Like any team, we at The Practice believe in promoting and raising awareness for worthy causes. So recently, we’ve been fortunate enough to work with a client for whom charity is at the core of their enterprise.

The organisation in question is Chicago-based magazine, Make It Better, whose online and print publications focus on community events, news, and topical subjects including dining and food, health, fitness, fashion, entertainment, home and family life. But at the heart of Make It Better’s mission is the Make It Better Foundation, which connects non-profits and philanthropists, raising funds and awareness for local causes. Past initiatives have included the company’s Warming Hearts and Hands program, a scheme to provide underprivileged families and the homeless with cash donations, new blankets and winter outerwear, distributed through partnering nonprofits. To date, Make It Better has raised in excess of a staggering $4 million.

Recently, The Practice team was honoured to attend Make It Better’s Third Annual Philanthropy Awards Ceremony whilst visiting the company’s headquarters. The Philanthropy Awards were created to celebrate the top nonprofits who demonstrate their help for children and adults alike- from enabling them with access to education, health care, and a safe and loving home. This year, Make It Better chose eight winners spanning youth athletics and education, social justice, human services, health awareness and research, and the environment. It was a wonderful and rewarding night for all, with winners presented monetary prizes, and further perks including coverage in Make It Better’s digital and print magazines, high quality video coverage on the company’s TV channel, MIB TV, online and offline marketing best practices, networking opportunities, and of course, a celebratory after-party.

In conjunction, Make It Better have recently launched a unique retail aspect of their site- “Shop for Good”, which houses brand boutiques and hand-picked luxury products. 10% of all purchases from Shop for Good go to the causes Make It Better supports, making it a gratifying experience for both shoppers and vendors. The money raised from Shop for Good will also go towards cash prizes each year for Make It Better’s Philanthropy award winners. The Practice team has been responsible for creating and building new sites for Shop for Good, the Make It Better Foundation and their editorial site, and from working closely with the company over the past few months, we are proud to see what they continually achieve.

On a personal level, our team is also dedicated to supporting worthwhile causes when we can. This Summer, our CEO, Kirsty McAllister, is set to skydive to raise awareness for Lyme Disease in support of her good friend, Brooke Geahan. Often an overlooked condition, Brooke has battled with chronic Lyme’s for several years, and has raised awareness about its debilitating effects by participating in the “Take a bite out of Lyme” challenge on social media, and with a short documentary- “One Day in the Life of Lyme.” In addition, she continually shares her journey, experiences, advice and holistic approach to healing on Twitter and Instagram. Apart from her fundraising efforts for Lyme’s, Kirsty is an avid runner, last year completing thirteen 10K races in New York and London in aid of Cancer Research. This year, she will be participating in many more, including the 10K Cancer Research Race for Life in June.

Are you working with any philanthropic organisations, or towards any fundraising goals this year? We’d love to hear your news and experiences, so please leave your comments below, tweet to us @PracticeDigital, and share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

To find out more about Make It Better, please visit their site here, the Make It Better Foundation site, and Shop for Good. And if you would like to follow Brooke’s journey, please check out her Instagram page and Twitter account. Finally, if you would like to read more about Kirsty’s charitable efforts this year or offer sponsorship, please visit her Just Giving page.