By Matt Beachey
Minnesota has long been a hotbed for successful nonprofits and for innovative advertising and marketing agencies. EPIC, a Chicago-based nonprofit, plans to build a bridge between these two of the metro’s great strengths. EPIC has been honing their model of pro-bono creative work in Chicago since 2008, and in early 2013 they expanded to the Twin Cities.
EPIC provides creative work to small nonprofits that don’t have the budget for it by pairing them up with teams of local creative marketing professionals, who volunteer eight weeks of intensive discussions, planning, and production with the nonprofit’s staff.
EPIC calls these eight-week sessions “creative rallies.” For their first project in the Twin Cities, they’re partnering with Youth Farm and Market, a St. Paul nonprofit that provides leadership training for youth through urban agriculture, including planting, growing, preparing, and selling food.
“At Youth Farm, we have no dedicated staff member working in development or marketing communications, yet that work impacts so much of what we do in the community with youth and partners, donor engagement, grant proposals and more,” says Kristi Hamilton, board member of Youth Farm and Market. “All that work falls to the Executive Director and the committees that support him in those areas. The creative Rally team members come to the table with amazing experience and perspective, which will deepen the impact of the work for the organization.”
The Twin Cities is EPIC’s first expansion out of Chicago, and they hope to continue perfecting their model here and eventually expand throughout the country. Haley Kilgour, who works with Minneapolis agency Barrie D’Rozario Murphy, is leading the Twin Cities branch as Program Director. We shot her some questions below.
What about the Twin Cities made EPIC want to launch an offshoot here?
EPIC’s founder, Erin Huizenga, and I met while working together on a client account a few years ago during my time at VSA Partners. Shortly after I was introduced to EPIC. EPIC was already well on its way to a becoming working and stable organization that combined all my passions, and I knew I wouldn’t rest until I saw this amazing concept shared.
A couple of years later when Erin and the EPIC board felt they had worked out many of the kinks in the process and got national sponsorship from HOW Magazine, Erin reached out. She was willing to put a little faith in me, a little faith in Minnesota, and we are both curious to see where this would lead. Minnesota is now serving as EPIC’s litmus test in determining feasibility in extending the brand to serve cities with interest in developing the program in their metro area.
How many creative rallies do you hope to complete in your first year here?
My goal in this first year is four. If we have more, or two going at the same time, fantastic! But for now I think four is a safe number to shoot for. We initiated the rally for the Youth Farm and Market project on January 21, led by Creative Director Kris Lindquist of FAME (as well as founder of forgottenshirts.com). After this inaugural Minnesota rally we will have rallies beginning every 10–12 weeks. After each one, we have a rally wrap party to celebrate the work and announce the next NPO and creative team to hit the ground running. Next wrap and networking event is tentatively scheduled for April 2 at Seven Corners Republic.
What do you seek in your nonprofit clients?
Our criteria is that they are doing something healthy and productive for children, families, or education in the metro community; make under $2 million in donations, grants, and fundraising; and ideally have a semi-structured marketing plan for us to build on. If they have laid some of the groundwork already, we have a much better chance of success than if we have to start with the basics.
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Volume 68 | 
