Liz Ruf

Marketing Leader. Strategist. Partner.

I join values-aligned organizations as a fractional marketing and communications leader. I roll up my sleeves, set the strategy, and run the function as part of your team. Whether you're formalizing marketing for the first time, filling a leadership gap, or getting ready to make your first marketing hire, you get a senior leader and a real partner, without the full-time cost.

Less designated-hitter, more player-coach. I set the strategy, do the work, and stay close enough to the field to make a difference.

Hi, I’m Liz.

Let's talk.

What makes me different.

I've been in the chair you're sitting in.

I've led associations. Sat on nonprofit boards (and chaired them). I've navigated the tension between what you want to do and what your budget allows. I've been a one-woman marketing department and a led a 450-person association. Worked at agencies, higher education institutions, start up orgs—and now I'm consulting alongside leaders like you.

That lived experience shapes everything. I understand the real challenges you face. The competing priorities. Limited resources. The pressure to do more with less. I’ve learned that the best strategy isn't the most complex one. It's the one clear enough to actually execute, simple enough that your team can remember it—and built with the people who have to live it.

I ask better questions. I tell the truth kindly. I connect dots you might not see alone. And I believe that structure—clear strategy, defined priorities, honest conversations—breeds the flexibility and freedom you actually need to do your best work.

What I Do

  • I join your team as a marketing leader and partner, setting the strategy, running the function, and doing the work alongside you. We start with a strategy assessment, move into a 90-day term, and continue month to month.

  • Monthly partnership for whatever your organization needs. Marketing, operations, board dynamics, volunteer strategy—you name it.

  • One-time facilitated sessions or longer-term engagements to move from vision to action.

  • Keynote talks on AI and leadership; facilitation for boards and leadership teams working through real decisions.

Where are you feeling the most pressure? Let's start there.

“If you’re looking for someone who can build community and build a marketing strategy that actually moves people, you want Liz on your team. Liz shows up and more than that, she shapes the space for all of us. She facilitates with intention, listens like it matters (because it does), and leads with both head and heart.”

—Maggie Kane, Executive Director, A Place at the Table