charity:water Executive Rod Arnold Joins Media Ventures Group to Head Business Development and Strategy

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Jul 12, 2011) - Media Ventures Group, a company that helps drive revenue growth for charitable organizations, brands, sports and entertainment properties, has added veteran cause-marketing executive Rod Arnold to its management team as Senior Vice President, Business Development and Strategy. Arnold joins Media Ventures Group from charity:water, where, as COO and Head of Special Projects, he drove the launch and development of a unique digital fundraising platform that empowered the organization to raise nearly 70 percent of its funds online.

Reporting to CEO Rich Yaffa, Arnold will help lead Media Ventures Group's creation and implementation of strategic media and marketing partnerships and proprietary digital platforms that build and monetize its clients' communities of donors, activists, customers, and supporters.

"Rod not only envisions opportunities for new revenue, he has first-hand experience in building the teams, resources and capabilities to execute and bring those ideas to fruition," said Richard Yaffa, CEO of Media Ventures Group. "He's a proven leader in our industry and it's exciting to have him on our team."

One of the nation's leading experts in cause marketing and digital fundraising, Arnold has more than 20 years of executive experience successfully driving aggressive growth for entertainment, cause-related, non-profit, and faith-based organizations. During his two years at charity:water, he boosted the organization's annual revenue growth to 61 percent and leveraged its relationships with influencers like Will and Jada Smith, Kristen Bell, Justin Bieber and Adam Lambert, as well as with brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, Google, The Macallan, Gilt Groupe, Bacardi, and Kodak.

Prior to charity:water, Arnold was a vice president at Integrity Music, where he built a successful new business unit around events and concerts. Arnold also spent 10 years as an executive leader at Teen Mania, running two different business units before taking the helm as VP of Strategy and Marketing.

In that role, he was responsible for all revenue generation, and he helped push the organization from $3 million to $30 million in annual revenue. Under his leadership, Teen Mania employed a multi-platform strategy of digital, direct mail, telemarketing and live events, including one of the largest stadium youth events ever with more than 70,000 paying attendees at the Pontiac Silverdome.

"Rod provided important and timely leadership for charity:water, helping the organization grow from a high-growth startup to a thriving social enterprise with a solid strategy for the future," said Scott Harrison, charity:water founder and CEO. "I'm excited for Rod as he joins Media Ventures Group. I can't think of anyone better equipped to help organizations strategically embrace the digital age and create sustainable growth."

Arnold is a familiar speaker at cause and social-media conferences and has been featured at The Feast, Ideation, OTA Sessions and The Promise.

About Media Ventures Group
Media Ventures Group (www.mediaventuresgroup.com) specializes in driving revenue and business growth for clients, with industry expertise in media, sports, entertainment, cause marketing and non-profit fundraising. Media Ventures Group achieves these results by building and monetizing communities through unique strategic approaches and proprietary media platforms.