Partnership Power

COVID-19 brought uncertainties yet many opportunities. Let me tell you about an opportunity between two organizations that do not have a lot in common. One is a small artist studio in Calgary and the other is not-for-profit in Canmore. It was exciting to be at the forefront brokering this partnership. 

Ruckusdesign creates and sells unique felt hats and leather or canvas bags. Absolutely beautiful! The bags have photographs, embroidery or art; often personalized for clients. WildSmart is a proactive conservation program focused on human-wildlife coexistence. WildSmart, a not-for-profit program, relies on volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors and monetary donations. 

For a partnership to form, one of the key questions to uncover for both organizations is ‘why partner?’ Partnering with purpose, ensuring there’s value and uncovering strengths are key in a successful partnership. Guiding the organizations along by asking probing questions uncovered a partnership both could embrace.  

Ruckusdesign and WildSmart uniquely partnered to create and sell masks. Timing for the partnership could not have been better. For Ruckusdesign, the economic halt due to COVID-19 presented an opportunity to be creative in a new area, that of reusable face masks. For WildSmart, volunteering during the prime hiking months started late and the masks offered a new way to share messaging. Seven different face masks in a variety of styles and sizes were created. Each mask has a unique slogan related to improving human-wildlife coexistence. Through the Ruckusdesign website, the masks are sold and a portion of each mask sold is donated to WildSmart. Building on the partnership, both organizations are cross promoting the masks through websites and social media raising awareness for both organizations.

As the partnership was gelling, the creativity for the masks unfolded. A few Wildlife Ambassadors donated photographs, slogans were written, and 100% cotton fabric was selected. The second layer of fabric was sourced from estates sales of high-quality cotton. Sustainability is important to both organizations. The goal was to create a series of masks that are fun, share public safety messages and are comfortable to wear. Each mask is available in adult to child sizes. 

You may see volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors out on the trails wearing these awesome face masks as Ruckasdesign donated a mask to each volunteer. The masks are available to the public. A portion of the sale of each mask will be donated to WildSmart so this is your chance to be safe, help improve human-wildlife coexistence, support WildSmart and buy local all at the same time!

Two unique organizations are going further together. Partnering brings benefits.

If you would like to learn more about partnering, please contact me. coral@corocsolutions.com