“Leveraging the social web for social good” is how public relations company Strategic Objectives describes the groundbreaking launch of KoodoNation.com, a not-for-profit “microvolunteering” community created and backed by Telus‘ Koodo mobile brand.
Koodonation is “an initiative the company undertook as a way of making a difference in the communities where Koodo customers live,” said Monika Rola, account director at public relations firm Strategic Objectives. “The company will be providing the organizational and financial support for KoodoNation.com to be able to operate, and the website will be driven by the volunteers and charities that are active on it.”
The site’s kickoff event today features The Koodonation Challenge obstacle course in Toronto’s Dundas Square, where four college and university teams will compete in a fundraising competition for a grand prize donation to the winning school’s charity of choice.
“Our sampling and activation teams will be onsite, signing up volunteers,” said Rola. “We’re grateful to be receiving help from RIM [Research in Motion], which will be providing some of the mobile technology. They’ve been very gracious in lending us some of their staff, as well as [the] Blackberry Playbook [tablet] which will allow us to sign up people on the spot.”
Rola said the initiative is being supported with online advertising and a broad public relations campaign, and that those elements will be ongoing.
The creative agency for the event is Taxi and Cossette is handling media.