When running a non-profit organization, every penny counts.

And in managing those pennies, sometimes the most basic marketing and advertising needs have to go unmet.

Tom Powell, owner of the Addison Group, wants to change that.

The Addison Group is Suffolk’s only advertising and marketing firm, and each year the firm takes on a non-profit organization as a client for free to help with the organization’s marketing needs.

“The biggest thing with non-profits is just that, there is no profit,” Powell said. “There’s no room for professional services like marketing and advertising because nonprofits still need to pay the bills and be self sufficient.”

Last year, Riddick’s Folly was the Addison’s Group’s choice organization, and staff helped create a new logo and Web site to enhance its marketing effort.

“Everybody’s different,” Powell said. “I’m looking forward to this year even expanding on that.”

Powell said he came up with the idea for helping one organization each year after being inundated with requests from various non-profits.

“We were trying our best to help everybody as much as possible, but we’d tend to divide our efforts between so many, so people were only getting about five percent of the effort.,” Powell said.

Wanting to help everyone but unable to meet all the demands of all the organizations in the city, Powell devised a plan of devoting all his company’s services for an entire year for one organization to give the most efficient and best help possible.

On top of this program, Powell said The Addison Group also has a separate, standard rate for non-profit work as well.

For a nonprofit organization to be considered for the Addison Group’s services, a request for proposal needs be sent on behalf of the organization to the Addison Group.

People interested in applying, should call 757-539-1669. All requests are to be submitted by Wednesday, Feb. 18.