Last year, WaterAid had a problem. The organization’s main focus on expanding access to fresh water and its core audience of older development charity donors were showing signs of fatigue. As a result, WaterAid needed to rethink its fundraising efforts. It decided it wanted to launch a new campaign that would target a different audience (‘Superconsumer Steve’: mid-30s affluent professionals) with a new proposition (sanitation) and came to Kitcatt Nohr Digitas (UK) for help.
The challenge for the agency was to target ‘Superconsumer Steve’ and make sanitation a compelling proposition for campaigning and fundraising via an integrated campaign that would help WaterAid maximize learnings from a relatively small media investment. The team was also faced with the challenge that sanitation is a bit of a taboo subject in mainstream media as well as a less obvious development need than water. Kattcatt Nohr Digitas confronted these issues head-on with a campaign slogan that was both simple and direct: Dig toilets, not graves.
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Throughout the year VivaKi agencies across the globe participate in countless philanthropic and pro bono efforts, some of which we’ve covered here. To that list we can add the multiple agency-wide community service days focused on improving local communities held by multiple agencies in the US.
In NY over 600 employees from the Digitas and Digitas Health office journeyed to the Lower East Side of Manhattan to volunteer. They helped to renovate and refurbish nine Henry Street Settlement facilities. Henry Street is one of the oldest and most venerable social services organizations in NY. It’s facilities and programs help over 50,000 residents in 17 locations across New York City. Digitas employees ran events for community members, installed new facilities and carpets, planted greenery and flowers and help refurbish bathrooms and kitchens. To read more about this effort check out this local coverage or the full press release.
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On April 30th Starcom CEO Lisa Donahue accepted the Family Advocate Award at the Christopher House Gala for the company’s ACT program.
Since 2003, ACT has raised money for Chicago charities through live and silent auctions and an event called “Dine In for Charity” — where instead of vendors taking us to lunch, we invite them into our offices for low budget cuisine and ask that they donate what they would have spent on lunch to charity.
With five locations in the Chicagoland area, Christopher House provides early childhood education services, youth development programs and family support services for more than 4,000 Chicagoans each year. Since its founding in 1906, Christopher House has created afterschool programs to enhance the educational experiences of young boys and girls, developed programs in order to foster healthy family dynamics and offered support to underprivileged families through financial assistance and a food pantry.
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Digitas has an army of creative employees in their offices all around the world that allows the company to create innovative work that meets the needs of its clients. So it should be of no surprise that when non-profit organizations have a need that Digitas can help them meet, its employees are also ready to use their skills and help make a difference in the community.
Click ‘Continued’ to learn more about some of these efforts around the globe.
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Everyday, the media experts at ZenithOptimedia help their clients optimize their media plans and purchases. They cultivate strong industry relationships and are experts on the publications, websites and stations they recommend. They also are part of a company with a strong culture of community involvement and giving back. Therefore, it was a logical step that a group of employees decided to take this media expertise and apply it to a challenge for a local non-profit.
Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest science and advocacy organization focused on autism. Their focus is on funding research to look into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism – a condition with which an estimated 1 in 110 children in the US has been diagnosed.
ZenithOptimedia worked with their vendor partners to negotiate pro bono media space to be used by Autism Speaks. This space was used to further expand Austism Speaks’ Ad Council campaign. But it also gave the organization the opportunity to promote advocacy and fundraising messages that it previously couldn’t afford to buy space for.
The response from the media community has been amazing. At the end of 2010 ZO had raised over $10.7 million in donated media that included high profile spots in shows like American Idol, David Letterman, Fringe, the Laureus Sports Awards and the NCAAP Image Awards. They also negotiated a sponsorship with the Washington Wizards and secured time on marquee NY outdoor bulletins.
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ZenithOptimedia UK appreciates the importance of giving back to their community. Therefore, the agency chose to partner with Castlehaven Community Association (CCA) to help them in their efforts to create a better local community. CCA was established in 1985 as a community charity that provides activities, classes and facilities across all age ranges. It is set on four acres of public property which includes three buildings, two community gardens, a children’s playground and flood lit sport facilities open to the local people and the wider Camden communities. CCA aims to inspire and empower people of all ages, cultures and abilities to strive, both mentally and physically to achieve their full potential.
ZO knew that CCA had the potential to make a great difference in their community and wanted to help do more. To help further CCAs efforts, ZO held a fundraising disco themed party where they were able to raise £10,000. This money allowed them to send a group of CCA children on their first ever vacation. For elderly community members, ZO organized a tea dance. Handsome young volunteers danced the afternoon away with elderlu ladies from the community. ZO used the CCA facilities to organize sports days for 8-13 year olds. Around Christmas, they organized a Christmas Festival for families to enjoy. Young children in the community got to visit with Santa and perform Christmas carols for everyone to enjoy. Other events organized by ZO include an anti-knife crime event for teenagers, summertime walks with the elderly and Easter egg hunts for young children.
ZenithOptimedia’s partnership with the Castlehaven Community Association helped build a stronger and safer community. The impact ZO was making in their community did not go unnoticed, this year they received the Community Hero award. Their success will not stop here, ZO and CCA continue to work together to build a better community.
Click here to learn more about Castlehaven.
On October 22nd Digitas Stamford closed its doors for a day of full staff volunteering. The team joined forces with the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford (BGCS) to help revitalize their service center.
