Even agencies run by college kids who charge non-profit clients nearly nothing are feeling the pressure of the economy. RealWorld IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) at Texas Christian needs $150,000 in donations to stay open.

The agency serves between 40-50 clients a year, with a handful of students (including the former Miss Nebraska) each putting in 15 hours a week. The firm brings in $40,000 a year. RealWorld opened in 2006 with a grant to TCU's Schieffer School of Journalism. Yes, Schieffer as in Bob Schieffer, host of Face the Nation on CBS.

The big expenses are the two full-time staffers who oversee the students, the space, and the equipment needed to do the full-service ad and marketing work including direct mail, brochures, websites, and PSAs.

[via Fort Worth Star-Telegram]