The roaring 20s are back. What was once a time for flappers, fancy hats, and disdain for the status quo was also underscored by an era of hope, prosperity, and growth. Our 2020 vision is certainly optimistic, while we reflect on yet another trip around the sun.  And what a year it was. We spent it doing what we do best, serving inspiring clients who are intent on transformational impact while taking on a few creative pursuits of our own. Here’s a look back at the last year at Ramp.

The year in hindsight as we head into the roaring 20s:

Helping Canadians trade stigma for understanding.

The second iteration of the award-winning campaign we created for The Alzheimer Society of Canada launched on Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in January. We met incredible humans from across the country who live with dementia. The campaign re-established a platform for them to share their stories and lived experiences. All while encouraging Canadians to trade stigma for understanding and empathy. The result? Over 42,000 new visitors explored the campaign’s microsite, conversations were started with 3 million+ hashtag impressions on Twitter, and over 8 million media impressions spread the word to end dementia stigma. 

Making a promise to their community. 

Alterna Savings is a different kind of bank. The co-operative does so much to give back to its community. We helped them develop a community promise and a video to clearly demonstrate how they deliver the good in banking by investing in how their communities live, prosper, innovate, learn, care, play, and connect. 

Stepping into the spotlight for mental health.

CAMH wanted to reimagine its signature fundraising event, One Brave Night. We were there to help. Our guidance transformed the night into an opportunity for Canadians to step into the spotlight, share their hidden talents, and provide help and hope to those struggling with mental illness. We participated as a team and raised over $3000 for a cause that affects every. single. person.

Sharing more of Toronto’s good stories. 

We partnered with fellow B Corp, the Gladstone Hotel to launch Toronto The Good. A blog series that sparked thoughtful conversations through interviews with influencers, social entrepreneurs, and innovators who are shining a light on the city’s toughest issues and championing change to make Toronto, and the world a better place.

We spoke to the people who are working tirelessly to make our city a more inclusive, creative, innovative, accessible, and vibrant place. People like Kavita Dogra, a local feminist, social justice activist, founder of We Talk Women and co-chair of the committee that founded #WomensMarchTO; Jeremy Vandermeij, an advocate for design with purpose and the co-founder/executive director of DesignTO; Al Ramsay TD’s National Manager for LGBTQ2+ business development; Luke Anderson, a champion for accessibility and the founder/executive director of The StopGap Foundation; Dave Bidini, musician, author, editor-in-chief and president of the West End Phoenix; and Kiana ‘Rookz’ Eastmond founder of Sandbox Studios and the executive director of Manifesto Festival.

Educating parents about how to choose the right school.

Choosing the right school is a whirlwind for parents. Days start to blur, after digging through mountains of brochures and getting lost in a flurry of open houses. It can be hard to remember what makes a school unique. That’s why we created a bold position for HTS, an independent school that offers more. The school’s spirit, academics, campus, faculty, and staff were all highlights in the handbook we produced for prospective families. Aptly named, ‘Something More,’ it invites parents to see the difference attending HTS makes in a kids’ life. 

Rising above mental health and addiction challenges.

Rise helps people with mental health & addiction challenges overcome barriers to self-employment through training, resources, mentorship & low-interest microloans. We helped the charity clearly communicate what they do with a new strategy, updated name, and logo. The new branding weaved through their website, a new video, and we redesigned their print materials to tell their story consistently across all channels. We also conducted a thorough audit of their marketing materials to identify how to better communicate with beneficiaries, agency partners across the country, and donors. There was a wonderful moment during a presentation for the board of directors. “When I see this, it makes me emotional,” said one member. “We are finally representing ourselves on the level that we deserve. It feels like we have grown up,” they added.

Making space for collaboration among nonprofits.

We hosted two of our exclusive Federation Leaders’ Knowledge Exchange events with senior leaders from some of Canada’s largest charities and nonprofits. The events covered thought-provoking topics with insightful speakers. We touched on how to build a culture of trust in a federated nonprofit and how to choose the right funding model. If you’re a senior leader in a federated nonprofit, send us a note to get on the list.

B.coming a more impactful B.

Time flies when you’re using business as a Force For Good. It’s been 3 years since we first became a certified B Corporation (that means we conscious of the impact our decisions have on our workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment). When the time came for recertification, we proudly upped our impact assessment score by over 30 points!

With all of this impeccable momentum built, we know the roaring 20s will be even more dynamic. We’re looking forward to celebrating another year with you, so sign-up for our newsletter, GoodWorks, to get the inside scoop on how the roaring 20s are progressing at Ramp.