An Ad Agency’s Point of View on Pro Bono
When this ad agency came together to design creative advertising pro bono for Taproot, they left feeling creative, inspired, and excited by the impact on their community. The pitch The conversation always goes something like this: Me: I'm volunteering for the Taproot Foundation. Them: Who? Me: Taproot. They help nonprofits [insert Taproot Foundation elevator pitch here]. Them: Wow, that's really...
Read MoreRemembering 9/11 Through Pro Bono Service
The first 9/11 Skills Service Day encourages pro bono service as a way to give back and reflect. Here, see why it matters. September, when warm days and cool nights bring relief to the soupy ends of August weather. The leaves begin to turn and kids go back to school. It is the ending of one thing and the beginning...
Read MoreMeet David: Doing Good Is Just a Way of Life for this Photographer
David Moss started work as a Taproot pro bono consultant in 2012, and since then, he's worked on four Taproot projects as a photographer. But his commitment to giving back started well before that. In fact, that ethic for giving back has made a huge impact on David and his wife's life together. "When we were in our late twenties,...
Read MoreConfessions of a Pro Bono Copywriter
Full disclosure: I'm a professional TV writer who gets paid to encourage viewers to stick around, to stay right where they are, to keep watching the same program they're already watching. It's not easy. People have so many other things to do. In the end, I lean on a universal truth: people are interested in other people. In the business,...
Read MoreMusic to Our Ears: Rock for Kids Uses Pro Bono to Connect Students to Music
Rock For Kids connects Chicago Public School students to music education. Aimed at inspiring and promoting creativity among underserved kids from third-eighth grade, Rock For Kids enables critical thinking, cultural exposure and ultimately, academic success through its programs. The organization was founded in 1988, and over the past several years has used Taproot Foundation Service Grants to develop their organizational...
Read MoreWith the New Year, New Opportunities for Giving Back
As we start to wind down 2013, there's no better time to start thinking about giving back to make a difference in the new year. But before we do that, let's take a moment to celebrate the good work done this past year. And there's certainly A LOT to celebrate. Since January, thanks to our pro bono consultants, we have...
Read MoreSmall business does BIG pro bono
Volunteer or pro bono engagements may seem overwhelming for a small business. Most of them don't have an employee engagement, HR or marketing department, but still want to be present and active in the communities where they operate and to be recognized as a socially responsible business. How can they support local nonprofits without overwhelming their staff and operations? Teamwork...
Read MoreMeet April: A Pro Bono Leader By Design
April Kobeda joined the Taproot pro bono consultant team in 2005 because she wanted to help nonprofit organizations accomplish their goals, to feel part of a larger community, and to gain experience outside of her corporate job. Having completed eight Service Grants, April adds a deeper understanding of nonprofit needs and insight to all of her projects. Read April's story...
Read MoreMeet Steve: A Modest Leader Making a Big Difference
For a man with more than two decades of experience leading advertising departments and agencies, as well as 16 years in media sales, Steve Nelson is particularly modest. Observing that everybody he works with is "Amazingly creative and wonderful," Steve calls himself the least qualified Taproot consultant he has met. But we're not fooled: Steve has been leading Taproot Service...
Read MoreMeet Laura: Marketing Maven with Seven Projects Under Her Belt
More than 600. That's the amount of hours that Laura Argento has personally donated to serve nonprofits in the Bay Area. Noting the importance of social services in the changing economic climate, Laura says, "we're finding that nonprofit organizations can do many, many things to fill the gap in government or private services." Therefore, pro bono work within the nonprofit...
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