Me: “What?”

Jay: “A Harvard Business School professor did a study on the impact of really tight deadlines on the creative process. Now what does that make you think of?”

He pulled up the transcript right then and there as we sat on a bench at Lexington Middle School, waiting on our daughter who was ever-so busy socializing at the Spring Arts Festival. I scanned it to confirm someone had actually studied this dynamic, and sure enough there it was.

Teresa Amabile, a contributor to NPR’s Marketplace on workplace performance and the author of The Progress Principle, shared some research findings that were frankly not all that surprising in the general work world. For example, she cited that professionals in her study indicated they were 45 percent less likely to come up with a new idea or solve a complex problem on a tight deadline.

Grace under pressure?

(By the way, does that mean they are 55 percent MORE likely to be creative? Isn’t that pretty good?) But I digress.

What caught my eye was this: “We did find some creativity under high pressure, but the enabling circumstances are rare in most workplaces. People have to feel that they are on a mission to tackle something crucial — and they have to be protected from interruptions and extraneous demands.”

Let’s see: A 24-hour work marathon during which a company closes for business and releases its staff to develop marketing strategies and creative deliverables for nonprofit organizations. Might that constitute a higher sense of purpose? Perhaps even generate national, award-winning creative work? Check. Check.

So I’m off to find my soul sister Teresa (she even spells it right, it’s so karma) and load her up with some CreateAthon ammo. I’d love to have a cup of coffee or a good email over her comment that “the most important (thing in motivating people) in making progress is meaningful work.”

Purpose always produces.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we CreateAthon-ers ended up in a Harvard study to help prove her thesis true? Then again, we already know it is.

In light of our economy’s shaky recovery, nonprofit and socially conscious brands alike need to innovate. This needn’t be difficult or expensive. Let’s examine Nabisco’s Premium Saltines brand. More than 100 years old, Premium is not complacent. It asked three simple questions.

1.    How do people interact with our product?
The product has been packaged in boxes of two or four sleeves for decades. Most Saltines are consumed with other foods like soup, salad, cheese or peanut butter. Thus, an entire sleeve is rarely consumed in one day.

2.    What do they think about us?
Saltines are wonderful, but they go stale quickly. Most people don’t eat stale crackers. They throw them away. No one likes throwing away food.

3.    How can we make it better?
If your crackers go stale, you need to buy more crackers. If consumers kept their Saltines longer, they’d buy less. No actually. Saltines go stale, and consumers switched to another brand.

Fresh Stacks provides a reason for reconsideration. Repackaging resulted in a reason for trial, and ultimately, a shift in brand perception. Even better, the Premium brand shows consumer empathy, a catalyst for brand loyalty.

The next time your organization’s brand is stuck, make empathy your goal and start with the most basic questions.

Taproot’s founder and champion of all things pro bono, Aaron Hurst.

In the Taproot session that followed, there was much discussion around the fact that companies are sometimes reticent to develop pro bono programs for nonprofits because the nonprofits are not ready. That is to say, nonprofits may not have seriously considered or strategically planned for receiving pro bono counsel from professional organizations.

Why on earth would a nonprofit not be ready to accept pro bono services? Consider these stark but unfortunate truths:

The nonprofit has not developed a strategic plan of any kind. Professional service organizations will be wary of committing their employees’ valuable time to work for a nonprofit that has no idea of where it’s really heading or how it can possibly get there.

The nonprofit is not ready to execute the recommendations provided to them. Companies that provide pro bono consulting services to nonprofits offer highly sought-after, professional solutions, and nothing is more frustrating than to see smart planning sitting on a shelf. A nonprofit must have adequate resources —time, money, manpower — to carry out the counsel delivered to them.

The nonprofit is scared of letting “outside” consultants critique their work. Let’s face it: some people just don’t want to hear they have been doing it wrong or could do it better. Could it make them look bad in front of their boards? Heaven forbid.

The pro bono tide is rising, as evidenced by the commitment of A Billion + Change movement. Nonprofits will be wise to consider how they can strategically position their organization to be a worthwhile investment of time for companies that are actively seeking pro bono opportunities in their community and throughout the country. Don’t let tactical shortsightedness get in the way of what can be transformative progress for your organization.

This morning, I will attend a kick off breakfast in the Russell Senate Office Building hosted by Sen. Mark Warner, honorary chair of the initiative. Later on, I’ll participate in a panel discussion alongside leaders in corporate social responsibility from companies who are also involved in the program. I’ll be asked to share our experiences with CreateAthon as a model for how a small business can generate large-scale probono impact.

