In this edition of Marketer of the Week, Ignite Visibility spotlights Elizabeth Male, Communication Manager at StriveTogether.
Ignite Visibility applauds her for her exceptional achievements in merging the worlds of writing, marketing, and philanthropy.
Elizabeth Male
Elizabeth Male was originally hired at StriveTogether in 2018 to be the organization’s Communications Specialist.
She quickly climbed the ranks and now serves as StriveTogether’s Communication Manager, spearheading all marketing and communication initiatives, with a specific focus on digital and social media.
She leads digital communication for events and announcements, manages StriveTogether’s social media and email communications, writes and edits online all materials, and uses a data-driven methodology to frequently refine strategies.
With an already full plate, her work doesn’t stop there.
Male provides support for nearly 70 other nonprofit organizations who are members of the StriveTogether network.
She devotes her time to developing communications tool kits for dozens of projects, providing suggested copy, imagery, and formatting for others to amplify strategic messaging.
Her social media messaging was even picked up by NPR’s StoryCorps, as well as multiple national and local partner organizations for StriveTogether in a recent campaign.
Since joining StriveTogether, Elizabeth has helped drive growth by double-digit percentages year after year in both reach and engagement.
Elizabeth Male’s Educational Foundation
Wondering how Elizabeth Male landed this gig?
Through dedication to building a literary foundation.
In the modern era of Kindles and tablets, there’s something uniquely gratifying about holding a physical book in your hands.
Such is the case with Male, who credits the library as her main source of self-exploration, nurturing both her personal and academic growth.
Male’s College Education
While earning a B.A. in English from Northwestern University, Male put her English degree to work right away by serving as the Daily Northwestern’s News Editor.
Her day-to-day tasks included overseeing the copy desk and delegating news stories to copy editors.
She was the final set of eyes on all copy, proofreading for grammar, clarity, and accuracy.
In June 2011, she interned for the Northwestern University Press and assisted project managers with tasks ranging from preparing manuscripts to reviewing page proofs.
With the immense value writing brings to a budding marketing professional, Male continued to hone her skills by working as a writing tutor at The Writing Place, a free tutorial service for students who are currently enrolled in a Northwestern University School of Professional Studies course.
Male Launches Her Career
Soon after graduating from Northwestern University, Male joined the Center for Independent Futures, a non-profit that seeks to create sustainable living solutions for individuals with disabilities.
Following her 1-year stint as the organization’s marketing and development assistant, Male was quickly promoted to marketing communications coordinator.
In her role, Male’s responsibilities included creating and executing an annual communications calendar for the company’s blog, social media, newsletters, paid search, and event promotion.
She began producing copy for annual reports, marketing collateral and planned giving and sponsorship materials.
In development, she even coordinated event details, created fundraising reports and led the Bank of America Chicago Marathon fundraising team.
StriveTogether
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, StriveTogether is more than a 501©(3) organization; It’s a national movement committed to helping every child succeed in school and in life, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance.
The team partners with nearly 70 communities across the country to break down barriers, change systems, and achieve racial and ethnic equity.
StriveTogether also collects and leverages data to highlight these inequities, tackle tough conversations, and deliver impactful solutions for more than 11 million children and counting.
The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network has partners in nearly 30 states and Washington, D.C.
Volunteerism
Male’s accolades stretch far beyond the office. Between September 2013 and October 2018, she was both a young professional board member and marathon team captain for the Center of Independent Futures.
In January 2020, she volunteered for Open Books Publishing Academy as a copy editor until February 2021.
Wrapping it Up
The merging of writing and philanthropy has proved to be a successful launchpad for Elizabeth Male’s fruitful career and I’m excited to see what the future holds for her.
