Executive Team Member Spotlight - Leah Farmer

Name:               Leah Farmer

Title:                  VP, Creative Director

With more than 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing — as well as deep roots in direct response fundraising — Leah is a natural leader, strategic partner and creative dynamo. She is dedicated to crafting award-winning marketing campaigns that translate powerfully (and beautifully) across both traditional and digital channels, for maximum impact on brands and donors alike.

Getting to Know Leah:

1. Q: How do you like to spend your free time away from the wonderful world of direct response?
   A: Spending time with my family is at the top of my list these days. I’m an avid antique collector and artistic by nature, so I also love a good antique store or classic car show, and working on small creative projects at home.

2. Q: Tell us about a favorite campaign that you’ve worked on.
   A: I have really enjoyed working on the Pups4Patriots and Reunification campaigns for American Humane. Both programs work to benefit the dogs and the people they serve. It’s a unique arm of their mission that I’m proud to be a part of.

3. Q: What do you think is in store for our industry in the future?
   A: Such a hard question! If you ask me tomorrow, my answer will likely be different. Here’s what’s currently ping ponging around in my head. How to leverage AI in a way that enhances what we already do well. Explore methods in which to reach younger donors, especially those who may not yet be financially secure but are passionate and motivated, so they have greater lifetime value beyond their immediate donation. Look to provide more flexible giving options, allowing donors to make a larger gift today without the impact of immediate financial stress, lowering the barrier to give. Diversify revenue and donor streams by exploring alternate fundraising channels that make sense for our clients. I’ve recently also had my lens on peer-to-peer marketing efforts, outside of traditional in-person walk/run events.

4. Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
   A: Time travel

5. Q: What was your dream job as a child?
   A: In all honesty, I wrote a paper in 6th grade about becoming a “commercial artist” and I guess I didn’t land too far from that!

6. Q: If you had to choose a different career path, what would it be?
   A: I love the idea of patternmaking and learning how to adapt my personal work to wallpaper, textiles, and things of that nature.

7. Q:  Tell us about a unique or impactful test that sticks out in your memory.
   A: A client was struggling to maintain their monthly donor base after initial sign up. Donors were dropping off after 2 or less monthly gifts. A new series of welcome emails was recommended to improve donor retention. The test approach was an 8-week triggered email stream to 50% of new monthly donors, with a goal to reduce churn by 2.4%. Creatively, the emails were overhauled, giving them an updated look that aligned closer to the website and gave new donors a true introduction to their brand. In addition, a survey was used in this email series to gain insights on which branches of the mission donors were interested in. Email content was then tailored to donors, based on their individual expressed interests. Ultimately, the test exceeded the goal reduction in churn rate by 3x over, and we were so excited about the results!

8. Q: Fill in the blank: The quickest way to my heart is _____________.
   A: through a shared love of Mexican food.