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.
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​1. Marketing & Communications Audit

I look at everything: messaging, digital channels, storytelling, and how the team communicates internally and externally.

Not to create more work. To find where small strategic shifts would make the biggest difference.

When I started working with BC Nature, a conservation organization that was doing meaningful work but struggling to connect it to fundraising, their tools were fragmented, their analytics were barely being used, and there was no clear donor communications strategy. The team was trying hard. The effort just wasn't coordinated.

That audit became the foundation for everything else, and within three months of implementing a new content strategy and a digital campaign (I worked with Kim Peterson on this client; we did a digital fundraising campaing together), we saw engagement across their channels grow by 40%.

Most of the time, the issue isn't that the team isn't trying. It's that effort is scattered without a clear foundation.
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​2. Big Picture Communications Plan

This is one of my favourite tools to implement with clients.

It's a simple framework — not a 50-page document — that aligns communications with program priorities, fundraising, campaigns, and storytelling throughout the year.

It answers the question most nonprofit teams never have time to ask: what should marketing actually be supporting right now?

At CIWA (Canadian mmigrant Women's Association), I came in during a leadership transition while they were simultaneously launching a new childcare centre and running a fundraising campaign. Without a clear communications plan, both initiatives risked losing momentum.

We built the strategy, sequenced the rollout, and executed across every channel. The SMILES Childcare Centre launch generated 75 registrations in a single day. The Birdies for Kids fundraising campaign raised $11,000 in the first month.

When teams have a plan that connects all the pieces, the shift from reactive to proactive happens fast.
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​3. Ongoing Partnership & Execution

Once the foundation and systems are in place, we move into implementation.

Campaign support. Digital strategy. Storytelling systems. Brand consistency. And when the team needs it — mentoring, templates, and process building, so the work doesn't leave when I do.

One of my current clients is Distress Centre Calgary, where I'm serving as their Interim Marketing Manager.

Here's what we've built together in this engagement:

A new website — designed so the internal team owns it completely. No agency dependency. No developer needed for basic updates. Just a team that can move quickly when it matters.

A new internal request system that brings structure to how marketing work gets initiated and prioritized — so the team isn't constantly in reactive mode.

A Big Picture Communications Plan that gives the whole organization a shared roadmap for the year.

Two awareness campaigns were launched. A third in planning.

This is what interim marketing support looks like in practice, not just keeping the lights on during a transition, but using the time to build systems that last.

That's what fractional marketing and interim support look like in practice.

I'm not a vendor. I'm embedded. I work alongside leadership, programs, and fund development, so marketing actually connects to the mission, not just the calendar.
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If you are curious about what this partnership can look like for your organization, reply to this email (My booking link is not working, and my service provider is working to fix that. Sorry for the inconvenience)

Best, Marcela Zafra Hands-On Marketing Support For Nonprofits www.marcelazafra.com marcela@marcelazafra.com Let's give your mission the visibility it deserves  Free Gift Download the guide + template to build brand guidelines

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