As a certified B Corp, we publish an impact report to share with our community of team, clients, our online audiences, and the general public. For B Corps and mission-driven marketing agencies, transparency is important because it informs and inspires. 

2020 was, well, we keep using the term “unprecedented.” For many, it was a year filled with tragedy. For others, 2020 offered silver linings and an opportunity to experience what resilience means in real-time.  

Find out what we accomplished in 2020, mostly by keeping our heads up and putting one foot in front of the other through unknown territory. And yet, even as I write those words, I am reminded that life always offers unforeseen circumstances. Humans are built to be courageous in the face of adversity.

ABOUT COLIBRI DIGITAL MARKETING, A MISSION-DRIVEN MARKETING FIRM

Colibri Digital Marketing collaborates with a carefully chosen circle of like-minded clients to create practical, actionable digital marketing plans using a unique strategic branding process to make the most of existing strengths and build capacity where needed. As a full-service digital agency, Colibri Digital Marketing’s team of specialists implement industry best practices and the latest marketing technologies to build brands, expand reach, and drive leads and conversions. Core to the Colibri philosophy is collaboration.

In business since 2012 and first certified as a B Corp in 2016, Colibri Digital Marketing is San Francisco’s first and only full-service B Corp-certified digital marketing agency. We are woman-owned and LGBTBE-certified through the NGLCC.

Marketing by its nature stimulates consumerism, and for that reason, Colibri Digital Marketing seeks to set a values and ethics-based industry standard that motivates clients and colleagues to use their power as business owners, brands, and influencers to create a socially and environmentally sustainable present and future. It is their goal to educate, empower, and inspire every individual and business they touch.

B IMPACT REPORT

Get all the details about our certification by clicking the image below:

mission driven marketing: B Corp profile and score
Screenshot: B Corp Score

2020 HIGHLIGHTS

  • Our business survived! After a couple of tense months, we got round one of PPP and then business started picking up. 
  • We built our team. Since 2019 was such a great year for us, including our B Corp recertification, we started 2020 with high hopes. The pandemic created a setback, but ultimately we were able to grow our charm (a charm is a group of colibris).
  • We expanded our video capabilities. We launched our IG Lives, launched TikTok, published more videos, and got creative with Zoom on our own behalf and that of our clients.
  • We cleaned up our finances.  We moved our banking to Beneficial State Bank and hired both a new bookkeeper and a B Corp certified accountant. We managed our money well through the pandemic and improved our forecasting capabilities. Our finances are clean, clean, clean!
  • We launched Colibri University. Calling all mission-driven marketing intern hopefuls: We are always on the lookout for new talent and we have an official program to support you. Join our charm!

GOVERNANCE

As a sole proprietorship, Colibri Digital Marketing’s governance structure is legally and financially simple. Since 2012, we have grown from a freelance-style marketing consultancy to in 2016, a B Corp certified remote, full-service digital marketing agency. 

In 2020, we did not change our governance structure, though we did bring on more team members. We call ourselves Colibris to draw attention to our hard-working yet playful team culture. 

#TeamColibri

Last year we hired: 

  • Rose Carges, Content Marketing Manager (LGBT)
  • Maria Andreina Perez, Project Manager (Latina)
  • Erendira Garcia, Sales Manager (Latina)
  • Graciela Sosa, Creative Director (Latina)
  • Ricardo Perez, Developer (Latino)

We partnered with:

  • HigherRing (Woman-owned, B Corp-certified)
  • Unity Web Agency (LGBT woman-owned, B Corp-certified)
  • Browne Accounting (B Corp-certified)
  • Mariah Nichols (Woman-owned)
  • Inbound Back Office (Woman-owned)
  • High Five Consulting (Latina-owned)

MEET THE TEAM

Rose Carges

In the past year working at Colibri, I have learned many valuable lessons and skills. I believe everyone on this team leads with love and has shown me how to do that as well. I am proud to be part of this team because not only are they all wonderful individuals, but we are all truly working to benefit the triple bottom line. 

