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February 14, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Building Bombilla® Podcast: How to Build a Creative Agency for Social Change

This podcast project is dedicated to folks who are #litonpurpose and taking bold audacious steps to start their own businesses for social change. Tune in to hear from other entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders committed to using business to create a more just, sustainable world. Host Ivellisse Morales is committed to a values-driven life, and her creative design agency, bombilla®, is on a mission to make the world a more just, equitable place through the power of design.

Episode 1: #LitOnPurpose with Lauren Rascoe of Lauren Rascoe Creative

Taking the leap to live the dream. bombilla® founder, Ivellisse Morales and Lauren Rascoe of Lauren Rascoe Creative started their own businesses to create the purpose-driven careers they always wanted. In this episode, they compare notes on their experiences as creative entrepreneurs, their feelings about the title CEO, and the realities of building a business that’s #litonpurpose. Lauren is also the podcast producer for Building Bombilla®. Thank you, Lauren!

Resource Links:

Episode 2: Lift As We Climb with Maureen Miller of Black to Yoga

In this episode, bombilla® founder, Ivellisse Morales and Certified Public Accountant and Black to Yoga co-founder Maureen Miller share how they’ve both lifted each other up while climbing as entrepreneurs of color in the Bay Area. And as bombilla's trusted CPA accountant, Maureen offers wisdom about embracing the value of your work and why it’s important to stay on top of your numbers, and bring on an accountant, from the very beginning of your business journey.

Resource Links:

Episode 3: In Equity We Trust with Ellie Tumbuan of The Justice Collective

Ellie Tumbuan is co-founder, co-owner, and Head of Strategy and Culture at The Justice Collective, a 100% women of color founded, owned, managed and led full-service consulting firm based in Oakland, CA. In her conversation with bombilla® founder, Ivellisse Morales, Ellie talks about making business choices that serve the greatest good rather than the greatest profit, and how the strength and wisdom of her ancestors gets her through the difficulties of building a business rooted in social change.

Links:

Episode 4: Our Collective Genius with Team Bombilla®

In this lively group discussion, Kimberly Cho, Lillian Kim, Samantha Vaughan, and Tiffany Threets, aka Team Bombilla®, share the different paths that brought them to this non-traditional creative agency, the ups and downs of working at a start-up for social change, and how each one of them has grown at bombilla by stretching themselves and developing new skills. We discuss business innovation, being resourceful, one year as employed team, building systems, processes, and innovating as a 100% woman-of-color-led team.

Resource Links:

Episode 5: Radical Optimism with Naima McQueen of The Alliance for Community Development

Naima McQueen is a business and racial equity consultant and the Executive Director of the Alliance for Community Development in Oakland, CA. Alliance is dedicated to increasing access to capital for underrepresented entrepreneurs. In this episode, we explore how we intentionally create internal cultures of sustainability and respect, the importance of investing in your own business, and the big difference a little capital can make for a business owner committed to social change. 

Resource Links:

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January 12, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

RFQ: Communications Strategist & Project Manager (1099 Contract)

Summary

  • Proposal Due Date: January 20, 2023 by 5pm PST
  • Title: Communications Strategist & Project Manager (1099 Contract)
  • Location: Remote with team members in Oakland, CA / Boston, MA / New Haven, CT for coworking
  • Start Date: Early February 2023
  • Hours: min. 10 hours a week with a max. 20 hours per week (contingent on individual project needs and phases).
    • This translates to a minimum of 40 hours and a maximum of 160 hours per month.
    • We are online Monday - Thursday 9:00am-5:00pm PST. We collaborate across time zones with clients and team members.
  • Retainer Budget: $3,500 retainer per month paid 1x a month on the 20th
  • Duration: 3 - 6+ months to start to support immediate projects with opportunity for longer engagement
  • Point of Contact for Questions: hello@bombilla.co

Purpose and Background

bombilla®, a growing AfroLatina-owned creative agency for social change, is in immediate need of an organized, energetic and experienced Communications Strategist & Project Manager (Contractor) to support our retainer portfolio of social justice-driven clients.

This role is critical in the high-quality, successful delivery of client services and creative production. You will manage projects and retainers, coordinating and communicating between client partners and the creative project team while providing counsel and thought partnership using your strategic communications experience and expertise.

We’re a close-knit, values-driven team of strategists and designers who infuse fun and joy in our everyday work while fighting the biggest challenges of our time. Our client partners  work in racial and economic justice, policy & advocacy, climate justice, and more--all issue areas that seek to create a more just and equitable world for all.  Read more about us on our website.

Your role is to lead the way for branding & design projects to be gracefully completed on budget, on time and with excellence. Your responsibility is to oversee project(s) tasks, budgets, timelines and team members and for supporting communications-related projects (messaging, content) and typical collaboration challenges.

