BADGES? WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING BADGES.

Welcome to a dynamic new campaign: Proudly Pro Bono. Proudly Pro Bono will engage and activate a community of pro bono enthusiasts and drive increased interest in and adoption of pro bono service. Proudly Pro Bono is a new online platform where pro bono lovers can connect, learn, and take action. Members of the Proudly Bono community get a “proudly pro bono” badge, which prominently displays their status as pro bono champions, inspires friendly competition within the nonprofit sector, and offers a “seal of approval” for funders and pro bono providers. THE CONCEPT

DISCOVER WEBSITE JOIN UP GET BADGED COMMUNITY Find out about the Proudly Pro Bono community through Taproot, other pro bono providers, nonprofit colleagues, or LinkedIn. Visit a dynamic website that includes awesome info about pro bono and the Proudly Pro Bono campaign and community. Register to become an official member by answering a few short questions (i.e., location & date of project, hours completed or pledged, nature of pro bono deliverable). Get a personalized Proudly Pro Bono badge! Badges for pledging and for hours completed (bronze, silver, gold & platinum) are offered. Badges are upgradeable and ready to be shared via websites, signatures, and all social media. Enjoy the perks of the community -- free pro bono resources, best practices and trainings, invitations to exclusive events, and access to nonprofit peers around the world. THE HIGH-LEVEL PLAN

We’ll measure success by tracking the following indicators:  # of nonprofits that pledge to build their capacity through pro bono  # of pro bono hours that are logged by members of the Proudly Pro Bono community  The # of members who upgrade badges (pledge  bronze  silver  gold  platinum)  Overall number of nonprofit organizations that become part of the Proudly Pro Bono community (note: our global goal of 20% nonprofit adoption – globally! – by 2020) MEASURING SUCCESS Check out these cool badges – for nonprofit pro bono champions at the “pledge”, “bronze”, “silver”, “gold”, and “platinum” levels!

This idea is great for going to scale. Here’s how it’ll happen:  Launch a sexy PR campaign on the importance and impact of being Proudly Pro Bono.  Taproot beta tests the platform off-line and front-loads the community by inviting its over 3,000 nonprofit partners to become pioneer members.  The Proudly Pro Bono badge will offer membership in a community of pro bono champions, shared news and social connections, potential benefits for achieving different tiers, and gaming/competitive incentives.  Pro bono volunteers and companies will eventually be able to use the badge as well. SCALING THE CONCEPT I’m kind of a big deal.

Bob Scott Web Developer, BA Max Skolnik Executive Director, DC Cat Ward Senior Consultant, Advisory Services, NY THE ROOT-STARS