Northwest Austin–based BuildASign.com, located near Metric Boulevard and Braker Lane, has partnered with the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts to bring CreateAthon, an event that assists nonprofits with marketing projects, to Austin.

CreateAthon is designed to help nonprofits that otherwise would not be able to afford professional marketing services. Creative professionals volunteer their expertise for 24 consecutive hours to work on marketing proposals submitted by nonprofits. These proposals could be anything marketing-related, such as a request for a new logo, brand or brochure material, said Molly Wilson, public relations manager for BuildASign.

"It's so in line with our culture," she said. "It's a way for us to expand our efforts."

CreateAthon will take place Sept. 20–21 from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. at BuildASign's offices at 11525A Stonehollow Drive, Ste. 100.

Applications for nonprofits interested in submitting a marketing proposal for CreateAthon are due July 22. Interested nonprofits must be listed as a 501(c)(3) and be located in Austin. Types of nonprofits that have benefited from other CreateAthons include humane societies, book festivals, cancer organizations and youth-oriented groups.

"Austin is home to so many nonprofits that deserve creative marketing services to help them support their missions," AIGA Austin President Erin Bender said in a statement. "We look forward to making that possible through CreateAthon Austin and can't wait to see the work this event produces."

Details for becoming a volunteer for CreateAthon will be released July 30. Wilson said volunteers for CreateAthon typically have a creative background of art or marketing, and many work at agencies.

Philanthropy has long been part of BuildASign's culture, Wilson said.

"BuildASign.com has been working with AIGA for a while now in an effort to find a way to bring together our philanthropic focus and AIGA's membership base that includes some of the best creative talent around Austin," she said. "CreateAthon was a perfect fusion of those two aspects, so we ran with the idea and are very excited to finally bring the event to Texas for the first time."

The Riggs Partners, a South Carolina–based creative marketing consulting group, started CreateAthon in 1998. About 73 agencies in North America and Puerto Rico have participated in bringing CreateAthon events to cities such as Akron, Ohio, and Montgomery, Ala.