Other Expectations:

  • We meet Tuesday - Thursday at 10am PST for a 15-min huddle to review progress, blockers and barriers.
  • We’re online from 10am-1pm PST for team and client meetings.

Statement of Work

  • Serve as advisor and counsel to 3-5 clients and creative team (1-3 designers, depending on project)
  • Work with the creative team to stay on budget, meet client expectations, and uphold work quality;
  • Act as key holder of client and project goals and timelines;
  • Provide clients with ongoing updates progress and facilitate meetings;
  • Anticipate and mitigate client bandwidth issues by offering creative solutions;
  • Escalate and flag appropriate project updates to the CEO;
  • Adjust workback plans and track associated changes in deliverables and timelines;
  • Provide ongoing internal progress updates to keep teams on track;
  • Support communications projects, ranging from customer research, key messaging development and naming projects (varies by client/project);
  • Report progress and anticipated work in internal daily huddle meetings at 10:00am PT Monday-Thursday

Qualifications

Specific to this role:

  • Experienced strategist and communicator with proven track record in strategic marketing, public relations, branding and/or marketing communications consulting
  • At least 10+ years of experience working in consulting, creative agencies or professional services
  • Graceful, assertive and comfortable managing client relationships, projects and teams and all of the pivots that come with the creative process
  • At least 5+ years experience working with nonprofit, public and/or mission/justice-driven organizations
  • Naturally curious and able to effectively communicate in different ways with different stakeholders
  • Proven success completing projects from concept to production and managing contractor and/or vendor relationships
  • Basic knowledge of graphic design and/or creative campaign production
  • Proficiency with the systems we use: Asana, Slack, Google for Business, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud

Overall:

  • Motivated to disrupt the status quo and to decolonize design and business;
  • #litonpurpose and inspired to make positive change in this world;
  • Eager to lead and do business in a human-centered way;

RFP Requirements, Deadline & Projected Timeline

To submit a proposal, please include the subject line “Proposal for Comms Strategist” and the following attachments/links in an email to hello@bombilla.co :

  • A recent resume (or an updated LinkedIn profile link)
  • A video or written statement that describes your philosophy/ethos/leadership approach to team management and client management in a creative agency setting
    • Video no more than 2 minutes; written statement no more than 600 words
  • A link to your portfolio or 2-3 examples of past client work relevant to this role
  • Two professional references (including phone and email) from former employer, former client or former team member

Proposal Due Date: January 20, 2023 by 5pm PST

Projected timeline*

  • Thursday, January 26, 2023 by 5pm PST: All applicants will be notified if they are moving forward in the process or not.
  • Between January 27-February 3, 2023: Team Interview with Finalists
  • By February 8, 2023: Applicant Selected & Notified
  • By February 13, 2023: Contract Start Date

*This is estimated, not exact; it is provided for transparency. Please note we are a small and nimble team and may need to adjust the projected timeline.

We are an AfroLatina-owned company with an all-Women of Color staff. At bombilla creative, inc., we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We wouldn't be who we are without the rich diversity of our team. We strongly encourage people of color, women, non-binary, Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, people from low-income backgrounds, veterans and people from the Global Majority to apply. 

Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

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September 28, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Rooted In Conversation with Ivellisse Morales

In this Instagram Live conversation with First Year Project from April 2021, Ivellisse Morales talks about taking the big leap in starting her own business, how she continues to maintain her agency, what cafe con leché means to her, and what she's doing to tap into some joy this season.

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September 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Stock Sites Inclusive of All Humankind

At bombilla, our creativity calls us towards imagining a more just and equitable world, and our gifts for collaboration and collective imagination provide our strongest assets on the shared road to positive progress. As designers and storytellers, part of our job on this journey is to ensure we are promoting visibility and inclusion of all humankind. In this guide, we want to extend the knowledge and resources collected over the years working with a vast spectrum of client-partners.

Below are some of the stock libraries we've used that promote visibility and inclusion of all humankind. Some are free, some are not, but most assets are supplied by sites and creatives that are typically underrepresented and underserved such as the Disabled community, WOC, BIPOC & LGBTQIA+, or are organizations that carry anti-capitalist values.

Inclusive Stock Image Sites

Inclusive Stock Video Sites

Inclusive Illustration Sites

Inclusive Font Sites

This list is always evolving! If you have a resource that you would like to share with our community, please reach out to our team.

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September 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Shining at San Francisco Design Week 2022

In this workshop from June 2022 for San Francisco Design Week, the bombilla team walks us through a creative exercise to evaluate 3 ways we can immediately be #litonpurpose, bringing joy and light into our personal and professional lives.

