Category: Impact Inspiration & Initiatives

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Work Life & Culture

An Update on Our Progress in UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals Program

At Sparx, we believe in practicing what we preach. As a purpose-driven marketing agency, we work with clients who make the world better through their innovative approaches. Like many organizations, however, we wanted to take our efforts one step further with objective, quantifiable goals. That’s why in October 2021, we signed onto the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals program.

According to the UN Global Compact, “The Sustainable Development Goals provide a powerful aspiration for improving our world — laying out where we collectively need to go and how to get there.” Businesses are encouraged to do business responsibly and then “pursue opportunities to solve societal challenges through business innovation and collaboration.” As guidance, there are 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), and to help organizations work toward them, they can join and be provided with an extensive toolbox of resources. 

The UN Global Compact program offers a framework for companies to define what “make the world better” means for them. For Sparx, participating in this program is a commitment to living our values by setting, accomplishing, and creating new objectives. 

Progress with Our Objectives

Since joining the UN Global Compact program, we’re proud to have reached our objectives so far, and we’re challenging ourselves with more ways we can help make the world better. Here are just a few of the initiatives we’ve accomplished to date.  

1.) Make The World Better Magazine and MTWB Day

After launching the first edition of our Make The World Better Magazine in September 2021, we built on that momentum with a second edition launched in April 2022. This edition focuses on the “growing” industry of regenerative agriculture and features interviews with nine companies and organizations in the industry. 

The result? Not only did this edition start and amplify conversations about this important and innovative industry, but our LinkedIn social promo received over 1,000 views. With this exciting milestone under our belt, we’re thrilled to launch our third edition this fall. Be sure to stay tuned!

In the theme of our Make The World Better Magazine, we also hold an annual Make The World Better Day, starting in 2020. During this virtual team event,  we discuss our annual progress and goals for next year, and do team activities including  a hackathon to strategize content marketing for a purpose-driven company. Our team is looking forward to this year’s MTWB Day!

2.) Participation in Key Events

As part of our commitment to education and partnerships with leaders in the social equity and environmental spaces, we sponsored and attended key events in the first half of 2022. 

In October 2021, we had a busy month for events. First, we attended Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s Global Inclusive Growth Summit to hear from purpose-driven leaders about inclusive growth. Then, we attended Elevate’s event, Think 2030, designed to catalyze the UN’s sustainable development goals. Lastly, we attended SOCAP21, hosted by SOCAP Global, and gained valuable insights from expert speakers on impact investing, climate action, sustainable development, and more! 

In May of this year, we attended Shift 2022, which according to their website, is “a collaborative digital impact event produced by some of the most passionate leaders in the positive impact space rallying to make business a force for change.”

In June, we attended and sponsored the morning event of the Business for Social Good Conference, hosted by UBC’s Sauder School of Business. During the six presentations, we gained many fascinating insights about sustainability, biases, indigenous economic development (Indigenomics), and more. 

We look forward to applying these insights and continuing to establish connections with individuals and organizations who are making the world better. 

3.) Recognition Holidays

At Sparx, we’re privileged to have staff, clients, and peers from all walks of life. Being a purpose-driven marketing agency,  we believe in the importance of showing our support and celebrating those who are making huge strides in important movements. 

While we understand bandwagoning on trending discussions can be opportunistic and harmful, we took steps to thoughtfully participate in various recognition holidays this year. 

  • Asian Heritage Month (AHM): In our first AHM post, we shared a list of Canadians of Asian heritage that have made many valuable contributions to Canada and beyond. In our second AHM post, we shared a Government of Canada resource that aims to preserve, celebrate, and educate Canadians about Asian cultures in Canada.
  • Indigenous recognition days: Sparx gratefully operates on the shared, traditional and ancestral lands of the Kwikwetlem, Katzie, and other Coast Salish Peoples and the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. It’s important, therefore, that we share content related to recognizing the atrocities of Canada’s residential schools and how we as Canadians can be better allies (such as with this post), acknowledging National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (such as with this post), and thoughtfully celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with this post and Canada Day with this post. 