Mission driven marketing: Team member Rose Carges

Maria Andreina Pérez

I have been working with Colibri Digital Marketing for 6 months now, and I have to say that it has been always a pleasure and a place to be myself and improve. This team is absolutely amazing and gives you the opportunity to learn new things and build experience while having fun. I’m proud to say that I’m a Colibri! 

Mission driven marketing: Team member Maria Andreina Perez

Alice Kim

My internship at Colibri Digital Marketing has been challenging and rewarding thus far!  I’m grateful for the autonomy, trust, and opportunities to help the team in any way I can.  I’m also thankful for the co-workers and the mentors who support and believe in my ability, as well as the patient guidance they’ve provided me as I learn more about the digital marketing world.

Mission-driven marketing: Team member Alice Kim

Vinti Jain

I am Vinti Jain. I was a Digital Marketing Intern at Colibri Digital Marketing. My time at Colibri was the most eventful and enlightening experience of my professional career as a marketer. The team at Colibri is one of the best teams I had the pleasure to know and work with. Everyone at Colibri is like a big family.

I had the opportunity to wear many hats at the same time, which gave me the chance to learn a lot more than what I initially signed up for! My time at Colibri helped me work on my writing skills, social media management, and engagement skills. The biggest thing I learned at Colibri is how to stand up and share my ideas. My favorite part of Colibri is our Team Meeting ❤ As Anna always says, ‘Once a Colibri, always a Colibri!’

Team member Vinti Jain

Shamal Perera

Colibri Digital Marketing is my first workplace in the US. Team Colibri is very friendly, kind, and supportive, and I did not feel like I was working. Before joining the team, I’d heard that Colibri had a very inclusive work environment, but now I know it by experience. Colibri provides a great environment to grow as it gives you the freedom to learn from your mistakes.

At Colibri, I learned Digital Marketing tools and techniques which I’ve never experienced before. It also provided me opportunities to work on client projects, although I’m still new to the world of Digital Marketing. I should especially thank Colibri’s founder and CEO, Anna, for being a great mentor and for creating such a friendly work environment. Some of the team members, including myself, had to go through difficult times this year, but Anna and the team were very supportive where we could overcome those challenges. All in all, I’m having a great time at Colibri, and I look forward to more exciting experiences.

Team member Shamal Perera

David Murzeau

I was an intern with CDM for 5 months on different projects, and I worked a lot with Andreina and Rose, particularly on social media (Instagram, Facebook…), to find new leads thanks to the 10-10-10 strategy. I’m also glad to have worked on clients’ projects, such as GGBA, with the same strategy. I also have some different tasks on Colibri’s brand, like generating content. 

At the beginning of my internship, the hardest work was organizing my workday because I’d never worked alone during an internship. Nevertheless, I was delighted to discover another way of working at a distance. I also found new applications online (Asana, Lumen 5…), and I loved each meeting and training session that Rose, Andreina, or Alessandra organized to help us with new applications or notions (marketing audit, keyword research…). Besides, Colibris’ team decided to see each other as soon as possible to discuss with everyone to keep a good relationship with others: At the end of each month, we had a discussion on a movie that we’d been watching during the month.

It was an incredible experience I will never forget: Once a Colibri, always a Colibri!

Team member David Murzeau

Max Jenkins

This past summer, I had the pleasure of interning for Colibri Digital Marketing. This was my first real internship, and I could not have asked for a better company to work for as I started my journey into the professional world. When I began applying for internships, I was discouraged in the face of a deadly pandemic, but when I found Colibri, my doubts turned to excitement.

Right off the bat, I was interviewed by Anna, the company’s CEO. I was nervous because she is the top dog in charge, but I couldn’t have asked for a better leader. The company culture that Anna has cultivated at CDM is very uplifting and motivating for anyone lucky enough to work for her. Being an intern, every day was a new learning experience. While CDM operates at a very fast pace, the whole team was willing to help me and open to any questions I may have had about the task at hand. Even when I didn’t deliver exactly what was asked for, I was always met with constructive criticism and a chance to improve my work.

