One-Person Marketing Teams Don’t Work—Here’s What Does
Here’s what Calgary non-profits & small businesses can do instead.
Image courtesy of Unsplash.com
If you’ve ever posted a job for a graphic designer and quietly hoped they’d also be a photographer, copywriter, social media manager, videographer, web developer, SEO specialist, and “someone who can just quickly update the website”—this post is for you.
No judgment. This is a safe space.
Welcome to what I like to call the One-Person Marketing Team Trap—a well-intentioned but costly pattern that shows up frequently among Calgary nonprofits and small businesses.
The goal is efficiency. The outcome is usually burnout, turnover, and inconsistent marketing. Let’s talk about why.
Why This Happens (Especially in Calgary & Alberta)
Nonprofits and small businesses in Alberta operate lean by necessity. Budgets are tight. Teams are small. Everyone wears multiple hats. That part is reasonable.
Where things go off the rails is when marketing is treated as a single task instead of what it actually is: an ecosystem of specialized skills.
Graphic design alone is a full discipline. Add copywriting, photography, video, social media strategy, SEO, analytics, and website management—and you’re no longer hiring a designer. You’re hiring a marketing department.
At entry-level pay. That’s not resourceful. That’s unrealistic.
Image courtesy of Igor Omilaev Unsplash.com
What You’re Really Asking For
Many job postings in Calgary list “Graphic Designer” and then include responsibilities like:
Social media strategy and content creation
Photography and video
Website updates and maintenance
SEO optimization
Email marketing
Analytics and reporting
Brand management
Image courtesy of Stephen Phillips, Unsplash.com
Individually, these are all valuable skills. Together, they represent multiple full-time roles.
Even the most talented marketer can’t execute all of this well at once. Something always gives—usually strategy, quality, or long-term consistency.
The Hidden Cost of “Saving Money”
Hiring one person to do everything doesn’t actually save money. It just spreads the cost out in less visible ways:
Image courtesy of Andre Taissin, Unsplash.com
Repeated onboarding due to burnout and turnover
Inconsistent branding across channels
Stalled campaigns and missed opportunities
Weak SEO and poor online visibility
Confused donors, customers, or stakeholders
According to HubSpot’s marketing research, consistency across channels is one of the strongest drivers of trust and engagement (HubSpot – Marketing Statistics & Trends).
For nonprofits especially, trust is everything.
A Smarter, Budget-Friendly Approach
You don’t need a massive in-house marketing team. You need clarity and prioritization.
Some approaches that work well for Calgary nonprofits and small businesses:
Image courtesy of Onur Binay, Unsplash.com
Hire a strong graphic designer and outsource copywriting or photography
Contract specialists for high-impact campaigns
Invest in a senior generalist with a clearly defined scope
Decide what actually matters this quarter (not everything is urgent)
Organizations that break marketing into realistic components consistently see better results and longer staff retention (Harvard Business Review – Workforce Sustainability).
What Designers (Politely) Aren’t Saying
Most designers and marketers genuinely want to support nonprofits and small businesses. Many choose this work because they care about community impact.
Image courtesy of Markus Spiske, Unsplash.com
But passion doesn’t replace time, energy, or rent.
Fair compensation and realistic expectations aren’t about ego—they’re about sustainable marketing that actually delivers results.
Final Thought
If this post made you a little uncomfortable, that’s a good thing.
It means you’re thinking critically—and that’s where better marketing decisions start.
If you’re a Calgary nonprofit or small business looking to build a brand that’s consistent, credible, and effective, start by respecting the scope of the work.
Your audience—and your future staff—will thank you.
At Shifting Focus, we help Calgary nonprofits and small businesses build brands that actually work—by aligning strategy, design, and expectations from day one.
Patrick Dunn, Owner