4.) Donating to Important Causes

Like they say, money makes the world go round. When it comes to important causes, monetary donations can also make a big difference. Here are some of the causes we donated to:

  • Wigs for Kids: Sparx President Hamish Khamisa donated 46 cm (18 in) of his long, pandemic locks and raised over $1,300 for Wigs for Kids B.C.
  • Movember: In November 2021, Sparx’s mustachioed team members participated in our annual Movember campaign and raised $500 for men’s health. 
  • Holiday Gifting Campaign: As part of our annual holiday gifting campaign, we donated on behalf of our clients to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Feed Ontario. 

What’s Next for Us

While we’re proud to have accomplished our objectives so far, we understand making the world better is a constant work in progress. We will continue to listen, learn, and grow as we move forward on our Sustainable Development Goals journey, and we will continue to be transparent and communicative about what’s next for us. 

In the meantime, be sure to check out our Make The World Better Magazine and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals program, head here. And if you’re ready to join (yay!), fill in the application form now. 

Saving the World Is a Marketing Problem 

Sparx Publishing Group is a full-service marketing agency creating content to make the world better. Together, we can improve your sustainable marketing game and ensure your impact efforts shine. Reach out to the Sparx team here.

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Work Life & Culture

Making the World Better: How Small Efforts Can Spark Big Impact

At Sparx Publishing Group, we create content to make the world better. Beyond the work we do with our clients, we also want to explore tangible and direct ways of improving the world around us.

We’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way, including pitfalls to avoid, and reaffirmed a cornerstone of our worldview: that if you look for opportunities to do better, you will find them.

We’d like to share with you how the journey started.

Make The World Better Day

Sparx launched the first edition of Make The World Better Day (MTWBD) on September 30, 2020. The spark that inspired this day came from a place of both hope and loss.

The founder of Sparx Publishing Group, Hamish Khamisa, wanted to honour his daughter, Anahera, who was stillborn at 35 weeks. As difficult and painful as that moment was, the love and hope that Anahera embodied were the sparks that set in motion a challenge to transform tragedy into inspiration.

Inspiration is at the very core of the Sparx name. Drawing on that, Make The World Better Day is a testament to the belief that a spark, no matter how small, can ignite positive change.

At first, we weren’t sure exactly how to go about making the world better, but we believed that starting anywhere was better than waiting to find the “perfect” somewhere to begin. The simple desire to get started revealed another little treasure of insight: As marketers, we could not only do good, but our skillset is uniquely qualified to amplify good.

Starting with a blank canvas, we decided to set aside one full workday for everyone at the company to stop working on their usual tasks. Instead, we participated in activities that would amplify good.

In order to leverage our diverse skill sets, we had every member of our team submit ideas of what “better” meant to them and nominate causes or organizations that they felt were in line with their personal view of “better.”

As a team, we also decided that we wanted to make a local impact, as well as impact others in different parts of the world. To accomplish this, we chose a local organization, Sea Smart, to provide our marketing expertise to. We also looked to the popular microfinance platform Kiva to be the vehicle through which we discovered global opportunities for good.

A Cleaner Planet Is a Better Planet

A cleaner and greener planet was a key theme that emerged from several team members’ perspectives on “better,” so it made perfect sense that caring for the ocean was where we could start.

Sea Smart is a charitable organization, headquartered in Vancouver, that educates and engages children in connecting with the oceanic world. Through hands-on learning and discovery, the organization inspires and empowers children to care for the planet. The Sea Smart mission resonated with our view of making the world better, so we connected with Sea Smart to workshop and launch an awareness campaign.

The campaign consisted of display ads that we designed and distributed through the Sparx Publishing Advertising Network (SPAN), our in-house advertising network.

We were able to deliver over 100,000 impressions to British Columbian visitors to a major Canadian financial website. This campaign exemplified how our small team of 17 was able to impact thousands of individuals, even in a small way, by enabling them to learn about Sea Smart and their mission to improve the health of the world’s oceans.

Kiva Projects: Small Loans, Big Lessons

We also wanted to invest in individuals and organizations that are doing essential work in their own local communities, so we chose Kiva as an avenue for that investment during Make The World Better Day.

