Tag: Make the World Better

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Make The World Better Magazine

Plan International Canada: Advancing Children’s Rights

As children, we’re told we can be anything, from astronauts to Hollywood movie stars. Unfortunately, for many kids (especially girls) around the world, their dream is basic rights and opportunities. 

Plan International Canada works to remove barriers so children in underdeveloped countries can live out their potential. We chatted with Plan International Canada about their mission and what makes this organization unique.

Shalini, looking at the camera, is advocating for the end of child marriage in Uttar Pradesh

Tell us about Plan International Canada’s mission. 

Plan International Canada works for and with children, community members, and governments so that all children around the world can exercise their rights. We do this by focusing on eight core areas, with gender equality as a foundational objective.

Our work seeks to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and remove barriers that keep children, especially girls, from reaching their full potential. 

Plan International Canada is a member of a global organization dedicated to advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan International has been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years and is now active in more than 75 countries. 

What inspired your founders to start Plan International Canada? 

In 1937, British journalist John Langdon-Davies founded what was originally known as Foster Parents Plan for Children in Spain to help children whose lives were disrupted by the Spanish Civil War. By 1938, 300 Spanish children were sponsored by Plan International. The following year, Eleanor Roosevelt became a sponsor, continuing to support the organization for many years. 

Plan International marked its 60th anniversary in 1990 by reaching an incredible milestone: supporting its one millionth sponsored child, a young girl from Mali. By 1999, the number of  Plan-sponsored children grew to over 1.2 million children. 

A decade later, Plan International began highlighting the unique challenges faced by girls in low-income countries, launching our Because I am a Girl initiative in Canada to promote gender equality in the countries where we work. 

Plan International celebrated its 84th anniversary in 2021, marking our continued commitment  to children’s rights around the world. 

Millions of girls around the world are in crisis. Their futures are already written for them, as they experience the tragedies of child marriage, no education, sexual violence and exploitation.

Together we can Stop The Setback by helping girls rewrite their futures for the better.

As we move into the fourth phase of our global fundraising campaign, we aim to raise awareness of the work Plan International does and drive donations to help us support the world’s most vulnerable girls and provide them with the support they need to fulfill their potential.

What were some of the challenges you encountered? 

Plan International Canada has over 80 years of experience in international development and  humanitarian response, and remains committed to children’s rights and equality for girls as the world navigates and responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The COVID-19 crisis has affected people across the globe and has become a challenge in the humanitarian world. Primary health impacts have been grave, and associated lockdowns and disruptions have led to additional (secondary) impacts. 

The pandemic has caused unprecedented hardship for people around the globe, but for girls in crisis, it’s done more than just set them back. It’s unravelling decades of progress. Thirteen million girls are at risk of becoming brides, two million girls are at risk of experiencing female genital mutilation, and millions are at risk of never returning to school once they reopen.

Through its global response, Plan International has been assessing the extent and severity of the secondary impacts of this crisis on women and children, especially girls, since March 2020. 

We are constantly working to ensure that progress is not reverted in terms of children and  girls getting their rights. 

What do you consider Plan International’s biggest success? 

Plan International’s gender transformative approach to international development and, increasingly, our work during emergencies aspires to support women, girls, men, and boys in all their diversity to change this reality.  

Through Plan International Canada’s ambitious 20 Million Reasons Campaign, we’ve  reached 18.4 million children around the world – over halfway to our target of improving the  lives of 20 million children by 2022. 

How do you feel Plan International Canada makes the world better? 

Plan International Canada knows achieving the Sustainable Development Goals ambition of “leaving no one behind” requires transformative change. We confront and challenge discrimination and human rights violations based on gender. 

All of our work – programming or advocacy – tackles the root causes of gender inequality and helps reshape unequal power relations. It focuses not only on providing equal opportunities and outcomes for all, but on removing the barriers that keep girls and women from achieving their full potential and exercising their rights. 

