Grand Haven’s Do More Good brings Cause Camp to West Michigan

Grand Haven resident Bill McKendry has long understood the benefit of using marketing expertise to tell the story of philanthropic endeavors.

He’s the founder and president of Do More Good, a national platform designed to educate nonprofit organizations on the power of branding, marketing, and communications to capture, retain, and grow support for their mission.

The organization will bring its national nonprofit conference, Cause Camp, to West Michigan on May 2-3 following 21 years in Nebraska and online.

The two-day event will take place at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids and will feature marketing, philanthropy, and public sector experts from around the world. 

Bill McKendry, founder and board president of Do More Good

“To me, Grand Rapids is the ‘do more good’ city,”  says McKendry. “It’s recognized globally for its philanthropy and good works. Add to that its vibrant downtown, and we can’t wait to share it with nonprofit leaders from across the country.”

The event is expected to draw more than 500 attendees. The conference will feature keynote and breakout sessions as well as social “excursions” such as an arcade night at Grand Rapids Brewing Company and a “fireside” happy hour on the DeVos Place patio.
 
Cause Camp has been nationally recognized by Forbes as a “must-attend” event for the nonprofit sector and has grown significantly in reputation and attendance since its inception in 2001, despite moving to a virtual-only format in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference provides education in an area that nonprofit leaders often struggle with, says McKendry. 

"One area that is truly under-appreciated by nonprofits is harnessing the power of communications to help them achieve their core objectives," says McKendry. "They understand the need for fundraising, but they under-invest in communications both in terms of execution and training. Fundraising is the 'ground attack' while broader communications is the 'air attack' which helps them create an environment for greater success and growth. This conference will give nonprofits insights, information and ideas from proven, nationally-recognized thought leaders on how and where best to invest their resources to get the support they need to do more good."
 
With just over half the tickets sold, organizers are seeing strong representation from neighboring states such as Indiana and Ohio as well as the western half of the U.S., which is a population center for the Nonprofit Hub audience.

Do More Good and Nonprofit Hub joined forces in 2021.

“One of the best opportunities tied to a conference of this size is the ability to network with peers outside our community and region. It’s exciting to learn what innovations and ideas are taking root in other areas of the country," says Katie Appold, executive director of Do More Good, the parent organization of Cause Camp and Nonprofit Hub.
 
New for Cause Camp 2022 will be a set of half-day intensive workshops on May 2 with two track options.  One option will be “Forwarding Faith,” featuring content tailored for Christian ministries and churches and including speakers from Barna Research, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and Thrivent. The alternative option will be “Prioritizing and Planning, a Practical Marketing Intensive,” led by long-time Marketing Bootcamp instructor Lindsay LaShell.
 
Do More Good founders Bill McKendry and Katie Appold will emcee the general sessions.
 
General session speakers include Dana Snyder of Positive Equation, Farra Trompeter of Big Duck, Masami Sato of B1G1, Skot Welch of Global Bridgebuilders, Chris Hammond of Corporate Giving Connection, and digital wellness guru Mark Ostach.
 
The full lineup of speakers can be viewed at cause.camp/speakers, and tickets can be ordered at cause.camp.