Many of the groups represented on Kiva are working to improve local autonomy through food security, infrastructure improvements, and education.

One of the reasons we decided Kiva would be a great fit for MTWBD was because it is an easy-to-use platform for connecting capital to local initiatives that we otherwise would not be able to access. The money provided to these initiatives is also not a donation; it’s a loan.

We initially earmarked a total of $2,000 across four separate groups that we had researched and voted on as a company. However, as part of our due diligence, we learned about the sometimes shockingly high borrowing costs of certain loans to individuals seeking support from Kiva. In the time it took to research more about the platform, as well as the agencies who would be disbursing the loan funds to the various projects, the window for donating to the selected projects closed.

Investing funds through Kiva presented a valuable learning experience for Sparx. One of the important lessons was that doing due diligence ahead of time would have better prepared us for the realities of participating in microfinance lending through this platform.

It was eye-opening to learn that interest rates that would seem stratospheric in Canada are considered acceptable for microloans administered in other parts of the world where Kiva operates. The last thing we wanted to do was to perpetuate a cycle of debt burden that would ultimately not let them create a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.

The solution to our concerns about the borrowing costs and how the platform actually works was to start small. Instead of committing the full $2,000 right away, we ventured forward with a $500 investment in a woman-led business in Congo.

Depending on the outcome of our experience with Kiva, we will evaluate how we go forward on the platform. As a company, we have decided that if Kiva doesn’t work out, we can also redirect our efforts to make the world better in our local community.

MTWBD Inspired Us to Do Better

Our first Make The World Better Day was a success in that it demonstrated it’s possible for us to approach improving the world by leveraging our strengths as a creative agency.

Arguably, the bigger achievement was the shift in mindset that started to occur within our organization. Doing one intentionally good activity inspired us to look for even more activities later on in the year.

Movember: More Than Lip Service

A chance to grow facial hair and raise awareness for a good cause during November lockdowns was a creative example of how our Make The World Better program sparked good. Sparx’s Marketing Specialist, Ash Castellino, suggested the idea of a Sparx Movember team.

Movember is a global public health initiative that takes place every November. It aims to raise awareness of, and spark conversations about, men’s health issues – particularly suicide and cancer – in the hopes of reducing preventable deaths.

The Sparx team raised almost $500 during the month. And, the moustaches grown by President Hamish Khamisa, VP of Operations Ken Yeung, Web Developer Pedram Milani, and Ash himself were magnificent.

From left to right: Ash, Hamish, Pedram, Ken (no photo)

Our participation in this initiative once again demonstrated that small actions can have a cascading effect. One group’s investment in making the world better can inspire the efforts of those around them to support doing the same.

Holiday Season Gifting Turned Into Giving

During the holiday season, Sparx has traditionally sent gifts to clients as a way to say thank you and celebrate the holiday season. Inspired by our Make The World Better mindset, however, we decided that in lieu of gifts of items or treats, we would donate funds to causes and organizations that matter to our clients.

Through a series of client- and donor-matching programs, we were able to jointly donate a total of 5,000 meals to various local food banks across Canada and the US. In addition, we were able to amplify donations to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and a local humane society in Florida.

It was amazing to see the impact we were able to make with this program, as clients were both touched and inspired to participate in this initiative.

Making the World Better Every Day

When we began the process of translating Sparx’s mission of “Content to make the world better” into tangible actions, it felt a bit like pushing a stone up a hill. The challenge of having so many possible directions that we could have taken was, at times, overwhelming.

Approaching the challenge as a team and focusing our efforts enabled us to gather momentum and attract others into that purpose – not just in our official Make The World Better projects, but also in other spontaneous initiatives that have had a real impact.

We genuinely embrace the challenge that the concept of “better”’ sets out. The next MTWBD will also be better, and in keeping with the spirit of the day, we hope to do better in 2021 than we did in 2020 at living our values.

Each day, we intentionally look for opportunities to weave in the spirit that MTWBD was founded on and direct our creative energy toward moments where we can amplify positive impact. In that way, we believe that we will be content to make the world better.

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

3 TED Talks to Inspire You to Make the World Better

Here at Sparx Publishing Group, we enjoy hearing and sharing great stories.   

