On St Lawrence College’s Kingston Campus, the Advertising and Marketing Communications (AMC) program took what they’d learned to the real world to use their marketing skills for good. Charity: Water a non-profit organization that dedicates 100% of its donations to helping people receive clean water inspired the AMC program to campaign for the charity and to raise $10,000 to build a well for those in need. This campaign was a huge success, with the students of AMC meeting their goals, working together and learning hands-on, real-world skills that will carry on throughout their careers.
The campaign kicked off with the students being formed into teams by the campaign leads. These teams were assigned a leader and then given full control to fundraise and campaign as they saw fit giving them a chance to fully utilize what they had been learning and gain new skills along the way. There were teams for social media marketing, guerilla marketing, volunteer coordination, internal and external fundraising as well as three event teams and a finale event team. These teams worked together to create a cohesive and effective campaign all while learning valuable knowledge about leadership, teamwork, determination and more.
When sitting in a classroom it can be hard for students to understand how what th
ey’re learning translates to the real world but with opportunities like the Charity: Water campaign they don’t need to wonder. This hands-on learning gives students the chance to see the impact of their skills and knowledge in an inspiring and educating way while gaining the confidence they need to apply them to real-world situations.
From developing creative strategies to using innovative ideas to tackling obstacles the students of the AMC program did it all to learn and grow as marketers and professionals as well. The learning that came from this opportunity did more than just show these students how they can use their new skills it also taught them what they can do with those skills.
The Charity: Water campaign gave the students of AMC the chance to learn that there is more to what they are doing than selling products to consumers and that they can do good with their marketing skills. There is a twisted idea that in marketing and business in general everything is about money and consumerism but that’s just not true. There are thousands of ways to use marketing skills for good if you take the time to look for them. By showing the students of AMC the impact, they can make with one campaign they’ve seen the potential they all have to use their marketing skills for good and change the world.
In the end the AMC Charity: Water campaign was an incredible success both in impact and learning. The campaign ended with over $14,000 raised, surpassing the goal of $10,000 and guaranteeing a well will be built in Mozambique, Africa for those in need. Today the students of AMC continue to learn and grow as marketers taking what they learned during the Charity: Water campaign with them. Using the Charity: Water campaign as a learning tool gave the students of AMC the knowledge and resources to be impactful marketers who can use their marketing skills for good throughout their careers.
