Bruce Burtch Biography
Hailed as the “Father of Cause Marketing” by the Cause Marketing Forum, Bruce is recognized nationally and internationally as a pioneer and leading expert in the field of 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, he founded and directs the Youth Poster Contest and other social impact endeavors. Beginning in 2017, the Youth Poster Contest provides an unprecedented platform for students to stand up and speak out about important issues. Starting in Marin County, CA, the contest is now expanding across the country.
Recognized as the world’s first cause marketing campaign, in 1976 Bruce designed a record-breaking, cross-sector promotional and fundraising campaign that raised over $2.5 million for the March of Dimes in a 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 special assignment to the President of Xerox Global Services. He founded and was CEO of The William Bentley Agency, the first integrated marketing agency in California, which provided marketing services for over $2 billion of real estate developments and new product introductions. Bruce founded and was CEO of Burtch Barone, Inc., which placed its patented products in over 1,200 doors of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave., Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and many other upscale retailers. He founded Bruce W. Burtch, Inc., a cross-sector partnership consulting firm. While an undergraduate at Ohio University, Bruce conceived the degree-granting college, Honors Tutorial College, which opened in 1972 and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022. 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.
Bruce is the author of Win-Win for the Greater Good, the highly acclaimed “how-to” guidebook on building cross-sector partnerships. He was the National Cross-Sector Partnership Writer for Examiner.com and is a frequent speaker at nonprofit and for-profit conferences, a guest on media talk shows, podcasts, and webinars. He 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 Boards of eighteen 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.
Recognized as the world’s first cause marketing campaign, in 1976 Bruce designed a record-breaking, cross-sector promotional and fundraising campaign that raised over $2.5 million for the March of Dimes in a 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 special assignment to the President of Xerox Global Services. He founded and was CEO of The William Bentley Agency, the first integrated marketing agency in California, which provided marketing services for over $2 billion of real estate developments and new product introductions. Bruce founded and was CEO of Burtch Barone, Inc., which placed its patented products in over 1,200 doors of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave., Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and many other upscale retailers. He founded Bruce W. Burtch, Inc., a cross-sector partnership consulting firm. While an undergraduate at Ohio University, Bruce conceived the degree-granting college, Honors Tutorial College, which opened in 1972 and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022. 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.
Bruce is the author of Win-Win for the Greater Good, the highly acclaimed “how-to” guidebook on building cross-sector partnerships. He was the National Cross-Sector Partnership Writer for Examiner.com and is a frequent speaker at nonprofit and for-profit conferences, a guest on media talk shows, podcasts, and webinars. He 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 Boards of eighteen 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.