Professors partner with marketing firm to increase volunteer awareness
August 5, 2011 by admin
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A group of MSU professors has partnered with East Lansing-based marketing company Netvantage to begin Every Child is Yours, a program to increase awareness for volunteer opportunities in Greater Lansing.
Every Child Is Yours is targeted toward presenting volunteer opportunities to the millennial generation, or those between the ages of 18-30. Nine organizations already have agreed to be promoted by the project. Those organizations mainly focus on efforts to better the lives of children who have been affected in some way by trauma or abuse.
MSU professor and project director Richard Cole said getting younger people involved in these organizations can make a huge difference, and that’s why Every Child Is Yours is geared toward the millennials.
“They happen to be a population who is very much inclined to want to make a difference, moreso than any other age group in society,” he said.
Molly Day, director of marketing and development at Ele’s Place, one of the organizations being promoted by Every Child Is Yours, said encouraging younger people to volunteer is beneficial for both the organizations and those getting involved.
“It’s a good way for youth to show that they aren’t only asking for help from adults, they are willing to help each other,” she said.
A professor in the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing, Cole said the project aims to use basic marketing skills to advocate volunteer organizations. The project will try to recruit these volunteers through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.
“We’re not inventing anything new,” he said. “But we’re using social media … to demonstrate to young people that there is something they can do about (child abuse), and that is (to) volunteer.”
Thomas Hove, an MSU professor who also is associated with Every Child Is Yours, was optimistic about the program’s potential.
“(We’re) using social media to address social problems,” he said.
Hove said the program also will look at the impact social media has on increasing volunteer participation.
“Anybody can click the like button on Facebook,” he said. “But we’re interested in what is necessary for getting people to actually participate in volunteer organizations.”
The group will determine the influence by looking at statistics that show how many page views are generated from links posted on different social network sites. Cole said while the impact of Every Child Is Yours might appear minimal, the program is utilizing techniques that may ultimately increase awareness of these opportunities.
“We’re not trying to change the world,” he said. “We’re simply saying, ‘Let’s use the skills we have to see how best we can support these organizations in the mid-Michigan area.’”
