About

Background

First degree training in foreign languages, FSL, early childhood education policy, education policy, and higher education policy.

MBA in Entrepreneurship and Advanced Corporate-Level Strategy from the Quantic School of Business and Technology.

M.A. in Communication from Clemson University.

9 years of consummate experience in journalism, PR, marketing, branding, and communications, spanning both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

Co-Founder and Chief Strategist, Ije Africa.

 

Who Am  I?

I am Theophilus Femi Alawonde. I started my career working with early-stage startups across PR, content, and marketing functions. On the other hand, I found the utmost satisfaction working with nonprofit organizations on an intermittent basis. Working within both sectors soon made me realize a deep-seated conundrum faced by nonprofit organizations: the inability to scale their organization’s visibility, occasioned by different factors.

I noticed that branding was not standardized among nonprofit organizations. Marketing was more output-based than strategic. There was the classic institutional brand tone and voice that further constrained organizations’ reach, especially on mediated platforms like social media.

These interconnected factors have formed the foundation of my work so far. My mission is to serve mission-driven organizations, including nonprofit and civil society organizations, social enterprises and startups, nonpartisan think tanks, and trusts. My goal is to implement a ready framework that mitigates the visibility disadvantages that these organizations face and amplifies their impact and message.

Select Work.

OLLI at Clemson (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute)

Brand and Marketing Communications

DATASTRATEGYIDENTITYACTIVATION
Branding & Marketing Communications Lead

The Context

OLLI at Clemson operates within both an Osher Foundation membership requirement and Clemson University’s land-grant mission. Historical membership, participation and program data showed a sustainability challenge with several interdependent causes.

The Constraint

The institute was losing members faster than it historically acquired them, paid participation was low, program categories performed differently, and the public brand needed to make lifelong learning and social connection feel coherent and distinctive.

My Role & Scope

  • Analyzed three years of membership, program and revenue data.
  • Developed the organizational strategy statement, map, KPIs and targets.
  • Built audience mindsets, positioning, promise, tagline and message pillars.
  • Translated the strategy into acquisition, engagement, program and partnership actions.

Key Evidence

1,001
3-year average members
The institute must serve at least 1,000 members annually.
30–35%
Historical churn
Historical acquisition was lower at 20–25%.
2.6×
Revenue per offering
Outdoor activities: $929.58 vs. paid classes: $357.87.
2.5%
Paid participation rate
About 25 paid participants from an average 1,001 members.

STRATEGY STATEMENT

Achieve organizational sustainability by serving at least 1,000 members annually through community-centered lifelong learning experiences.

What I Built

Strategy Map

Objectives, KPIs, targets and initiatives across acquisition, engagement, program delivery and institutional relations.

Audience Mindsets

New Horizon Seeker, Dedicated Discoverer and Connected Contributor — defined by motivation rather than age alone.

Positioning System

A welcoming learning community where exploration and social connection are equally central.

Message Architecture

Three pillars: belonging through discovery, curiosity without expiration and member-shaped participation.

Verbal Identity

Promise: "There’s always something new to explore, and someone to explore it with." Tagline: "We Learn. We Laugh. We Grow."

Activation Plan

Attribution, interest capture, dynamic email, instructor promotion, referral, media and partnership workflows.

The work connected brand expression to measurable membership, participation and institutional decisions.

Capability Proven

  • Data-led marketing and organizational diagnosis.
  • Brand strategy, positioning and message architecture.
  • Audience segmentation based on motivation and behavior.
  • KPI design, implementation planning and cross-functional activation.

Skills

Marketing StrategyBrand StrategyBrand PositioningMarket ResearchContent Strategy

Additional Work & Outcomes

  • Developed a sub-brand identity system for OLLI at Clemson University to unify fragmented marketing communications and support enrollment goals.
  • Delivered full brand identity documentation covering brand foundations, verbal identity, visual identity, and messaging architecture.
  • Developed a brand strategy to activate the brand as an organizational asset, aligned with the organization’s broader goals, and grounded in the brand identity.
  • Created an action plan to cascade the brand strategy for operational effectiveness.
  • Re-branded and re-designed the OLLI at Clemson website, creating a new website architecture, adding website features aligned with the brand, adding brand-consistent elements, and auditing technical SEO to rank the website at 98% website health.
  • Handled social media marketing, email marketing, and local SEO, increasing Instagram reach by over 1,000%.

