In December 2011, Avalon welcomed Barbara Jones to the team, with 22 years of direct marketing experience on the client and agency sides. Barbara comes to Avalon from, most recently, The Salvation Army. As the direct marketing guru at The Salvation Army, Barbara engineered all aspects of the organization's direct marketing fundraising programs — always improving year-over-year revenue.

As senior strategy director at the marketing agency Barton Cotton, she drove overall client strategic planning, including annual business plans and projections, and managed programs that, yearly, generated more than $35 million. This work included developing nonprofit clients in the UK and Canada.

Previously, Barbara honed her expertise in direct marketing and special event fundraising in senior positions on the agency and nonprofit sides — giving her unique insights into the challenges within both types of organizations. Not surprisingly, Barbara brings excellent research, analytical, strategic, creative, and communications skills to the Avalon team, and is known for her ability to build rapport with clients, vendors and colleagues as a detailed-oriented and flexible team member.

In her free time, Barbara enjoys travel, is an avid reader, and loves to experiment in the kitchen by putting on an apron and letting her inner-chef come out.