1. What is BMAA?

Black Marketers Association of America (BMAA) is an online community and professional organization for Black marketing professionals. BMAA helps Black marketers from all disciplines and career levels connect with one another and find opportunities to grow in their careers.

Because we’re digitally-based, our membership is centralized. We don’t have chapters or other divisions based on geographic location.

For more information about BMAA including more about our Mission, Vision, and leadership team, click here.

2. How was BMAA founded?

BMAA started out in 2017 as a Meetup group for local marketers in Atlanta. BMAA’s founder, Natalie Gullatt, saw a need for a resource to help Black marketers connect with one another and find job opportunities. Since 2017, the organization has attracted more than 3,000 Black marketers at various levels of their careers, from all over the country in the BMAA network.

3. What are the benefits of joining BMAA?

Joining BMAA comes with a variety of perks, from career connections to mentorship opportunities. Some benefits include BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO

1. Access to the BMAA member only portal online that includes
   1. BMAA's resume book
   2. BMAA list of certifications 
   3. List of Black marketing freelancers 
   4. and more!
2. Access to the member only Slack
3. Access to FREE large marketing conference tickets such as INBOUND or ADCOLOR
4. Replays of BMAA events NOT available to the public
5. and more!

For a detailed overview of each membership level and their benefits, visit the membership page.

4. How is BMAA different from other marketing organizations for people of color?

BMAA is the first official professional organization for Black marketers. Our growing slate of benefits provides Black marketers of all levels with the tools they need to grow professionally and elevate the marketing profession as a whole.

Since we’re not based in any single region or city, members enjoy access to the same benefits, no matter where they’re located. This allows us to maximize the value and reach of our programming. And it enables our members to expand their networks in this increasingly digitally-connected world.

5. Why do I have to pay to become an official BMAA member?

Bringing together the premium programming that makes BMAA membership special comes with costs. We charge members a nominal fee to cover the costs of operations and to continue to bring high-quality benefits to our members. Our various membership levels are priced to be accessible for members at all stages of their careers. 

To see what members say about the value of membership, read our testimonials. 

6. How can I get involved as a BMAA member?

There are plenty of ways to get involved with BMAA. The more active you are, the more rewarding your membership will be. To become a member, sign up on our membership page.

Would you like to nominate someone (or yourself) for our Melanin Monday feature? Complete the intake form here.

Are you a college student with high potential? We’d love to connect you with opportunities. Complete the collegiate relations form so we can learn more about you. 

Want to connect with other Black marketers and recruiters/hiring managers looking to recruit Black marketers? Join our public BMAA LinkedIn group. After joining, check out our welcome message to new members.

7. What events does BMAA have?

BMAA has events almost every month. Events range from member only insight events on working with top companies to professional development events designed to help Black marketers be the best marketer they’d like to be. Check out our events page to review our past events and stay on the lookout for our 2022 event calendar where we will start our member engagement events AND some in person events as well.

8. Where are BMAA members located?

BMAA members are distributed throughout the U.S., with most being concentrated in major cities. The top five cities where members are located are Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Dallas.

9. I'm not Black, can I become a member of BMAA? 

While BMAA’s primary focus is on Black marketers, anyone can join as an ally member. If you support BMAA’s mission of furthering opportunities for Black marketers, then we encourage you to get involved. Email our Director of Partnerships to ask how you can be an ally.

10. What is BMAA’s core demographic?

BMAA members come from a variety of disciplines. According to our latest member audit, members are equally distributed between mid career and senior level professionals, with a smaller fraction being made up of undergraduate and graduate students, and experienced (8-10 years full time) professionals. BMAA members come from throughout the U.S., with Atlanta, New York City, the DMV area, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles being the most represented cities. 

Many disciplines of marketing our members represent include but are not limited to are digital marketing, brand management, marketing operations, marketing communications, market research, product marketing, content marketing, event marketing and more!

11. Where are BMAA members located?

We don’t share exact numbers on how many members are located in each major city. However, the top 10 cities where our members are located are below:

1. Atlanta

2. NYC

3. DMV (Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia Area)

4. Chicago

5. Dallas

6. Los Angeles

7. Houston

8. Charlotte

9. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale

10. San Francisco

12. What are the career levels of your members?

We don’t share exact numbers on how many members BMAA has overall. Note: Majority of our members (60%) have at least 4 years experience.

• Current Undergraduate Student - 4%

• Current Graduate Student - 3%

• Early Career (0-3 years full-time marketing experience) - 27%

• Mid-Career (4-7 years full-time marketing experience) - 21%

• Experienced (8-10 years full-time marketing experience) - 13%

• Senior (10+ years full-time marketing experience) - 22%

• Unknown/Did Not Disclose: 10%

13. What if I’m unable to pay for BMAA’s membership right now?

BMAA understands its members may sometimes need help. We love to help because that’s what we are all about! Email us at executiveboard@blackmarketers.org so we can work to give you a BMAA scholarship. The scholarship however will require you to be a consistent active BMAA member and a BMAA ambassador. Reach out to us for more information and we will be sure to discuss with you.

14. Where can I find my BMAA member number?

Once you've become an official BMAA member, you receive an order number and the order number assigned to your very first membership sign up is your BMAA member number. If you ever have questions regarding your status as a BMAA member, simply login to the member portal with the email you used to join BMAA.

15. How do I update my membership status?

We understand that sometimes you have to step back from being active and we want to make that as easy as possible. You should receive at least 2 emails before your membership is to renew. At any time however, because BMAA has a self service member portal, you can view, edit or cancel your membership 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you want to move from a monthly member to an annual member you would need to cancel your membership and then become an annual member. To do so simply login to the member portal with the email you used to join BMAA, on the top right hand corner in the dropdown menu under your name, click "View Subscriptions." Once on the view subscriptions page, click the view button. Once you're on the view subscriptions page you can cancel your membership to upgrade to annual or to take a temporary pause on your membership. If you have gone through the steps of cancellation as stated here and the cancellation does not work, you may send an email to info@blackmarketers.org in order to get help. Note: any other form of communication other than the instructions stated here will not be valid or addressed.