In January, the MREF held its first Month of Service for the marketing research and insights community. It helped marketing researchers organize service groups and encouraged them to do good in their communities.
Positively impacting local communities
The Marketing Research Education Foundation (MREF) hosted its inaugural Month of Service throughout the month of January. It helped organize service groups in multiple locations and helped companies find nonprofit organizations to donate to. To participate, marketing researchers could join a service group or create one of their own and invite friends, family and coworkers to participate. While some companies volunteered their time, others financially contributed to nonprofit organizations.
Ipsos hosts a service day session for Lighthouse Youth and Family Services
Ipsos organized a session for Lighthouse Youth and Family Services, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit organization. The nonprofit offers various volunteering opportunities to help individuals make a positive impact on the local community. Their Street Outreach team approaches struggling young adults with services and supplies instead of waiting for individuals to approach them. They host donation drives for items like baby supplies, food and water, clothing and other essential items.
Volunteers were given various opportunities to participate in this service day session. They could donate an item from a list provided by the nonprofit, volunteer to pack the items donated or they could financially donate to the organization if they preferred.
“The Month of Service was great way to start off the year, work with MREF and give back to our community and children for a brighter future,” said Susan Waltman, global president, Ipsos.
ScaleHouse spends time at the Teacher Resource Center
ScaleHouse organized a service session at World Vision’s Teacher Resource Center in Bronx, N.Y. Individuals who spend time at the Teacher Resource Center help sort donated items and organize the facility. ScaleHouse volunteers helped pack, sort and stock items. The items donated are distributed to local nonprofit organizations and Title 1 schoolteachers.
“Many thanks to ScaleHouse and the MREF for organizing an incredible day of service at World Vision. Joy is giving back,” said Anne Brown, CEO and principal, Gazelle Global Research Services.
The Focus Room and FUEL donate to three charities
FUEL and The Focus Room decided to combine their Stronger Together Step Challenge with the Month of Service to raise money for Baal Dan Charities, Nashi and the Orphan’ Aid Society.
Challenge participants raised a total of $2,250, donating $750 to each of the three charities.
Nashi is a nonprofit organization targeting the issue of human trafficking locally and globally. It aims to educate people about human trafficking through forums and workshops. Its safehouse for at-risk young girls in Ukraine, The Maple Leaf House, provides food, shelter and a home for up to 20 girls.
Baal Dan is a nonprofit organization that provides grants to grassroots projects including schools and orphanages. It aims to help children with special needs, victims of abuse or violence, refugees, children living in extreme poverty and other vulnerable children.
The Orphans’ Aid Society aims to help children in Ukraine by offering activities and programs to provide support to half orphaned and orphan children. It also provides financial assistance to guardians and relatives of orphan children.
Quirk’s spends time at the Kids in Need Foundation
Quirk’s Media staff members and local marketing researchers volunteered at the Kids in Need Foundation (KINF) in Roseville, Minn. Volunteers helped pack boxes with necessary school supplies for schoolteachers nationwide as part of KINF’s Supply A Teacher program. The boxes included pens, notebooks, folders, markers and more to help teachers have a successful semester.
KINF aims to help children and teachers in under-sourced schools. They have impacted over 7.8 million students and 316,900 teachers. They have also distributed $162 million in school supplies and resources nationwide. After the session, volunteers toured the Teacher Resource Center which offers qualifying teachers free supplies and decorations for their classrooms.
“What a wonderful way to spend a mid-January morning with Quirk’s crew and great Minnesota-based market researchers. As a kid- and teen-focused moderator who often hears from teachers and parents about school supply needs, I loved seeing all that the Kids in Need Foundation does for schools. We packed hundreds of boxes that would go around the U.S. to help kids learn and teachers teach. But the best part was that our ‘team’ won for packing more boxes of supplies and well … we rock!! A feel-good morning for sure!” said Pam Goldfarb Liss, president and ‘Big Brain’ at LitBrains-Igniting Ideas Inc.
“It was great to take time out of the day to have some fun for a good cause. The MREF’s Month of Service is a great reminder of the importance of volunteering and the impact the marketing research industry can make on our communities,” said Dan Quirk, VP, marketing, Quirk’s Marketing Research Media.
Together, we made an impact
Many nonprofit organizations benefited from the time spent, items donated and financial contributions made. Regardless of how companies and individuals chose to participate in the Month of Service, a great impact was made on multiple communities.