Teresa

So how does a Billion + Change work? Participating companies define a pledge amount toward the cause and report on their progress throughout the initiative. A majority of the companies involved are major corporations with significant CSR programs, like HP, Microsoft, IBM, Walmart, and Discovery Channel.

On behalf of CreateAthon, we’ve pledged to more than double the number of partner agencies, universities and professional organizations involved in the program. Our estimates tell us if we reach this goal, we will move from generating approximately $2.3 million in pro bono services each year to an annual impact of $5.6 million.

As if it couldn’t get any better, I’m joined today by none other than Peyton Rowe, Chief Evangelical Officer of CreateAthon. She’s just in from Richmond, and we are truly beside ourselves with the prospect of meeting so many folks who are committed to sharing professional talents for social good.

So know that today, the CreateAthon story will be told from the one place in America that was most meant to inspire servant leadership. Who knows? Maybe some good karma will rub off down the street.

Why doesn’t everyone in our industry do CreateAthon?

The simple, truthful answer has to do with resources. If only we had the time to put more into CreateAthon. If only we had more money to spend on marketing it. If only we had the resources to hire someone to run the program, full-time, we could recruit more people into the program to do more good for more nonprofits.

For as long as we’ve faced this conundrum, we’ve known what we had to do to address it. So I’m thrilled to announce that CreateAthon has become a 501(c)3 in its own right, joining the ranks of the organizations we’ve proudly served over the years. As a 501(c)3, CreateAthon is now in a position to pursue funding opportunities that can help us build much-needed organizational capacity — with a goal of adding full-time personnel and other resources to help the program grow.

When this sheet of paper arrived in the mail the other day, there was a collective gasp, immediately followed by parental-caliber squeals normally reserved for a child’s college acceptance letter. Proof again that our little idea is growing up.

We live a country built on compromise, with an economy based on negotiation. At present is only impasse. The political polarization is so vast that thousands are willing to congregate in mutual frustration to no end whatsoever.

Occupy Wall Street demonstrates the power of polarization.

Regardless of your political bent, we nonprofit marketers can learn from the politicians. Too many of today’s marketers are terrified to exclude anyone. They want their messages to have universal appeal. This is the highway to mediocrity.

Great marketing doesn’t appeal to the lowest common denominator. The best marketing creates both a tribe of devotees, and a group of outcasts. The outcasts don’t have to like you, your cause, or your marketing materials. Having loyalists, and some folks that don’t care much for your organization, is indeed a sign of success.

If your target audience is comprised of everyone, it’s time to reassess. Stand for something bold enough to draw a crowd, or your customers may well be otherwise occupied.

Three years ago, on what would turn out to be merely the cusp of a game-changing Recession, I got a phone call from David Kunz, executive director of The Cooperative Ministry. I did not know David at the time, but I heard something in his voice that prompted me (against all sense and reason), to take the request he made of me to my business partners.

“The Cooperative Ministry serves the working poor in this community,” he said,”and the economy has dealt us a double blow.” Financial support for TCM was way down at a time when more people than ever were desperate for the kind of help they provide.

Would you be willing to develop a television spot to run during the holidays? David had delicately asked.

But there was more to the story. The Cooperative Ministry had been gifted a performance of the Hootie and the Blowfish megahit “Hold My Hand,” sung by the incredible Benedict College Gospel Choir. Perhaps the song could be a powerful soundtrack for the spot, he offered.

Interesting, I thought. But still there were a thousand reasons to graciously decline.

(1) No Production Budget DOES NOT = Powerful TV.

(2) We were already in work overload, doing our best to support clients in a crippling economic downturn.

(3) We had an event in place to support nonprofits, and we had held it just two months prior to this phone call. CreateAthon allows us to focus our pro bono efforts into one concentrated time period—and we hadn’t quite wrapped up that work yet.

And yet I felt compelled to approach my partners with the possibility of helping The Cooperative Ministry. They really need us, and right now, I said. With no hesitation, there was a unanimous partner vote. Yes, they said.

It was not an easy assignment. We were committed to creating television, yes. But we also believed there was a larger story to share about the gifting of the song. We brought in volunteer creative teams to help craft what ultimately became a movement, With A Little Love. The team built a website. Keely Saye oversaw an inbound program. Ryan Cockrell produced a phenomenal video. Mad Monkey created TV magic:

Many on the team also developed a heart connection with David Kunz; his phenomenal deputy, Courtney Thomas; and the starter of this movement, Hootie and the Blowfish drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld.  Each of those light-filled souls gave way more than they took, and they introduced us to other heart connections that have filled these three years with so many grace-filled moments the power of Doing Good simply cannot be denied.

