Lori Haines, assistant account manager for Knupp and Watson of Madison, shows off the Web site that a creative team from the communications company developed for Focuscorp, a nonprofit group that provides education and vocational training for people with disabilities. The company provided 13 nonprofits with free marketing and communications services in a 24-hour annual event ending Friday.
Kyle McDaniel -- State Journal
Thirteen Dane County nonprofit groups left the High Noon Saloon on Friday with a variety of free marketing tools developed over the previous 24 hours in the Madison offices of Knupp and Watson.
The round-the-clock creative marathon, held from noon Thursday to noon Friday, was capped off by the gathering at the bar to unveil the results.
Also on Friday, the company announced that one of the nonprofits - Domestic Abuse Intervention Services - would also receive an entire year's worth of free advice and marketing from the company, in a new addition to Knupp and Watson's fifth annual, pro-bono Goodstock event.
"This year, we wanted to give more than ever," company president Andy Wallman said. "We realize what rough shape nonprofits are in these days."
DAIS Executive Director Shannon Barry said her group was "thrilled" to be selected for a full year of services, noting it would let the group use more of its limited funds directly for those affected by domestic abuse. Demand for DAIS services has soared by 145 percent since the recession started, Barry said, adding urgency to the group's desire to expand its outreach and fundraising activities.
The Goodstock event from Thursday to Friday was billed as a way for Knupp and Watson to "give back" and help cash-strapped community organizations learn to promote themselves effectively and efficiently. It left the agency's 31 employees tired and punchy by Friday afternoon, but clearly proud of their good works.
"We created a lot of things in the last 24 hours," Wallman said in opening remarks. "We certainly hope they work for you, that you like them and that you learn a little bit."
Then the account executive for each nonprofit's campaign took the podium for a recap of each group's mission, what it had identified as its marketing needs and what was developed in response.
The bounty varied by group needs, but included promotional videos, Web site redesigns, TV and radio spots, brochures, posters, marketing plans, direct mailings and fundraising strategies, plus thousands of dollars of free air time, ad space or printing services donated by media partners in the event.
In one of the more unusual requests, the team for Goodman Community Center brainstormed a new name for the center's chief annual fundraising effort, dubbing it the "Momentum Campaign."
"What they did was no small thing," said the center's Kristin Groth, noting center members had been trying and failing to come up with a broad, powerful but non-jargony name for the past year. "We're really pleased with it."
GOODSTOCK BENEFICIARIES
Nonprofit organizations selected to receive free marketing services from Knupp and Watson were:
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison
• Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission
• Goodman Community Center
• Wisconsin Early Childhood Association
• Community GroundWorks at Troy Gardens
• The Rainbow Project
• Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
• Common Threads Family Resource Center
• The River Food Pantry
• Capital Candlelighters
• Walbridge School
• Focuscorp
• Child Development
Posted in Business on Friday, October 16, 2009 5:50 pm Updated: 5:56 pm. Goodstock, Knupp And Watson, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services
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