Conservation Media and Strategic Consulting From the California Coast

Consumer strategy and strategic partnerships for tourism boards, research institutions, conservation nonprofits, brands, and public lands.

Fifteen years running campaigns across entertainment and conservation, now paired with daily fieldwork at Channel Islands Harbor. You work with me directly, start to finish.

Conservation Media and Strategic Consulting From the California Coast

Fractional consulting, visual content, and operational strategy for tourism boards, research institutions, conservation nonprofits, brands, and public lands. Fifteen years running campaigns across entertainment and conservation, now paired with daily fieldwork on the California coast. You work with me directly, start to finish.

Capabilities

Strategy & Leadership

Marketing strategy
Content strategy
Grant writing
Donor communications
Board support
Brand partnerships
Social media strategy

Content & Production

Photography and video
Scientific documentation
Press placement
Media licensing
K-12 educational materials
360° content
Livestream production

Operations & Programs

Membership programs
Nonprofit compliance
Event production
Project management
Platform audits
Cost audits
SOPs

Builds & Systems

Website design
Ecommerce setup
Email infrastructure
Booking systems
Digital ad campaigns
Print-on-demand
Analytics

Sea Otter Savvy is a women-led, scientist-run nonprofit doing some of the most important work in sea otter conservation. I joined as advising Director of Marketing and Development to grow the development and operations side: fundraising, compliance, grants, creative, partnerships, and digital infrastructure.

Case Study

What I've Built With Sea Otter Savvy

  • I built their giving infrastructure on Zeffy, which processes donations with no platform fees: a general fund supporting one-time and recurring gifts, a giving catalog of individually priced items, event ticketing with donation add-ons, and a silent auction setup with the logistics worked out for both digital and physical items. I also designed a membership program spanning individual supporters to corporate partners. Everything runs on platforms the team can manage themselves, so the systems stay theirs without needing outside help to keep them going.

  • I took their Candid profile from unclaimed all the way to the Platinum Transparency seal, the highest rating Candid awards and the one donors and funders look for when deciding who to trust. I worked through the AB 488 compliance audit, getting everything in order across the IRS, the California Attorney General, and the Franchise Tax Board. I also got the organization verified through Goodstack and TechSoup, which unlocked discounted and donated access to a lot of the software a small nonprofit would otherwise pay full price for.

  • When the WCN Sea Otter Fund proposal came back with feedback from the review committee, I rebuilt it and resubmitted, and that version renewed the grant. Beyond the writing, that meant understanding what the reviewers were looking for and shaping the proposal to meet it. Part of that work was streamlining the data from their annual reports into something usable, which made the proposal stronger and now lives on their Candid profile for potential donors to see.

  • I design Sea Otter Savvy's creative and written materials across the board: ad campaigns, social graphics and copy, press releases, donor outreach, newsletters, event flyers, booth materials, and education materials in both digital and physical formats, including before-and-after quizzes that measure what students retain from the in-school modules. It keeps their look and voice consistent everywhere people encounter them, from a social feed to a table at an event to a classroom.

  • I built out a partnership program to bring in revenue and visibility beyond individual donations. That included a framework for pitching hospitality, retail, and outdoor recreation businesses, custom pitch packages positioning Sea Otter Savvy as a referral partner for lodging and events, and direct outreach that secured event donations from New Leaf Community Markets and Chipotle. I also mapped out an expansion of their established CAWS certification program, adding accommodations and dive companies to the categories they already certify.

  • I'm rebuilding their digital infrastructure across the board: moving the website onto Squarespace, getting the team onto Google Workspace for Nonprofits, and building a link-in-bio that pulls their channels together. I also built a working Apple Wallet pass that delivers their disturbance guidelines with location alerts at key sites like the Moss Landing kayak launches and Target Rock in Morro Bay. Day to day, the team works out of a Monday.com workspace I set up to track projects and deadlines and a Slack workspace that also brings in our certified partners from outside the organization.

  • I produced Sea Otter Savvy's 10th anniversary fundraiser end to end: ticketing, raffle registration with the Attorney General's office, event collateral and guest speaker graphics, vendor and in-kind partnerships, a grassroots flyer campaign with a distribution list of more than 40 local spots, and press outreach that included a placement in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. I also ran the paid social campaign, at 26 cents per ticket-page visit. It was a well-attended afternoon at Humble Sea Brewing.

Alexis Galasso with the Sea Otter Savvy team and CAWS-certified photographers Jeff Torquemada and Wendy Sparks, standing together outdoors with the coast behind them at golden hour.

"Alexis has demonstrated a rare ability to bridge the gap between science and public engagement. She plays an important role in developing grant proposals, donor communications, brand marketing and other strategic materials that help communicate our mission and impact."

