Maryland Non-Profit Organizations Can Apply for Pro Bono Communications Projects

The clock is ticking on the most dreaded time of the year for any warm blooded non-profit professional - no not time to find the perfect holiday gift for the CEO or board president. Worse than that - BUDGET time. The time is upon us when we draft and re-draft budget numbers to predict realistic needs only to ax everything in the final version and find ourselves doing the same old things year after year simply because we don't have the funds to do them differently. Sound familiar? Take a deep breath. This year may be different as you may be able to extend your marketing budget through a national program available in Maryland called CreateAThon. Applications are available now and must be completed by Friday, July 13.

Stevensville, MD (PRWEB) June 7, 2007 -- For non-profit organizations this time of the year represents the grueling and often painful budget planning process. This year Maryland's non-profits have an even harder task to fund programs as they take into consideration the dramatic cuts in the recently passed 2008 state budget.

For 501(c)3 organizations located in the Baltimore market to the Mid-Shore this may be their lucky year. A national program called CreateAThon® will once again serve Maryland to provide pro bono services to selected non-profit organizations.

The Maryland CreateAThon® program was launched in 2005 by Purple Cat, a Kent Island public relations agency, and Octo Design Group, a Philadelphia graphic design firm, now serving Maryland. To date pro bono creative services with a market value of more than $38,387.00 has been provided to Maryland non-profit organizations.

Applications are now available. The deadline is Friday, July 13. Request an application by contacting Purple Cat at (410) 604-2319. The program is open to all 501(c)3 non-profits from Baltimore through the Mid-Shore. Previously unselected applicants are encouraged to re-apply.

How CreateAThon® works
Creative services agencies sign up as affiliates and choose a specific market. They then solicit applications from 501(c)3 organizations and select a minimum of five projects (one per non-profit). Projects are then completed free of charge. During the Maryland program the actual work takes place through the summer with final client presentations scheduled during national CreateAThon® Week, September 10 to 14, 2007.

Last year Purple Cat and Octo Design Group joined other CreateAThon® national partners to assist a total of 17 New Orleans non-profits who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. In all, 20 advertising agencies across the United States and Canada participated in CreateAthon® 2006, producing 336 projects valued at $1.3 million, benefiting 148 non-profit organizations. The Maryland program served: Arundel Lodge, Edgewater, Md.; Fuel Fund of Maryland, Baltimore, Md.; Mental Health Association of Talbot County, Easton, Md.; New Orleans Music Legends, New Orleans, La.; and The Nickelby Project, Grasonville, Md., providing $13,637.50 worth of free public relations, marketing and advertising services.
For more information or to receive an application contact Purple Cat at (410) 604-2319. Applications must be completed and returned no later than Friday, July 13, 2007.

Assignment Desk Note: Interviews can be arranged by calling (410) 604-2319.

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