Retargeter

Retargeting for a Cause: ReTargeter Kicks Off Program with Pencils of Promise

What’s the next book on your reading list? How about a story that could inspire you to change the world and help young people around the world get an education?

Pencils of Promise (PoP) was founded by Adam Braun, who at the age of 16 was already a rising star on Wall Street. After graduating magna cum laude from Brown University with degrees in Economics, Sociology, and Public & Private Sector Organizations, he left the U.S. to explore the world.

While in India, Adam met a small boy begging on the street. Braun asked the boy what he wanted most in the world to which the boy answered: a pencil.

The response inspired Adam to start Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization with a different approach to making an impact.  “I saw that the nonprofit space was driven by passionate people, but didn’t hold itself to results, like a for-profit company.  I wanted to create an organization with a heart of a non-profit, but the head of a business. I call this the ‘for-purpose approach.’”

Prompted by the boy’s request for a pencil, PoP has built over 200 schools around the world, serving children who would otherwise lack access to a basic education.

Inspired by Adam’s vision, ReTargeter has launched a new program, ReTargeting For a Cause, to help organizations like Pencils of Promise fulfill their mission. We have donated a Site Retargeting campaign to promote Adam’s new book to an audience that has shown interest in Pencils of Promise by visiting its website at http://pencilsofpromise.org/. All proceeds from the sale of the book go to further the PoP mission to build schools, train teachers, and fund scholarships.

The new book, “The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change” (Scribner, 2014) chronicles Braun’s journey to make a lasting difference in the lives of children worldwide.  The New York Times bestseller, Adam shares insights into how regular people ? not only ones with power, wealth, or privilege  ? can change the world.

Recently, we talked with Adam about Pencils of Promise, his new book, and the opportunity for all of us to change the world:

ReTargeter:  Adam, what’s a simple first step any person can take to help make a difference?

Adam Braun: Separate yourself from your regular life, and by that, I don’t mean that you have to leave your home or family or job.  Just get outside of your comfort zone. If you want to make change, you have to become change.  Speak the language of the person you want to become.  Live into your future self.  And most importantly, surround yourself with people who make you better.

RT: What prompted you to write the book, “The Promise of a Pencil?’”

AB: As we approached building our 100th school, interviewers started asking me how I did it.  I realized that I could never do justice to the journey and how it changed my life and others’ lives in a quick 30-minute phone call.  I also realized that when I was younger, I didn’t have a book to guide me to live a purpose-driven life, so I wanted to provide a book that showed one path that people could take to create change.

RT: When you think about where you’ve come from and what PoP has built, what’s your ultimate play – where do you want all of this to lead?

AB: That’s simple – that every single child has access to quality education. From a broader perspective, what I’m trying to accomplish with the book is to advance the idea that profit and purpose are no longer separate.  We’re seeing a groundswell in the last decade of social entrepreneurship, where for profit companies are also guided by creating a positive return on society.  The book’s goal is to provide individuals, for profit companies, and not-for-profit organizations with the inspiration and methodology to create change.

RT: You’ve inspired us! We plan to launch a new program we’re calling Retargeting for a Cause, providing audience targeting and retargeting solutions designed to find and match dedicated and talented people with causes like Pencils of Promise that can change the world.

AB: I think this is a great idea. We appreciate the work that ReTargeter has done for PoP, and I think a program like Retargeting for a Cause is a terrific example of combining the head of a business with the heart of a nonprofit to achieve meaningful results. Like most nonprofits, we value visibility, and the site retargeting campaign helped us stay relevant to previous visitors so they might come back to support us, or simply learn more and spread the word.

RT: Thanks for your time, Adam.

AB: Thank you for supporting Pencils of Promise!

We encourage you to read The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change. Discover how you can change the world, and remember that your book purchase will go towards educating young people around the world. Purchase the book today on Amazon.

Retargeting for a Cause. Are you involved with an organization like Pencils of Promise that is making a difference in the world? ReTargeter provides advanced advertising solutions to help businesses and organizations, including non-profits, reach their audience and fulfill their mission. Audience targeting and retargeting are excellent ways to find and match dedicated and talented people with causes like Pencils of Promise that can change the world. Please contact us to learn more and let us know how we can help fulfill your mission.