MUNCIE — Ball State University junior public relations major and New Palestine native Alexandra Crump recently contributed to CreateAthon, a 24-hour event that provides local nonprofits with free public relations, marketing and advertising work.
Crump took advantage of this initiative through Cardinal Communications, Ball State’s award-winning, student-run, creative communications agency. Cardinal Communications participated as one of five nationally-affiliated, student-run public relations firms in conjunction with CreateAthon.
“I learned a lot more about strategic communication and how to turn ideas into realistic and tangible goals,” Crump said. “Personally, I learned that being able to use your professional skills for no other reason than to help support an organization whose only goal is to help others is so rewarding and really helps put a perspective on the work we do and the effect that it can have on others.”
Throughout CreateAthon, Crump helped serve one of three local nonprofit clients, including Hillcroft Services, Inc., Project Purse Indianapolis and the Back to School Teachers Store. Crump was on the Project Purse Indianapolis team and contributed research, planning, creating and evaluating over the 24-hour period to accomplish her client’s specific communications requests.
The event culminated with client presentations in which each nonprofit representative sat down with their respective teams to learn what content was created and how it will benefit the organization, as well as how to implement it. Members honed their skills and learned new ones from faculty mentors including Dr. Debbie Davis and Crump, who showcased and applied everything she’d fervently studied in the classroom during these various projects.
“It means a lot to be able to use my skills to really benefit this organization that will in turn support the community as a whole,” Crump said. “Project Purse caters to many organizations in the Muncie and Central Indiana area, and being able to help spread their mission and try to help them gain more funds to keep doing what they have been for women in the area is priceless.”
In the first year of hosting CreateAthon, the agency donated more than $18,000 worth of services to three local nonprofits ranging from social media content, graphic design to strategic communications plans. This year, the student-led teams matched that contribution.
