What Riggs Partners does

Riggs Partners is a privately held, purpose-driven brand marketing agency headquartered in West Columbia, South Carolina, founded in 1987 by Cathy Monetti as C.C. Riggs. The firm provides strategic brand marketing services including brand strategy and identity design, integrated multi-channel campaign development (TV, print, digital, outdoor, social media), annual reports, and organizational culture alignment work. Its core differentiation is the proprietary "Responsible Brand" methodology, packaged as the Responsible Brand Toolkit (responsiblebrand.com), which aligns organizational culture, business strategy, and external brand marketing.

The firm serves a diverse client base across nonprofits, government and public institutions, regional financial institutions, social enterprises, and select commercial clients, with named engagements spanning First Community Bank (20-year relationship), South Carolina ETV, Goodwill Industries, NHTSA / Ad Council, CarolinaConnect, Choose Well, ABC Quality, GetConnectedSC, Epworth Foster Care, and Bequia Threadworks. In 1998, the firm co-founded CreateAthon, a 24-hour pro bono marketing marathon program that has scaled into a national network of 100+ partner organizations delivering 3,800+ nonprofit projects and $30M+ in pro bono services.

The business model is project-based professional services delivered through direct, relationship-driven sales, with the firm deliberately maintaining a small team (estimated 15-20 people) where partners remain directly engaged on client work. The firm operates with a Southeast US regional focus, is privately held with no external investors, and produces ancillary content assets including the Walking the Talk interview series to support thought leadership and inbound demand. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Riggs Partners

Legal name

Riggs Partners

Website

https://riggspartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Riggs Partners is a privately held, purpose-driven brand marketing agency founded in 1987 and headquartered in West Columbia, SC. It provides brand strategy, identity design, and integrated multi-channel campaigns for nonprofits, government agencies, financial institutions, and social enterprises using its Responsible Brand methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Marketing & Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Brand marketing services
• Brand strategy consulting
• Purpose driven branding
• Nonprofit marketing
• Integrated marketing communications

Headquarters

HQ city

West Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Brand Strategy Services: Professional services revenue generated through project-based engagements, retainers, and consulting arrangements with corporate, nonprofit, and government clients seeking brand development, marketing strategy, and organizational culture alignment services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Riggs Partners is a brand marketing agency that delivers strategic brand development, identity design, and integrated multi-channel marketing campaigns (TV, print, digital, outdoor, social media) for nonprofit, financial, government, and social-enterprise clients. The firm differentiates through its proprietary Responsible Brand methodology, which aligns organizational culture, business strategy, and external brand marketing, and operates the CreateAthon pro bono program for nonprofits.

Product overview

Riggs Partners is a brand marketing agency offering integrated marketing services rather than a software product platform. The firm's core offering consists of strategic brand marketing services including brand identity design, digital marketing, social media, print and broadcast production. The agency has developed proprietary intellectual property including the Responsible Brand Toolkit (an open-source curriculum for building purpose-driven brands) and the CreateAthon program (a 24-hour pro bono marketing marathon). The firm also produces content through its Walking the Talk interview series. The portfolio reflects a services-led model centered on helping clients align their culture, business strategy, and brand marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Marketing Services Integrated brand marketing services encompassing brand strategy, brand identity design, digital and social media marketing, print and broadcast production, outdoor advertising, and annual reports. Delivered to nonprofit organizations, financial institutions, government agencies, and social enterprises, typically as multi-month engagements or ongoing retainers managed directly by senior partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3800+ nonprofit projects completed; $30+ million in pro bono services delivered; 100+ partner organizations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CreateAthon Partner NetworkcoreOthers · 1 January 1998100+ partner organizations across the US that conduct CreateAthon events in their local markets. This network has enabled the CreateAthon model to grow from a single-market event to a national nonprofit movement that has delivered $30+ million in pro bono marketing services to thousands of nonprofits since 1998.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hattaway Communications: Communications and branding firm focused on purpose-driven organizations, social enterprises, and nonprofits — directly comparable in niche focus on mission-aligned brand strategy and similar client segments.
• The Richards Group: Long-standing independent brand-building agency in Dallas, Texas with similar full-service integrated model and regional client base — a closely matched independent competitor.
• The Martin Agency: Independently-owned creative agency headquartered in Richmond, Virginia with a comparable mid-sized structure and integrated brand marketing capabilities — a strong peer given similar independence, scale, and client mix across regional and national accounts.
• Barkley: Independent creative agency based in Kansas City with comparable size, independent ownership, and integrated brand strategy offerings — directly competes for purpose-driven and mid-market brand assignments.
• EP+Co (formerly Erwin Penland): Independent, full-service creative agency based in Greenville, South Carolina — directly comparable as a similarly-sized independent agency operating in the same regional market with overlapping nonprofit, regional, and consumer brand clients.
• Cornett: Independently-owned creative agency in Lexington, Kentucky offering brand strategy, advertising, and integrated marketing services at a comparable scale — overlaps with Riggs Partners in regional full-service brand work.

Broad incumbents

• Mother: Globally-recognized independent creative agency network with offices in multiple markets — relevant as a larger-scale independent brand agency that competes for the same enterprise and purpose-driven client relationships.
• Droga5: Accenture-owned creative agency known for purpose-driven and socially-conscious campaigns — comparable on creative quality and purpose orientation but at substantially larger scale and with global reach.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Iconic independent creative agency with global offices and award-winning purpose-driven campaigns — broader incumbent offering similar independent ownership model and creative excellence but at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Cone Communications: Communications agency specializing in purpose, CSR, and social impact brand strategy — directly comparable in purpose-marketing niche, with overlap in nonprofit and social enterprise client base and methodology alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/riggspartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Riggs Partners