Hi! I’m Sara Furlong and I love what I do. I’m a communications and marketing strategist from upstate New York with 20 years of experience, including more than a decade of remote collaboration.
I help mission-driven organizations:
- Tell their stories more clearly and compellingly, so people understand the work they are doing and why it matters.
- Build engagement and support, using communications and marketing strategies that inspire people to pay attention, participate, give, advocate, or take action.
- Create systems for consistency and alignment, giving teams the tools, frameworks, and processes they need to communicate with a clear, cohesive brand and voice across an organization.
My career spans more than two decades across higher education, philanthropic and nonprofit communications, healthcare, and corporate marketing. I spent a decade in agency and consulting work serving colleges and universities, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and international corporations, followed by a decade leading communications and marketing in higher education, with a pronounced focus on fundraising, donor engagement, and stewardship.
Today, I serve as Director of Communications and Marketing for the Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Award Program, a prestigious national initiative out of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) focused on improving representation and access in clinical research.
Throughout my career, I’ve been drawn to organizations doing work that matters and to the challenge of making sure that work gets noticed, understood, and supported. I bring a philanthropic lens to communications strategy, storytelling, brand positioning, thought leadership, and content, helping organizations demonstrate their impact, deepen engagement, and build the support that allows them to make an even greater difference.
