Students plan ads/marketing for non-profits

More than 40 student volunteers at Virginia Commonwealth University will participate next week in the first-ever CreateAthon onCampus, a 24-hour marathon of creative work for 12 area nonprofits. The VCU School of Mass Communications students will work around the clock beginning at 8:30 a.m. on March 13, completing a wide variety of projects for the participating […]

March 6, 2008; 6:30 PM • by FTRea

More than 40 student volunteers at Virginia Commonwealth University will participate next week in the first-ever CreateAthon onCampus, a 24-hour marathon of creative work for 12 area nonprofits.

The VCU School of Mass Communications students will work around the clock beginning at 8:30 a.m. on March 13, completing a wide variety of projects for the participating nonprofits. The students will present their work to representatives of the nonprofits at 8:30 a.m. on March 14. Student team leaders then will help guide the work through production, partnering with local vendors to eliminate production costs for the nonprofits.

VCU is the first in the country to adapt this successful professional agency program to the college environment. CreateAthon onCampus is based on RIGGS’ professional CreateAthon (createathon.org), which has included 62 participating agencies in the United States and Canada since 2001. VCU aims to use this year’s project as a model for other schools. Both undergraduate and graduate students are participating.

The mission of CreateAthon onCampus is to serve nonprofit organizations that have little or no resources for advertising or marketing. Student teams have been planning for next week’s work since January. Meetings are held twice a week with each of the nonprofits to discuss their needs. In addition to the VCU students, a group of local professionals will volunteer during the 24-hour period, serving as mentors to the teams.

Forty-three local nonprofits applied to participate in the program. Organizations were selected based on both the organizations’ limited resources and how well their needs matched the students’ expertise and the 24-hour creative window.

Participating nonprofits include Richmond Friends of the Homeless; The Faces of HOPE; Coordinators2inc; Twin Saddles Therapeutic Riding, Inc.; Richmond Affiliate, Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Lifelong Learning Institute, Chesterfield; Virginia Council for Economic Education; Offender Aid and Restoration of Richmond, Inc.; Jackson-Feild Homes for Girls; Connect Richmond; The James House; The United Virginia chapter of the National; and the Hemophilia Foundation.

– The information above was provided by Tom Gresham, VCU Communications & Public Relations

March 6, 2008 6:30 PM 0