As the founder and CEO of Universal Events Inc., Harmony Vallejo has built her company from the ground up, believing that Nonprofits need marketing representation, too. She created Universal Events, Inc. in order to offer her professional expertise to the charities and foundations that do so much for the greater good.
A seasoned professional with a career spanning more than two decades, and a self-styled “mompreneur”, Harmony Vallejo balances her role as an upstart marketing agency executive with being a caring, attentive, and present mother to her children.
Q: Do you think that being a mom affected your choice to represent Nonprofits and charities who work with a lot of issues affecting children and youth?
Harmony Vallejo: While I wasn’t yet a mother when I first had the idea for Universal Events, I knew I would be one someday, and the idea of handing down a better world to future generations was definitely on my mind. I vividly remember thinking to myself that there are so many organizations making the world a better place to live. They’re out there doing the important work of planting trees, feeding hungry people, and advocating for peace, but they get precious little in the way of publicity. They need marketing services just as much—if not more—than typical, for-profit companies.
Q: What are the major differences between marketing clients who are for-profit companies and clients who are non-profit organizations?
Harmony Vallejo: For starters, the client goals are different. With for-profit companies, the central marketing goal is to create awareness about a product or service in order to boost sales. This is accomplished by appealing to people’s wants or needs. But for Nonprofits, the goal is to create awareness about their cause in order to boost donations. For this, you’re appealing to people’s sense of decency, empathy, or compassion, which can actually be much more difficult. For example, you can’t just create a campaign telling people to give their money to x or y charity, because the motive doesn’t pre-exist within them. You have to give them a reason. You have to tell them a story. You have to kindle the motivation in the audience in a way you don’t have to with a tasty slice of pizza.
Q: What current marketing trends do you think are the most relevant for nonprofits?
Harmony Vallejo: Nonprofits need to solidify their presence online. In the last decade or so, as for-profit companies have migrated their marketing efforts to the digital realm, many charities have lagged behind. There’s a bit more inertia I’d say for Nonprofits when it comes to adapting to social media and digital trends. They need to catch up in that respect.
Q: How do you stay motivated and inspired in your work?
Harmony Vallejo: For me, that part is easy. The clients themselves and the incredible work they’re doing provide all the inspiration I need. They work to improve people’s lives and make society better and ask very little in return—what could be more inspiring than that? The fact that I get to be a part of it, even in a small sense, gives me ample motivation to do my job well and to make our company as strong as it can be.
Q: What is one important lesson you’ve learned during the course of your career?
Harmony Vallejo: The lesson I’ve learned that has ultimately done me the most good is this: never stop learning lessons!
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