San Francisco Connect : Volunteering is Sexy

Among its multimedia efforts on behalf of the nonprofit San Francisco Connect, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has created print and outdoor ads as well as bumper stickers and T-shirts in a citywide volunteers' call to action. "Our city has long been a beacon of community-based change and social motivation," says agency co-founder Jeff Goodby. "And every San Franciscan knows the value of volunteerism. When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his team approached us to create a campaign, the first thing we realized was what the communication should not be: yet another typical invisible public service campaign where people are made to feel guilty or empathetic about the issue at hand."

The SF Connect project grew out of the earlier, successful Project Homeless Connect, and has since expanded to include Green Connect, Tech Connect and Youth Connect initiatives. The "real" people pictured in the ads volunteered their time, of course, and two of them are in fact agency employees. In the PDF, you'll find Goodby office porter Sal Aguilar (glasses) and designer Tanner Shea (hat).