Not for profit…
“It’s good to put something back” so the saying goes, but what do agencies get out of working for free? Don’t we do enough free work when we pitch? Some more creative musings from Ingenious here… Like most decent creative folk, here at Ingenious, we have a heart. We have a history of (and take great pride in) working with various charitable causes, mainly through the donation of our time and expertise.
Over the years we’ve worked with a number of charitable causes both in Manchester (where we were first established) and Macclesfield (where we’ve been since 2009). Some have been ‘one off’ projects, such as our work for MAG, the Manchester based Landmines charity (this also, pricelessly, saw our MD abseil down Battersea Power Station) and some have subsequently become ‘real’ clients, such as BASIC, the brain injury centre in Salford. Most recently, we’ve worked extensively with Macclesfield’s Barnaby Festival to lead on creative execution both on and offline. Indeed, as we type, we are currently working on concepts for the 2013 festival.
Why do we it? Well, apart from the warm glow of satisfaction knowing you’ve helped someone, occasionally we benefit from a little bit of raised awareness and also an enhanced portfolio. It also brings us into contact with some lovely people and in the case of Barnaby, has helped us become far more integrated into the local business community.
We’re not unique in doing this, we know. Many other agencies do the same, which is what makes it so nice to see that, even in these challenging economic times, the creative industry is continuing to ‘do its bit’. It’s not entirely selfless, we know, but still, it helps bring a warm glow to our hearts. Which seeing as the snow refuses to disappear completely is particularly useful in itself!
Seen any nice examples of what we’re talking about? Let us know!