State Farm created the Neighborhood of Good program to inspire volunteering at the neighborhood level.
Research showed that "new adults" (like most of us, our strategists had begun to flinch at the word "Millennials") cared deeply about a breadth of issues, but were reluctant to take direct action. This situation was exacerbated in the cold winter months, when leaving home was even less likely.
I centered a brainstorming session on the easiest possible way to do things. "On the couch, in front of your screen" was the consensus. And so we set out to bring volunteering to the comfortably-ensconced masses.
We looked to the trend of subscription services and The Neighborhood of Good Subscription Box was born.
Within days, the initial run of 10,000 had been signed up for by an army of living room volunteers.
Each box contained a simple-to-complete project which would then be donated to a local charity in need.
The initial box allowed volunteers to build a chew toy that brought joy to animals in neighborhood shelters.
