GoodWorks

New Campaign: Give Nature a Try

Ad Council, U.S. Forest Service Push Tweens to Go Outdoors

Posted by Karen Egolf on 06.11.09 @ 02:29 PM

The Ad Council is teaming up with the U.S. Forest Service in a new campaign to raise an awareness of nature among America's youth.

The campaign, launched to coincide with National Get Outdoors Day, June 13, is designed to encourage 8- to 12-year-olds and their parents to reconnect with nature by spending time in nearby forests and parks and interest them in protecting and conserving natural resources. Research shows that kids today spend 50 percent less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago.

Created pro bono by Euro RSCG, the campaign includes TV, radio, outdoor and web PSAs that show the various qualities tweens can discover about themselves in nature. In addition, the Brigham Young University Ad Lab developed two pro bono radio spots to further engage tweens. All the PSAs point children and their parents to a new website, DiscovertheForest.org, to find out "where the other you lives."

The Learning Grove

NYCA Takes Its Mantra -- 'Grow!' -- and Watches It Spread

Posted by Michael Mark on 06.09.09 @ 02:36 PM

NYCA, an Encinitas, Calif.-based agency, takes its "Grow!" mantra and uses it to help its community bloom; Michael Mark, CEO-creative director, tells how.

The Learning Grove, before (inset) and after.

The idea for the Learning Grove was planted six years before we broke ground at Horton Elementary School in a low-income section of San Diego.

Do Good, Look Good

Web Designer Lists the 40 Best Nonprofit Sites

Posted by Karen Egolf on 06.05.09 @ 11:17 AM

Nonprofits seek to inspire people to get involved -- a goal that often gets lost in their web design. For those looking to do good and be good as well, Web site designer Vandalay Design has put together its list of 40 of the best nonprofit organization websites. They're eye-catching, they're inspiring and they're worth checking out.

Self Honors Three Women Doing Good

Magazine's Second-Annual Event Recognizes 'Incredible Women'

Posted by Karen Egolf on 06.04.09 @ 10:00 AM

Three women were recognized for their dedication, compassion and drive this week in Self magazine's second-annual Women Doing Good Awards. Each honoree received $10,000 for her charity.

Pass the Fish -- and Let's Talk

Large-Scale Philanthropy and Big Brands Need Deeper Collaboration

Posted by Eric Henderson on 06.01.09 @ 10:19 AM

Eric Henderson

Traditionally, corporate charitable efforts have been stereotyped as ribbon-cutting photo ops. While that has its benefits, what's really needed is deeper, long-term partnerships between brands and philanthropic efforts, says Eric Henderson of Living Cities.

Cause Marketing Forum Honors Good Works

Seventh-Annual Halo Awards Recognize Companies' Efforts

Posted by Karen Egolf on 05.28.09 @ 10:00 AM

From funding children's hospitals to inspiring people to walk every day, cause marketing efforts are being honored today at the Cause Marketing Forum's annual conference in Chicago.

The Cause Marketing Forum's seventh-annual Cause Marketing Halo Awards recognize companies that team up with nonprofit organizations to help a variety of causes. "The Cause Marketing Halo Awards demonstrate the good that can be done when businesses and nonprofits team up," says David Hessekiel, president of the Cause Marketing Forum, an organization he founded in 2002. "It's a competition in which we all win."

According to Mr. Hessekiel, cause-marketing spending is projected to reach $1.57 billion this year.

Stumbling Into the Future

Marketers Can No Longer Afford to Be Complacent About Global Climate Change

Posted by Robin Raj on 05.27.09 @ 12:07 PM

Robin Raj

Global warming is real, and the implications to the health of our environment, our economy and ourselves are catastrophic. As marketers, complacency is simply a luxury we can no longer afford, says Robin Raj, founder and executive creative director of Citizen Group, San Francisco. In the words of our new president, it's time to put away childish things and trade in our gold-plated Hummers for a little sanity.

'Sesame Street' PSAs Teach ABCs of Flu Avoidance

Elmo Demonstrates Healthy Habits in New Ad Council Effort

Posted by Karen Egolf on 05.22.09 @ 04:31 PM

"Sesame Street's" Gordon and Elmo are spreading the word about healthy habits to protect families from the H1N1 flu virus. In a new public service campaign from the Department of Health & Human Services, the Ad Council and Sesame Workshop, Elmo and Gordon demonstrate such healthy habits as washing your hands and sneezing into the bend of your arm.

Ad Council: Hand Washing

The 15- and 30-second spots are being distributed nationally today and will be supported in airtime donated by TV stations.

The PSAs, created by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind "Sesame Street," encourage audiences to visit www.cdc.gov for more information. The spots are an extension of Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits for Life initiative, which promotes an early foundation of healthy habits for children.

Tweet to ReMind Targets Memorial Day Goal

Initiative Using Twitter to Raise $1.65 Million for Wounded Vets

Posted by Karen Egolf on 05.22.09 @ 11:27 AM

This weekend may mark the largest and most ambitious online fundraising effort yet if Tweet to ReMIND achieves its goals. The project plans to raise $1.65 million -- $1 for every service person mobilized in Afghanistan and Iraq since Sept. 11.

The campaign is the project of ReMIND.org, an initiative started by the Bob Woodruff Foundation. All money raised will go toward providing local resources and support for injured U.S. service members returning from war. Supported by Porter Novelli, JWT Worldwide, Clinique and Sawhorse Media, the project will use Twitter to raise awareness and funds through online posts.

The campaign is asking Twitter users to donate at least $5.25 each -- in honor of Memorial Day -- at TweetToReMIND.org. They are also asked to use Twitter or their blogs to answer the question, "Who is your hero?" while encouraging their friends and followers to answer the same question and including links to http://tweettoremind.org or http://bit.ly/remind and #tweettoremind on Twitter.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation was created by ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff, who was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, and his wife, Lee, to support wounded veterans, especially those suffering from traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

TSA, Ad Council Launch Travel Campaign

Effort Seeks to Educate Airline Passengers on New Procedures

Posted by Karen Egolf on 05.21.09 @ 04:06 PM

As the summer travel season starts, the Transportation Security Administration and the Ad Council are continuing their partnership by launching a national campaign to help airline passengers prepare for travel. The effort, part of a program launched in November 2008, will educate travelers about new security procedures being introduced this summer as part of the Secure Flight program.