About Josh Weaver
Where strategic marketing meets social impact. Josh brings together brand strategy, narrative craft, and operational excellence to create campaigns that drive meaningful change.
Led teams executing tens of millions in charitable revenue
Seasoned experience in purpose-driven marketing
Increased brand awareness for leading nonprofit in one year
The Strategist Who Bridges Two Worlds
Josh Weaver didn't set out to revolutionize nonprofit marketing. They started in the glossy world of luxury brands, crafting campaigns for Chanel and directing multi-million dollar strategies at VICE Media Group. But somewhere between increasing purchase intent by 23% for French fragrances and building cultural bridges for Millennial consumers, Josh discovered something profound: the most powerful marketing doesn't just sell products—it transforms lives.
Today, Josh stands at the intersection of strategic brilliance and social impact, having spent 14+ years proving that purpose-driven marketing isn't just morally imperative—it's incredibly effective. As an award-winning marketing strategist, Josh has led teams responsible for executing campaigns tallying over $60 million in charitable revenue and increased brand awareness by 40% for the world's largest LGBTQ+ youth organization in one year.
As a nonbinary, proudly Black marketing leader, Josh brings both lived experience and strategic expertise to every campaign, understanding that the most effective marketing for social change requires cultural competency, authentic representation, and an unwavering commitment to both accountability and results.
The Foundation: Early Lessons in Cultural Intelligence
Josh's journey began with a simple recognition: great marketing isn't about pushing products—it's about understanding people. Growing up navigating multiple identities and communities, Josh developed an intuitive understanding of how different audiences process information, build trust, and make decisions. This cultural intelligence would become the foundation of their entire strategic approach.
Early in their career, Josh recognized that traditional marketing frameworks often failed to account for the nuanced ways different communities communicate, celebrate, and cope with challenges. They began developing what would later become known as "the Josh Weaver Method"—a systematic approach to understanding not just what audiences think, but how they feel, what they fear, and what they hope for.
From Luxury to Life-Saving: The VICE Media Foundation
Josh's journey began in the fast-paced world of luxury brand marketing as Director of Media at VICE Media Group, where they learned to decode cultural signals and translate them into compelling brand narratives. Leading a multi-city team of strategists, Josh orchestrated campaigns that didn't just reach audiences—they moved them.
The Chanel Breakthrough: When Luxury Meets Purpose
The breakthrough moment came with a campaign for Chanel Fragrances. The challenge? Connecting a heritage luxury brand with female Millennials across multiple markets. Josh's solution combined cultural intelligence with strategic positioning, developing messaging that honored Chanel's heritage while speaking to contemporary values around self-expression and empowerment.
The campaign resulted in a 23% increase in brand purchase intent among the target demographic—but more importantly, it validated Josh's core philosophy that authentic cultural connection drives better business results than superficial demographic targeting.
The Philosophy of Prevention Over Intervention
Before joining The Trevor Project, Josh spent considerable time researching crisis intervention approaches across different sectors. What they discovered challenged conventional nonprofit wisdom: most organizations focused their resources on responding to crises rather than preventing them from occurring in the first place.
Josh developed what would become their signature philosophy: Prevention Over Intervention. This approach recognizes that building protective relationships and affirming communities before crisis moments occur is far more effective—and more humane—than waiting to respond when people are already in distress.
From a strategic perspective, prevention-focused approaches allow organizations to build deeper, more sustained relationships with their communities. From a moral perspective, Josh believed that communities deserved better than organizations that waited for them to reach crisis before offering support.
The Trevor Project Transformation: When Strategy Saves Lives
In 2019, Josh joined The Trevor Project as Vice President of Marketing, bringing their luxury brand expertise to the world's largest LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention organization. What they found was an organization with a life-saving mission but a strategy stuck in crisis mode.
Josh saw the opportunity to apply everything they'd learned about brand positioning, cultural intelligence, and strategic storytelling to literally save lives. They developed their revolutionary philosophy: prevention over intervention. Instead of waiting for young people to reach crisis, why not build relationships and affirm LGBTQ+ youth before they ever needed crisis support?
The "Cool, Yet Anchored Sister" Positioning
One of Josh's most innovative strategic decisions was positioning The Trevor Project as young people's "cool, yet anchored sister"—someone to trust, celebrate with, and confide in during critical moments. This positioning required careful balance: maintaining authority and reliability while becoming more approachable and joy-focused.
40% increase in brand awareness among core audiences within 12 months
80+ brand partnerships with corporations including Google, Microsoft, and Delta
$60MM+ in charitable revenue through innovative cause-marketing partnerships
AdWeek's 2021 Brand Save Award for impactful corporate collaborations
The Josh Weaver Method: Strategic Marketing with Soul
What sets Josh apart isn't just their impressive track record—it's their methodology. Josh has developed a comprehensive strategic framework that bridges the gap between profit-driven marketing and purpose-driven impact:
Josh begins every strategy with deep cultural research, understanding not just what audiences think, but how they feel, what they fear, and what they hope for.
Combining quantitative analysis with empathetic storytelling, Josh transforms complex organizational missions into compelling narratives.
Josh excels at identifying synergistic partnerships between diverse organizations—from global corporations to grassroots nonprofits.
Josh developed frameworks that measure relationship-building and prevention outcomes, proving proactive engagement drives better results.
Personal Values: The Foundation of Professional Excellence
Josh's professional success is built on personal values that inform every strategic decision and partnership opportunity. Understanding these values provides insight into why Josh's approach consistently delivers both measurable results and meaningful impact.
Authenticity Over Performance
Josh believes that authentic representation consistently outperforms performative inclusion, building genuine relationships over superficial diversity initiatives.
Collaboration Over Competition
Josh's leadership style emphasizes collaboration and shared success rather than individual achievement.
Long-term Impact
Josh consistently prioritizes strategies that build sustainable impact over tactics that deliver quick results.
Accountability and Transparency
Josh believes effective marketing for social change requires radical accountability and feedback systems.
Thought Leadership: Shaping the Future of Purpose-Driven Marketing
Josh's innovative approach has earned recognition from industry leaders and advocacy organizations alike. They regularly speak at marketing conferences, LGBTQ+ professional events, and nonprofit leadership summits, sharing insights on authentic brand messaging, crisis communication strategy, and measuring social impact through marketing.
"Inclusive Marketing Strategies for Gen Z Brands That Win"
Josh reveals why Gen Z demands authenticity over performance, providing actionable strategies for building trust and cultural connection with younger audiences who can immediately detect performative inclusion.
"Balancing AI and Brand Integrity in Modern Marketing"
Exploring how to leverage AI efficiency while maintaining authentic, human-centered brand voice and inclusive messaging that effective purpose-driven marketing requires.
"Inclusive Marketing Is Essential: Gen Z Demands Authenticity"
Josh's analysis of how multicultural consumers are driving market transformation and the brands winning through consistent, authentic inclusion.
Ready to Transform Your Impact?
Josh partners with values-driven organizations and major brands to amplify impact, build authentic connections, and translate meaningful cultural shifts into measurable results. Their multidisciplinary expertise spans brand strategy, digital marketing, crisis communications, and social impact measurement.
Strategic Partnership Approach
Josh doesn't just execute marketing campaigns; they become strategic partners invested in long-term organizational success.
Comprehensive Research and Analysis
Every engagement begins with thorough research that combines quantitative analysis with qualitative cultural insights.
Collaborative Development Process
Josh works closely with internal teams to develop strategies that organizational staff can authentically implement and sustain.
Measurement and Optimization Systems
Josh builds comprehensive measurement frameworks that track both traditional marketing metrics and social impact outcomes.