Slide from #LitOnPurpose: How to Be Creative for a Change workshop at SF Design Week. © bombilla creative, inc. 2022

Anxious and angry about the state of humanity and the planet?

Transform that energy into purpose-driven creativity and career choices. It’s no secret that we operate in a system designed to distract and divide. Refocus by tapping into your personal power, using your gifts and reclaiming your story. Together, we will explore both the opportunity (and duty) we have as creative humans who are ready to take authentic action on issues that matter most to us. We’re all bombillas (lightbulbs) waiting to be lit on purpose. The world needs us — no matter what industry, creative discipline, age or level. We need players in all positions.

Participants will leave feeling inspired, connected and with clarity on three ways they can immediately be #litonpurpose, bringing joy and light to their personal and professional lives.

Slide from #LitOnPurpose: How to Be Creative for a Change workshop at SF Design Week. © bombilla creative, inc. 2022

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September 27, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

The Art of Customer Service: Brand and Social Media Marketing for Success

Many traditional business models treat customer service and marketing as separate systems. More recent customer experience frameworks, however, understand that your BRAND lies at the intersection of these two areas.

In this practical workshop at the conference for Bay Area Capital Connections XIII: Imagining Our New Selves, Ivellisse Morales guides audience members to evaluate their organization's practices and beliefs around customer service.

About the Conference

From the event organizers: This year's conference theme is Imagining Our New Selves. Sessions will cover practical topics related to bolstering our organizations as we enter a new phase of economic development that is adapted to a world with constantly changing rules. 

As our entrepreneurial community begins its tumultuous climb out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are at the forefront of reimagining how we cultivate a supportive ecosystem for all community members. We know the nature of the problems that persist in the Bay Area – in most cases, we know many viable solutions, too. Seizing on the opportunity for massive change presented to us, how can we build better systems as we look toward the Bay Area’s future? What roles must we play, and what tools do we need? Who else must be in the room?

Through BACC XIII, we hope to hold space for innovative conversations that reimagine and actively think through comprehensive entrepreneurial wellbeing, equitable designs for workplaces, and relationships with culturally-aware capital lenders. By holding the conference virtually for the second year in a row, we hope to keep this content accessible to the entire community regardless of the changing situation with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Conference hosted by The Alliance for Community Development. bombilla was one of the sponsors at this year's event.

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July 19, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

bombilla’s Print Vendor Guide

Print Vendors List

Possible Questions for Your Print Vendor

For print services:

  • Can you provide a quote estimate for my project?
  • What are your artwork requirements for my project?
    Possible requirements you might inquire about:
    • Dimensions?
    • File type?
    • Resolution?
    • Do you have a template we should work off of for bleeds, crops, trim, and safe areas?
  • What paper stock would you recommend for my project?
  • What is the expected turnaround time for this quote?
  • Do you deliver? If so, how is this cost calculated?
  • Do you have any additional costs we should be aware of?
  • Can you provide a hardcopy proof (sample print) of my project prior to printing? Is that an additional charge?
  • Are you a union shop? And/or can you tell us more about your labor practices?
  • Do you have any recommendations for more environmentally friendly materials to use for my project?

For screen printing on apparel:

  • Can you provide quote estimates for the following services?
    • # of units: ___
      (broken down by size if you know)
    • # of print colors: ___
      (broken down by side of garment being printed on)
    • Type and color of apparel: ___
      (ask for recommendations if you don’t have a wholesale brand selected or need help matching colors)
  • What garment options would you recommend for [garment type]s that meet these requirements: _____?
    Possible requirements you might inquire about:
    • Comfortable
    • CPSIA safety compliant
    • WRAP certified
    • Made in USA
    • Eco-friendly
      (You’ll want to define what parameters you look for in terms of sustainability practices.)
  • Are you a union shop? And/or can you tell us more about your labor practices?
  • What kind of printing services do you offer for apparel?
  • Do you have a setup fee or any additional costs we should be aware of?
  • What are your print requirements and print-area dimensions?
  • What is the expected turnaround time for this quote?
  • Do you deliver? If so, how is this cost calculated?
  • Do you use phthalate-free inks?

Check out the full bombilla Printer Guide here!

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June 10, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Shift from Pain-Profiting to Power-Sharing

In this talk from June 2021 for Possibility Project, Ivellisse Morales, Founder & CEO at bombilla, joins Tania Anaissie, Founder and CEO at Beytna Design, to discuss our collective responsibility as creators to pass the mic and co-create the stories we are telling in ways that are equitable, authentic, and not replicating harm.

In the sector, we use stories and images to capture the interest (and care) of community members and potential donors.

