Steve Drake President, SCD Group Inc.



Steve Drake is an entrepreneur, consultant, speaker and writer (blogger).

When he is not advocating cause marketing (under his causeaholic marketing brand) or content marketing (under SCD Group), Steve Drake is the president of SCD Group Inc., a consulting company focused on strategy, content, cause and discovery through blogging and other social media platforms.

He owned and operated DRAKE & COMPANY, an accredited association management company, from 1992 through 2011 when he sold it to AMR Management Services of Lexington, KY. Before creating DRAKECO, Steve served as deputy chief executive for a $46 million not-for-profit organization with membership, research and promotion operations in 12 countries, 30 states and Washington, D.C. In this role, he organized five international trade and marketing missions to 11 countries and four continents.

Recognized as an innovative leader, Drake is an experienced association and public relations executive. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from The Ohio State University. He began his career as a reporter for The Associated Press. He served in public relations and student affairs positions at Ohio State, Clarke College and Albion College.

Drake's public relations career spans 33 years in higher education and associations. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awarded him three Silver Anvils, the highest award in the public relations profession. In 1994, he received both the Silver Anvil and Agricultural Relations Council's Founders Award for his work on The Monsanto Company's 1993 Rural Flood Relief efforts. In 2008, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) awarded Drake its Summit Award for the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation's Trees for Troops program.

Drake's work includes creating revitalized conventions and trade shows; developing grassroots communications programs leading to legislation in Congress; revamping magazines; producing and scripting satellite-delivered conferences; writing and placing print and video news releases; conducting media tours; leading international trade teams; and other public relations projects.

Drake is not only an association management professional, he is also an active association volunteer. He is past president of the AMC Institute, the Agricultural Relations Council and the Alpha Zeta Foundation. He is co-founder or founder of the Country Living Association, Fellowship of Christian Farmers and Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. A member of the American Society of Association Executives, Drake has served on ASAE's Education Committee and Management Conference Advisory Committee. He was one of 15 national directors of the 121,000-member The Ohio State University Alumni Association and chaired its Emerging Issues and Assessment Committee. He currently serves on the boards of the St. Louis Society of Association Executives and Businesspersons Between Jobs.

Drake has taught communications courses at Washington University in St. Louis and public relations and journalism courses at Ohio State University, Clarke College (Iowa) and Albion College (Michigan). Website: http://www.scdgroup.net/ LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevencdrake Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/causeaholic Articles Cause Marketing Basics Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 14 All Cause Is Local Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 21 Start Cause Marketing By Engaging Your Staff Via Cause A Quarter Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 28 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 7 All Cause Is Local – Just Follow Ronald McDonald! Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 14 Can A Cause Campaign Extend Over Multiple Years? Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 21 Building A Local Cause Marketing Campaign Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 28 Run. Walk. Ride. Three Events For Your Cause Marketing Tool Box. Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 4 Hyped Report On Cause Marketing – Where’s The Beef? Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 11 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 18 Building A Local Cause Marketing Campaign - Part 2 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 25 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 2 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 9 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 23 Individuals Creating Successful Cause Marketing Campaigns While Many Nonprofits Overlook The Huge Potential Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 16 Lunch Meat And Reading. Interesting Cause Marketing Combination. Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 30 Building A Local Cause Marketing Campaign - Part 3 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - June 6 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - June 20 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - June 27 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 4 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 11 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 25 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - August 1 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - August 15 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - August 22 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - August 29 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - September 5 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - September 19 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - September 26 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - October 3 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - October 10 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - October 31 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - October 17 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - October 24 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - November 7 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - November 14 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - November 21 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - November 28 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - December 12 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - January 9 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - January 16 Two Key Questions For Associations and Nonprofits Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - January 23 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - January 30 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 6 Komen, Gap & Christmas Trees: How Social Media Activism Influences Major Decisions And What It Means For Associations And Nonprofits Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 13 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 20 Pinterest: 5 Potential Uses For Nonprofit Management Professionals Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - February 27 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 5 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 12 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - March 19 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 9 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 16 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 23 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - April 30 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 7 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 14 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - May 21 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - June 4 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 2 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 9 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 16 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - July 30 Cause Marketing Readings Of The Week - September 3