Let’s work together to leave our world better than we found it
Social-change nonprofits partner with me when they need a senior-level strategist who is a better fit for their size and budget than a traditional communications firm
Strategic Communications Services for Nonprofits
Brand & Message
Change starts with telling a clear story
Audience research to inform your brand
Articulating your brand attributes
Naming
Developing a message platform
Strategy & Planning
Picking the most effective path to creating change
Strategy for initiatives or campaigns
Project management for launches
Media relations strategy
Crisis planning
Content
Repeating your message across platforms and formats
Developing impact stories
Blogs, op-eds & speeches
Video and visual direction
Writing for the web & print
Social media strategy & content
Capacity-Building
Support your team’s ability to create change
Training messengers/spokespeople
Staff coaching or training
Building a communications department
Temporary project staffing
“Tamara is a pro. She provided an incredibly well-refined process to help our team discover and articulate our brand identity. She helped us see things that we couldn't and, almost like a well-trained therapist, helped us reconcile competing ideas and values. The best part? She made the entire process really fun. She genuinely enjoys learning about who you are and what you need, taking the time to do things right, not just get them done.”
— Cristin Quealy, Substantial
About Tamara
For nearly 20 years, I’ve helped social-change nonprofits leave this world better than we found it. Social change is in my blood: my grandma went door to door in her small Filipino town to promote family planning long before it was considered acceptable.
Previously, I was a vice president at Fenton and senior advisor with Wonder: Strategies for Good, both leading communications firms serving social-change organizations. I have also served in-house with The San Francisco Foundation, ACLU of San Diego and NARAL Pro-Choice California.
I’m the author of Awesome Supervisory Skills: Seven Lessons for Young, First-Time Managers and traveled and worked remotely by van before #vanlife was a thing. A San Francisco Bay Area native, I am also a certified nature and forest therapy guide, guiding mindful experiences that connect people with nature. I’m most often spotted cycling and lawn bowling in Santa Barbara, California with my husband Chris and dog Nina.
Some Groups I’ve Worked With
ACLU of California
Alder Graduate School of Education
Alive & Free
Authors Alliance
California Health Care Foundation
Center for Youth Wellness
Colorado Health Foundation
Cure Violence
HomeRise
International Trans Fund
James Irvine Foundation
Kresge Foundation
New Beginnings Counseling Center
New Left Accelerator
Oakland Lacrosse Club
Partnership for Children & Youth
Playworks
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Substantial
Ten Strands
The California Wellness Foundation
UIC Center for Clinical & Translational Sciences
Issues of Interest
Health &
Well-Being
Diversity & Inclusion in the Outdoors
Car-Free Transportation
Parks & Open Space
Contact
Is your organization looking for strategic communications support? Send me a message and we can talk about your project.
There’s no obligation and I’m always happy to point you in the right direction if I’m not in a position to help.