Creating a More Inclusive + Equitable World Through Marketing
As a business grows, it should grow for good. We call it purpose.
We exist to inspire the social consciousness of brands.
We know brands are more than a logo—they exist in the minds of people who interact with them and reflect the culture and society they’re a part of. When you shape a brand, you’re shaping expectations.
We want to show brands what’s possible, sparking curiosity and demonstrating the business case for cause marketing. We’ll bring greater awareness to their marketing’s impact and push for the best representation, accessibility and authenticity in their work with us.
Here’s how we did that in fiscal year 2023-24.
Our Giving Goal
Our goal is to donate >2% of gross profit to meaningful causes in our communities each fiscal year. In 2023-24, we donated $75,000. We are targeting the same amount in 2024-25.
Pro Bono Work
In 2023-24, we donated $104,000 in pro bono services. That’s equal to nearly 560 staff hours, or 1% of all company time. This year, we’re on track to double that number, and it’s our goal to get to 5% by 2027.
Intended Impact
Our philanthropic efforts seek to remove barriers to quality care, work and education for BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+ folks and people with disabilities. We prioritize equity-seeking groups in the work we do.
Volunteer Service
We gave 122 paid staff hours to local and national organizations through volunteering, and 66% of staff participated.
Our goal is to donate 150 hours next year.
Reducing Waste
We diverted 50% of office waste (480 kg) into Green Action Centre’s compost program.
Our goal is to divert 525 kg next year.
Making Marketing More Inclusive
Representation matters. It shapes how people see themselves and each other.
We prioritize diversity and representation in all our efforts, whether it’s ensuring compliance with accessibility for contrast and readability, or when hiring front-facing talent and backstage crew. Not only do we prioritize hiring visibly diverse talent and crew, we also hire folks with invisible disabilities. We want our team to reflect the communities we’re in and to hold our work accountable. This means aiming for the highest standards of representation, accessibility and authenticity in our work—and pushing clients not to accept anything less, as well.
Listening + Learning
We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we make it our job to learn from those who do.
That means listening to the people who are most affected by our work and the stories we help tell. We actively seek input from underrepresented groups, ensuring our work is shaped by the communities it serves. We use what we learn to create meaningful change—improving our own practices or guiding our clients to do better.
Advancing our Social Performance
Because learning is an ongoing process, we keep the conversation open. We invite feedback, host panels and share resources to help our industry do better, and ensure that inclusive marketing becomes the standard, not the exception. We also share our insights with networks like WeTheChange and Supplier Diversity Canada, and we share our resources with others looking to improve their social performance.
Check out some of our free resources below:
Pride in Practice
In 2024, we launched the Pride Marketing Survey to measure how brands engage with the queer community and help shape best practices in inclusive marketing. We’ll be running it again in 2026 to see how far the industry has come—and how much further it needs to go.
Advocacy Marketing
Our “Brave Ideas Get Noticed” webinar explores the fundamentals of advocacy marketing and shows nonprofit leaders how to use scrappy marketing and PR tactics to amplify their cause, build trust and inspire action.
Inclusivity on Set
On every set, we work to create a space where everyone feels seen, respected and safe to show up as themselves. That means being intentional about consent, language, accessibility and cultural awareness while actively listening to the needs of talent and collaborators.
Click here to download Make Space: UpHouse’s Guide to Inclusive Marketing.
A few of the projects we’re proud of:
UpHouse Bursary
UpHouse believes diversity of thought, opinions and people make for better ideas, new perspectives and a stronger business. And we want to do our part to create a more inclusive industry.
We created the UpHouse Bursary to help reduce financial barriers so more diverse students can bring their talent and perspectives to our industry.
#PrideWithUs
Our #PrideWithUs campaign is all about making space—for joy, for allyship and for every shade of the rainbow, all year long. What began in 2022 with a mirrored parade float and an open invitation to march with us has grown into an annual celebration of the queer community. We’ve partnered with queer designers, drag queens and DJs, handed out fan-favourite stickers and matched donations to local organizations. From first-time Pride-goers to lifelong activists, #PrideWithUs invites everyone to show up with love, support and a little sparkle.
Advocacy Marketing Giveaway
At the 2024 GLMA Conference, we launched a $15,000 Advocacy Marketing Giveaway to support organizations doing critical advocacy work. The giveaway offered pro-bono marketing, PR or brand services to a cause-based organization—or a for-profit launching an advocacy initiative. We worked with Point of Pride to deliver confident conversations media training and a refreshed media handbook. We also offered free one-hour consultations to all eligible applicants, connecting with dozens of passionate changemakers whose work continues to inspire us.
Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba
CPMB’s unwavering commitment to equity and systemic change is evident in all that they do. Their commitment to “nothing about us without us” guided every creative decision for the Locked Out of Life campaign, ensuring the message remained grounded in lived experience while pushing public awareness and policy forward. Their willingness to collaborate, be vulnerable and take risks for justice is what made this work so impactful.
Survivor’s Hope Crisis Centre
Survivor’s Hope needed a way to get people talking in tight-lipped rural communities. Their openness and deep understanding of the communities they serve allowed the campaign to reclaim the narrative, rally critical support and ultimately protect life-saving services from being lost. The messaging we developed together laid the groundwork for urgent crowdfunding efforts, resulting in nearly $200,000 in federal funding. To help sustain their impact, UpHouse also matched donations up to $2,500.
Huddle (United Way Winnipeg)
Huddle is everything a youth-centered initiative should be—collaborative, adaptable and deeply grounded in the voices it serves. From the name to the visual identity, young people were involved at every step, shaping a brand that feels genuinely theirs. By listening first and designing second, we helped their organization build more than a network of hubs—they’re building a growing community where youth feel seen, supported and empowered to shape their futures.
Join Us in Making an Impact
We believe that marketing should be a force for good. If you do too, let’s work together to make it happen. Whether you want to collaborate, learn more about our impact or just swap ideas, we’re always up for a conversation.
Give us a call: 431-478-1473
Send us an email: info@uphouseinc.com
