Your Starfish Marketing Group Team

Janet Copland began her career in direct response fundraising at The Coolidge Company in New York. As a list broker she was introduced to a wide variety of non-profit organizations including the U.S. Committee for UNICEF where she spent three years building the direct mail program from the ground up. She continued her career as Vice President of LMI, a division of Direct Media, and gained agency experience with The Russ Reid Company in Pasadena, CA. Janet then returned home to NYC and started KeyWord, a company that created and produced personalized mailings to major donors. One more move brought Janet to South Florida and Food for the Poor. As Fundraising Director, Janet brought her experience and expertise to bear on a program that had never before utilized professional strategy or sophisticated techniques. During her five-year stay she increased the donor base from 250,000 to over one million, and increased revenue every year by double digits. In her last year, FFP achieved a 37% increase over the previous year and set into motion programs and strategies still being used today. In 1998 Janet and Sean O’Neil founded Copland O’Neil, a full service direct response Agency. Janet is recognized as an industry leader and is a frequent speaker at national conferences. She is a member of DMFA, ADRFCO, NCDC, AFP and DMA.

Larry Montali is co-founder and Creative Director of New River Communications. He directs creative strategy on all New River accounts including Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, and Cross International. Prior to co-founding New River Communications, Larry was Creative Director at one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the U.S. Larry has worked as a writer and editor for various newspapers and magazines. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including GQ and Esquire magazines. He has also developed media kits, brochures, appeals, and other direct response materials for a broad base of clients including some of the most well-known organizations in the non-profit sector. He has lectured on effective writing and marketing and won many awards for his creative campaigns, including the DMAW’s Gold Maxi and prestigious “Big Idea” awards.

Sean O’Neil is co-founder and Creative Director of Copland O’Neil, a direct response fundraising agency in Pompano Beach, Florida. Here, Sean works closely in shaping the strategy, copy and design for a diverse range of clients that include the ASPCA, Plan USA and World Neighbors, among others. Prior to starting Copland O’Neil, Sean began his career in commercial advertising, working primarily in creative positions with several leading South Florida agencies, most notably as Partner/Creative Director at Oland Advertising Inc., a $10 million dollar agency in Boca Raton, for nearly 10 years. While there, Sean garnered many coveted industry Addy awards. In 1996, Sean left the commercial advertising world and entered into the non-profit community as Creative Director at Food for the Poor where he met his current business partner, Janet Copland. Together, they helped the organization to become one of the Top 50 Charities in the country at that time. Today, Sean continues to help Copland O’Neil clients achieve stellar results while winning prestigious awards such as “Package of the Year” twice, for Covenant House in 2001 and ASPCA in 2004.

Margaux Parento is a recent graduate of Florida International University majoring in Advertising and Marketing and Account Director for Starfish Marketing Group. Working with non-profits at Starfish has given her a deep appreciation for the good work being done by non-profits across the country. She is involved with various organizations in the South Florida community including Big Brothers Big Sisters, 6 Degrees and Emerge Broward. While earning her degree, she worked in the restaurant business for a little over six years and spent two years as a Junior Host for the Orange Bowl Committee. As an intern at Beber Silverstein and Winterfest, Margaux was involved in a wide variety of marketing campaigns and event planning. For the past eight years, she has participated in the Emmy Award-winning Christmas pageant at First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale. In addition to being a lead dancer, she also worked behind the scenes with the marketing team to promote the show.

Rod Taylor is President of New River Communications, a direct response fundraising agency based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Rod oversees all New River accounts with specific focus on results analysis and strategic planning. New River clients include such prominent nonprofit organizations as The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, Catholic Charities and Cross International. Prior to co-founding New River Communications in 2000 Rod served as Chief Fundraising Officer for one of the largest international relief & development organizations in the U.S. raising more than $50 million annually. Rod’s industry affiliations include membership in the DMAW and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Rod has been a frequent speaker at industry events including the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference and various Direct Marketing Association conferences.