I help nonprofits give their mission the visibility they deserve through various marketing strategies. I am a seasoned marketing expert with a track record in digital advertising, content and email marketing strategies; I bring more than ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Clients value my ability to see the big picture and create practical, executable marketing strategies. My transformative digital initiatives in a previous role with Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids boosted new website visitors by 141 percent and website engagement by 130 percent. I also grew their online community by almost 20 percent across all social media platforms and generated hundreds of leads through targeted Google and Facebook ads. As a creative thinker with a growth mindset, I love bringing ideas to life through painting, drawing, and dreaming. I offer Fractional Marketing support for nonprofits looking to: Increase awareness Boost fundraising efforts Build a thriving community of supporters. Reduce stress and workload. Execute strategic and consistent marketing efforts. Fractional marketing gives small and medium-sized nonprofits access to the expertise of a seasoned marketer on a part-time (fractional) basis. It's for organizations looking to enhance their marketing efforts with a small budget, and that means hiring inexperienced staff who require more effort and time to manage. marcela@marcelazafra.com www.marcelazafra.com
A quick hello + what I’m focused on in 2026
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Hello Reader It’s been a little while since I’ve been in your inbox. I spent the end of 2025 in Colombia, reconnecting with family, resting, and resetting before the year ahead. I’m back now — grounded, clear, and excited about the work I’m stepping into in 2026. And I want to share this plainly: most nonprofits don’t struggle with marketing because they’re doing it wrong. They struggle because they’re trying to do too much with too little structure. What I see again and again:
That’s the gap I help close. As a fractional marketing leader, I don’t sit on the sidelines offering advice. I embed inside organizations to bring clarity, systems, and follow-through, so marketing starts working for your mission, not against your capacity.
The result: Clear positioning. Aligned teams. Marketing that supports fundraising, visibility, and trust — without burning people out. I’m opening space for one new nonprofit partner starting in Q1 2026. If this sounds like the kind of support your organization needs this year, I’d love to connect. You can reply directly to this email, or forward it to a nonprofit leader who might be quietly carrying too much and could benefit from senior-level marketing support without hiring a full-time role. Here’s to fewer best-kept-secret missions in 2026.
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Marcela Zafra
I help nonprofits give their mission the visibility they deserve through various marketing strategies. I am a seasoned marketing expert with a track record in digital advertising, content and email marketing strategies; I bring more than ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Clients value my ability to see the big picture and create practical, executable marketing strategies. My transformative digital initiatives in a previous role with Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids boosted new website visitors by 141 percent and website engagement by 130 percent. I also grew their online community by almost 20 percent across all social media platforms and generated hundreds of leads through targeted Google and Facebook ads. As a creative thinker with a growth mindset, I love bringing ideas to life through painting, drawing, and dreaming. I offer Fractional Marketing support for nonprofits looking to: Increase awareness Boost fundraising efforts Build a thriving community of supporters. Reduce stress and workload. Execute strategic and consistent marketing efforts. Fractional marketing gives small and medium-sized nonprofits access to the expertise of a seasoned marketer on a part-time (fractional) basis. It's for organizations looking to enhance their marketing efforts with a small budget, and that means hiring inexperienced staff who require more effort and time to manage. marcela@marcelazafra.com www.marcelazafra.com
NONPROFIT MARKETING EDIT Social media is loud right now. Everyone is competing for attention. Algorithms are unpredictable. Ad costs keep rising. And some nonprofits are left wondering: how do we actually get seen? Here's something I don't hear talked about enough in the nonprofit sector: influencer partnerships. And before you close the tab, I'm not talking about paying a celebrity to hold up your logo. I'm talking about something much more accessible, much more human, and honestly, much...
Hello Reader When I start working with a new nonprofit client, the first thing I do is slow down. Not because there's nothing urgent. Usually, there's plenty of it. But because most of the urgent things are symptoms, not the actual problem. So before we touch campaigns, calendars, or content, we do three things together.1. Marketing & Communications Audit I look at everything: messaging, digital channels, storytelling, and how the team communicates internally and externally. Not to create...
Hello Reader Every two weeks, I'll be sending you one insight, one quick win, and something you don't want to miss. That's the format: simple and consistent, just like I tell my clients their marketing should be. Let's get into it.This week’s Insight: Marketing and communications is not the extra Most nonprofit leadership teams are working toward the same goals: more donors, more monthly giving, more volunteers, more service users, and stronger partnerships. And yet, marketing and...