Well, that was fun!

Last week we celebrated Pro Bono Week by doing 1 Good Deed a Day. That is, we picked 5 important causes and offered up our strategic and creative services each day to one individual not-for-profit. We met some new people who are now good friends with Ramp, and if there is one common thread that connects all not-for-profit (or social profit as we prefer to call it) organizations is the genuine passion they have for what they do.

We’re proud of the work we did last week of course, but beyond that, we’re excited about what we learned about ourselves as specialists and leaders in not-for-profit marketing communications.

5. YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND TIME TO DO SOMETHING GOOD

Everyone is busy. But we found that even though we had all our regular work to do, by scheduling time efficiently so our paying clients would not be affected, we managed to live up to our 1 Good Deed a Day commitment. Make a declaration (it can be a small set of achievable and manageable goals) to do something to benefit the world and get busy. You’ll never be disappointed at the results.

Early sketches for Massey Centre website

4. DETERMINATION AND FOCUS CREATE GOOD WORK

Of course, we knew we needed to budget our time effectively. By establishing a short briefing session the night before, we gave the team a bit of time to ruminate, ponder, consider, and swirl about some ideas in preparation for a brainstorming kick off meeting first thing the next morning. The daily schedule of work was put in place and team members assigned to our Pro Bono Week assignment got busy. We shared the work throughout the week, so everyone got to have a hand in the good work we were privileged to be part of.

3. THE RESPONSE WAS EVEN MORE GRATIFYING THAN EXPECTED

We knew we were helping out, but the response was truly heartwarming, and it came from everyone we spoke to. It reveals that these important causes can always use your help, and they are grateful when they get it. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about these amazing organizations and the ones that are near and dear to your heart as well. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say:

“To the amazing team at Ramp Communications – thank you for this amazing gift to Future Possibilities for Kids! Working with your team during Pro Bono Week has been an amazing experience, and what you created for us is very powerful.”
Future Possibilities

“I am so happy that Ramp has dedicated their time during Pro-Bono Week to help us out. The work is fantastic and we couldn’t have done it without them.”
Project Canoe

“The Children’s Breakfast Clubs is totally reliant on the generosity of small corporations who step forward to make it possible for our charity to reach out to the broader community. Ramp Communication’s wonderful design for the 2017 Black History Month Poster has allowed us to honour the members of the Toronto Paramedic Service.”
The Children’s Breakfast Clubs

Banner stand for use at trade shows for Project Canoe

2. SWITCHING UP THE ROUTINE IS REJUVENTATING

Every day is different here at Ramp, and we enjoy the variety of work we get to do creating effective marketing communications in the not-for-profit sector. But by shaking things up and creating a project like 1 Good Deed a Day you can really add energy to your office. Think about how you can create a project like this one where people from various departments can join their talents and help out a good cause.

1. WE CAN ALWAYS DO MORE

This was the first year that we participated in Pro Bono week and we’re thrilled with what was accomplished. And we’re committed to doing even more next year. In the meantime, we’ll continue to create marketing communications in the not-for-profit sector for our wonderful clients.