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Timberland partners with CrowdRise to extend volunteer campaign into mobile

Outdoor wear retailer Timberland?s annual employee volunteer campaign Serv-A-Palooza has been extended to all members of the public this year and is targeting mobile users through online fundraising platform CrowdRise. 

As the use of CrowdRise enables an entire group to sign up with a single entry, the partnership between CrowdRise and Timberland creates a seamless process for mobile users, which is sure to provide a pleasant entry experience and discourage turn-offs. Participants earn rewards for the time and money spent, lending even more of a reason for fans of the brand to give their time and further building a community between Timberland and its customers.

?Timberland knows that volunteers aren?t spending a lot of time at home, glued to their computers,? said Atlanta McIlwraith, senior manager of community engagement at Timberland, Boston. ?So, it was important that our marketing strategy, and the CrowdRise platform, was made easy for these volunteers to get involved, update their Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge volunteer pages on-the-go, and spread the word about the Challenge to their social networks.  

?The Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge is our most digitally savvy support of volunteerism to-date ? and it?s all about maximizing our impact. Our partner, CrowdRise, has a stellar reputation as a secure platform used by some of the most prestigious causes, including the Boston Marathon, American Red Cross, UNICEF and others. 

?We knew optimized mobile web browsing and donation was a part of that, which makes this partnership and campaign that much more exciting for us.?

A good cause
This year marks the 17th anniversary of Timberland?s Serv-A-Palooza and in April the brand reached a total of one million hours spent toward volunteering.

As the brand aims for another million hours, Timberland has made a shift in its approach given the prevalence of mobile usage, which is why CrowdRise?s capabilities come in handy.

Mobile users can sign up on the Timberland page on CrowdRise?s Web site, where they are asked a few questions about themselves and their organization. 

As mobile has allowed for consumers to manage their business and personal lives more easily while on-the-go, optimizing the volunteer campaign reaches more people as they are able to sign up even if they lack access to a computer. 

A shift in approach
Timberland has continued to push the limits on mobile.

Kenneth Cole, Timberland, Exhale Spa and Alex and Ani were a few retailers that participated in a pilot program that rewarded consumers for downloading a mobile shopping application.

The brands were the first retailers to partner with the Swirl mobile app to bring offers and deals into bricks-and-mortar stores in Boston and New York. The list of retailers involved in the program included Timberland, Alex and Ani, Kenneth Cole, Exhale Spa, Scott James and The Blue Jean Bar (see story).

In 2012, a Timberland executive at the Mobile Shopping Spring Summit said that although many debate how effective mobile bar codes are, they give users an outlet to learn more about a product.

During the ?Deepening the Brand Engagement Via QR Code Strategies? session, the executive spoke about how the footwear brand has used mobile bar codes in several campaigns. The presentation also offered attendees best practice tips for implementing their own mobile bar code programs (see story).

Given Timberland?s mobile efforts sit alongside its efforts to help others, fans will likely participate to achieve a great outcome.

?Volunteerism is in Timberland?s brand DNA,? Ms. McIlwraith said. ?We hope this current campaign will launch us into our next million hours of service and motivate our consumers to serve as well.?

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York