Gwen McGarry is a writer, content strategist, and the co-author of The Guide to Effective and Ethical Direct Response Creative.
She is the Senior Creative Director at M+R Strategic Services, a full-service consulting firm that provides communications, marketing, fundraising, and campaigning expertise to nonprofits and foundations. At M+R, McGarry creates innovative, powerful campaigns that get results for some of the most important causes of our time, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Feeding America, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. She specializes in using data to help organizations understand their audiences and deliver tailored creative that connects and converts.
Over 13 years at M+R, McGarry's copywriting, art direction, and strategic insights have inspired people to donate, raise awareness about important causes and brands, compelled people to take action, and turned people out to vote. She writes regularly on topics ranging from ethics in nonprofit creative to using data to inform the creative process for M+R’s blog. She’s also delivered presentations and trainings to Creating Change, the Nonprofit Technology Conference, and the Association of National Advertisers.
McGarry received her Masters in Social Work with a focus on public policy, organizing, and nonprofit management from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to working at M+R, McGarry worked at Forward Together, pioneering techniques to engage rural, queer, trans, and BIPOC communities in the organization’s advocacy and culture shift work, and managed a record-breaking electoral campaign for Planned Parenthood in Pennsylvania.