Gary Mueller, executive creative director for Milwaukee-based BVK, founded Serve Marketing in 2002 to help underrepresented organizations gain increased exposure. The country’s only all-volunteer and full-service nonprofit advertising agency has donated the equivalent of more than $20 million of time and supplies to nonprofit organizations in the Milwaukee area and nationwide.
Since its founding, Serve has created public service campaigns for more than 75 local and national nonprofits on a range of issues, including infant mortality, child sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, shaken baby syndrome, gun violence and statutory rape.
All work by Serve is performed on a volunteer basis and relies almost entirely on donated time from production, creative, media, digital and social media professionals from BVK and the Milwaukee advertising community. The agency was honored by the White House for helping decrease Milwaukee’s teen pregnancy rate by more than 65% in ten years.
Recently, Mueller started a Serve scholarship for incoming college students of color to help increase diversity in the advertising industry.
“When Gary has an idea of how he can help make an impact, there is simply no stopping him,” said Lauren Sutter, executive director for Serve Marketing. “He encourages everyone to do good and make a difference.”
“I’m so lucky to get to work at a place that allows you to donate so much of your time and your employees’ time to give back to nonprofits. We work on such important causes.”
– Gary Mueller, executive creative director, BVK
Finalist: Associated Bank
Associated Bank donated office space in downtown Milwaukee to ALIVE Inc. Milwaukee, which works to foster skills for young people in business, arts, professional development and educational attainment.
The 7,300-square-foot space inside the Associated Bank River Center building has an annual value of $87,720. It provides room for 90% of ALIVE Inc. staff and is used as a co-working space for young men in the ALIVE program. The nonprofit is in its second year of using the space.
“All training sessions, meetings and many other events are hosted in this space,” said John Daniels III, executive director of ALIVE Inc. Milwaukee. “We also use this as a co-working space for the young men in our program to be able to meet with staff and utilize printing services, internet and meeting spaces to help them in their education and careers. Our programming would be significantly curtailed without this amazing space.”
Finalist: Wisconsin Center District
In January, the Wisconsin Center District announced it would award a nonprofit organization with an all-expenses-paid gala at the new rooftop ballroom of the soon-to-open expanded Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee.
Out of more than 170 organizations that submitted applications, the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin was selected as the winner of the package, valued at $56,000 and 40 hours of WCD employee volunteer work. The gala will be held on Saturday, June 8th and is expected to draw a record crowd of donors.
WCD’s donation allows the nonprofit to, “provide so many services back to our individuals, back to our families, and back to our community,” said Kelly Backes, board president of ASSEW.
WCD also partnered with Feeding America of Eastern Wisconsin to offer a “buy one, get one free” ticket promotion for Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience, which ran from October 2022 to January 2023 at the Baird Center, to those who donated $15 or more to the charity. Thanks to that promotion, Feeding America was able to provide 1,388 meals to people in need.
“The leadership at the Wisconsin Center District believes our community is stronger and more equitable when our nonprofit community has the means to offer assistance during emergencies and support when dealing with life challenges,” said Joe Scialfa, director of communications for WCD.
