Meet Stu Swineford

Stu Swineford

Co-Founder and CMO, Relish Studio

Stuart “Stu” Swineford co-founded Relish Studio in Boulder, Colorado, in 2008, and has spent the years since helping nonprofits, B Corps, and purpose-driven organizations turn their websites into mission-driving tools. He’s a seasoned digital marketer with experience across the full digital production lifecycle, from strategy and copywriting to design, development, and QA, which means he can talk shop with your board and your developer.

Stu is the co-author, with Aaron Wrixon, of Mission Uncomfortable, a practical guide to marketing for purpose-driven organizations. He also developed the Audience Engagement Cycle, Relish’s take on the Marketing Hourglass, which helps organizations Attract, Connect, Bond with, and Inspire the people who make their missions possible.

Every week, he hosts Relish THIS, a podcast where he talks with nonprofit and purpose-driven leaders about the ideas and experiments behind their marketing.

What Stu Works On

Marketing strategy built on the Audience Engagement Cycle
Conversion-focused website planning and copywriting
Search and AI visibility (SEO and GEO)
Purpose-driven marketing for nonprofits and B Corps

Stu Swineford

Co-Founder and CMO

Title

Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer

Hobbies

Hockey (Goalie, mostly)
Mountain biking
Hiking and Mountaineering
Backcountry Skiing

Expertise

Marketing strategy, conversion copywriting, nonprofit and B Corp marketing

Media

Co-author: Mission Uncomfortable
Host of Relish THIS

Community and Boards

Board Member, Nederland Area Trails Organization (2018–present)
Crew Leader, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (2018–present)
Mentor, Energize Colorado (2020–present)
Steering Committee, Colorado Outdoor Business Alliance (2017–2024)
Steering Committee, 1% for the Planet Colorado (2019–2021)
Board Member, GoFarm Colorado (2019–2021)
Volunteer, Colorado House Rabbit Society (2002–2013)
Volunteer, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (1996–1999)
Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver (2007)

More About Stu

Stu started out his professional life on a path toward medicine, then took a job selling bikes in Boulder while racing road, mountain, and track. While displaying a knack for copywriting, he quickly found himself in charge of the Marketing Department and it stuck.

Over the next several years he worked at ad agencies, dot-com start-ups, and outdoor eCommerce brands, filling nearly every role an agency needs along the way.

In 2007 he set out as an entrepreneur, and in 2008 rolled a small company he co-founded into Relish Studio with partner Bret Orton. Since then, Relish has helped good people do great things online by building relationships with their audiences at scale, starting every engagement with strategy.

Stu doesn’t just build websites for mission-driven organizations. He shows up for them. He has served on the Steering Committees of 1% for the Planet Colorado and the Colorado Outdoor Business Alliance, helping businesses use their profits and their voices for good. Since 2018, he has served on the Board of the Nederland Area Trails Organization, whose website Relish built pro bono. From 2019 to 2021, he served on the Board of GoFarm Colorado and advised its Marketing and Communications Committee. And since 2020, he has mentored business leaders through Energize Colorado.

He’s just as happy with a shovel in his hand. Since 2018, he has volunteered with Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, where he serves as a Crew Leader on projects that care for Colorado’s public lands, and Relish has been VOC’s web partner just as long. Earlier, he lent his marketing chops and a strong stomach for cleanup duty to Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and the Colorado House Rabbit Society. He has also helped build homes with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver. Swinging a hammer turns out to be a lot like QA, just with fewer bug reports.

Outside of work, Stu heads outdoors whenever he can: hiking with his wife and their two chihuahuas, skiing in winter, riding bikes when the snow melts, playing hockey year-round (mostly as a goalie), and enjoying a quiet life in the woods.

Reach Stu at [email protected] or 303.825.4441.

Areas of expertise

Relish THIS Podcast

Relish THIS is the purpose-marketing podcast: a weekly conversation with nonprofit and purpose-driven leaders about what’s actually working in their marketing – and what isn’t. Expect practical ideas, honest stories, and a few tangents worth taking.

Expand your mission

Stu is the co-author, with Aaron Wrixon, of Mission Uncomfortable.

Is your organization maximizing its potential? What if you could expand your mission and do even more good for the world?

If you are seeking to do the most good possible, this book is for you. It will help you:

Apply the Audience Engagement Cycle Framework to your organization’s marketing
Learn the 4-part practice that’s proven to enable you to reach a wider audience and expand your mission
Get actionable, strategic steps you can employ immediately for your business or nonprofit

The Solution

What if your online activities connected with your stakeholders? Generated leads and spawned conversations instead of gathering dust? Looked great and got you noticed?

Ready to upgrade your online presence to turn marketing frustration into mission fulfillment? Let’s talk.