— Gena Bentall, Executive Director, Sea Otter Savvy

Let's discuss what I can build for you

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Let's discuss what I can build for you ✳

What Clients and Colleagues Say

  • Corrie Arny, Vice President of Digital Commerce at Universal Music Group

    I had the pleasure of working with Alexis for more than seven years, and she is the real deal. At UMe she overhauled and streamlined our priority pitching process and got our organization running on Monday.com, Slack, and other workflow tools that transformed how we collaborated. Her ability to connect strategy, production, and delivery made her indispensable across departments.

  • Heather Barrett, Science Communications Director at Sea Otter Savvy

    Working with Salt + Noelle has been transformative for our organization. Alexis helped us modernize systems, strengthen donor visibility, organize programs, and think more strategically about our growth. She pairs big-picture vision with practical solutions while empowering the people around her. Any mission-driven organization would be fortunate to have Salt + Noelle as a partner.

  • Growth Product Manager at Apple

    Alexis took on a social listening project that started as a side project and quickly developed into a high-visibility report. With very little direction, she took the work to a new level, delivering insights that informed our marketing strategy. She built the foundation for an ongoing customer feedback loop our marketing had been lacking. She never missed a deadline and consistently went above and beyond.

  • Jeff Torquemada and Wendy Sparks at Jeff and Wendy Photography

    Alexis demonstrated real marketing expertise and a wealth of ideas to grow Sea Otter Savvy's CAWS certification network. She's committed to being a voice for wildlife, through the lens and through her writing, and fosters a culture of stewardship in everything she does.

  • Gina Bartoli, Artist Services Marketing Lead at Apple Music

    Alexis is extremely flexible and responds quickly to change. She brings passion to everything she does and over-delivers on projects. She's a great communicator who builds positive relationships across every part of the organization she touches. You can count on Alexis to get it done, do it right, and do it on time.

  • Kristina Waters, Senior Director of Marketing & Operations at Universal Music Group

    Alexis and I worked together for over four years at UMG, collaborating on operational changes across our teams. She's a quick thinker, willing to talk through any idea, and delivers more than what's asked. She's solutions-oriented, sharp, and an asset to any team in any industry because she's that good.

Working With Salt + Noelle

  • A fractional CMO provides senior marketing and operations leadership without a full-time hire. Salt + Noelle's strategic partnership covers:

    • Marketing and content strategy

    • Digital ad campaigns

    • Grant writing and donor communications

    • Event production

    • Board support

    • Project management infrastructure

    Advisory retainers start at $3,000 per month and executive-level at $5,500, on a quarterly commitment.

  • Salt + Noelle's strategic partnership retainers start at $3,000 per month for advisory work and $5,500 for executive-level leadership. A full-time marketing director runs $100,000 or more per year before benefits. The fractional model gives an organization senior leadership at a fraction of that cost, with no recruiting, benefits, or long-term commitment.

  • Yes. Salt + Noelle builds digital systems on platforms you own and can update yourself. Depending on what you need, that can include:

    • Websites on Squarespace, Framer, or Carrd

    • Online stores on Shopify, with print-on-demand integration

    • Team operations in Monday.com, Slack, or SharePoint

    • Email infrastructure and audience growth tools

    • Analytics, booking, and internal documentation

    Most projects are a mix rather than all of the above, scoped to what your team actually uses. Everything runs on platforms you control, so you are never locked into a developer. Project builds start at $1,500, priced by scope with no hourly billing. Support retainers are available if you would rather hand off upkeep.

  • Yes. Most organizations overpay for tools they have outgrown or miss nonprofit discounts they qualify for. Salt + Noelle audits your current stack, identifies what to cut or consolidate, and secures available discounts on platforms like Google, Adobe, Canva, and Monday.com. Platform and cost audits are included in project builds and strategic partnerships.

  • Some pro bono work runs through our Ocean of Opportunity program, by invitation. Otherwise, Salt + Noelle prices by scope and budget rather than discounting the work itself. Tell us what you are working with and we will find a version that fits, adjusting scope instead of cutting quality.

  • Salt + Noelle works on flat retainers and project rates, never hourly. Strategic partnerships and visual retainers are monthly on a quarterly commitment. Project builds are priced by scope. Rates are published upfront so you can confirm fit before reaching out, and the full scope and investment are set in writing before any work begins.

  • Yes. Salt + Noelle produces photography and video for tourism boards, destination brands, and public lands on the California coast, available as a monthly visual retainer or a single project. Retainers include digital usage rights and archive access. All field work follows Admire from Afar ethical protocols, backed by CAWS (Certified Wildlife Steward) certification.

  • Salt + Noelle works from a dockside studio at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, California. Strategy, consulting, and project builds are fully remote, so location is not a barrier. Photography and field work cover the California coast, with travel beyond California quoted per project.

  • Reach out through the inquiry form or by email. Salt + Noelle responds within two business days. If the fit makes sense, the next step is a 30-minute call, followed by a written scope and proposal. There is no charge for the initial conversation.

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