Missions to Movements

Apply for the Values in Action Award - $100k in Marketing Services with Marivi Bryant

• Dana Snyder • Episode 204

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The Values in Action Award from Home Agency is opening the door for organizations to transform their storytelling and digital presence in a big way, and ONE lucky nonprofit will win $100,000 in marketing services!

Marivi Bryant spent nearly 25 years of her life leading campaigns for major brands like JetBlue, New Balance, The NASCAR Foundation, and the Phoenix Suns. Today, as the founder of Home Agency, she brings a powerhouse perspective on marketing that blends sports, corporate, and nonprofit lessons.

In this episode, Marivi shares how growing up in competitive environments taught her discipline, resilience, and strategy, why marketing is often nonprofits’ biggest need and biggest gap, how this award can break the “hamster wheel” of underfunded storytelling, and what practical steps organizations can take to build stronger brands and lasting donor trust.

P.S. Applications for the Values in Action Award are open until October 15th, with the winner to be announced on Giving Tuesday. Apply today!

Resources & Links

Connect with Marivi on LinkedIn and learn more about Home Agency on their website and on Instagram.

This show is brought to you by GivingTuesday! GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement that started in 2012 with a simple idea: a day to do good.

This year, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, join the conversation: share your favorite nonprofit’s campaign, volunteer for a cause you care about, share an act of kindness, or encourage your audience to do the same.

Use #GivingTuesday, tag @GivingTuesday, and visit GivingTuesday.org/Participate to get involved and inspire others!

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Speaker 1:

Today's guest knows what it takes to stand out in a crowded competitive space, from the tennis court to NASCAR and now the nonprofit world.

Speaker 1:

Morivi Bryant is the founder and president of Home Agency, a full service, boutique creative agency helping organizations all across the country amplify their your impact through smarter, more human-centered marketing strategies. She comes with nearly 25 years of experience leading partnerships and campaigns for brands like JetBlue, New Balance, Bojangles, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, the NASCAR Foundation, the Phoenix Suns. Can we talk about a wealth of knowledge coming to our space? Originally from Venezuela, she's also a very proud advocate for the arts and nonprofits, and so in this conversation we talk about personal branding, thought leadership and the game-changing $100,000 Values in Action Award. This is $100,000 that her agency is going to provide in marketing services starting in 2026. And you have the chance to apply. Huge opportunity for an organization to really level up its marketing and storytelling. So in this episode, you are going to hear how to apply for this award, walk away with some practical strategies and a fresh perspective on how to really thrive in today's little bit noisy fundraising environment.

Speaker 2:

Marketing is the number one need for a lot of these nonprofits, but yet it's also what they can afford and they bypass and they can't do. They're having a hard time telling a story and it becomes this hamster wheel of I need marketing to show my story and get myself better so I can get more funding, but I don't have funding to get the marketing in the first place. So we feel that whoever is chosen for the Values in Action Award can really utilize this to, whether it's to improve their website, update their messaging, even something as simple as their look and feel, their color palette, their digital assets, anything to help them tell that story.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I'm already fascinated to have this conversation with you, mariva. Your journey has started. I'm just going to give people a little snippet of your background Division one tennis player we were already talking about our Sarasota, florida, love for Siesta Key and being down there and playing Quickly moved into sports marketing. You worked with the Phoenix Suns and NASCAR. I also spent a lot of time back in my for-profit days down in Charlotte visiting the NASCAR offices. What do you think I know? Wow, it's like I feel like I've lived four different lives. What in those different environments? Sports can often be very high pressure, especially during live event situations, very competitive environments, yourself being kind of a solo player. What did it teach you about leadership and marketing Because I love talking about marketing on here that you bring now into your world working with nonprofits.

Speaker 2:

It was no accident that you know, being a student athlete, the first option I chose for work was working in sports. It's almost like my mind didn't understand what option I chose for work was working in sports. It's almost like my mind didn't understand what else I would do but to go in sports. And you're right, it's fast-paced, it's high pressure, lots of competition, performance is everything. But it really did help me think strategically, act more decisively and thrive under pressure. It kind of teaches you also the importance of discipline and resilience and focus.

