John R.
Melleky, CFRE, CFEE is a Principal of FIG Solutions, a consulting firm that
assists organizations in “Filling In Gaps” as needed.The firm assists in all aspects of
organizational management, including board relations, strategic planning,
fundraising, sponsorships, marketing and public relations, event and festival
management, merchandising volunteers and membership.
He has recently completed a tenure with the
Edison Festival of Light in Fort Myers, FL, which Southwest Florida’s largest
and longest-running festival. As the
Executive Director of Development, John revised the sponsorship program that
included custom proposals, opportunities for marketing, and detailed recap
reports with a return on investment.
Results included an increase of almost 25% in funded income, including
- a
23% increase in sponsorship dollars,
- a 133% increase in advertising revenue,
- and
an 11% in grant income.
In addition, he created new marketing platforms that included outdoor, mailings, radio, and television programs, which had a 700% increase in local media coverage in one year which resulted in over $630,000 in local coverage.
Prior to FIG Solutions, John most recently served as the
Chief Executive Officer for the Fiesta San Antonio Commission. The
Commission manages Fiesta San Antonio, one of the nation's largest festivals. With an economic impact of over $313 milliion, Fiesta San Antonio has 3.6 million attendees visit over 100 events throughout the city in 11 days. The organization
oversees the marketing, sponsorships and logistics with the city and serves as
a resource center for the over 100 nonprofits that run the various events of
Fiesta.
While at Fiesta San Antonio, John created the first
strategic plan in the organization's 55 year history. Through analyzing
the processes and procedures, he led a team that increased overall yearly
income for the organization by 25% including:
- increasing sponsorship
dollars by 70% in three years,
- increasing memberships by 10%
each year,
- doubling magazine
advertising,
- increasing merchandise sales
by 47%,
- and increasing ticket income
through the creation of online ticket sales.
He also developed the first mission
and programs for the Fiesta San Antonio Foundation, including the creation of a
new internship program for Miss Fiesta. John devised and implemented a
development plan to obtain donations and increased philanthropic support from
individuals, corporation and foundations by eight times in a six month
period.
In addition, a multi-platform marketing strategy was created
that included broadcast television - network and cable, radio, print mediums,
outdoor with bus wraps and digital billboards where the message could change
easily to build excitement, the Internet to build fan base and social mediums
to engage the festival attendees. This led to:
- social media results of
doubling Facebook likes, increasing twitter followers by 50% and creating
an Instagram account
- the installation of a new web
platform for the festival which led to almost 700,000 site visits during
March and April of its first year
- the introduction of a mobile
app, which had 60,000 users in six weeks.
Fiesta was recognized with a record
number 36 Texas Festival and Event Association Awards and 24 IFEA Pinnacle
Awards in 2014. During his tenure, the organization received over
120 awards.
Before joining the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, John was
the founding Executive Director of the Society of Cardiovascular
Anesthesiologists Foundation in Richmond, Virginia. He raised $6.3
million to begin this foundation and its research programs, including a study
to reduce human error in the cardiac operating room. Melleky also
founded 3fold consulting LLC, which provided event planning, association
management, and fundraising services for a variety of nonprofits.
While working with Veronica Whitehead & Co. as Operations Director, John worked on international events and conferences for
Time Warner, the Hartford, MasterCard and 10 years with the FORTUNE 500 Forum.
He was also the operations director for Real Simple's "Get Organized New
York Tag Sale" in Central Park, which raised over $450,000 for the New
York City Fund for Public Schools.
John volunteered for 17 years with the Richmond Christmas
Parade, including serving as chair from 2003 through 2007.
John has a B.S. in Business Administration from the
University of Richmond and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and is
a member of the International Festival and Events Association and the
Association of Fundraising Professionals. He is a Certified Fundraising
Executive and a Certified Festivals and Events Executive. He is also a Junior Chamber International Senator.