Exclusive: GoFundMe's New CMO Musa Tariq on the Donation Platform's Global Growth Plans

Veteran brand steward Musa Tariq is joining GoFundMe today as chief marketing officer. He takes on the role as the company seeks to build on the growth it experienced during the upheavals of 2020 and solidify its identity as a direct line of financial assistance to all manner of causes. It's not what Tariq calls a "traditional" career move, but not many of his recent decisions have fit a traditional mold. When he left his position of chief brand officer at Ford in 2018 after just over a year, he took six months to travel, intern, mentor and try new things before landing as head of marketing for Airbnb Experiences. Last summer, he left that position too—one that had become largely impossible to execute during the Covid-19 pandemic as Airbnb experiences rely on in-person gatherings. But he brings much more than that to GoFundMe. He's a buzzy marketer who has experience working with some of the world's top brands, including Nike, Burberry and Apple, and has recently served as an advisor for brands like Masterclass, Time Magazine and home gym startup Tonal. In 2017, while he was at Ford, he was named to Forbes' list of most influential CMOs. Adweek caught up with Musa Tariq over the weekend to discuss what fueled this latest career decision, what he expects to accomplish with GoFundMe and how he's thinking about the future during continued uncertainty. The following has been edited for clarity and brevity. Adweek: At Brandweek in 2019, you spoke about how you identified your “North Star”—the ultimate goal that guides how you make career decisions. What about the CMO role at GoFundMe fits within your broader career goals? Musa Tariq: I’ve always believed that during times of uncertainty it’s important to revert back to your values. Like many people in the madness that was 2020, I really started to think about what was important to me and I knew that whatever I was going to do next, I wanted to help others. My north star of rethinking education remains the same, but I consider this an important detour that aligns deeply with my values. The work GoFundMe has been doing in the world is both remarkable and incredibly important—the impact they’re making on people’s lives during this unprecedented time is crucial. To join them in my opinion wasn’t really a traditional career decision, but more a duty I couldn’t turn down. When you left Ford, you said that it was because you didn’t feel like the culture there was a good fit. Why did you decide to move on from Airbnb? What have you been up to since you left? I joined Airbnb to help grow a new business (“Airbnb Experiences”) that I was very passionate about—I absolutely loved the product. During my time there the business was growing rapidly, we were building a world class team and we’d done work I was incredibly proud of. Like many companies, we had to quickly pivot when Covid hit. I realized what I’d come in to do was no longer feasible in the changing travel landscape so it was time to find a new opportunity. Since leaving in July, I’ve been fortunate to spend lots of time with my 2-year-old, Zane, I’ve been advising some really interesting and exciting companies (Time Magazine, Tonal, Aero, and Holt Renfrew in Canada) and mentoring as much as possible—which is where I find the most joy. I’ve also been eating a lot of ice cream. What are the biggest lessons you’re taking away from your time at Airbnb? Honestly, spending time with Brian Chesky was life changing. He’s a true visionary and leads from the front. He taught me a great deal, he’s one of those people you can listen to for hours, but it was his courage to always do what was right for our hosts and guests, rather than chasing a short term metric that will stick with me for the rest of my career. During my time getting to know Tim Cadogan, GoFundMe CEO, I realized he thinks the same way, which is another reason I was keen to join. GoFundMe has long been associated with funding basic healthcare and survival needs of the uninsured or underinsured. Last March, that was more evident than ever before as a third of fundraisers were related to the pandemic. What are your specific strategies for marketing amid the pandemic, and what role do you see for the GoFundMe brand during this crisis? 2020 was an extraordinary year for GoFundMe and the needs we saw on the platform are ever present going into the new year. In addition to the financial support, what’s striking is the emotional support that people feel when they receive donations. They know someone has their back. There's a community to protect them and a community to offer hope. There is a tremendous amount of need in the world. And there are millions of people willing to help. First, we need to meet people where they are and give them a safe space to ask for help during the toughest time in their lives. Additionally, we must make it as easy as possible for the people that want to help to offer their support, be it to friends and family, neighbors, their communities or causes they care about. The act of asking for and receiving help is very personal, raw, and emotional. The stories GoFundMe has seen everyday over the past year have underscored that. We’re going to look at how we can tap into the emotion that is inherent to helping others, to build new touchpoints with our community and ensure those in need due to the pandemic are connected with those who can help. Now, as communities everywhere simply survive the pandemic and ultimately recover and rebuild, we’ll serve as a place to not only address current needs, but to build a world in which need everywhere is met by a rising movement of people ready to help. What do you expect will be the biggest challenge of the new role? Of 2021? As we look ahead, GoFundMe is focused on enhancing the current fundraising experience, building new ways for anyone to give and get help, and bringing the best-in-class fundraising platform to new countries around the world. Today we are only in 19 countries so have a lot of potential to grow. The single most important thing we can do is listen to our community. GoFundMe can be the first place people think of when they want to help others whether it’s helping a young student pay their tuition, a small business in their local community or a charity working to address injustices. The challenge ahead is to chart a multi-year path where GoFundMe is synonymous with hope and kindness. Ultimately, we can create a global brand that’s recognized for building an efficient and effective philanthropic system connecting the everyday and urgent need for help with those willing and able to provide it. What’s something in the marketing industry right now that you think will be a relic of the past five or ten years from now? Relatedly, what's something we've just started talking about that you think will be a major factor in the industry a decade from now? I think the specialization of marketing roles—where you’re either a brand or growth marketeer drives me crazy. I’d like to believe in a future where everyone appreciates that these things work best when they work together, and an understanding of them both is critical to being a successful marketer. In regards to the second part of your question, this may be slightly controversial, but I’d actually love us all to start talking less about what we think the future looks like and doing more instead. Me included!