In the past years, as more people seek information via the Internet, ABC has made an increasing level of investment in its on-line educational content as well as how ABC communicates with its many members and other stakeholders. In May 2007 ABC started its relationship with Convio, the leading Internet platform for nonprofit organizations, to conduct online fundraising and marketing, provide member benefits, and much more. The member of Convio’s strategy team assigned to ABC and tasked with devising a comprehensive online marketing plan to utilize the Convio platform was Jeremy Pigg. We were so impressed with his skills that when he told us he was leaving Convio, we offered him the opportunity to create a new position here at ABC—Marketing Director. Jeremy has had extensive prior experience in the computer and Internet profession, with experience at such large companies as Gateway computers.

At ABC Jeremy’s job covers a wide range of responsibilities in the areas of marketing and public relations. His scope includes “big picture” marketing and educational activities as well as some of the smaller, nuts-and-bolts communications to ABC members and the public.

Jeremy “builds” various e-mail campaigns to ABC members, as well as to the thousands of registered users who have visited the ABC Web site but not yet become ABC members. He created an e-newsletter that is sent to these non-member registered Web site users to inform them of recent news regarding ABC as well as herbal information of possible interest. Jeremy also created ABC’s HerbEClip, a twice-monthly communication notifying all ABC members when the latest group of 15 HerbClips is posted to the ABC Web site, making access to the latest HerbClips more convenient.

In addition, Jeremy has many other Internet-based marketing functions, including tracking the results of ABC’s e-newsletters (HerbalEGram and HerbEClip), press releases, member advisories, and special fund-raising campaigns. He is also in charge of ABC’s Content Licensing program, in which ABC licenses various databases that comprise ABC’s vast scope of electronic educational information to various government, nonprofit, and commercial Web sites.

As ABC positions itself to provide expanded educational services on herbs and other beneficial plants in the next 20 years, the extensive marketing skills and keen insights that Jeremy offers will become an even more important part of how ABC delivers its educational information to the many different stakeholder groups that benefit from ABC’s nonprofit educational mission.

—Mark Blumenthal