Zephyr James

Background

About Zephyr James

By day, I’m Director of Marketing & Communications. By night, I’m still…Director of Marketing & Communications, because let’s be real—when you’re a one-person department at a $2M nonprofit, you're swapping hats like you're in Cirque du Soleil and it's time to juggle (fun fact: I also do circus arts in my "spare" time). On any given day, I'm a copywriter, designer, social media manager, event promoter, fundraising strategist, and even part-time IT (Google and I have a very special relationship). The truth is, I love it. One of the best feelings in the world is being handed a project I don't entirely know how to do, because that's when I can fall deep into my research brain and add an entirely new skillset to my TARDIS-esque toolbox. As an autistic professional, my work tends to become my special interest. Translation: I will happily devote 110% of my brain space to figuring it out, perfecting it, and making it meaningful. My work doesn’t just sit on the surface—it digs in, translates complexity into clarity, and builds content that sits on a strong foundation. Some things I’ve learned along the way-How to grow a nonprofit's social media reach by over 35% without resorting to posting a single cat meme (despite my absolute adoration of cats)-How to launch and run the Autistic Community Summit, a first-of-its-kind event created by and for autistic people-How to market (and help manage) a conference of 450+ participants without losing my voice, my mind, or my sense of humor-How to write everything from viral clickbait (22 Words) to evidence-based fundraising guides (CauseVox)-How to truly and deeply listen to as many facets of my community as I can possibly reach, and highlight the voices of those who most need my organization's support. At the heart of it all, my job is to make people feel something—connection, joy, understanding. I believe meaning and fun belong together, especially in nonprofit work. If we're not smiling while we're trying to fix the world, then why are we even here?