But what makes a story stand out? A good story captures the audience’s attention with content that is interesting. An even better story, we think, leaves a lasting impact and inspires you to change the world.

Sparx is always on the lookout for interesting content to share with our readers, so we have compiled a list of three must-see TED Talks that we believe encapsulate the essence of our motto of “content to make the world better.” 

Telling a Great Story

How do you tell a good, or even great, story? Sparx shares a TED Talk that focuses on how you can effectively share your message with others and get people to listen.

Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread

“The thing that’s going to decide what gets talked about, what gets done, what gets changed, what gets purchased, what gets built, is: ‘Is it remarkable?’”

In this presentation from a TED conference in 2003, marketing entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin discusses his popular “purple cow” marketing concept. Organizations must stand out in a world that is already bombarded with too much “ordinary” content. To get noticed, you must be “remarkable,” like a purple cow.

Godin states, “‘Remarkable’ is a really cool word because we think it just means ‘neat,’ but it also means ‘worth making a remark about.’” He adds that in order to capture the attention of others and get ideas to spread, thought leaders must appeal to a defined audience that cares. How do you get them to care? It starts with finding like-minded people who share your business’s common interests. 

These pointers are important for companies, such as Sparx, that strive to share and create interesting content that makes the world better and to spark positive change in the world around them. 

Expanding Your Mission

Sparx believes it is important to highlight the positive outcomes of sharing a compelling story – or, in this case, hundreds of thousands of stories. In the next TED Talk, you’ll learn how an experiment by one radio producer blossomed into the “largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.”  

Dave Isay: Everyone around you has a story the world needs to hear

“[The] simple act of being interviewed could mean so much to people, particularly those who had been told that their stories didn’t matter.”

In 2003, Dave Isay had the “crazy idea” of setting up a booth in New York’s Grand Central Terminal where individuals could bring someone to share a personal story in 40 minutes. This experiment quickly gained momentum and StoryCorps – an ongoing oral history project – was born.

In his 2015 TED Talk, Isay shares how having a meaningful discussion with someone can become an important moment in the lives of everyone involved. Through StoryCorps, Isay has shared an array of stories from a diverse group of individuals who range in age, race, and socioeconomic background. On why he feels so many individuals are impacted by these conversations, Isay says, “You’re hearing something authentic and pure at this moment.” He adds, “So many of these are just everyday people talking about lives lived with kindness, courage, decency, and dignity.”

Following his TED Talk, Isay was named the winner of the 2015 TED Prize and awarded $1 million to expand his storytelling platform. Today, more than half a million Americans have recorded their conversations for StoryCorp’s archive at the Library of Congress, and the project has garnered widespread attention.

Spreading Good in the Community

Finally, Sparx wants to share a presentation that showcases a thought leader whose innovative ideas led to bold actions that are making the world better today.

Ron Finley: A guerilla gardener in South Central LA

“Food affects the mind and the body.”

In this TED Talk from 2013, Ron Finley – also known as the “Gangsta Gardener” – shines a light on the rising obesity rate in South Central LA, an impoverished area that has an overabundance of fast-food restaurants and minimal access to fresh produce and healthy foods.

As a result, Finley, along with a group of volunteer gardeners from LA Green Grounds, started planting communal vegetable gardens in unconventional areas, such as abandoned lots and along curbs. His initiative was met with challenges when the city issued a citation and demanded that he remove the gardens. However, the Los Angeles Times shared his story, and people who shared his vision circulated a petition that helped him get permission for the curbside community gardens.

Finley’s actions highlight how a spark of an idea and a commitment to change, no matter how small, can make a lasting impact on the world. In addition to feeding residents, he is using his gardens as an opportunity to train youths to become more involved in the community and to lead sustainable lives. Finley states, “I have witnessed my garden become a tool for education, a tool for the transformation of my neighbourhood.” 

Let Sparx Help You Make the World Better

If you have an idea that you would love to see come to life, or if you have any marketing-related inquiries, don’t hesitate to reach out to Sparx! We’d love to work with you and help your vision come to fruition. Feel free to contact us here.