Rapp New York interns are working on a pro bono project with NYC-based non-profit The Doe Fund as a part of their internship experience.
On October 11, RAPP and the Doe Fund launched #Doenate: Close the Gap, a social media campaign that aims to attract millennial donors by helping young professionals realize they share more in common with formerly incarcerated men than they thought.
“It’s harder to give part of your paychecks to people who have made mistakes, who may continue to make mistakes, and who may have very different morals than you.”
According to Liz Hartley Director, Experience Planning (Strategy) at RAPP, that quote is the epitome of some of the things they heard in interviews and was the foundational insight for the campaign.
The campaign, which is based in social media, aims to challenge viewers’ stereotypes by asking people to identify if the quote came from a formerly incarcerated man or someone a millennial might look up to such as an award winning musician, an Olympian, or a famous philanthropist.
The result? A realization that the difference between them is smaller than they think.
This revelation was important to this campaign in particular because if the campaign was relatable, it could potentially turn millennials in to donors in the future.
“These guys really want to be in this program because it’s an amazing program that’s trying to tackle this key issue that affects a lot of people,” explained Hartley.
She emphasized that if these guys become self-sustaining, they are really affecting more than just themselves; they are also affecting their families and their communities.
The interns that worked on this project varied in talent disciples, age range, and where they came from.
“The fact alone that our summer internship crew was so diverse really helped them hone in on the project idea that would speak to other millennial since diversity and inclusion is becoming increasingly more important to the millennial space itself,” said Devon O’Loughlin, Global Manager, Corporate Reputation, at RAPP.
Diversity also played a role in this campaign.
“Diversity in of itself is a key part of the program with the Doe Fund because they don’t care what color your skin is, what age you are, what race you are, what sex you are, as long as you are out of prison and you want to turn your life around to be better for yourself, and for your family and for your community,” explained O’Loughlin.
The campaign will end in the beginning of December.
To participate or look at the campaign: http://doenate.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDoeFund
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDoeFund
