Hispanic Outreach, Bahamian Event In Komen’s Future
What’s an organization to do after it has touched everything it can with pink, from baseball bats on Mothers’ Day to airplanes to the band on one of NASCAR legend Richard Petty’s hats?
More, apparently. And who better to do it at Susan G. Komen for the Cure than Katrina McGhee? In September 2010, McGhee was elevated to EVP and CMO, marking the first time the organization’s sales and marketing functions were led by the same person.
Combining these operations enables the organization to bridge the disconnect between the cause-related marketing it does through corporate partners and its own marketing communications. “The splintering of messaging means there are so many messages that they become white noise to the consumer,” McGhee says.
Merging these functions also allows Komen to expand the scope of its activities. Take its January 2011 four-day event in the Bahamas, which marks the first time the organization will host a 5K run and a marathon at the same event. It’s more than just a fundraiser for a country where 23% of the women carry the BRCA1 gene mutation (an indicator of disposition toward breast cancer): It’s a chance to bring together two types of runners, along with their families, for a wide range of family friendly, yet mission-focused activities.
Or consider its nascent focus on Hispanic communities, which will be built out by a new hire coming on board in December 2010. McGhee hopes this initiative will mirror the success of Komen’s Circle of Promise, its program which focuses African American women, and which in only three years has enlisted more than 80,000 “ambassadors” – representatives who go to community events, colleges, state fairs and other gatherings and tout its offerings.
These activities are part of a larger plan to expand its reach. Ideally, Komen will soon pair up with a global organization which will allow it to bring its messaging, education, resources and fundraising to underserved areas on the planet.
“Seventy percent of the breast cancer in the world will occur in developing countries by 2020,” McGhee notes. “This is not just about the products [a partner would] turn pink. Partners view their employees as the first communities they reach.”
So why is McGhee the right person to oversee both marketing and sales? She points to her background in both: Previous jobs include stints as a sports marketer and a director of marketing with another nonprofit.
“When I go to a potential corporate partner, I know to say ‘what are your core objectives? Here are mine – what’s the win-win?’” McGhee says. “You don’t find that conversation happens with many nonprofits. We understand the language of business.”
