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Media Saves The Day
Voting Summary (Elevator Pitch):
"Media Saves The Day" aspires to be an online community connecting volunteer creative arts and media talent with non-profits in need of these services, and to inspire schools to incorporate non-profit related projects into their creative courses.
City:
Red Bank
State/Region:
NJ
Country:
USA
Project Vision Statement & Potential Social Impact:
As our population explodes, volunteerism declines. According to U.S. Department of Labor’s “Bureau of Labor Statistics’” report 1/10/07,
“…the largest decline [in Volunteerism] was among teenagers. Persons in their early 20’s are least likely of all groups to volunteer. The volunteer rate for females age 16 to 19 fell from 33.5 to 28.8 percent, and the volunteer rate for males of that age fell from 27.4 to 24.1 percent."
This downfall could partially be attributed to unfamiliarity of the many rewarding and creative volunteer opportunities available. Likewise, many non-profit organizations and their missions fall short of the necessary exposure due to the lack of a strong presence.
Media Saves The Day aspires to become a globally recognized non-profit entity driven to connecting volunteer creative talent such as graphic and web designers, writers, photographers, and video editors with non-profit organizations in need of these services. Due to the free-low cost nature of these projects, non-profits can reinvest budgets dedicated to creative outsourcing, advertising and marketing, focusing on their principal mission while increasing exposure. Volunteer talent can claim these services rendered as tax deductions while enhancing their portfolio, volunteering and networking, and virally promoting non-profits through:
This viral promotion aims to build awareness of non-profit missions and to increase overall volunteer and donor support. By incorporating non-profit related projects into school curriculums and online communities, awareness and inspiration can be increased among the demographics least likely to volunteer, and inspire a lifetime of giving.
Sustainability (financial) model:
As a non-profit Media Saves The Day will seek out grants, donations, and underwriting from (but not limited to) media-related companies. Our organization could run primarily on a volunteer basis. Telecommuting volunteers and interns will canvass for donations and contact schools to generate interest in incorporating Media Saves The Day non-profit projects into their curriculums.
Office needs will be minimal. Offering only downloadable PDF versions of quarterly newsletters and information, we avoid massive print runs, shipping costs, and paper waste. HTML email donation requests will be sent to parties potentially interested in our services in lieu of paper. We anticipate free viral online and “word of mouth” advertisement through:
Coverage by free online media sources, news and magazine websites, media-company and product websites (How Design, Print, Apple, Adobe, etc.) would be instrumental in promoting our mission. Since our site will boast volunteers ranging from professional creatives to aspiring novices, sponsors would be fulfilling a philanthropic duty while advertising directly to their much sought after markets.
When it is necessary to pay for certain services outside of volunteer and intern assistance, we could request work be done partially for tax-deductible services, and partially for pay.
Potential obstacles:
1. Acquiring enough volunteers to meet the demands of the posted non-profit jobs and assist with the maintenance of our website.
2. Seeking out a donor base, grants, and underwriting.
Resource Needs:
1. Sponsors, donors, and underwriters.
2. Volunteers and interns.
3. Website development and programming based on our design. Estimated website cost is approximately $15,000 - $20,000. Incudes databases for non-profit groups and volunteers, a member profile database to hold content, video and jpgs, online forms, and HTML pages for approximately 12 sections:
4. Services and equipment could potentially be sought as donations include:
Key Milestones:
First 45 Days: Website will be designed by Media Saves The Day. Programmers are hired to begin website development, create databases, and build online forms.
Media Saves The Day will network and generate interest for the site by contacting non-profits and volunteers about our upcoming service. Media related (and other) companies will be canvassed for donations, grants, and underwriting to promote scholarship funds and financial awards for promising non-profits. We begin contacting schools to promote our scholarship program, and to incorporate Media Saves The Day projects into their curriculum for upcoming semesters.
Next 45 Days: Podcast interviews begin, and will be prepared for posting when the site goes live. A new podcast interview will be available on the site each week. Contact online news and magazine websites about promoting our mission.
Media Saves The Day's website will go live by the end of this 90 day period. Site launch will be advertised through websites, message boards, blogs, free job boards, message boards, and online profiles, generating online interest and traffic.
Contact and network with news sources promoting the launch of our organization:
Project Summary:
Media Saves The Day is a non-profit organization founded with the purpose of connecting volunteer creative arts and media talent with non-profit organizations who need their services.
Our objective is to help non-profits gain the exposure and resources they need to survive and succeed; and creative volunteers a vehicle to support a cause they believe in and showcase their talent. We will foster an online community through social networking and global viral marketing to support volunteerism in the creative community.
By encouraging high school, college, and trade schools to offer creative courses incorporating volunteerism into their curriculum, students will give back to the community as well as develop meaningful portfolio pieces. Additionally, creative professionals, agencies, hobbyists and retirees will have a resource to volunteer well established talents to aid non-profit organizations, offering non monetary support to a meaningful cause.
Members will be strongly encouraged to showcase their talent on Media Saves The Day member profile pages (and other online communities), and can include bios, images, and video all related to their personal experiences in volunteering. A Gallery section will feature projects completed through our site, and offer free downloadable screensavers of artwork created by volunteer talent.
Invaluable site resources and links will be provided for volunteers (program tutorial sites, legal help for the arts, etc.) and for non-profits (conservation, marketing tips, etc.). Through our message board, volunteer talent can offer support to non-profits ranging from how to purchase a domain name, to executing a podcast.
Podcast interviews will be featured on a weekly basis with ‘4 Star’ rated charities by Charity Navigator, as well as celebrities, artists and musicians affiliated with various non-profit organizations. Discussions will include marketing and sustainability techniques for non-profits, and how talent can utilize their abilities for a greater good, all while inspiring a greater global interest in volunteerism. Through Web 2.0 resources, volunteers and non-profit organizations can aid in the increase of exposure both for their cause and global volunteerism.
Comments
good point!
I relay apreciate this organization. i will work great for me!
RodolfoThanks
Great project!
This is a very worthy project and a wonderful way to expand the reach of non-profits and expand young artist's horizons. Best of luck with your project and it has my vote!
Cool Project!
Fantastic project! Because people like YOU everything moves forward and forward! You have my support and :) My vote! :)
Timo.
Media Volunteer Center?
This seems like a great initiative, very network-centric; I'm curious if it's based on or connected to Media Volunteer Center, which uses volunteers' small amounts of time to build media lists for progressive nonprofits. This seems like a larger project (getting graphic design and video editing in addition to PR-related stuff) but it does seem like a similarly-motivated project.
--ivan (quixotic1.com/Genocide Intervention Network)
No relation
We are not affiliated with this organization, nor have I known of them until your post. MSTD is a much larger project as we plan to incorporate non-profit creative needs into [creative] school curriculums and offer scholarships for outstanding work. We will provide many different types of resources for both creatives and non-profits, including job resources, video blogs, and personal profiles all based on volunteer experience. Thank you for the link - it's good to know that Media Volunteer Center out there.