Speaker 2:

And what happens with how this kind of relates to nonprofits is that there's a level of rigor and business acumen that the sports and corporate entities I think kind of teaches you that when you go into the nonprofit space it just allows you to be decisive. It allows you to make cutthroat decisions if you need to, because ultimately, while you're still nonprofit, you do want to raise funds to continue to support this mission. So this has really helped kind of manage resources wisely, drive better results, working in turning these nonprofit executives into amazing business leaders. So there was a lot of relation between the two and I think there was a huge of relation between the two and I think there was a huge benefit in growing up in that kind of cutthroat environment.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I want to talk about, like you, getting there, and so you've been really candid. I've read some other interviews that you've done, realizing that results aren't everything, yeah, and that people at the core really matter the most, and that is, of course, very human, centered to everything that nonprofits do. And one thing that I loved is that you shared that you worked with an executive coach. This is something that I have also done and it was a complete shift in how I thought and it's actually something that I'm thinking about doing again now and I really think you should probably consistently have. That has changed your approach to leadership. How did all that play into creating now the home agency which congratulations, because it's still like brand new and making the decision this is like a multi-tiered question and deciding to work with really mission-driven organizations. So I guess the standpoint, the first part of working with an executive coach how did that shift and evolve the nature of what you wanted to do that led you to running this agency?

Speaker 2:

So you know, it was really humbling and got a little bit of a slap in the face. I was very young, I was a very young manager and I had received some negative feedback from my team that I was too harsh on deadlines and focused on deliveries. And what happens is that you know, when you grow up an athlete or when you're an environment, even just in business, you want to produce results. You are judged by results, by numbers, and so results kind of end up being what you're focused on. So because I had built that great relationship with this team, I was under the assumption that they knew that I cared.

Speaker 1:

Right, it was just a simple of course I care about you.

Speaker 2:

Of course, that is. That goes without saying. But because my external persona was all about results, results, results, it really did not come off as I care about the team and it was a really, really harsh feedback to receive because I was blindsided by this behavior. I kept focusing on demanding and where's the deadline, where's the proposal? And what happened is that, between both motherhood and going through this coach and really focuses on the people, results will come. So what happens is rather than hey, where's my deadline? Hey, where's the proposal? Hey, I do deliver such and such. It became more about putting trust in the team and allowing them to deliver on their own and come to me when needed. So what happens? I stop asking, and instead it was hey, marivi, I would love your POV on this proposal.

Speaker 2:

Hey, marivi, what do you think about da-da-da-da-da. And it became more engaging in our ability kind of just to work together and I'm still working on that with my kids. Right, it's when your kids are leaving a mess in the house, the easiest thing you want to do is just tell them to pick it up and hurry up and get it done. But if you work with them and you collaborate with them and you trust them, then all of a sudden the rooms are starting to look clean without you having to. So it was a big shift and it's really really changed the way that I interact with people, how the teams perform. It was hard. Feedback it was hard feedback.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, how did you turn that into? Okay, I'm going to leave this corporate environment, I'm going to create this agency and I specifically now want to work in the nonprofit sector with mission-driven orgs.

Speaker 2:

So I've always had a soft spot for community engagement for nonprofits. It started since I was on marketing teams and collaborating with community relations and the transition as I moved over to the NASCAR Foundation and all of my board service and volunteering. Honestly, when we decided to build home, I wanted to work with an organization that I care about. I wanted to work for causes that matter and I wanted to work with an organization that I care about. I wanted to work for causes that matter and I wanted to work with cool people and knowing that nonprofits are people centric our organization is people centric it really just makes for a very natural connection between our agency and the nonprofits that we work with. We care about the people and that we know the results will come. Work with we care about the people and that we know the results will come.

