The Channel Wake-Up Call: What Partner Marketers Can Learn from Kathryn Rose

At a time when partner marketers are juggling reduced resources, unused MDF, and growing pressure to justify impact, Kathryn Rose is sounding the alarm—and building a community that’s answering the call.

As the co-founder of the Channel Marketing Association and Founder of Channelwise, Kathryn is at the forefront of reshaping how partner marketers connect, collaborate, and convert. In a recent conversation with Rick Currier, Co-Founder of PartnerVista and host of the Never GTM Alone show, she laid out what’s broken in the system—and what we can do about it.

When MDF Fails to Deliver

Marketing Development Funds (MDF) are one of the most hotly debated topics in partner marketing. Millions of dollars are earmarked for partners, yet so much of it goes unused—or worse, gets spent without producing measurable ROI.

Kathryn has seen it firsthand.

“We had a partner tell us they left $20,000 in MDF on the table last year. They just didn’t have the time, people, or process to use it well,” she said. “That’s not just wasteful—that’s a missed opportunity.”

Through Channelwise, Kathryn helps partners access expert support on demand. But at the Channel Marketing Association, she’s pushing the conversation further—calling for reform in how MDF is allocated, tracked, and measured.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to use money that’s meant to help you grow.”

Partner marketers, take note: streamlined MDF programs, better documentation, and real-time feedback loops could unlock massive performance gains.

Sales Alignment Is the Missing Piece

A familiar tension came up in our discussion: the marketing team drives leads, but the sales team doesn’t always follow up.

Kathryn didn’t shy away from the frustration many marketers feel—but she pointed to enablement, not blame, as the solution.

“Marketing can’t just throw leads over the fence. We need to equip sellers with the messaging, the proof points, and the content that connects to the partner value proposition.”

That’s a key theme we’ve heard across episodes: the best-performing programs prioritize sales alignment as much as campaign performance. Whether it’s through shared dashboards, weekly syncs, or playbooks tailored for BDRs, alignment isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the engine of partner-led growth.

How AI Is Reshaping the Landscape

No surprise—AI is on everyone’s mind. But Kathryn approaches it with nuance.

She sees it as an accelerator, not a replacement.

“Partner marketers are being asked to do more with less. AI helps us move faster—but we still need the creative thinking, the relationship building, and the strategic chops that make this work matter.”

From content creation to lead scoring to campaign personalization, AI is beginning to take on repetitive tasks—freeing up human marketers to focus on higher-value work.

Kathryn’s team at Channelwise is already experimenting with AI in partner enablement and content optimization. But she’s quick to note the double-edged sword: vendors and suppliers need to be mindful of what partner data gets fed into AI tools.

Building a Community with Purpose

The Channel Marketing Association was born out of necessity. As layoffs rocked the industry, Kathryn and her co-founder Amy Bailey saw talented partner marketers being left behind—with nowhere to connect or find support.

So they built it themselves.

“Community isn’t just a nice thing to have. It’s essential. Especially in partner marketing, where you’re working across silos, across companies—you need peers to learn from and lean on.”

Today, CMA hosts member events, awards programs, and working groups focused on real-world impact. The association is proving that a grassroots movement, led by practitioners, can drive meaningful change.

Final Word: The Job Has Never Been Harder—Or More Important

Kathryn summed it up best:

“Partner marketers are wearing every hat: GTM strategist, product marketer, campaign manager, and enablement lead—all across dozens of partnerships. We need more support, more visibility, and a seat at the strategy table.”

At PartnerVista, we couldn’t agree more.

If you’re feeling stretched thin, struggling with sales follow-up, or unsure how to make the most of your partner programs, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out alone either.

Ready to level up your partner marketing strategy?
Explore more resources at Channel Marketing Association, or connect with our team at PartnerVista to see how AI-powered enablement can help you scale.