Our focus is to meet and grow our commitments to children, as well as the more than 86,000 communities we work with over the long term. 

Plan International Canada has developed a comprehensive girl/woman centric index – the Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment Index – that measures changes in the root causes of gender inequality and captures the breadth and scope of gender transformative change. 

A gender equality approach is about understanding these relative differences and intersecting identities, appreciating that they are not rigid and can be changed. It is important to keep these differences and intersecting identities in mind when designing strategies, policies, programs, and services. 

Ultimately, promoting gender equality means transforming the power relations between women and men, girls and boys, and individuals with different gender identities in order to create a more just society for everyone. 

Tell us about your organization’s goals.

We strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We engage people and partners to empower children, young people, and communities to make vital changes that assist girls in accessing their rights. 

We want to fulfill the promise of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal. Plan International Canada’s strategy is to work through our 20 Million Reasons Campaign, which intends to improve the lives of 20 million children, especially girls, by 2022 so that they can learn, lead, decide, and thrive. 

Within the strategy, we also have an ambition to transform the lives of 100 million girls. Child sponsorship and grassroots community work are central to our strategy and achieving this ambition. 

How can people help or contribute to Plan International’s mission? 

Every day, millions of girls around the world are denied their basic human rights simply because they’re girls. 

Through initiatives such as Because I am a Girl and the Child Sponsorship program, Plan International is working to advance girls’ rights by helping them unleash their inherent power and potential. The contributions support girls in championing change in their communities by helping them access their right to education, healthcare, and clean water. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed and magnified injustices around the world – especially for those most vulnerable. Through the Stop the Setback Campaign, Plan International is working to ensure girls have access to the supports they need to powerfully claim their right to a safe, healthy life, and a path of their choosing. 

Visit plancanada.ca for more information and follow @plancanada on social media to #StopTheSetback.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

Why and How to Add More Diversity Into Your Marketing Efforts

Following the heightened activity during the COVID-19 lockdowns of ongoing ground-breaking movements like Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate calling attention to systemic issues in society, more people are taking a stand against the hidden and not-so-hidden injustices in the world – and companies are no exception.

There has been a groundswell of corporate engagement on issues that affect marginalized folks, and with it, a push for more diversity and inclusion in marketing campaigns, such as ones done by Coca-Cola, Google, and more.

Diversity goes beyond race and gender; it includes age, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, ability, and a variety of other factors. There are many reasons to consider these groups in your marketing efforts, and beyond. However, it’s important to avoid “woke-washing,” performative efforts to jump on the bandwagon of a movement – often to cash in – while not actually working to address a systemic issue.

Fear not: we’ve come up with a guide to help you add more diversity to your marketing efforts in an authentic, actionable way to truly make the world better.

Why You Should Consider Adding More Diversity to Your Marketing

  • Enhance brand perception and loyalty. An Adobe survey found that 62% of adults say diversity in a company’s ads impacted the way they perceive a brand, and 38% say they’d be more likely to trust a brand with diversity in their advertising. It’s not a coincidence that a brand that focuses on diversity and inclusion makes people feel, well, included.

    On the flip side, lacking diversity can lead to unwanted consequences. Top Design Firms reported this finding: “If two brands offer the exact same product, one in three consumers (34%) would consider each brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion when making their final purchasing decision.” By showcasing diversity in your marketing, you increase trust and loyalty with your customers.
  • Make customers feel represented. Think of your marketing like a high school cafeteria: if your marketing is mostly white, male, able-bodied, young, and affluent, there’s a big chunk of the population who would feel like they wouldn’t fit in at that table. Instead, these people would go to another spot in the cafeteria where not only would they fit in, but thrive with other similar people. Try to include all types of people in your marketing so everyone feels invited to take a seat.
  • Grow your audience. When your marketing represents more of the population, more people come to your table. Therefore, not only do people feel good about being included, but you grow your audience of people to market to, which continues to build as they share your company with their audiences. It’s really a win/win.
  • Increase your profits. About two-thirds of consumers consider making a purchase immediately after seeing an ad they consider to be diverse, and two-thirds of consumers also consider making a second purchase from a brand they believe is committed to diversity and inclusion, according to a Top Design Firms report. On top of that, by growing your audience, you have a bigger pool of potential customers to market to, and therefore, potentially sell your products or services to. 

