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(Very)Nicely Done!
  • Written by Alexandra Frazier

The folks at verynice, a design and innovation consultancy based in Los Angeles, know a thing or two about pro-bono. Since opening their doors, they’ve donated over $775,000 in creative services to clients all over the world. CreateAthon was a unique opportunity, then, for the firm to give back to two deserving nonprofits located in... Read More

CreateAthon@USC's First Experiment in Giving Back
  • Written by Alexandra Frazier

Karen L. Mallia, Associate Professor of Advertising at the University of South Carolina, is the mastermind behind CreateAthon@USC, an event that brings students, staff, and alumni together for 24 hours of inspired content creation and community goodwill. Here, she shares her experiences leading a team of spirited student leaders and adults towards pro-bono greatness: On... Read More

The Many Meanings of CreateAthon
  • Written by Julie Turner

The benefits of CreateAthon are quite clear for nonprofits. For creative professionals, however, the advantages of working for 24 hours straight can be shrouded by fear, anxiety and one very, very unforgiving deadline. It’s a challenge a handful of 2013 volunteers saw as an opportunity to stretch within the confines of everyday. Here’s how. What... Read More

Waggener Edstrom gives us a CreateAthon play-by-play
  • Written by Jenni Brennison

There seem to be a few universal truths about every CreateAthon experience. Participants agree, staying up for 24-hours is a little bit crazy. OK, it’s a lot of crazy. At 8 a.m. a client’s enthusiasm for your work can make you burst into tears even before you begin your presentation. But what happens at 4... Read More

An Experiment in Giving Back
  • Written by Teresa Coles

Sixteen years ago CreateAthon was a grand experiment. Our biggest concern wasn’t if we could get all the work done; it was more whether our rag-tag crew of volunteers could even stay awake for 24 hours! Little did we know, we were onto something big. That 1998 CreateAthon was the inaugural effort of what’s now... Read More

CreateAthon: A CEO Reflects On Her Favorite Time of Year
  • Written by Jenni Brennison

 CreateAthon does more for me than it ever does for the nonprofits we help. It teaches me lessons. It humbles me. It makes me a better person. – Trish Cheatham, CEO, Think Tank In the late morning hours of Oct. 25, Think Tank CEO, Trish Cheatham,  sat down to blog about the successful completion of... Read More

CreateAthon 2013: One Night in 50 Tweets
  • Written by Julie Turner

Been wondering what went down in the wee small hours of CreateAthon while you snoozed the night away? With 14 pro bono marketing marathons happening simultaneously across the United States, things got quite interesting. Here’s how 24 hours of creating, planning, designing, writing, coding, and stress eating looked from the Twittersphere. [<a href=”//storify.com/KeelySaye/top-50-createathon-posts” target=”_blank”>View the... Read More

Saying Yes
  • Written by Teresa Coles

This morning, hundreds of people in the communicating arts woke up to the longest day of the year. Twenty-four hours of intense brainstorming, sketching, writing, shooting, editing, coding, eating, yawning, laughing and crying. Why would anyone put themselves through that? I’ve thought a lot about that in the 16 years since CreateAthon was born here... Read More

Making its mark: A look at Pro Bono Week's Brand Identity
  • Written by Jenni Brennison

As lovers of all things pro bono, the design team at Riggs Partners was thrilled when Taproot Foundation asked them to develop Pro Bono Week’s brand identity. Art Director, Ryon Edwards,  and Design Apprentice, Nate Puza, collaborated on a design that captures the essence of the movement: Proud. Spirited. Visionary. The energetic yellow-orange reflects the... Read More

Is social good your next business strategy?
  • Written by Julie Turner

Ben Rattray once dreamed of being Wall Street’s next Gordon Gekko. The enduring ambition sustained him through college and the dot-com boom, but everything changed the day he learned his brother was gay. As the realization of all his brother and family would face settled in, he realized he needed to take action to bring... Read More