CauseLabs Resources

Lessons & insights from our journey for positive impact.

A person sits at a desk with their head in their hands, surrounded by color swatches and selection boxes, indicating difficulty making a choice.

Build Accessible Color Palettes

At CauseLabs, we know accessible design shouldn’t be a guessing game. For years designers have relied on contrast checkers that tell you whether a color combination passes or fails accessibility standards (like WCAG’s 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text) because roughly 2.2 billion people experience some type of visual impairment. Our owner, Michael Gillihan, got tired […]

A person holds a globe in their outstretched hand, with North and South America visible, and the persons face blurred in the background.

How do you design websites for a global audience?

At CauseLabs our approach to designing for a global audience begins with listening. Language and culture shape how people interpret content on a page. We study regional behaviors, accessibility needs, and emotional cues before we sketch a layout. We build flexible content systems that support translation, right to left reading, local idioms, and imagery that […]

A person's hands writing on the mission model canvas

Part 3 | Working with the Mission Model Canvas

This is part three of our guide to the Mission Model Canvas: your business plan cheat sheet. Read part one and part two in our journals. Previously, we walked through (4) Write a potential solution, (5) Identify who you will help, and answered (6) “How will this solution make an impact?” In this article, we […]

A person looking a notes after rapid prototyping

Part 2 | Working with the Mission Model Canvas

Welcome to part two of our 5 part guide to the Mission Model Canvas worksheet. In part one, we gave an overview of the first three sections: (1) Start with a mission, (2) Have 3-5 core values, and (3) Define the problem your solution is aiming to solve. In this article, we will walk through […]

A person's hands writing and a CauseLabs coffee mug

Intro | Working with the Mission Model Canvas

In this article, we’ll explore a few more pieces of the CauseLabs Mission Model Canvas to help you fill out your own worksheet. New to the Mission Model Canvas? Read more about it and how it can help you grow positive impact here. We’ll help guide the considerations for each section, but we won’t go into […]

Red and gold holiday gift boxes, scattered on a brown wooden surface

Brands That Give Back

Vote with your dollar this holiday season by investing in companies and brands with a purpose. By purchasing gifts from Certified B Corps and Social Enterprises, you’re not only giving a gift, you’re also supporting mission-driven companies that are balancing purpose and profit by working towards sustainable, ethical, environmentally friendly business practices. We put together […]

A Ghanian kente (tradition woven fabric) lays over a white pillow with "be the change" stitched in black along the bottom edge.

The Value of Five Dollars: Creating Social Impact

I’ve recently returned from Mexico, where I attended a convening with 460 changemakers from around the world. Read this article if you want to know more about why I’ve attended for seven years. In short, Opportunity Collaboration broadens my perspective, gives me awareness of important programs that I share with others, and challenges me to […]

OC attendees traveling single file on a jungle-like path.

Reflections from Opportunity Collaboration

As of October 2019, I have attended Opportunity Collaboration (OC) seven times, which means that as a company, CauseLabs has participated in this annual unconference for over a decade. It’s no surprise that new delegates often ask me, “Why do you come back each year?”  I suspect there is a desired response. I suspect they […]

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