If your agency is like any of ours - and we'll bet it is - you know it's practically a full-time job to simply manage pro-bono requests. CreateAthon® is a way to manage this work efficiently, while providing meaningful support to the nonprofits in your community that desperately need it.

CreateAthon partnerships are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exclusivity of one agency per market. (However, an agency may choose to partner with another in the market.) There is no cost to the agency to join the network and there are no administrative fees. (The founding agency, RIGGS, provides all network administration and absorbs all administrative costs.) Our hope is that by banding together, we can benefit thousands who are in need across the nation.

What do I have to do to join?

• Agree to the basic guidelines of CreateAthon.
• Hold your event during CreateAthon Week, September 14 - 18, 2009. (We recommend you choose Thursday - Friday, September 17 - 18, along with the rest of the CreateAthon Network.)
• Complete a minimum of five projects.
• Commit a designated portion of your staff to this pro-bono work for the entire 24-hour period.

Once you sign on, we'll tell you all we've learned to make it as easy for you as possible. We'll provide forms, timelines, applications, sample press releases, logo files - you name it, we've already done it for you!

What's in it for our agency?

• You will have a tool for managing pro bono requests that limits the demands on your agency to once a year.
• You will be viewed by both the nonprofit and business communities as a great champion of local charities.
• You will energize your staff by doing important work that makes a difference to people who deeply appreciate it.
• You will be amazed at the levels of creativity that will surface during this exciting event. (CreateAthon partners across the country have produced award-winning pieces during the annual event, including work that has appeared in the Print Design Annual, been honored by the AAF and more.)
• A greatly energized staff, doing important work that makes a difference to people who deeply appreciate it.

How does CreateAthon work?

• Partner agencies solicit applications from local 501(c)3 organizations.
• Each agency selects a group of projects based on recommended criteria.
• The number of projects accepted is based on the capabilities of the individual agency.
• These projects are then completed, start-to-finish in a 24-hour period during CreateAthon Week (September 14 - 18, 2009). (Broadcast work is sometimes presented as scripts/storyboards only, with full production scheduled to follow after the event.)

How much can we really accomplish?

Consider this: In the last 11 years, RIGGS - the founding agency for CreateAthon - has completed more than 350 projects for 127 nonprofits, all at no charge to them. The agency has worked with vendor partners to provide paper, printing and more, for a total market value of more than $2.5 million. And RIGGS is an agency of only 16 people!

What support do you provide?

When you sign on as a CreateAthon partner, we will grant your agency legal access to the trademarked name and identity of CreateAthon®, as well as access to the password-protected portion of this web site, which includes a complete how-to kit. In the kit you'll find the following:

• checklist of the basic steps to follow in planning, implementing and promoting your event
• recommended timetable (hint - you need to start soon)
• suggestions on how to compile a nonprofit database to issue applications
• sample press releases
• downloadable access to the official CreateAthon® identity, along with guidelines for basic uses.

How do I sign up?

Contact international CreateAthon coordinator, Teresa Coles, at teresa@riggspartners or (803) 799-5972. She'll answer any questions you might have. She'll also send you a Letter of Agreement to serve as your official membership in the CreateAthon® Network. Once we have a signed agreement from you, we can provide you with a member password to the CreateAthon® site that will allow you to download the proprietary information.