So it is quite the understatement to say we were humbled when CreateAthon was honored by The Cooperative Ministry at their oh-so-swell gala, The GOOD Night. We thank them from way deep down for their generosity. And we thank every volunteer who has been a part of Riggs CreateAthon since its inception in 1998, as well as the nonprofits who have supported us and cheered us on all these years. We especially thank David Kunz, Courtney Thomas, and all the folks at The Cooperative Ministry who worked so hard to make The GOOD Night sparkle so brightly.

You have, do doubt, been a gift to us.

David Kunz and Courtney Thomas, celebrating The GOOD Night

CreateAthon Crew, in part

Teresa Coles and Cathy Monetti

Kerry Fulton and Ryon Edwards

Jay Coles and George Fulton

Teresa Coles, Pam Plowden and Kevin Smith. Now what's so funny?

Keep painting your nails any color you want.

Last week's philosophy: why use one color when you've got two hands?

See, I had taken a small risk by deciding to keep my robin’s egg blue nails for the interview. Robin’s egg blue – however pretty – isn’t exactly a “professional” shade of polish. But it is a true reflection of who I am, a woman whose nail polish changes as often as the weather. And apparently, that small, honest glimpse worked in my favor.

I can’t think of a better reminder for today, whether you’re a nonprofit, a company, or just a regular person like me: be true to who you are. Marketing cycles through trends, just like any other industry. Don’t board a train just because every other brand in your market is riding it, and conversely, don’t be afraid to pioneer just because no one has gone before you.

In this hyper-connected, new economy world, consumers choose to connect with authentic brands.  In fact, research proves that the more genuine a brand feels, the more likely a consumer is to become a high value customer and recommend the brand to others. (This goes for people, too.)

So be exactly who you are. Hold firm to the values that have shaped you. Don’t suppress the personality that makes your brand distinct.  Keep painting your nails any color you want.

The reason why I am explaining all of this is because I’m sitting here, three weeks after CreateAthon, trying to pinpoint what my greatest memory was. I’ve been staring at a blank computer screen trying to find the exact moments that have defined my experience and I’m starting to realize, I don’t think it’s possible. So much has gone into this, by so many that I don’t think it would be fair to the cause if I continued to try. In politics, there are so many ups and downs that it is easy to look back and point out the good. With CreateAthon, this isn’t possible. There is nothing but good and more good. There is a lot emotion attached to CreateAthon, but it’s all happiness and gratitude.

Riggs CreateAthon team 2011

National CreateAthon Week may have already passed, but it is not over for me. My job is to help it grow on the national level so that we can continue to bring in more agencies and nonprofits. I want this program to mean as much to our fellow and future agencies throughout North America, as it does to everyone here at Riggs Partners. Our 24 hours may have ended, but we still have three agencies left that are working hard to prepare for their CreateAthon. Be sure to cheer on Hypno Design, Flipside, and Trickey Jennus as they bring CreateAthon 2011 to an end and we’ll begin preparing for an incredible CreateAthon 2012.

– Jody Piland

Overcoming this all-too pervasive insight formed the basis of the brand strategy we developed for Kershaw County Literacy Association during CreateAthon. With a staggering 23% illiteracy rate in this area, KCLA needed to bring the issue to the attention of community leaders in a way that would allow them to understand the truth, consequences and imperatives for action behind illiteracy.

So we set about the time-driven task of creating a brand platform for KCLA that could help the organization speak to the impact of illiteracy in very clear and certain terms. Punctuated by a rallying cry targeting community leaders in local business, civic and faith-based organizations.

An important objective was to align KCLA with the strategic work being done in the Midlands through Literacy 2030. Our work is designed to connect KCLA to this regional initiative, while giving them the opportunity to tell their story in a way that is indigenous to Kershaw County.

After 24+ sleep-deprived hours, we joyfully presented a new identity, brand handbook, and presentation targeting community leaders to Paula Scarborough, chairman of the KCLA board.  While we felt great about the work our team presented, it was the first tear down her cheek that put a night’s worth of madness into perspective and reminded us of the Great CreateAthon Promise:

Good will come of this.

completed brand handbook

KCLA CreateAthon team: Allison Caldwell, Teresa Coles, Kelly Davis, George Fulton, Michael Powelson, Peyton Rowe.