Comic Con Ibadan

Media, Publicity, and Public Relations

BRANDAUDIENCECAMPAIGNGROW
Brand & Audience Strategy Lead

The Context

Comic Con Ibadan is a pop-culture and entertainment event requiring a distinct brand identity and a structured audience growth strategy to build attendance and community in the Ibadan market.

The Constraint

The event needed to move beyond ad-hoc promotion to a coherent brand system and audience-growth model that could scale year-on-year attendance and community engagement.

My Role & Scope

  • Led event brand identity development and visual language.
  • Built audience growth and acquisition strategy.
  • Designed campaign architecture for pre-event awareness and ticket conversion.
  • Developed community and partnership strategy for sustained audience growth.

What I Built

Event Brand Identity

Visual and verbal brand system giving Comic Con Ibadan a distinctive, ownable market presence.

Audience Growth Strategy

Acquisition, community and partnership framework for building sustained event attendance.

Campaign Architecture

Pre-event awareness, ticket-conversion and post-event engagement campaign system.

Capability Proven

  • Event brand identity and positioning.
  • Audience acquisition and community growth strategy.
  • Campaign architecture for entertainment and cultural events.
  • Partnership and community engagement strategy.

Skills

Event MarketingBrand StrategyAudience GrowthCampaign StrategyCommunity Marketing

Additional Work & Outcomes

  • Marketing strategy and communications for one of Nigeria’s leading pop culture events.
  • Brand positioning, audience development, and event promotion across digital channels.
  • Developed the brand identity and ran the Why Ibadan campaign to shape the brand image.
  • Ran personalized WhatsApp messaging to keep prospects engaged and activate a network diffusion strategy for publicity. Included billboard marketing and social media advertising to create brand awareness.
  • Adopted a media insert tactic that led to information diffusion and ripple-effect earned media.
  • Successfully attracted over 1,000 attendees for the maiden event, well above the 500-attendee expectation.

DABA (Crypto/Fintech)

Email Marketer & Copywriter/Lifecycle Strategy & Message Architecture

SEGMENTSEQUENCEACTIVATEMEASURE
Email & Campaign Strategist

The Context

DABA required a structured lifecycle email and webinar campaign system to move audience segments from awareness through participation and into conversion.

The Constraint

Disconnected email sends and webinar promotions were not functioning as a coherent engagement system. Audience segments needed tailored sequences that built cumulative trust and action.

My Role & Scope

  • Designed lifecycle email sequences for key audience segments.
  • Built webinar campaign architecture linking registration, nurture and follow-up.
  • Created messaging frameworks for each stage of the engagement funnel.
  • Established measurement approach for campaign performance tracking.

What I Built

Lifecycle Email System

Segmented email sequences mapping audience journey from awareness through activation.

Webinar Campaign Architecture

Integrated promotion, registration, nurture and post-event follow-up framework.

Campaign Messaging

Stage-specific copy frameworks and subject-line systems for lifecycle sequences.

Capability Proven

  • Lifecycle email strategy and sequence design.
  • Webinar campaign architecture and audience journey mapping.
  • Segmented campaign messaging and funnel design.
  • Email performance measurement and optimization planning.

Skills

Email MarketingLifecycle MarketingCampaign StrategyWebinar MarketingMarketing Automation

Additional Work & Outcomes

  • Lifecycle and message architecture contributing to N100M ARR. Webinar registrations grew from 432 to 3,211 — a 734% increase — with approximately 1,000 live attendees. Event email campaigns averaged 58.2% open rates and 47.7% click rates.
Full Work Record