My favorite thing I did over the summer was work with the Golden Gate Business Association- the world’s first LGBTQ chamber of commerce. I was able to contribute to their blog for Pride Month- celebrating the history and spirit of the gay community. Working for Colibri was an amazing experience, and If I could do it all over again, I would. I learned so much while I was there, had a lot of fun, and shared many laughs along the way.

Team member Max Jenkins

COMMUNITY

Each year we do pro bono work, give to charities, and develop talent. Keep reading to learn about our 2020 community work.

Pro bono work

  • Provided over $24,000 in pro bono work to the Golden Gate Business Association
  • Provided $25,000 in pro bono work to QuickHaven, a benefit corporation seeking startup funding to create temporary and emergency shelters for people without homes and disaster victims.

Charity/Political Contributions

Education

Colibri Digital Marketing believes in lifelong learning and both teaching and learning from others. We believe everyone has a voice to share something we can all benefit from. It’s fun to learn together. 

In 2020, we:

  • Trained small businesses on digital marketing with the nonprofit Start Small Think Big.
  • Provided three guest lectures about B Corp ethics and certification at Menlo College.
  • Provided a webinar to CEB, a California-specific resource for lawyers. 
  • Provided a presentation and conversation about digital marketing to high school students from Project Calibrate
  • Recruited diverse business owners to participate in our IG Lives.

Colibri University

We are really proud of Colibri University. It offers people from all over the world an opportunity to get hands-on experiences with digital marketing. We love getting to know new people and watching them flourish. 

  • Onboarded, trained, and supervised 13 interns (six women, two Asians, one Black, one Jewish, and three international students—France, India, and Sri Lanka). Several of our Colibris have gone into full time digital marketing work. 
  • Partnered with Project Calibrate to provide training and knowledge to high school interns. 

Read about Zakee Hutchison here. He is a returned citizen who is now working full time for Ideas42. 

ENVIRONMENT

In 2020, we:

  • Purchased carbon offsets.
  • Purchased 100% renewable energy through the city of San Francisco’s partnership with PG&E.
  • Used green servers to power our website and our client websites.
  • Purchased a solar panel to charge back up battery as part of our “move towards solar powering” business.

CLIENTS

In 2020:

  • 30% of our clients were B Corp certified. 
  • Another 25% of our clients were mission-aligned or nonprofit organizations.
  • 75% of the businesses we worked with were local.
  • 90% of our clients were woman-owned or woman-led.
  • 30% of our clients were minority-owned.

GOALS FOR 2021

“Live like there’s no tomorrow and learn as if your life depends on it”― Omar Kiam

We are still in the midst of a pandemic, and the future feels less certain than it usually does, though, as we said above, life is always uncertain and can change on a dime. Despite that truth, we love the magic of goal setting.  It often seems like when you are clear on your intentions, you steer yourself towards them both consciously and unconsciously, smoothing your way forward.

For 2021, here’s what we’ve got in the works:

Governance

We plan to become a Benefit Corporation in 2021.

Workers

We plan to hire our first employee in 2021, though, to be honest, we view everyone on our team as a Colibri, no matter whether they are an intern, contractor, part-time, or full-time.

Community

In 2021, we are offering full and partial pro bono work to:

  • The Golden Gate Business Association (GGBA)
  • Nika Cherelles LLC
  • QuickHaven

Our CEO will continue to serve as a board member for the GGBA. 

We have a new #DigitalWellness initiative encompassing awareness, advocacy, and wellness. You can read about it here.

Environment

We are a low-carbon footprint organization. Our goal is to begin powering our team devices with solar panels. 

Clients

As you can see, we love working with women business owners and the LGBTQ+ community, and we love working locally.

In 2021, we will continue to write blogs and publish across the internet in Spanish and English. 

We’re also planning to enter the world of eCommerce, so we can offer low-cost training to diverse businesses across the globe.

#LEADWITHLOVE

The most important thing we did in 2020 was #LeadWithLove. You can read about what leading with love means to #TeamColibri here.

Until next year, we wish you peace, prosperity, and good health.

All the best,

Anna and #TeamColibri

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