February 7, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Organization: Special Olympics
Job held by: Terry Richey
Why the job was created: J. Brady Lum, Special Olympics’ president, came to the charity from a 16-year career at Coca-Cola and was surprised at how segregated the nonprofit organization’s fund-raising and marketing functions were, which hampered the effectiveness of both. “Special Olympics is a big brand, just as Coca-Cola is a big brand,” Mr. Lum says. “And just like any big brand, you have to steward it well and realize that everything you do communicates.”
How the organization was able to create the role in tough times: The charity, which organizes athletic competitions for people with intellectual disabilities, made some staff cuts during the recession, but some of those cuts were strategic rather than economic, says Mr. Lum, allowing it to focus on strengthening its fund-raising and communications arms. “The positions you absolutely can’t cut are these kinds of positions,” he says.
Background of the new director: Mr. Richey, 60, came to Special Olympics from Feeding America, the network of hunger-relief charities with headquarters in Chicago, where he served as chief development officer. Before that, he oversaw fund raising and marketing at the Nature Conservancy, in Arlington, Va., and also ran a consulting firm whose clients included General Mills, Hallmark, Kraft, Sara Lee, and Sprint.
Publications: He is the author of The Marketer’s Visual Tool Kit, published by Amacom.
Education: Mr. Richey earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