Speaker 2:

My husband will hear me say this and he'll think I'm crazy but I don't care about the money. I don't worry about the money. Right Money will come. We will be successful, we will have better clients, we will grow, but if we focus on people and missions, we know that the money will come later if that makes sense.

Speaker 1:

I love that. What have you taken from the work that you used to do and that you're implementing now, like, what are the core competencies of the agency that you're running of home?

Speaker 2:

Living our values. So that is a huge reason why we launched the Values in Action Award, because we wanted to not be the agency that says that they do that, they do, we do this, we care about people, whatever. But we wanted to actually walk the walk, and that's how the Values in Action came about and our PR team came up with that great name Values in Action. We have all these funny names for it and all these different things, and it just seems so simple to call it the Values in Action, because it is our way of saying that we are giving back. We truly are giving back. We're not just saying that we're going to, we want to, we want to support them. We're already involved in our local communities and this is just a way to actually put it into action.

Speaker 1:

Yes, okay, which you just teed it up perfectly. I want to go in depth onto this. Okay, before I announce it, just give people like a taste of what is your favorite part of the work that you get to do at home, and then I'm going to we're going to go into what the award is.

Speaker 2:

Oh gosh, I mean and I post about this on my Instagram all the time is you know, when I have a meeting at a local museum, or I have a meeting in a performing arts venue, and that's work, right, I go into work and I'm behind the scenes, or I get to see the latest collection, and that's work, yeah.

Speaker 1:

You're like that's right, that's amazing. Okay, so I love highlighting any organization that is really innovative, bringing fresh ideas into the marketing landscape of what we do. So Values in Action Award is $100,000 in marketing services for a nonprofit serving its community. You talked a little bit about the why behind this. What kind of nonprofit can you imagine will really benefit the most from this support and what could it entail? Like? When I say marketing services like unpack that for me.

Speaker 2:

We feel $100,000 in marketing services can really go a long way and it really will depend on what the organization is lacking or needed to do. So to answer your first question about who benefit the most, I don't want to be biased right. We all know that nonprofits are getting cut from both federal and state funding all across the board. We know that arts organizations are suffering the most. I would love to see perhaps an arts organization, but I don't want to alienate the rest of the great nonprofits that are already applying. We know from many, many research that marketing is the number one need for a lot of these nonprofits.

Speaker 2:

But yet it's also what they can afford and they bypass and they can do. They're having a hard time telling a story and it becomes this hamster wheel of I need marketing to show my story and get myself better so I can get more funding, but I don't have funding to get the marketing in the first place. So we feel that whoever is chosen for the Values in Action Award can really utilize this to, whether it's to improve their website, update their messaging, even something as simple as their look and feel, their color palette, their digital assets, anything to help them tell that story.

Speaker 1:

Okay, beautiful. Can you explain the process like applying when's a cutoff date, the whole thing?

Speaker 2:

Absolutely so. Applications are live now and you can apply on the website at wearehomeagencycom slash values and action award. They are live now. It's a really short application. You have to be a nonprofit in good standing. There's three or four questions, just standard questions about your current status, your mission, what you do, your pitch, what do you need from a marketing perspective. So we're collecting applications now. The deadline is October 15th. We will choose the winners and interview the finalists sometime in November and we will announce the winner on Giving Tuesday, which is December 2nd this year.

Speaker 1:

So fun to celebrate. So, everyone, you have a couple of weeks to get in your applications for this and I love that you call it on your website home agency. It's your marketing happy place, so good. What have you found in all of your time working at agencies and marketing? Do you have a really great story of just when marketing has made like a splash, like an impact, like one of your favorites?

