Dan Giroux / DJG Marketing Insights

Helping higher education and philanthropic leaders build stronger teams, brands, campaigns — and results.

With 20 years across high-impact agencies and in-house leadership, I specialize in Advancement — aligning brand and philanthropic communications to strengthen reputation, deepen alumni and donor engagement, and drive transformative fundraising results. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter for insights and resources designed to inform, not overwhelm.

Hi—I'm Dan.

I'm deeply passionate about advancing the mission of higher education and nonprofits through enhancing the way they communicate and engage with their constituents.

For 20 years, I’ve refocused brands and marketing programs for clients across a variety of industries. From Fortune 100 companies to elite universities, mission-driven nonprofits, small businesses, and everything in-between, my breadth and depth of experience solving complex business challenges and leading high-performing teams have enabled me to efficiently identify and drive opportunities that unlock transformative results.

I specialize in higher education and nonprofit organizations, having partnered with regional, national, and global institutions to deliver highly effective, award-winning strategies. Collectively, this work has supported fundraising campaigns and activity with over $6 billion in cumulative philanthropic impact.

Areas of Expertise

Brand development and positioning
Reputation enhancement
Fundraising campaigns and transformational giving
Development communications
Alumni and donor engagement
AI for Advancement
Website audits and overhauls
Team building and cross-disciplinary leadership
Strategic plans and planning
Admissions / enrollment marketing
Milestone celebrations
Institutional mergers
Crisis communications and issues management
Agency relationships

Career Highlights

In 2017, I left agency life to pursue my passion for higher education at Drexel University—a global, R1 research institution with over 180,000 living alumni. For nearly eight years, I led an integrated, multifunctional marketing and communications team within the Office of Institutional Advancement. On an expedited timeline, I architected and led an award-winning comprehensive campaign that accomplished its fundraising and alumni engagement goals six months early, concluding in June 2022 with $806 million raised.

In November 2024, I transitioned to full-time independent consulting, returning to my roots as a trusted partner to higher education and nonprofit leaders. I currently serve as Campaign Communications Consultant to UCLA External Affairs, in addition to supporting several other clients, and serve as a leading voice in strategically elevating the impact of the marketing and communications discipline for Advancement.

Recognition

I've had the privilege of speaking at leading conferences, including:

The Council for Advancement Support and Education (CASE)
The AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education (AMA)
The University & College Designers Association (UCDA)

My work has been recognized in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, the Associated Press, and other major media outlets.

Additionally, I've produced and hosted two 5-part podcast mini-series in partnership with the Enrollify network:

Advancement Amplified: AI for IA (spring 2025)
Advancement Amplified: The IA MarCom Shift (summer 2025)