Volunteers help boost marketing for 18 non-profits in New River Valley

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - More than 50 volunteers used their creative skills to help boost non-profits all over the New River Valley.

The 12 hour design and development marathon helped local non-profits market themselves.

"I think it's just exciting to come from a basic sketch to a finished website within a space of twelve hours or less sometimes," said Jeff Joiner, creative mentor of Make a Mark.

This year's Make a Mark helped non-profits with everything from web design to videos, even mobile apps.

"Local colors asked us to do a mobile web app for their festivals. they put on five festival a year. and they need a web app to reduce on printing costs," said Patrick Finely, graphic designer of Make a Mark.

These creative designers called "Makers" say, many non-profits don't have the resources to design what can take them a day to create.

"I'm the one who does the website, and I just didn't have the expertise to make it into what it needed to be," said Aline Brinckman, New River Family Shelter.

In addition to a website, makers created a phone app for the New River Family Shelter.

"A lot of our clients don't have access to the internet. They only have access to their phones," said Brinckman.

With the new phone app, Brinckman said people in need of a place to stay can find the shelter more easily.

Make a Mark has expanded over the years.

In 2015, there were 31 makers, serving 12 non-profits.

This year, there were 54 makers who joined forces for 18 organizations in the region.

"The project has really bloomed out of that this need to bring together these two separate communities and create one big community together," said Sarah Obenauer, the director of Make a Mark.