Catalyst made some noise in the media last week with the official launch of the public service initiative, “Unexpected Benefits,” for OneCityConnection.org — a website dedicated to providing volunteer opportunities within the city of Rochester — a joint venture between the City of Rochester and United Way of Greater Rochester, in collaboration with Advertising Council of Rochester.

Our goal was clear from the start … drive increased volunteerism in city-based community initiatives and drive potential volunteers to OneCityConnection.org to sign up for or learn about volunteer opportunities. The good news is that most people already understand the benefits of volunteering … they know it is good for the community and they know it’s the right thing to do. The challenge our creative team faced is that, despite this, it is still difficult to get prospective volunteers to take that first step — getting people to think beyond those base benefits … to think about the “personal, unexpected” benefits of volunteering … the personal joy associated with the relationships that develop along the way.

Each ad not only features a specific volunteer opportunity, but reinforces the fact that this is just one of many ways to make a difference in our community. By integrating a numbering system, it is clear that the possibilities for unexpected, personal benefits are truly endless. In practical terms, it also provides an easy way for this campaign to live on over time, with new executions developed to coincide with new volunteer opportunities.

In addition to the print ads, outdoor, radio and online banner advertising were also implemented, making it a truly integrated campaign.

The campaign was created entirely on a pro bono basis. Photography services were provided by John Myers — and countless others put in a great deal of time, energy and talent to successfully pull the campaign together.