Riggs Partners holds 15th Annual CreateAthon; 24-Hour Pro Bono Blitz Will Benefit Nine Nonprofit Organizations
September 18, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – September 18, 2012 – Riggs Partners will hold its 15th annual, 24-hour work-around-the-clock pro bono blitz on Thursday, September 20. The event, called CreateAthon®, will benefit nine nonprofit organizations as part of a nationwide pro bono effort in which advertising, marketing and public relations professionals donate their time and talent by working around the clock to develop brand strategies and marketing plans, along with print, broadcast and digital materials to support these programs.
CreateAthon has experienced exponential growth throughout its 15-year history. Now a 501(c)(3) organization, CreateAthon is working in partnership with leading corporations, universities and professional organizations to teach them how to organize and conduct their own pro bono marathon events.
In addition to the more than 30 volunteers who make up the local CreateAthon team, Riggs Partners will be joined this year by Armin Pialek from the BMW Foundation in Munich, Germany. He comes to Riggs Partners as part of a fellowship experience designed to study best practices in corporate social responsibility in the United States. Professors from the University of South Carolina will also participate in CreateAthon, in preparation for bringing the CreateAthon on Campus model to USC.
Since its inception, CreateAthon has recruited more than 80 agencies, universities, corporations and professional organizations into the program. This week alone, 15 CreateAthon partners in the United States and Canada will hold their pro bono events simultaneously during National CreateAthon Week.
Cumulatively, CreateAthon has benefited more than 1,275 nonprofit organizations by delivering approximately 3,100 pro bono marketing projects valued in excess of $15 million.
It’s so exciting to see the ways in which CreateAthon has grown, said Teresa Coles of Riggs Partners. There’s a rising tide of skills-based volunteerism in corporate America, and we’re thrilled to see the CreateAthon model gaining momentum nationally. Our hope is that by evolving CreateAthon into a nonprofit organization, we can build an infrastructure that can help recruit more professionals into the CreateAthon movement, so that more nonprofits across the US will benefit from the program.
Eight South Carolina nonprofit organizations will be the beneficiaries of free creative marketing services provided by Riggs Partners this week. Organizations selected as CreateAthon clients this year include: Angel’s Hope, Arc of South Carolina, Disability Action Center, Good Samaritan Clinic, Greer Relief & Resources Agency, Junior Achievement of Central South Carolina, Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, and The Therapy Place.
In addition to the eight South Carolina nonprofit organizations, Riggs Partners will also provide pro bono marketing services to CARE of Southeastern Michigan, one of six winners of CreateAthon’s National Brand Makeover contest, held earlier this summer.
For more information on CreateAthon, please visit www.createathon.org or visit www.facebook.com/nationalcreateathon.
About Riggs Partners
Riggs Partners is a creative marketing consultancy that specializes in developing cross-channel communications programs for socially conscious companies and nonprofit organizations. Visit the company at www.riggspartners.com.