Speaker 2:

So many times when you think about an organization, whether it's a nonprofit or a corporation, even if they're in the marketing department, their jobs are so cumbersome there's operations, there's finances, there's all these things, and half the time it's only just a little bit of marketing that they're doing. But when they get to meet with their agency we like to think of, that's like their happy place. That's their one hour a week during our status, where they don't have to worry about operations, don't have to worry about weird stuff going on in the organization and they're just focusing on the fun. So that has always been a lot of joy is being on the other side, right as an agency, and meeting with all these companies, whether it's nonprofits or for-profit organizations, knowing that meeting with the marketing agency is a happy place because they get to relax and talk about fun stuff.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about this is a fantastic opportunity. I truly hope, listener, if marketing is something that you need, that you will go to the website you will apply for this award, that you will check it out. Let's just say nonprofit wins the award on Giving Tuesday. Where do you start with them? Walk us through, how do you help them? We talked about storytelling. How do you help them prioritize their storytelling? Is this digital tools? Is it partnerships, so that after 100K in services is complete, they can be like whoa, like that drastically moved the needle for us, that drastically changed something.

Speaker 2:

I think the way and it's funny because we gotta think through the process once we choose the winner. But the first thing we would do is we would have this kind of discovery workshop with them to really just understand where the lack is. Maybe they have a beautiful brand new website, but everything else is kind of falling apart. Maybe they need content strategy. Maybe they need us to upload all of their brand guidelines and assets to Canva so they can create their content better, because one of the things that we know is that once we're done with this organization, they can't necessarily afford to keep us on, to continue throughout, and that's okay. So we want to arm them with the resources they need so they can be self-sufficient. So I envision that there's going to be some sort of overarching marketing strategy for the. You know, maybe one to three years.

Speaker 2:

I envision that there'll be some kind of content strategy and content planning for them with all of their channels, whether it's the things that they own, like email, website and their organic socials. I envision that we would do some kind of brand uplift, both maybe messaging and look and feel. That's what I assume that would happen. Maybe some email marketing, some journeys I think that that could be also helpful. We are a certified HubSpot partner and we work with HubSpot for nonprofits, so that's a nice way to use their CRM for not just a CRM, but to build those journeys from an email perspective have different touch points. I think there's a lot that can be done. So it starts with that discovery meeting where we really just try to understand their biggest pain points and try to give them almost like a roadmap that they can follow right.

Speaker 2:

So here's all the things we're gonna do for you and here's how we're gonna leave you, so that you can execute on your own once we're gone.

Speaker 1:

Yes, which is so helpful. I think it's the worst when you're like I just want anyone to be fully prepared and to be able to say okay, how do we maximize the use of this so that at the very end it's like we've accomplished a bunch, but that we feel really prepared and confident to be able to take things on ourselves afterwards if they can't continue to work with you in some way? We are in October, just starting October, and you have over 25 years of marketing experience. You've seen lots of different campaigns, you've put on lots of ones?

Speaker 2:

Did I start last week? I don't understand.

Speaker 1:

I feel you. My husband just told me he's like your 21st birthday and I was like, oh thanks, this is the busiest season, as we know, for organizations. There's a lot of marketing channels. I mean you just listed a bunch. What is one piece of advice that you would give to organizations right now who might be feeling which? I think we might feel this way all the time, but overwhelmed to capture attention of donors and dollars in this moment, like with a marketing lens? What would be some advice or suggestions?

Speaker 2:

Honestly, it's to find a way to tell the story. Whatever the story that you have, whatever your mission is, find a way to tell it. So if you are an organization that has a lot of great visuals, so again maybe an arts organization or somewhere where you can have a lot of just good, good visuals and good connection showcasing that just show pictures, show images, tell the stories of what your organization is doing. If, for some reason, you're an organization where visuals aren't necessarily what you want to be showcasing, then find other ways to verbally tell the story. Is it through testimonials what you want?

Speaker 2:

to be showcasing then find other ways to verbally tell the story. Is it through testimonials, is it through experiences, is it through results? So when a nonprofit doesn't have a lot of resources, you can use the organic resources that you have available. You have emails, you have your email list, you have organic social. Use those stories and tell those stories, because that's what's going to matter. Your funders are going to want to know the stories. They're going to matter. Your funders are going to want to know the stories. They're going to know where the money's going right. All the potential donors are also going to want to know. So I would just say that you have to tell the story.

