Josh Weaver Led Marketing at The Trevor Project

Reinventing a Legacy Brand to Save LGBTQ+ Youth: Vice President of Marketing at The Trevor Project

As The Trevor Project’s first VP of Marketing, Josh led its first rebrand in a decade, managed a team of eight, and drove a 40%+ lift in brand awareness, overseeing a multimillion-dollar brand marketing budget and orchestrating omnichannel campaigns to save LGBTQ+ young people.

As the mental health nonprofit's inaugural Vice President of Marketing, Josh Weaver oversaw The Trevor Project's marketing and campaign initiatives and its marketing team of eight, all in service of supporting and amplifying The Trevor Project's life-saving mission. Josh propelled all marketing and brand efforts, including organic social and paid social media, omnichannel advertising across digital platforms and offline, Web presence and user experience, SEO/SEM, user journey and audience analysis, and brand health and brand analysis.

Sharing Space is The Trevor Project’s roundtable video series featuring trans and nonbinary young people in conversation with curious, open-minded adults. The inaugural episode, moderated by longtime supporter Daniel Radcliffe, set the tone with an open, heartfelt dialogue on identity, allyship, and lived experience.

A world where all LGBTQ+ young people belong.

That’s the vision of The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ+ young people, where Josh served as its first marketing vice president.

Marketing and Brand with Heart

Josh Weaver was the organization’s senior-most marketing leader, steering a cross-functional team and collaborating across programs to meet ambitious organizational goals. They led the organization’s first rebrand in a decade, overseeing all aspects of brand strategy and management to ensure Trevor’s identity reflected its legacy and future. This effort was bolstered by robust consumer and marketing research, which Josh directed end to end—translating insights into actionable creative, optimizing campaigns in real time, and driving a 40%+ increase in brand awareness in a single year.

Re-energizing a life-saving brand for the young people of today – and tomorrow. Josh increased brand awareness among The Trevor Project’s core audience (U.S. LGBTQ young people, aged 13-24) by over 40 percent in just one year at the organization.

Adweek’s 2021 Brand Save Award Recipient

Every year, Adweek honors one Brand Save award recipient, the magazine’s annual recognition of standout work in the nonprofit sector. In 2021, Adweek recognized The Trevor Project as its Brand Save award honoree, highlighting the nonprofit brand’s resonance, its engaging corporate partnerships, and most importantly, the organization’s real impact on saving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people.

Aligning with a New Generation: The Trevor Project’s First Rebrand in a Decade

The Trevor Project's rebrand centered on creating a modern, inclusive, and empathetic voice to engage a discerning audience, many of whom seek authenticity and relatability. With fresh visual elements, including an optimistic color palette and messaging that spoke directly to the challenges LGBTQ+ young people face, this rebrand reinvigorated the organization’s connection with its core audience.

“We're [aiming to] speak to LGBTQ young people today in a way that resonates, affirms and builds the trust and authority we need to push forward our mission,” Joshua Weaver, VP of marketing at the Trevor Project, told Campaign US.