As President of Red Rooster Group, Howard brings a unique understanding of nonprofits, behavioral science, sophisticated messaging strategy, and data-driven campaigns to help organizations frame their message, create effective outreach strategies, and motivate action.
Nonprofit Branding Expert
Howard has helped countless organizations to revitalize their brands:
- update their missions to meet the moment
- changed their names without losing their history
- reframed their story to expand nationally or internationally
- created cohesive visual identities to connect fractured chapters
Nonprofit Branding Guides
To help nonprofits effectively improve their brands, Howard wrote and designed a series of hands-on guides with worksheets on nonprofit branding, including an introduction to the branding process, a guide to various types of research, messaging strategies, organizational naming, and visual identity.
History of Nonprofit Brands
To raise the importance of the role of nonprofits in society, Howard researched, designed, and produced a history of nonprofit brands in the United States from the 1600s to the present. The timeline was displayed at nonprofit conferences.
Public Speaker
He has led workshops on branding, communications, marketing, fundraising, and other topics at nonprofit conferences and venues, including the American School Foundation Alliance, Association of Junior Leagues International, Horizons National Conference, National Council of Nonprofits, NJ/NY Fundraising Conference.
Writer
Howard has written hundreds of pieces of marketing content for emails, brochures, websites, newsletters, and other marketing communications materials. He has written on marketing and branding topics for various nonprofit publications and blogs including BoardSource, B2C Marketing Insider, Candid, Charity Channel, eJewishPhilanthropy, Fundraising Success, GuideStar, NonprofitPRO, Nonprofit Advantage, Ventureneer, and WildApricot.
Award-Winning Designer and Creative Director
Howard focuses on action design to engage audiences. His work has received many awards and has been published in books and magazines, including American Graphic Design:USA awards, American Corporate Identity 11, Trademarks 12, LogoLounge Volume 7, Best of Brochure Design, Best of Business Card Design, Postcard Graphic, and others.
Using Behavioral Science to Drive Fundraising
Seeing a need for the social sector to take advantage of behavioral science principles, Howard created the Actionology Fundraising Action Pack — the first card deck specifically designed to help nonprofits apply the psychology of behavioral economics to fundraising.
Recent Accomplishments
- Handled strategy, fundraising, and marketing that helped one of the country’s largest providers of homeless services to grow from $38 million to $65 million in 3 years.
- Helped launch a new financial certification and business by conducting market viability research, determining pricing, brand, and value proposition strategies, and producing B2B and B2C websites, sales collateral, videos, presentations, and more.
- Launched a farm certification seal for a coalition of farmers, labor unions, food distributors, retailers like Costco, and nonprofits like Oxfam
- Helped the atheist movement to frame their message in an affirmative way to generate positive media coverage for their rally in Washington, DC.
- Developed new names, brands, and websites for national organizations, leading to their growth.
- Raised millions of dollars for organizations through direct mail, email campaigns, peer-to-peer fundraising, and capital campaigns.
Howard’s Story
Recognizing the Need in the Nonprofit Sector
Active in the nonprofit sector from the start, Howard headed the Brooklyn College Chapter of the New York Public Interest Research Group, where he led a letter-writing campaign to increase the percentage of waste recycled in New York City. Also while in college, he developed a program that brought ten environmental organizations together to teach students in the New York City school system about environmental issues.
After participating in a campaign to stem the City University of New York from doubling tuition in one year, Howard saw that causes and nonprofit organizations needed professional communications to help elevate their awareness and galvanize people into action. So, he started one of the first marketing companies dedicated to promoting nonprofits.
Innovating for the Social Sector
Fresh out of college, he made an impact in the sector — his award-winning projects included launching a magazine for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation that helped increase their statewide membership and upgrading the marketing materials for a Jewish Community Center that resulted in the most successful fundraising event in their 50-year history.
During that time, Howard became an expert in environmentally friendly design, 15 years before that trend hit the design community. Putting his expertise into practice, he won a Best in Show Award for Environmental Design, wrote articles on the topic, and moderated a panel discussion to bring the issue to a broader audience.
He is continually moving the nonprofit sector forward. Today, as head of Red Rooster Group, he is helping nonprofits take advantage of digital strategies, data analysis, and AI to engage audiences efficiently.
With a contingent from the New York Council of Nonprofits lobbying on Capitol Hill to increase government funding for the nonprofit sector.
Dedicated to Supporting Nonprofits
Howard has been deeply engaged with the nonprofit sector, and, over the years has volunteered his time and expertise on committees, advocated for the nonprofit sector in Washington, DC, and started groups and resources to help nonprofits. In the 2000s, he:
- produced TechNet events featuring marketing technology speakers
- co-produced Advice-Link events that allowed nonprofits to ask expert consultants about their challenges
- founded the Nonprofit Consultants Dinner to exchange best practices in serving nonprofits.
Howard is dedicated to using design to promote social causes. He has donated over 2,000 hours of professional services to nonprofit organizations independently and as a member of Pro Bono, Inc. and the UJA Federation’s Management Assistance Program.
Howard served on committees and volunteer roles, including Marketing Chair for Governance Matters, the Design Director for the J2J Network, and the Executive Committee for Hazon’s NY Jewish Environmental Bike Ride, for which he was named Person of the Year for his team-building and fundraising results. In 2016, he received the New York Stories in Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Advancing Nonprofits
Today, Howard brings comprehensive analysis and divergent thinking to help nonprofits achieve their objectives. Working with organizational leaders, he helps to assess organizational priorities, identify opportunities, and map strategies for moving ahead.
Bringing left and right-brain thinking together, he has a unique ability to understand an organization’s needs and propose strategies and message framing to engage audiences and drive revenue. He directs his team to deploy various audience targeting strategies, action design principles, and A/B testing methodologies to refine approaches and achieve optimal results.
Howard’s Interests
Promoting Democracy
Having studied political science in college, Howard is politically minded and cares deeply about our democracy and the divides in our country. He is interested in healing the divisiveness and promoting organizations that are fostering dialogue across the aisle, and defending democracy, civil rights, voter engagement, and election integrity. Effective communication strategies can make a difference. See the resources he put together on Bridging the Divide.
Climate Change & the Environment
Since advocating for an NYC recycling bill and being chair of NYPIRG at Brooklyn College, Howard has been passionate about protecting the environment. He has worked to promote organizations and causes throughout his career, including the Environmental Defense Fund, Earth Action, Nature Israel, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and others, promoting energy efficiency, volunteering with New York City’s Tree Count, serving on an executive committee for Hazon, the largest Jewish environmental organization.
Public Health
The ability to positively affect the health of large numbers of people is tremendous when done correctly. However, the right message framing, messenger, and call to action is needed. Having worked with the Fund for Public Health NYC, the National Center for Children in Poverty, and the Annie E Case Foundation, Howard is interested in working with other organizations to use behavioral nudges to improve public health.
Public Speaking Sessions / Podcast Topics
Fuel Your Fundraising with the Actionology Method Using Behavioral Science
Wake Up Your Brand: How to Build Your Brand and Attract Donors
Communication Strategies to Wake Up Your Marketing & Engage Your Audiences
How to Craft an Effective Case for Support
Telling Your Story: Effective Writing Techniques for Nonprofits
Let’s Connect!
Interested in a collaborating on a project or having Howard as a speaker or on your podcast? Reach out.