A brand new opportunity

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This article was published 31/08/2024 (723 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade… and that’s exactly what a Winnipeg agency is offering to do each year for deserving not-for-profit organizations.

The Lemonade Project, an initiative of Honest Agency, of Winnipeg, is gifting a five-month brand transformation process valued at $60,000 to one local organization each year.

This year marks the inaugural year for what will surely be a zesty and fun experience for the chosen group, one that will be effective in creating branding that clearly reflects the recipient’s culture, values and vision.

“There are many great organizations in Winnipeg struggling to meet today’s needs more effectively,” says Callum Beattie, partner and brand strategy lead at Honest Agency. “The Lemonade Project is our way of offering what we do best in support of the city we love.”

Beattie started Honest Agency with another partner under another name back in 2000. While working with Sherril Matthes on a different project, they realized they had similar goals and decided to join forces and rebrand in 2009 to create something new. That’s when Honest Agency was born.

“Everyone needs a new perspective once in a while,” says Matthes, partner and organizational strategy lead at Honest Agency. “We take a fresh look at the logo and brand, but also where the organization is headed, where they can add the most value, and whether the culture is helping them get there. We know that bringing this all together increases the odds of success.

“I appreciate being able to work with the leaders of organizations and being able to see an impact and help them achieve their goals. About a year ago we started talking about how we could do more to serve the community. It’s been a few years in the making. If we were going to offer something to the community this felt like it was something we could do each fall.”

“Through general conversation, it came out organically,” said Beattie. “We work with a lot of not-for-profit organizations, board-led. We’ve seen specific challenges that organizations have. After working with them time and time again we thought maybe there’s an opportunity there to work with one a year and really just help them through those challenges. There are so many organizations out there that don’t have the resources.”

With a strong interest in giving back to community, the staff recognized that they had the capacity to guide organizations through the process, and maybe even become an example for others to do the same.

The Lemonade Project includes a new strategic plan, a brand strategy and a re-brand, internal work to support the culture, and regular check-ins for up to two years, to help keep the momentum going. Honest Agency says its looking for an organization that is ready for a complete refresh, one that has the capacity to participate fully, and one that can use their new brand, strategy and culture to open new doors.

A committee of Winnipeg executives in the not-for-profit and business community will evaluate, interview and choose a candidate to participate in The Lemonade Project.

“We wanted to make it a fair playing field for everybody,” said Beattie.

“The city has been great to us and for us,” added Matthes. “We’ve seen the city face its challenges and come back and do really well. We feel like we want to be able to offer some impact. Leading up to this, we’ve sponsored festivals, some scholarship opportunities — we’ve worked with schools,” she said of the agency’s strong sense of community.

Operating out of Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District for 24 years, Honest Agency has built relationships with clients large and small, local, national and international, and across all industries. With a staff of 10, they’ve been able to build clarity for clients around their brands, culture and messaging.

“We are a pretty collaborative group here,” said Beattie. “We are working on branding projects all the time. When people come into the office, it feels like a very comfortable healthy place: vibrant, beautiful and colourful.”

For Matthes, what’s most important is the impact of the work they do.

“The process is five months. It is intensive. We want to make sure we focus on working with an organization that has the capacity to go through all of these steps. It’s an opportunity to make the greatest impact. We want The Lemonade Project to be fun and transformative, to be about transformation.”

Not-for-profit and social enterprise organizations based in Winnipeg can apply for, or learn more about, The Lemonade Project at honestagency.com/the-lemonade-project. Applications are due Sept. 27, 2024.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca