Written by Martha Murphy

As a marketing firm with deep roots in Winston-Salem, we spend a lot of time listening to our clients discuss their marketing and advertising challenges. Through our conversations with them and our own extensive network of community contacts, we became aware of a need that exists in our community.

We’ve learned that many local nonprofits struggle with such issues as lack of name recognition, confusion around mission, and the inability to find new funding sources and board members, among other challenges. Due to limited budgets, they can’t afford to obtain the professional advice needed to overcome some of the obstacles that are preventing them from moving ahead in positive, strategic ways.

That’s when we were struck with a grand “aha!” What if we could find a way to share our marketing expertise with qualified nonprofits at no cost to them? Our team at Reuben Rink is passionate about serving others. We regularly give of our time and resources to local organizations. What if we found a way to blend our passion for serving with our professional experience?

After more discussion and some refinement, Community Giveback was born!

Community Giveback is a program designed to support the strategic marketing needs of local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations headquartered in Forsyth County. Once a quarter, Reuben Rink will select a local nonprofit through an application process for a free, half-day discovery workshop that addresses a specific marketing challenge facing the organization. Following the workshop, we will provide a follow-up report with strategic recommendations targeting the issue discussed.

In addition to submitting a formal application, we simply ask that the selected nonprofit involve at least four people in leadership positions in the discovery session to provide a wide perspective and ensure a quality response.

We look forward to helping those who are helping others and are excited about Community Giveback. The initiative offers some intangible benefits to our internal team as well:

• Sharing our time and expertise with nonprofit organizations is uniting. It’s fun to give back!
• Putting our strategic marketing skills to work in new and meaningful ways will make a positive impact and help organizations break through marketing barriers.
• Learning more about the work our local nonprofits are involved in helps us gain new perspectives and makes us smarter marketers.
• Gaining new insights into our community connects us more deeply to it.

Clearly, the benefits of corporate philanthropy are not limited to external results!

If you know of a nonprofit that could benefit from talking to us about a major marketing challenge they’re facing, encourage them to participate in Community Giveback by submitting an application.

Reuben Rink has deep experience helping for-profits and nonprofits alike with their marketing challenges. Contact us today to explore how we can help your organization succeed!