Speaker 1:

I love that. We just went through in my last mastermind our intensive copywriting call with my copywriter, caroline, shout out to her and we were working through editing all of their four-part email welcome journeys. So once somebody becomes a monthly donor, over the course of the first month they get four emails welcoming to the monthly giving program and one of the emails is meant to be sent from the founder or the executive director or somebody in a leadership position, really tying and introducing themselves to a personal moment relating to the mission. And in every single one, when we're going through, we ask everyone to go deeper, to be more descriptive to.

Speaker 1:

I love what Caroline said. She said to touch on the five senses. Okay, can somebody like, see, hear, smell, like in the body of the email? So how can you make somebody feel the story, see the story, smell the story?

Speaker 1:

Through your descriptive words, especially if you can't use visuals and it's just really adding in that storytelling copy, more so when you're talking to a friend, I think oftentimes and listener, look at any of your email journeys right now that are planning to go out and if they feel generic or plain or too full of jargon and it doesn't feel like a person talking to a person.

Speaker 1:

Go back, I know Is there a little bit more of you that you can be vulnerable with that. You can add a little bit more of like your personal story into why you do this. Because the trust is happening with you as a person and so that's always at just very top of mind, because we just came out of this session is to really look at your emails and how you can add like five senses. This could be even something that you plug into ChatGPT is like plug in the email you have right now and then ask it hey, tap into, make this, use the five senses for somebody to I always call them mind movies, be able to visualize what I'm saying. So I love that storytelling and just being really thoughtful into all the pieces that you're putting out.

Speaker 2:

What it really comes down to is authenticity, and that really ties back to your question even of you know, favorite marketing campaigns or anything like that. I'm such a Johnny come lately I can't even think of my favorite Superbowl commercial from last year, right. But what I do know is that when you like something and you connect with something is because it's authentic. But it's so hard to be authentic sometimes because I think we hold so much shame in so many ways and there's such imposter syndrome that we hold and shame and maybe fear of saying the wrong thing that it doesn't allow us to get the story across in the authentic way that we're supposed to. That happens all the time. It happens with us. I had a meeting with our content creator and she's telling me all these things she needs from me for these interviews and things and I'm just the concept of me either filming myself or telling a story about myself or talking about myself is so uncomfortable.

Speaker 2:

But, if we don't do that, if we don't toot our own horn, who else is going to do it? So, as a nonprofit, if you're not telling that story and talking about the successes, nobody else is going to do it for you. That's right. We just have to let go of that shame and really be authentic in the stories that we tell. And being authentic is not something planned, it's just like kind of letting go and being yourself. Yeah totally as a person in an organization you know.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I love that. So good, so good. I want to just tell everyone again. Values in Action Award the link is in the show notes $100,000 in marketing services that will start in 2026. The winner will be announced on Giving Tuesday. Anything else that you want to share before we wrap?

Speaker 2:

I just wish, I want all these organizations to keep telling their stories, share some pictures, share some stories, some testimonials, and just don't be afraid to ask for help either, you know.

Speaker 1:

So, yes, that's right, amazing, okay. Where can everyone connect with you? Where can they learn more about home?

Speaker 2:

Oh great, you can go to our website, wearehomeagencycom. Or you can find me on LinkedIn under Marie V Bryant, on Instagram, wearehomeagency as well. So yeah.

Speaker 1:

Brilliant, amazing. Thank you so much for your time and your talent and coming on here, and I can't wait to hear who the winner is on Giving Tuesday. So keep me posted, thank you. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode of Missions to Movements. If you enjoyed our conversation and found it helpful, I would love for you to take a moment to leave a review. Wherever you're listening. Your feedback helps us reach more change makers like you and continue bringing impactful stories and strategies to the show. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button too, so you'll never miss an episode, and until next time, keep turning your mission into a movement.

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Dana Snyder

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