BGCS is a dedicated youth facility that has been providing after school activities and youth development services to the youth of Stamford, Connecticut since 1927. BGCS serves more than 1,500 disadvantaged children ages 6-18 and offers programs and services that promote and enhance their development.
Digitas volunteers helped with:
- - Landscaping, including the addition on new shrubs and perennials
- - Painting dynamic murals designed by the volunteers to energize eager minds
- - Building new bookshelves and custom woodworking to enhance reading and writing areas
- - Freshening the computer lab to inspire new ideas
“Working with the BGCS is a great opportunity for our staff to unite outside the office and put our energy and creativity to the good of something bigger than us,” said Kenneth Parks EVP/Managing Director. “Together we can refurbish existing facilities that will ultimately help the BCGA achieve its mission—to assist young people in their academic, social, athletic and cultural pursuits.”
Click here to learn more about The Boys & Girls Club of Stamford
On July 14, 2010, more than 600 Digitas New York employees took an entire work day to help restore and repair 10 community and child care centers in East Harlem overseen by the Union Settlement Association—a nonprofit social services organization.
It took months of planning from Digitas staff in order to create a Community Service Day to help Union Settlement. In fact, they even closed the New York office so that everyone could serve the community of East Harlem.
Projects for the event spanned ten locations, including:
- -Refurbishing Union Settlement’s headquarters, community and child care facilities with new paint, carpet and furnishings.
- -Installing new playground equipment and refreshing outdoor play areas and benches.
- -Upgrading garden boxes and planting flower beds in Union Settlement’s community garden on East 104th Street.
- -Designing and painting 11 new murals at six locations.
- -Installing new, consistent, branded signage throughout Union Settlement’s facilities – a first in the organization’s 115 year history.
- -Redecorating and providing new classroom materials, books and furniture at Union Settlement’s Washington Community Center and two child care centers.
- -Holding a day of engaging outdoor activities for 200 seniors and children at Jefferson Park on 115th Street while their usual facilities are under renovation.
Also part of their volunteer service to Union Settlement, Digitas employees designed solutions to help tackle resource shortages and space challenges. Digitas was even able to help provide new playground equipment, schoolbooks, and other important supplies by donating money and getting other vendors to participate as well.
When disaster struck the nation of Haiti in January of 2010 with an earthquake that devastated not only its buildings and infrastructure, but also its citizens’ families SMG employees wanted to help. SMG Multicultural stepped up to the plate. Led by Esther Franklin and with the generous donation of work from Yvel Sagaille, a Haitian artist, SMG started a global grassroots fundraiser to help in aiding relief efforts in Haiti.
In order to raise the money, t-shirts designed by Sagaille were sold in Chicago, New York City, India, Sydney, Singapore, and more. Success can easily be seen in the total number sold: 650+.
Tapestry and MV42 teams got the word out to so many people regarding their efforts that SMG blasted past their original fundraising goal of $10,000. Incredibly, the end total funds raised came up just shy of $18,000. All of the money raised went to the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Save the Children Federation—organizations that played some of the most integral roles in the earthquake relief.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Travis County is a non-profit organization that advocates for abused and neglected children in the Austin, Texas community. When a child has been removed from their home due to instances of abuse or neglect, a CASA trained volunteer advocates for this child in court, at school and in the community until they find a safe and loving home. These volunteers play a crucial role in helping child victims – judges on child abuse cases depend heavily on CASA volunteers recommendations’ to do what is best for the child.
CASA is affiliated with National CASA which supports close to 1,000 local agencies around the country who provide court-appointed volunteer advocacy for abused children. Being a volunteer organization, there is little funds available for getting the word out for their cause—limiting them to an e-newsletter, Facebook and Twitter. The Board of Directors for CASA of Travis County wanted to increase online recruitment of donors and volunteers. Luckily, Erin Nelson, Chief Marketing Office at Dell, is on CASA’s board and knew that Razorfish would be able to help CASA achieve their strategic goals.
When Razorfish met with CASA staff and volunteers, they were so touched by the nonprofit’s mission they offered to design an online campaign to help CASA. Razorfish’s online campaign featured close-up pictures of children with tape over their mouths, a startling image, and a variation on these words: “When children can’t speak for themselves, CASA Can.”
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A group of Starcom Chicago employees felt that they could do more to better their community and do more to “Act for the Greater Good”, which is a corporate value. After this group of civic-minded employees surveyed their co-works, they found that were not alone. Nearly 300 employees were surveyed and 86% agreed that they wanted to work for a company that offered volunteer opportunities. With the great employee support, Starcom Community Outreach was ready to make a difference.
One of the first projects launched by Starcom was implementing a company wide philanthropy day called Starcom Serves. In 2009, as a part of Starcom Serves, nearly 500 employees helped Chicago Public Schools by visiting different schools throughout the city to paint, build bookshelves, and plant gardens.
While Starcom Serves is a one day event, throughout the year employees bring forward causes that they are passionate about as potential Instant Karma projects. Passionate Starcom employees organize six Instant Karma projects each year that typically are a month long. These events create continuous buzz and enthusiasm in the company around volunteering. Some events have included speaker series, clothes drives, and hands-on volunteer project. For one Instant Karma project, Starcom partnered with Dreams Delivered to help high school girls with the costs of attending their senior prom by donating prom dresses.
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