Timberland Launches Inaugural Serv-a-palooza Sponsored Volunteerism Campaign To Crowd-Source Volunteers And Scale Impact Nationwide

STRATHAM, N.H., July 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Timberland announced the "call for entries" for its inaugural Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge – an innovative sponsored volunteerism competition the brand is hosting in partnership with CrowdRise. The six-week Challenge will encourage consumers to volunteer for a cause of their choice for chances to win amazing prizes for themselves, as well as big donations for the non-profit organizations they choose to support.

For 17 years, Timberland has celebrated its longstanding commitment to volunteerism through the brand's signature Serv-a-palooza event.  Originally created as a way to support employees in using their 40 paid volunteer hours on a large scale, the annual event has been incredibly successful and inspiring for employees.  In April 2014, Timberland surpassed the one million hours served milestone. Now, Timberland wants to get started on its next million hours and motivate the public to get out and volunteer, too. Through the Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge, anyone wishing to volunteer can sign-up at crowdrise.com/timberland to earn rewards for the hours they serve, donors they recruit, and money they raise. Eligible participants will prepare their fundraising pages on the CrowdRise site; then the Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge – and prize rewards – will begin Monday, August 11^th at 12:00 p.m. ET and continue through Thursday, September 18^th at 11:59:59 a.m. ET.

Timberland's partnership with CrowdRise, an innovative digital fundraising platform created by actor and philanthropist Edward Norton, brings the brand's love of volunteerism to consumers for the first time, and incentivizes participation with prizes and donations. "I'm a big fan of Timberland. I wear their shoes all the time and I also admire their longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability and community service," said Norton. "We couldn't be more thrilled to work with a company that's got such great priorities to leverage their volunteer efforts in exciting new ways."

"Volunteerism is an integral part of Timberland's heritage," said Atlanta McIlwraith, Senior Manager Community Engagement. "Partnering with a socially innovative platform like CrowdRise gives us the opportunity to engage with our consumers in an exciting way; and it reinvigorates our own commitment to giving back.  It's inspiring to imagine the impact this partnership could have in communities around the country." 

To enroll, participants simply click on the "Sign Up" button on the Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge homepage to submit their name, location, and designated service partner.  Approved volunteers will be sent a link to create a unique fundraising page where they can track their volunteer hours and invite others to sponsor their efforts with monetary donations.  Donors will also be encouraged to sign up to volunteer for a cause of their own. 

Throughout the six-week Challenge, Timberland will incentivize participants and donors with fun prizes. At the culmination of the Challenge, Timberland will award grand prizes to the Top Recruiter, Top Volunteer, and Top Fundraiser.  Each winner will receive a $10,000 grant to give to the cause he/she chose to support.  The winners will also receive a $5,000 Timberland shopping spree (or an all-expense-paid trip to the Horqin Desert to help plant Timberland's two-millionth tree in China), a custom pair of Timberland® boots, and have their "Impact Maker" story shared in an online Timberland campaign. Additionally, the top volunteer will have his/her volunteer hours matched by Timberland employees in New England.

Full rules and details are available at crowdrise.com/timberland. Volunteers who set up their fundraising page by August 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET will be entered to win one of 50 pairs of Timberland® boots to wear while they complete their service hours.

About Timberland
Timberland, a brand of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland^®, Timberland PRO^®, and Timberland Boot Company^® brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. Timberland^® products are sold throughout the world in leading department and specialty stores as well as company-owned retail locations and online. Timberland's dedication to making quality products is matched by its commitment to "doing well and doing good" -- forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com.

About CrowdRise 
CrowdRise.com is a website dedicated to online fundraising, event fundraising, volunteering, and having the most fun in the world while doing it. In 2009, Edward Norton, Shauna Robertson and Robert and Jeff Wolfe created CrowdRise.com after an experiment with what turned out to be super unique and successful campaign to raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust during the New York City Marathon. They raised $1.2 million in less than 8 weeks, much of it from small donors who gave more than once, making it one of the top fundraising success stories of the marathon. CrowdRise.com takes that experiment to a whole new level: an innovative web platform where millions of individuals use the best tools and technology to raise money for over a million different charities, while competing in fun and quirky challenges with unique incentives and prizes. Thousands of charitable organizations make CrowdRise.com their home for starting events, team fundraisers, and turning their base of grassroots supporters into a base of grassroots fundraisers.

CONTACT:
Kristen Ingraham
Porter Novelli
212-601-8238
Kristen.Ingraham@porternovelli.com

SOURCE Timberland