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CreateAthon Blog
Chronicle Delight
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Written by Alexandra Frazier
Here at CreateAthon, we love to be the center of attention. And so, we’re thrilled to announce that The Chronicle of Philanthropy has featured our up-all-night brand of imaginative altruism in their latest publication. In “Charities Benefit from Ad Agencies’ 24-Hour Creativity Marathons,” The Chronicle highlights CreateAthon’s transition from a local, single business effort to... Read More
CreateAthon@USC's First Experiment in Giving Back
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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