How to Add More Diversity to Your Marketing 

  • Think beyond imagery. While it’s important to showcase diversity in your images, it’s important to take it a step further and put in the work behind the scenes. 
    • You’ll want to understand your target audience, including their demographics, values, opinions, and more. This will help you be authentic and thoughtful in your messaging to them. 
    • It’s also recommended to have diverse voices and points of view within your internal team so you’re truly practicing what you preach. This can also help avoid things like inadvertent cultural appropriation, or accidentally coming across as insulting or condescending to any audience segment. 
    • You may also want to audit your internal and external systems to gauge user experience. This is especially important in the case of ability, as you may be unintentionally excluding members of the population with certain disabilities if they’re unable to use your systems due to accessibility challenges. 
    • As well, it’s recommended to continually educate your team on politically-correct terms and allyship practices, historical contexts of certain groups, and current events that affect these groups today. For example, you can acknowledge the Indigenous land your company resides on somewhere on your website or social media profiles, and add the pronouns of your public-facing staff to show support to gender non-comforming and trans folks by helping normalize gender discussions.
  • Be strategic about your marketing. Choose your words and imagery carefully in your content, but know that a single ad or post isn’t going to please all people at all times. Try your best to be inclusive, politically-correct, and authentic, but if something is brought to your attention that wasn’t quite right, use it as a learning opportunity to do better next time. Acknowledge the shortcoming, and apply that knowledge to your next campaign. You can also look to your audience and directly ask what matters to them to ensure they feel seen and heard in your marketing. 

Get Expert Marketing Support with Sparx  

At Sparx, our mission is to create content to make the world better.
If you want to create inclusive marketing campaigns but aren’t sure where to start, the experts at Sparx Publishing Group are always available to chat. We help purpose driven organizations secure their website, create great content, build experiences to delight their customers, and help grow their business. You can reach us here.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

How to Create an Effective Marketing Strategy for Your Impact Organization

As we continue to navigate global challenges, it’s apparent that sustainable business practices are more important than ever. In response, there is a rise in impact organizations, companies that consciously, intentionally, and sustainably attempt to alleviate a local or global problem. 

While profit may still be a goal, “the main metric is whether the company achieves its aim of impacting social, cultural or environmental issues,” according to Entrepreneur. If this sounds like your organization, you may be tempted to shout your company’s goodness from the rooftop – and rightfully so. 

However, to achieve your goals, it’s important to broadcast your message in a way that ensures you reach the right people with the right message. Here’s our guide on how to create a marketing strategy to effectively and authentically promote your impact organization. 

Figure Out Your Impact Organization’s Goal

Before you begin your marketing strategy, you’ll first need to determine what you want to achieve in terms of your organization’s impact. Do you want to recycle a specific number of bottles? Deliver a certain number of free meals? Donate a set amount of clothing items?

To know how close you are to achieving your impact goal, you can use KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). KPIs are measurements used to gauge aspects of your company’s overall long-term performance, and, in turn, your impact. 

For example, if your desired impact is donating a million free meals to people in need, a KPI could be the number of meals donated per sale made. The larger the sale, the more meals donated.

Once you have your KPIs in mind, you should determine what role your customers play – essentially, what action you want them to take to support the KPIs. Do you want them to make a purchase? Share a link to your company on their social channels? Watch a video to gain awareness of your cause?

