Wearing our heart on our sleeves.
We believe that community is important – inside our walls and out. We give back, invest, and support our community whenever we can. We build relationships that last because we lead with our hearts.
From our healthcare, our pets, and the places we call home, to the people who help raise our children and those who offer safety and support to those who need it, we’re all supported by an incredible web of organizations that strive to make our world a better place. At Banko Creative Studio, we believe in giving back, to leaving things better than we found them, and doing our part to ensure a brighter tomorrow is on the horizon.
Always proud to have supported the nonprofit sector, we’ve made a deeper commitment to supporting philanthropic causes through Wishart by Banko Creative Studio. With our team, now bolstered by John VanDuzer – one of Hamilton’s foremost fundraisers who has helped Canadian charities raise more than $2 billion, Wishart by Banko Creative Studio is our centre for supporting those who support us.
Scroll down to read more about our team and see what we’re up to.
Tara Bryk
PARTNER & CEO
This place doesn’t tick without Tara. She’s our CEO and has the lofty task of overseeing our client portfolio. Which, for her, is a breeze. Tara brings years of agency experience, including award-winning work with brands like IKEA Canada, Cineplex’s The Rec Room and Yellow Tail Wines. She puts out fires before the embers get hot—proactive to her very core.
But despite her impressive resume, Tara is down-to-earth and approachable. Her leadership style pumps the heart into our hustle. She’s all about real connections, the kind that turn work calls into coffee chats and strategy sessions into story time.
John VanDuzer
Associate CREATIVE DIRECTOR
With over 30 years’ experience, John is the leading creative director in the Canadian charitable sector. He’s won well over 200 shiny awards and helped charities raise over TWO BILLION dollars. And that’s not a typo. John has developed brands for some of Canada’s leading national healthcare and faith-based charities and created breakthrough campaigns for Sunnybrook, SickKids, and Princess Margaret hospitals.
With a home theatre and a collection of over 2,500 films, what’s his favourite movie? “The next one I watch,” John says with a twinkle.
Ian VanDuzer
COPYWRITER
Our wordsmith extraordinaire, Ian paid his way through university writing appeal letters for Canadian charities that may have ended up in your mailbox. Now, Ian crafts creative, compelling copy that fits our clients’ every whim, niche, and desire. Adept at writing for platforms big and small, Ian fits compelling stories into whatever space we give him.
Ian spends almost as much time at the local Playhouse Theatre watching indie movies as he does at the office. A self-described movie buff, he gets way too excited about the Oscars.
Areas of focus
Strategy
How are you going to raise thousands – if not millions – of dollars? How do you best reach the people that matter and can give the most? How do you stand out amongst all of the other charities and nonprofits that are also clamouring for donors’ attention? How do you stand out from the herd?
With 30+ years of experience in the philanthropic sector, we’ve been around the block a few times. For us, everything comes back to strategy: how can you maximize your precious dollars for the biggest impact?
Having worked on some truly-awesome capital campaigns, we have the know-how to guide your campaign to success, attract eyeballs, and – most importantly – keep donors happy. Outside of campaigns, we’ll help you integrate your brand into your work, improve donor relationships, reach your communities, and communicate the good that you are doing.
Creative
Standing out from the herd is easier with a stellar creative team behind you. With our help, you can look as good as the work that you do. From logos to letterhead, signage to websites, and everything else you can dream of, we make the things that turn heads and capture hearts. Digital or print, or both, our creative applies to the medium every time.
We take an outside-the-box approach to our work that few can match. Like an annual report for a childcare agency that doubles as a growth chart. Who thinks of that?? We do. And with more than 200 awards to our name, we believe our work speaks for itself.
Messaging & Production
Annual reports. Direct mail campaigns. Business cards. Newsletters. Email campaigns. What do all these have in common? Someone has to make them. Whether we take the words you have and collect, or start everything from scratch, we shape your messages and get them into donors’ hands.
We’ll handle everything you can’t: design, writing, printing, we’ll even stuff letters into envelopes and lick the stamps (kidding, we have machines for that). And we’re happy to work within your needs and means to deliver effective products on time, and on your budget. With us, every job is a “custom job” and fits the specific needs of our clients.
Direct Mail
Still the most effective dollar-for-dollar fundraising method (in our experience), direct mail can offer huge opportunities for your organization. Each letter we design is a work of art, and stands out from all the other fundraising letters your donors get.
More than the letters, we also can handle the writing, the printing, the managing of your donor data, and sending it all to the mail. Everything except for receiving the cheque (that goes directly to you). Experienced experts, call on us to direct your next mail campaign.
Reports
Your annual report doesn’t have to be boring! In fact, we know that your annual report can be one of the most important tools in your fundraising tool box, bolstering donations and donor attention. Unafraid to press the boundary, our reports are bold, beautiful, and daring – just like you.
Dream bigger.
Understand that possibility did not die when you turned seven. You can still be an astronaut. You only need to believe it. At Wishart by Banko Creative Studio, we help you unlock your dreams, shoot for the moon, and change the world.
Take a look at what we do, and imagine what we can do for you.
