Aline Newman is a Campaign Strategist at the AARP Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to create “a country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable.” She was interviewed by Georgetown University Journalism student, Isabella Basco, for our online magazine, The Blur.
Isabella Basco: Please describe your career path and current position.
Aline Newman: My career path began after graduating from St. Louis University, where I graduated with a degree in Marketing and Spanish. I’ve always been really interested in the psychology behind why people make certain choices in what they buy and what they do; so for me, going into marketing research seemed like the most natural fit. I found a really great organization called Ipsos, a global leader in market research. In my work at Ipsos, I managed a lot of client accounts and was fortunate to work with the some of the best branding teams in the country on market research. After doing that for a number of years, I started to get the itch for working on the strategy side of things. I was working in research and measurement and I wanted to apply those findings to the project at hand instead of just passing them off to the client. That’s when I started to think about transitioning from the supplier side to strategy and implementation. I found the Georgetown Public Relations & Corporate Communications program, started the program in 2009 and loved all that it had to offer. After completing the program, I made the jump to nonprofit marketing and communications: I worked at the Catalogue for Philanthropy for three years and now at the AARP Foundation.
IB: What has AARP Foundation been like so far?
AN: AARP Foundation is the charitable affiliate of AARP. My role as a Campaign Strategist is to develop and implement the Foundation’s content and communications strategy in support of their programs and objectives. The goal of the Foundation is really to eliminate poverty, particularly among adults 50 & older. It means a lot to me to know that’s my job at the end of the day. Everything I am doing rolls up to that overall objective.
IB: What is your proudest career accomplishment?
AN: I think my proudest career accomplishment is when I was working at the Catalogue for Philanthropy. I was their first Director of Marketing. As the first person in the role, it was an honor to give them a marketing foundation and see the foundation reap the rewards of getting their name out in the community on a greater level.
IB: What skills are necessary to work in nonprofit marketing and communications?
AN: Certainly, being open to learning and collaboration is important. The non-profit, government and private sectors can all learn from each other.
IB: What tips do you have for students who want to work in communications?
AN: Something I recommend is to never stop learning and definitely grow your network. By learning, I mean talking to your friends who work in different fields and learning what they are doing. I think reading books, listening to podcasts, and doing things outside your comfort zone are important because you never know where the next big idea will come from; so having an openness and willingness to learn is really important.
IB: You mentioned analytics being the backbone of marketing. What else is important to work in communications?
AN: Writing is definitely important because you have to express yourself. But being able to step into the audience’s perspective is also vital. A key tenet in communications is to “know your audience.” If you don’t create something that’s relevant, unique and needed to your audience, then it’s tough to see that be successful. It is also important to have an understanding of the value of measurement and analytics, particularly in the nonprofit sector. We are being looked at with a much closer eye than ever before and people want to make sure the work we are doing has a measurable impact.
IB: What are the biggest takeaways you got from the Georgetown program?
AN: I think the biggest takeaway I got from the Georgetown Program is the communications rubric that they give students when creating a communications strategy. It is still something I consult to this day on a regular basis. It’s something that is evergreen and a really smart way to approach communications strategy. That is so valuable, so I encourage students to not lose sight of where that is when they are done with the program.
IB: Thank you, Aline!