FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katy Miller
803.799.5972
803.414.6148 cell
katy@riggspartners.com
CREATEATHON RECOGNIZED AS NATIONAL PRO BONO LEADER
COLUMBIA, SC — CreateAthon, a 24-hour creative marketing marathon founded by Riggs Partners of Columbia, South Carolina, has been profiled as one of the nation’s top models of corporate social responsibility in a study released by the Taproot Foundation. Headquartered in New York and serving markets throughout the U.S., the Taproot Foundation works to engage professionals in pro bono service that drives social change.
In Making Pro Bono Work: 8 Proven Models for Community and Business Impact, the Riggs Partners CreateAthon program is featured alongside pro bono efforts developed by major U.S. corporations including Gap, Capital One and Pfizer. The study features a collection of case studies outlining the ways these organizations have embraced the pro bono movement and developed innovative service programs. The case study on CreateAthon describes the concept of a marathon as a model for social engagement.
“CreateAthon is a great approach to pro bono for the marketing industry in that it harnesses the idea of ‘pulling an all nighter,’ which is a familiar concept to people in the creative arts,” said Aaron Hurst, President and Founder of Taproot Foundation. “Compressing all that work into a 24-hour period allows for high productivity at a low cost to nonprofits.”
Riggs Partners expanded CreateAthon from a single-agency endeavor in 1998 into the National CreateAthon Network, a partnership of marketing and advertising firms across the country. To date, the effort has served more than 1,100 nonprofit organizations, delivering 2,500 projects valued at more than $11 million in creative marketing services. The program has developed additional models to expand pro bono service within other creative marketing communities: CreateAthon on Campus and CreateAthon for Clubs.
“We are so honored, and so grateful to Taproot for recognizing the positive impact CreateAthon has had on pro bono efforts within our industry,” said Teresa Coles of Riggs Partners and co-founder of CreateAthon. “We applaud the work of our national partners, and look forward to seeing more agencies, universities and marketing organizations across the country join the CreateAthon movement.”
About Riggs Partners
Riggs Partners is a collective of senior strategists united in their commitment to connecting thoughtful brands and conscious consumers. Major clients represented by the firm include those in nonprofit, healthcare, banking, tourism, and B2B sectors. For more information, visit riggspartners.com or createathon.org.
About Taproot Foundation
Since 2001, Taproot Foundation has worked to engage the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro bono services both through award-winning programs and by partnering with companies to develop corporate pro bono programs. The foundation provides service grant programs, advisory services and advocacy efforts to increase access to pro bono services. For more information, visit taprootfoundation.org.
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