There are more than 13,000 nonprofit organizations in Utah, many of them doing outstanding work in their communities with health services and efforts to help those in need. Most of them face a similar challenge—visibility. Many just don’t know how to get their story out or tell it.

Utah Global Diplomacy, focused on individual rights to help shape U.S. foreign relations, held a Marketing Masterclass on July 18 at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center to help nonprofit leaders do just that. Speakers focused on ways to amplify organization messages and thus create meaningful connections and foster positive changes.

“We are committed to supporting Utah’s nonprofit community by helping fellow organizations tell their stories effectively,” said Felecia Maxfield-Barrett, president and CEO of Utah Global Diplomacy. “We understand the struggle of nonprofit marketing because we’ve experienced it ourselves.” 

Organizers said it’s more important than ever for nonprofits to articulate their missions and goals. Effective marketing ensures that the public will show up to help with the work and inspires action while building a network of partners from the community. That also helps greatly with fundraising efforts that are critical for nonprofit organizations.

The morning keynote address was from Mohan Sudabattula, founder and CEO of Project Embrace, a healthcare nonprofit that helps increase access to healthcare. He focused on how new marketing innovations are helping nonprofits spread the word about their programs and services, citing his own experiences in helping Project Embrace grow.

That was followed by a panel on Creating Marketing Methods. Salt Lake Tribune community engagement editor Kelly Cannon spoke on building a target audience. Emily Bell McCormick, founder and CEO of The Policy Project, discussed innovative ways of branding. The use of AI and new technology in marketing was led by Tim Cooley from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

The lunchtime keynote came from Andrew Winston, founder and CEO of Nomolas Creative. He said because he was the son of a pastor, “I expect lots of verbal feedback from you all,” he told the audience, and they responded during his presentation. His focus was on helping those in attendance “find your voice and tell your story.” 

There was an afternoon workshop on content creation using SmartPhones and a closing keynote on getting people to an event, presented by Kathleen Sykes, who works as a freelance marketer for numerous clients in the Salt Lake Valley.

Utah Global Diplomacy works with the U.S. State Department for its International Exchange Programs, its World Affairs Lectures, and its Young Diplomats of Utah program. The event was sponsored in part by Salt Lake County and the John and Maria Price Family Foundation. λ