for seven years as Executive Director for a non-profit educational organization called Keepers of the Lore, which sponsored an annual conference (featuring such people as Matthew Fox, Jean Houston, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Thomas Moore, and Jean Shinoda Bolen) and the annual Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth, Folklore & Story—a popular cross-cultural performing arts festival featuring storytellers, poets, puppeteers, and other bearers of the oral tradition from around the world.

Paul is currently serving on a consulting basis as Executive Director for the Circle of Atonement, a non-profit educational organization and publishing house in Sedona, AZ dedicated to A Course in Miracles.

Paul holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts and a masters degree in Counseling and Consulting Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also holds diplomas from the Montserrat College of Art and the U.S. Naval School of Photography.

On a personal note, Paul is a long-term practitioner of vipassana meditation. He is also the father of three beautiful daughters.