Our thought leadership

 

Brigitte C. Mertling

Principal

ImageScript Communications & Marketing Inc.

 

Ms. Mertling has broad experience in philanthropy, fund raising and major gifts. In her professional accomplishments over a period of more than 20 years, she has planned and implemented a wide variety of fund raising programs, fund raising marketing and communications campaigns, advocacy campaigns, corporate and product image campaigns, and other marketing initiatives. She has worked with over 300 organizations during the course of her career.

Ms. Mertling began serving Canada’s philanthropic milieu when she joined Ketchum Canada, one of the country’s largest fund raising consulting firms, as its head of Communications & Marketing. She established the firm’s fund raising marketing and communications practice and helped to build Ketchum’s business base and its brand in Canada. Over many years she served as the firm’s practice leader in this key field, while personally counselling a wide range of institutions and organizations from coast to coast, in both official languages. In the process, Ms. Mertling pioneered the approach to Case for Support strategy/development and capital campaign marketing in Canada, and she is still widely considered a thought leader in this area.

In her most senior role as Vice President, Communications & Marketing, Ms. Mertling assisted Ketchum and its clients in all sectors in the development of: planning studies and audits, major gifts programs, Case for Support and Case Statements, fund raising branding programs, and campaign marketing and communications. She also specialized in providing strategic fund raising counsel to organizations in the preparatory stages of campaign planning.

As a corporate communications consultant, Ms. Mertling has held consulting positions with several leading Canadian public affairs, communications and advertising agencies. She also served in government and political affairs, acting as the Communications Advisor to a senior Cabinet Minister in the Government of Ontario, and as a government relations and communications consultant.

In her current role as Principal and Lead for ImageScript Communications & Marketing Inc., Ms. Mertling provides hands on leadership, strategic counselling and execution services. Based in Toronto, ImageScript focuses on developing high-impact, integrated philanthropy strategies and programs exclusively for institutions and organizations in the not-for-profit sector. Among ImageScript’s core competencies are Major Gifts, Building a Culture of Philanthropy, Transitioning to a Major Gifts Fund Raising Model, Case for Support and Case Statement planning and development, Major Gifts proposal development, Capital and Major Gift Campaign positioning/messaging,  and fund raising strategic planning and marketing.

Ms. Mertling holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto. She has also studied photography at the Ontario College of Art & Design, and Journalism at Ryerson. Considered by many to be a gifted writer and photographer, Ms. Mertling is active in her professional community. She also speaks and writes on the topics of fund raising, Major Gifts, Building a Culture of Philanthropy, the  fund raising Case for Support, how to engage top donors, and fund raising marketing and communications.