Marketing Volunteerism Bloomberg-Style

Mayor Bloomberg didn't invent the idea of making it easy for New Yorkers to volunteer, and many of the initiatives of his NYC Service plan are things nonprofits have been working on and implementing for years. But the city's 60 days of putting it all together has resulted in some new action. One that's worth following is how it makes the city a major marketer of volunteerism.

There's a big ad campaign (if you have some BLANK about it, let us know) and a plan to highlight volunteers on a regular basis on the jumbo screens in Times Square. Times Square! That's what all the squeaky clean has come to. Let the world know we're a big, shiny, nutrition-packed, apple.

The city is also making it possible for all of us to get involved too. At the NYC Service Web site, for example, you can download a widget that leads you directly into the database of volunteer opportunities: