This global movement began with a simple question.

“What if we actually worked around the clock, for charity?”

As Teresa Coles and Cathy Monetti debated the concept one summer evening in 1998, a light came on. The principals of Riggs Partners, an advertising agency in Columbia, South Carolina, soon put plans in motion to make pulling an all-nighter for charity a reality. That’s when CreateAthon was born.

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Looking back, their biggest concern wasn’t all the work; it was whether or not Riggs Partners’ rag-tag crew of volunteers could even stay awake for 24 hours. Spoiler alert — they did.

In 2002, Riggs Partners expanded their CreateAthon event into a national network by sharing their expertise and tools with those seeking to host their own events. In 2014, CreateAthon sought designation as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 2023, a free toolkit was made available to those considering or planning pro bono marketing marathons.

During that time, we worked with pro bono leaders including:

  • US Pro Bono Summit
  • European Pro Bono Summit
  • Points of Light Conference
  • Taproot
  • Billion + Change
  • Pro Bono Lab
  • BMW Foundation
  • Public Relations Society of America
  • American Advertising Federation
  • AIGA

Current Partners

Washington, DC
Richmond, VA
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC
Asociatia Centrul de Resurse in Comunicare
Romania
Lafayette, LA
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, MI
Lockport, NY
Nashville, TN
Columbia, SC
Roanoke, VA
Melville, NY
Greensboro & Raleigh, NC
Mount Pleasant, SC
Tuscaloosa, AL
Los Angeles, CA

Collaborators

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CreateAthon served as an inaugural member of A Billion + Change and the resulting Pro Bono Collaborative, designed to advance pro bono work in corporate America.

CreateAthon was honored to participate in the US, European and Global Pro Bono Summits as panelists, workshop facilitators and keynote speaker.

After meeting Net Impact at Taproot’s Summit, CreateAthon has worked with them on how to expand pro bono marathons to their membership.

CreateAthon has served as roundtable leaders and panelists at conferences led by the champion of corporate, group and individual volunteerism in the US.

Headquartered in Paris and recognized as an early leader in international pro bono, CreateAthon helped the team implement the marathon service model.

When it was time to introduce a global celebration of professional services for the public good, who gets called to do the brand identity? CreateAthon, naturally.

CreateAthon has collaborated with Taproot on multiple projects over the years and inspired the organization’s “Done in a Day” marathon events.

Board of Directors

Teresa Coles Board Chair & CreateAthon Founder Columbia, SC
Julia Bishop Seattle, WA
June Bradham CFRE Charleston, SC
Matt King Greensboro, NC
Jack Martin Lockport, NY
Jessica Munday Charleston, SC
Rebecca Perez Washington, DC
Peyton Rowe Richmond, VA
Brittany Russell CPA Mt. Pleasant, SC