Who Do We Work With?

Serve works to promote under-served non-profit causes. We prefer to start with local organizations first, that also represent an issue that is under-served from a marketing-standpoint on a national scale as well. Our passion is working with women, children and minority issues, with a special emphasis on health-related causes.

Serve enables these charities to grow. To increase the effectiveness and impact and reach of their efforts by giving them a stronger voice. Serve’s public awareness campaigns have a multiplier effect that essentially allows non-profits to do more good. Whether they’re trying to change people’s attitudes or perceptions towards a cause, or alter people’s behavior.

Why the underserved?

That’s where greatest need is. It would be easy for Serve to just work with large, well-funded non-profits. We would get all our services paid for. We would not have to constantly ask favors from photographers, directors, talent and printers. But we feel that someone has to stand up for the underdogs of the cause world. Someone has to be a spokesperson for the silent majority.

Big non-profits have ad agencies lined up to do their work. But who is offering to tackle the more difficult and less popular issues? Crisis Nursery Care. Epilepsy. Hmong advancement. Gang violence. Without the same kind of professional marketing support, these causes have little hope of registering even a blip on the public’s radar screens. Plus, it’s a heckuva lot more rewarding when we all succeed.

How Serve Selects Causes to Work With

Serve works to promote under-served non-profit causes. Issues that aren’t popular. That aren’t sexy. And that certainly aren’t receiving the kind of attention they deserve. We prefer to start with local organizations first, especially when they represent an issue that is under-served from a marketing standpoint on a national scale as well.

Our choice on who to work with depends on a variety of key factors:

  1. What is the urgency of the situation?
  2. What is the size and scope of the project?
  3. Does our volunteer staff have the capacity to develop the project within the projected time frame and budget?
  4. Is it a job that allows our volunteers creative freedom and challenge?
  5. Is the organization willing to allow Serve to share the final work with like-minded organizations in other markets?
  6. Do all the organization’s final decision-makers truly want Serve’s powerful brand of provocative cause marketing work?

Cause submissions are reviewed by our volunteer staff. Throughout the year, smaller, limited time-frame public service projects may be added based on need and as volunteer staff time permits.

Before approving to work with a new cause, a meeting is required between Serve Executive Director and Volunteer Creative Director and the submitting organization’s final decision-makers/board to agree on budget, timing and creative expectations. This is to gauge whether the organization’s decision-makers are truly looking for the kind of provocative cause-branding work that Serve creates. No cause will be considered for campaign work without this meeting.

Adoption Resources of Wisconsin

Band Together for Haiti

Center for Blind and Visually Impaired

City of Milwaukee Health Department

Know Before You Mow

Lions International

Mental Health America of Wisconsin

Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative

Money Smart Week

Nonprofit Management Fund

Pathfinders Teen Homeless Shelter

Running Rebels

Select Milwaukee

Shaken Baby Association

St. Ben's Community Meal

Stein Scholars

United Way of Greater Milwaukee

Yell & Tell

Interested in Working with Serve?

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