In general, the better your company performs on the relevant KPIs, which are specific and measurable, the better you’re doing impact-wise

Determine Your Target Audience 

If you’ve ever implemented a communication or marketing strategy, you know the importance of determining your target audience before you begin. Your target audience are the people you want to reach; the people you want to take the desired actions you’ve outlined. 

For impact organizations, this step can be especially important to ensure your audience’s values are aligned with your company’s. According to a PwC Canada survey, 34% of Canadians are willing to pay a premium for brands known for their sustainability practices, and 33% for ethical and environmental considerations. Value-aligned customers are also typically more loyal, and more likely to take the actions you want them to.

So, how do you find your audience? Personas, semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers, can help guide you in the right direction. Use data or research from your past, current, or ideal customers to create profiles. 

Though many personas start with basic demographic data, it’s also helpful to include details like where this customer spends time both online and offline, personality type, likes and dislikes, lifestyle, and issues they care about.

You can then use these personas to tailor how, where, and when you speak to your audience, including determining your content types, communication channels, messaging, and tone.

Fine-Tune Your Messaging 

While you’ll need to reach the right customers, you’ll also need to reach them with the right message in order to get them to do the right thing. You’ll want to determine what you need to communicate to convince people to do this.

Consumers are increasingly becoming savvier and more aware of their options before they buy, especially consumers who are seeking information on environmental impact, ethical production, and fair treatment of stakeholders. 

As mentioned, your target audience may be willing to pay more for your products or services, but they’ll need to know why they should be choosing your company over another – particularly if there’s a cheaper or more immediate choice in the mix. 

Your messaging should address the “cost” or impact of this choice. Essentially, answer the question of why choosing your company’s product or service is better overall by highlighting the values and benefits. 

It’s also a good idea to be transparent about your impact progress for your current and prospective customers to see. 

For example, Canadian clothing company Tentree plants 10 trees for every item purchased (their KPI). To date, they have planted nearly 58 million trees (their progress), and have a goal to plant one billion trees by 2030 (their impact goal). This information is clearly and easily found on the homepage of their website.

Measure Your Marketing Strategy’s Success 

Once your message is out in the world, you’ll probably want to know how it’s doing – more specifically, if you’re actually reaching the right people and moving towards your impact goals. The KPIs you identified earlier can be a useful tool to see if your company is making headway on these goals. 

You can also look at how specific campaigns or content pieces are performing, and use this information to fine-tune your target audience, explore which types of content work best, A/B test different versions of your marketing collateral, and more.

As an impact organization, you’ve chosen the path that may be less travelled, but it’s also the path towards making the world better. So, don’t be shy to share your good deeds! Just remember to do it strategically and authentically to ensure you’re packing the strongest punch for your cause. 

Create Memorable Marketing Campaigns with Sparx

At Sparx, our mission is to create content to make the world better.

If you need help securing your website, creating great content, building experiences to delight your customers, marketing your business, or you simply have questions, the experts at Sparx Publishing Group are always available to chat. You can reach us here.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips Work Life & Culture

8 Benefits of Working from Home That Can Help Make the World Better

In early 2021, 32% of working-age Canadian employees worked mostly from home, compared to only 4% in 2016. As we enter a post-lockdown reality, many employees are considering working remotely on a permanent basis.

But is remote work worth it for the long haul? Surely employees will miss their water cooler buddies, cubicles, and ergonomic office chairs, right? Well, turns out, this may not always be the case. In fact, working from home can positively impact the environment, both inside and outside your home. 

At Sparx, we’ve embraced remote work, a decision that aligns with our mission to make the world better. Here’s our list of 8 benefits of working from home.

Benefits of Remote Work for the Environment

1. Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contribute to climate change through a warming effect in the Earth’s atmosphere. In a 29-year time span from 1990-2019, this warming effect from GHG added by humans increased by 45%. 

While GHG can be emitted from a variety of sources, transportation accounts for a significant portion. In Canada alone, GHG emissions from passenger vehicles increased 21% from 2000 to 2018. By working from home, you’ll cut out your drive or transit ride to work, which helps to reduce GHG emissions.  

