Bruce Burtch Biography
Hailed as the “Father of Cause Marketing” by Engage for Good (formerly the Cause Marketing Forum), Bruce is recognized nationally and internationally as a pioneer and leading expert in cross-sector partnerships and cause marketing. Bruce retired in 2015 from a life-long practice of helping for-profit, nonprofit, education, and government sectors develop strategic partnerships focused on creating a greater good.
In “retirement” and working pro bono, Bruce founded and directs the nonprofit Social Impact Productions and is Board President of the Book Exchange of Marin. He also serves on the Board or Advisory Councils of four nonprofit organizations. Bruce provides webinars, podcasts, and media interviews to communicate the exceptional benefits of cause marketing and cross-sector partnerships.
Recognized as the world’s first cause marketing campaign, in Bruce designed a record-breaking, cross-sector promotional and fundraising campaign in 1975 1975, Bruce designed a record-breaking, cross-sector promotional and fundraising campaign that raised over $2.5 million for the March of Dimes in partnership with Marriott Corporation. He created and directed the unprecedented cause marketing campaign, Prepare Bay Area, for the American Red Cross Bay Area chapter. The campaign trained over 1 million San Francisco Bay Area residents in emergency preparedness. Throughout his career, Bruce has designed highly innovative marketing, public relations, cause marketing, and cross-sector partnership programs that benefit all stakeholders.
Bruce served as public relations director of Cedar Point, Inc., public affairs manager for Marriott Corporation, public relations director for the United States Olympic Committee, VP/general manager of Schulberg Mediaworks, director of marketing and communications for the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, and held a two-year assignment to the President of Xerox Global Services. He founded and served as CEO of The William Bentley Agency, the first integrated marketing agency in California, which provided marketing services for over $2 billion in real estate developments and new product introductions. Bruce founded and served as CEO of Burtch Barone, Inc., which placed its patented products in over 1,200 doors of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave., Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and many other upscale retailers. He founded Bruce W. Burtch, Inc., a cause marketing and cross-sector partnership consulting firm. While an undergraduate at Ohio University, Bruce conceived the degree-granting Honors Tutorial College, which opened in 1972 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in the fall of 2022. In 2026, the Honors Tutorial College renamed its headquarters building to The Burtch House. Bruce also founded three nonprofit organizations. In 2015, Bruce produced, pro bono, San Rafael Rocks, an unprecedented art, film, and music festival to benefit DrawBridge, an arts program for homeless and underserved children. From 2017 through 2022, Bruce founded and produced pro bono the Youth Poster Contest, which created an unprecedented messaging platform allowing middle and high school students to stand up and speak out about issues important to their generation. Bruce is the author of Win-Win for the Greater Good, the highly acclaimed “how-to” guidebook on building cross-sector partnerships, which was called a "must read" by the president of Starbucks Coffee and praised by the CEO of Patagonia, among many others. He was the National Cross-Sector Partnership Writer for Examiner.com, is a speaker at nonprofit and for-profit conferences, and contributes to many regional and national news outlets in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.
The National Association of Community Leadership awarded Bruce the Distinguished Leadership Award for spearheading the development of the Tenderloin After-School Program in San Francisco’s crime-ridden Tenderloin District. For this effort, Bruce received personal letters of congratulations from President Bill Clinton, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Frank Jordan, mayor of San Francisco. For founding the Youth Poster Contest, Bruce received the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the United States Congress, the Certificate of Recognition from the California State Legislature, and other regional honors. Bruce has served on the Board of Directors or Advisory Councils of nineteen nonprofit organizations, including serving as president and board chair of the San Francisco Special Olympics, at the time, the largest Special Olympics chapter in the United States. Currently, Bruce is President of the Board of the Book Exchange of Marin, which annually provides over 25,000 free books to 2,500 middle and high school students from Marin's most under-resourced communities.
Bruce served as public relations director of Cedar Point, Inc., public affairs manager for Marriott Corporation, public relations director for the United States Olympic Committee, VP/general manager of Schulberg Mediaworks, director of marketing and communications for the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, and held a two-year assignment to the President of Xerox Global Services. He founded and served as CEO of The William Bentley Agency, the first integrated marketing agency in California, which provided marketing services for over $2 billion in real estate developments and new product introductions. Bruce founded and served as CEO of Burtch Barone, Inc., which placed its patented products in over 1,200 doors of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave., Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and many other upscale retailers. He founded Bruce W. Burtch, Inc., a cause marketing and cross-sector partnership consulting firm. While an undergraduate at Ohio University, Bruce conceived the degree-granting Honors Tutorial College, which opened in 1972 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in the fall of 2022. In 2026, the Honors Tutorial College renamed its headquarters building to The Burtch House. Bruce also founded three nonprofit organizations. In 2015, Bruce produced, pro bono, San Rafael Rocks, an unprecedented art, film, and music festival to benefit DrawBridge, an arts program for homeless and underserved children. From 2017 through 2022, Bruce founded and produced pro bono the Youth Poster Contest, which created an unprecedented messaging platform allowing middle and high school students to stand up and speak out about issues important to their generation. Bruce is the author of Win-Win for the Greater Good, the highly acclaimed “how-to” guidebook on building cross-sector partnerships, which was called a "must read" by the president of Starbucks Coffee and praised by the CEO of Patagonia, among many others. He was the National Cross-Sector Partnership Writer for Examiner.com, is a speaker at nonprofit and for-profit conferences, and contributes to many regional and national news outlets in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.
The National Association of Community Leadership awarded Bruce the Distinguished Leadership Award for spearheading the development of the Tenderloin After-School Program in San Francisco’s crime-ridden Tenderloin District. For this effort, Bruce received personal letters of congratulations from President Bill Clinton, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Frank Jordan, mayor of San Francisco. For founding the Youth Poster Contest, Bruce received the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the United States Congress, the Certificate of Recognition from the California State Legislature, and other regional honors. Bruce has served on the Board of Directors or Advisory Councils of nineteen nonprofit organizations, including serving as president and board chair of the San Francisco Special Olympics, at the time, the largest Special Olympics chapter in the United States. Currently, Bruce is President of the Board of the Book Exchange of Marin, which annually provides over 25,000 free books to 2,500 middle and high school students from Marin's most under-resourced communities.