Timberland announced the "call for entries" for its inaugural Timberland Serv-a-palooza Challenge .a 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 prizes for themselves, as well as big donations for the non-profit organizations they choose to support.
ADVERTISEMENT 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 11th at 12:00 p.m. ET and continue through Thursday, September 18th 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.