2. Improved Air Quality

While there are many factors that affect air quality, the two most common sources are ground-level ozone and particulate matter (i.e. smoke, soot, dust, etc.). Gasoline vehicles are guilty of contributing to both of these sources, as they burn fuel, which creates nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds that combine to create ground-level ozone. Industrial sources are bigger culprits of pollution, but any way to decrease your individual impact helps. 

3. Decreased Carbon Footprint 

Did you know that buildings generate nearly 40% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions? Bigger office buildings require more energy to heat and cool, which means they have a higher carbon footprint. 

Whether or not a building implements greener practices, such as renewable energy, is often left up to the building management and not you as an employee. However, when you work from home, you’re able to better control your carbon footprint by turning off lights, minimizing your water usage, and controlling your heating and cooling. 

4. Reduced Waste

The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper and 156 plastic water bottles annually.  On top of that, there are often huge amounts of food waste from unfinished lunches and expired items in the office fridge. Of course, some waste is unavoidable in certain workplaces, and some workplaces do a better job than others at waste reduction overall. 

However, by working from home, you not only save paper by shifting to online documents, but you can better control your overall waste by recycling, composting, and using your own kitchenware instead of coffee cups and takeout containers.

5. Decreased Water Waste and Microplastics

Did you know that ditching the office dress code can have a positive impact on the environment? The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global water waste, and is a major source of microplastics in the world’s oceans.
Typically, remote workers have more leeway when it comes to apparel. As long as you look professional from the waist up for video calls, you’re fine! By not needing to purchase an additional work wardrobe to conform to a specific dress code, you can help reduce the consumption and waste associated with “fast fashion.”

Benefits of Remote Work for Your Personal Environment

6. Improved Work-Life Balance

You can’t make the world better if you’re not taking care of yourself. Remote work allows for a better work-life balance because you can spend more time with loved ones and enjoy more time for rest and relaxation that may otherwise have been spent commuting. 

Your employer may also offer the flexibility to schedule appointments, provide caregiving, and complete courses during the typical 9-5 that you would not otherwise be able to do. Just look at Finland; it’s no coincidence the happiest country in the world also leads the way in flexible work.

7. Increased Range of Job Opportunities

Working from home lets you spread your skills and expertise around the globe by providing a broader range of jobs that aren’t limited to your geographic location. 

Remote work also promotes inclusivity, as jobs aren’t filtering out prospective employees based on socioeconomic status, especially if an office is located in an expensive area that’s hard to find accommodation in. As well, it allows for greater accessibility and job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and the aging population.  

8. Decreased Commute-Related Stress

According to Stats Canada, over 12 million Canadians commuted by car in 2016, with an average commute time of 24 minutes. Those commuting by car, especially with long commutes, are at a greater risk for a variety of health problems. Studies have found that people who commute by car, especially those with long commutes, are at greater risk of health problems, including increased blood sugar, higher cholesterol, blood pressure spikes, back aches, and stress and anxiety that can lead to long-term health problems. 

By working from home, not only do you eliminate the pesky commute, you can prioritize your mental and physical health by getting more sleep, spending time with family, working out, and cooking healthier foods at home.  

Whether you’ve been working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, reevaluating your career path, or re-entering the workforce, you may want to consider embracing remote work. Not only can it improve your environmental impact, it can make you happier and healthier. Plus, you may even save money while you’re at it!

Work with Sparx

Sparx Publishing Group is a digital marketing agency that creates content to make the world better. We’ve embraced remote work, and we’re always looking for enthusiastic, ambitious, and value-driven people to work (virtually) with us. Our roles cover publishing, marketing, design, copywriting, project management, and coding. If this sounds like you, keep an eye on our Careers page for the latest job openings. 

If you’re an organization seeking marketing support, you can reach out to us via our Contact page.