RF|Binder Goes to White House to Support "A Billion + Change" Campaign

NEW YORK, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- RF|Binder, the New York City-based integrated public relations and marketing communications agency, has joined A Billion + Change, a unique national campaign that seeks to mobilize billions of dollars of pro bono and skills-based volunteer services from corporate America to support nonprofit organizations.  RF|Binder is one of 200 companies that have already pledged an estimated $1.8 billion worth of skills-based services to nonprofits.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120627/NY31783LOGO )

The vision of A Billion + Change is to inspire 500 companies to pledge their business skills to nonprofits at home and around the world.

"As a PR agency with a strong corporate social responsibility practice, RF|Binder understands the powerful, positive impact volunteerism has on communities, employees and corporations," stated Amy Binder, CEO of RF|Binder. "By joining A Billion + Change, we are formalizing and extending RF|Binder's public commitment to applying our skills, our spirit and our energy to addressing community needs.  For us, this is an important initiative that enables the nonprofits and communities we serve to communicate more effectively and advance their mission.  Our team is excited, and we are proud to join so many other corporations in this worthy campaign." 

RF|Binder will join the campaign at the White House today for a forum on "A Billion + Change in Action: Connecting to the Future of Corporate Service."  Leaders in industry, civic engagement and policy will convene at this forum to discuss opportunities for businesses to scale efforts and partnerships to meet the social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century through skills-based service.  They will also explore ways to align corporate skills-based service programs with national initiatives to boost innovation, competitiveness and models of effective collaboration.

"Our challenge now is to expand A Billion + Change while partnering effectively with nonprofit professionals so we can change communities for the better," said Senator Mark Warner, Honorary Chairman of A Billion + Change.  "It's through collaboration and collective impact that A Billion Plus really does add up to meaningful change."

Corporate skills-based volunteer programs have also proven to be effective talent management tools, and can help businesses boost their own competitiveness while giving back to their communities.  According to True Impact, skills-based volunteers are 142 percent more likely to report job-related skills-gains than traditional volunteers, and 82 percent more likely to report that volunteerism generated new recruits for their company versus traditional volunteers.

For nonprofits, the value of skilled support in areas such as general operations, technology and professional services can be 500 percent greater than the value of traditional volunteering.

A list of pledge companies, and information about how to take the pledge, is available at: www.abillionpluschange.org.

About RF|Binder

RF|Binder, recipient of the CSR A-List 2012 award by PR News, is a New York-based integrated public relations and marketing communications agency. We provide communications counsel, strategy and programming for corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations.  Our senior team draws on its extensive experience to assist clients in managing the issues and challenges that emerge when the interests of the public, private sector and government converge.  RF|Binder's highly disciplined creative process results in the kind of breakthrough thinking that separates good work from great work.  In addition to the agency's New York City headquarters, RF|Binder has an office in Boston as well as bureaus in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and West Palm Beach, FL.

Media Contacts:
Marc Greene
RF|Binder Partners
212-994-7563
[email protected]

Jacqueline Piccolo
RF|Binder Partners
212-994-7607
[email protected]

SOURCE RF|Binder