A Roaring 24-Hours at CreateAthon 15

In service of a new batch of incredible Lowcountry nonprofits, your favorite flapper girls and bootlegger boys got down to brass tacks for 24-hours during our 15th annual CreateAthon—what a way to end our ROARING 20th-anniversary year.

On Oct. 28, the secret password was “CREATEATHON”! Excited to give it their all in support of Lowcountry nonprofits, Team TRIO got all dolled up to work hard on the down-low and get those creative juices flowing at our very own speakeasy extravaganza. (Writer’s note: you may not be speaking too easy if you’ve just read that last sentence out loud!) Overall, more than $32,000 dollars worth of marketing services were donated by Team TRIO in this year’s CreateAthon!

Thanks to the combined efforts of our hard-boiled crew, this year’s atmosphere was the bee’s knees at the 505 Club, complete with homemade crates stacked about, wanted posters for office outlaws and art deco decor donning walls from left to right. Backed to a track of big brass bands from the era, this 1920’s wingding was enough to bring a tear to Jay Gatsby’s eye.

As proud as we are of our decorating skills, we’re even more proud of all the great work we accomplished for such worthy causes throughout this year’s 24-hour event. Here’s the skinny on our 15th CreateAthon efforts:

1. First, we had the pleasure of assisting the fantastic folks over at Beyond BASIC Lifeskills with their mission of supporting local individuals with intellectual disabilities. We learned of this Lowcountry nonprofit’s needs and were more than moved to offer our assistance. Our team worked tirelessly to set them up for digital success, creating a slew of marketing assets that included Facebook ads and influencer and email recommendation guides, as well as updates to their current website and a complete social media channel audit!
2. Next, our team was happy to help with the efforts of Horry County First Steps, an organization that invests its efforts ensuring children throughout the county are school-ready! We were able to develop an entire marketing plan for Horry County First Steps, as well as supporting assets such as editorial calendars for social media, blogs and newsletters, and audits of their website and social media channels. Team TRIO gave it their all to provide this nonprofit with the tools they need to succeed!
3. Then came Charleston Promise Neighborhood, who were in need of some assistance getting their message out for fundraising and community engagement. Team TRIO hit the ground running, bringing new life to this nonprofit’s messaging with a revitalized PowerPoint presentation, social media assets and updated video content for multiple uses. We were glad to play a part in their mission to prepare the leaders and changemakers of the future.
4. Following them were our friends at AMOR Healing Kitchen who needed support in marketing for one of their new programs. The TRIO team combined their skills to put the finishing touches on their newly conceived nutritional cooking program by crafting its logo and landing page, providing them with social media assets and even giving the program a name. Nature’s Nutrients by AMOR Healing Kitchen is on its way to a kitchen near you!
5. Last but not least is Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach, which sought to magnify their organization’s reach through some exciting new graphic work. To help, our team collaborated with the wonderful people at OLM to put together a video that could highlight and communicate their entire scope of offered services. We then developed an accompanying infographic that can be shared in both digital and print for maximum exposure. Our Lady of Mercy is out doing the work to lift up those in need in our community – we’re happy to be able to help lift them up in the process!

As with CreateAthon’s past, we had a little help from everyone’s favorite awe-inspiring automaton, our rockstar robot marketing member, the one, the only, MIA (Marketing Impact Assistant). With a full year at TRIO under her belt, MIA came to her second CreateAthon ready to roll with a fully-updated To-Go Kit for all of our nonprofit partners. Lucky recipients will be able to reference all of MIA’s tips and tricks for social media, blogging, branding and more.

We’d also like to give a special shoutout to our amazing volunteers, Sarah Kravchuk and Stephanie Barrow, for donating their time and talent! Thank you also to Chef Adrian (Taylor’s husband) of Braised & Glazed for a fantastic breakfast, Verde and Chick-Fil-A – Long Point Road for a delicious lunch and Kickin’ Chicken for a tasty dinner! Also, special thanks to bartender Ben (Abbie’s husband) for making a guest appearance at the TRIO speakeasy to give our gang an interactive mixology lesson!

For more information on CreateAthon or on how to apply for next year’s pro bono marketing marathon, visit trio-solutions.com/CreateAthon.

See you at the speakeasy!

#TeamTRIO