This is the third in a series of "Right Here" columns about 20-something Pittsburghers who work at nonprofit organizations.

It's safe to say that 20-somethings love to party. Fresh out of college, some of us aren't quite ready to throw in the towel and become "real adults" just yet.

It's also safe to say that 20-somethings (myself included) believe they can have an impact and change society for the better.

One day in the fall of 2006, it occurred to three 20-something Pittsburghers that it would probably be a good idea to marry the desire to party with the world-changing spirit 20-somethings are seeking.

And so PGH Party for a Purpose was born.

Vivien Luk, Jessica Obergas and Julie Pezzino, all students or graduates of the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University, decided to throw a party to benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership.

"In our pilot party, we just asked people to help us out," Ms. Luk, 25, said. They asked friends who are DJs to help with entertainment, and asked another friend to provide a venue.

After a successful party, they were able to get people to give testimonials as to its success.

"At that point, we didn't see it being a sustainable organization," Ms. Pezzino, 27, said.

They charged a $5 cover for their first event, but now, going on their eighth, they charge $10 because of feedback from partygoers that they were charging too little.

All of the effort that goes into the parties is donated -- DJs donate their time and talent, graphic designers volunteer to create fliers, and there's little to no advertising. Even the Web site, pghpartyforapurpose.org, was created pro bono by Tailored Marketing Inc.

The venue for the event keeps whatever it makes in drink tabs, and 100 percent of the cover charge is donated to a previously chosen nonprofit.

Nonprofits have to apply to be a beneficiary of a party, and the three organizers said they prefer to keep it local, sticking to nonprofits in Allegheny County.

They prefer the little guys, too -- organizations that benefit from not only the money but the recognition.

"That exposure for them was priceless," Ms. Obergas, 25, said.

The parties are held seasonally, and the three already have beneficiaries lined up for the next few parties.

The next PGH Party for a Purpose will be on Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. at Ryan's Pub in Regent Square.

"We try to go to a different neighborhood every time," Ms. Obergas said. "The goal is to get people to come out to different places."

This month's party will benefit Amizade, an organization that cooperates with Keep It Real, a group of about 35 University of Pittsburgh students who work with Somali refugees who live in Lawrenceville. They provide tutoring, mentoring and help with assimilating to life in the United States.

And, Ms. Luk says, the 20-something crowd is the perfect target for raising money for a cause like this.

"This is the audience that would pay attention to this and not dismiss it," she said.

And people aren't dismissing the parties.

"We've also had people walk up to the door, not knowing there's an event, scoff at the $10, then being explained what it benefits, pay $10 and come in," Ms. Pezzino said.

Ms. Obergas says the parties are just one mechanism for connecting people who want to do good things.

"We never thought it would turn into something like this," she said.