  • How often are those stories and images used in extractive ways, that reproduce the dynamics of giver/receiver, service provider/recipient?
  • How do the stories we tell and the images we choose, replicate harm and perpetuate false narratives?
  • Who is collecting, shaping, and telling stories, and for whose benefit?
  • How can story be rooted in powerful and authentic co-creation, and be shaped by the voices and leadership of those at the center of the work?

We are thrilled to highlight the perspectives of:

Ivellisse Morales, Founder & CEO of bombilla

Tania Anaissie, Founder and CEO at Beytna Design

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May 11, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

Introducing bombilla’s™ Little Bright Branding Book

bombilla's™ little bright branding book is a playful poetry book for small businesses who care about heart-centered branding. The book launched in February 2022, in celebration of bombilla's 4th birthday.

You can get a copy of bombilla's™ little bright branding book here!

About the Book

  • Gorgeous matte hardcover, full-color book at 6×9 inches and 36 pages. Born December 29, 2021. 
  • Poems are personally written by me (Ivellisse!), designed by Kimberly Cho, edited by Jesi Hanley Vega. Includes poems like The Branding ABC’s, Chief Everything Officer and Stories: as well as exercise pages for you to reflect and play.
  • 5% of net sales will be earmarked for bombilla’s small business fund, a scholarship for Black, Brown & Queer emerging entrepreneurs (>2 years old) who seek our branding & design services.

My hope is that you'll walk away feeling #litonpurpose. And that you feel inspired and empowered to build your own heart-centered brand.

Ivellisse Morales

Get your own copy of bombilla's™ little bright branding book here!

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May 11, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

From Side Hustle to CEO: Taking Back Control of Your Career

In this talk from March 2021 for Boston University's College of Communication, alum Ivellisse Morales speaks alongside a panel of communication entrepreneurs to discuss their professional journeys and the added obstacles faced by women and communities of color.

About the Panelists

Ivellisse Morales (COM’12), Founder and CEO of bombilla
Ivellisse Morales (COM'12) brings a decade of experience in using marketing as a force for good—for brands of all sizes from inside major creative agencies like Ogilvy, Cone Communications and IDEO and nonprofits like Year Up. Since 2018, Ivellisse has served as the visionary behind bombilla, a branding & design agency for social change. Bombilla (lightbulb in Spanish) is fueled by a national network of diverse creatives who conspire with systems-changing organizations to make the world brighter. Learn more at www.bombilla.com.

Manpreet Kaur Kalra (COM’11), Founder of Art of Citizenry
Manpreet Kaur Kalra (she/her) (COM’11) is a social impact advisor, anti-racism educator, speaker, and activist working to decolonize storytelling. She navigates the intersection of impact communication and sustainable global development. Having worked in venture capital and startups, Manpreet founded Art of Citizenry to support impact-driven brands prioritizing people and the planet. She collaborates with businesses to address inclusion in all aspects, from business development to marketing strategy. Furthering her vision to address equity across the fashion and lifestyle ecosystem, she co-created and launched Reclaim Collaborative, a community of brands and content creators dedicated to dismantling systems of oppression. Her activism focuses on the interconnectivity of economic, social, and climate justice. She educates using a variety of mediums, including the Art of Citizenry Podcast, where she shares her nuanced and unfiltered insights on building a more just and equitable future. Her work unpacks history and addresses systemic power structures. She serves on the board of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition and co-established the Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Fair Trade Federation.

MODERATOR:
Anya Cherrice Gonzales (COM’15), Founder of Navigating Culture and podcast host of The Homesickness Cure
Anya Cherrice Gonzales (she/her) (COM’15) is the founder of Navigating Culture and host of the podcast, The Homesickness Cure. Born and raised in Trinidad, she started her American journey by attending Boston University. While taking journalism and advertising classes, her love for storytelling deepened. Reflecting on her own experiences, Anya decided to create a community for immigrants and first-generation immigrants who struggle to navigate the intersectionalities of living in between two cultures. Essentially, her company’s mission is to encourage these folks to learn how to self-validate, remove self-doubt and redefine archaic ideas of success. Shortly after her 2015 graduation from COM, Anya moved to San Francisco to work in Silicon Valley. She creates marketing programs for Miro, one of the world's fastest-growing start-ups.

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We are a proudly AfroBoricua-led small business, shining bright from sunny Oakland, CA. We are based in xučyun (Huchiun), on unceded territory of the Lisjan Ohlone people. 

We are a proudly AfroBoricua-led small business, shining bright from sunny Oakland, CA. We are based in xučyun (Huchiun), on unceded territory of the Lisjan Ohlone people. 

We are a proudly AfroBoricua-led small business, shining bright from sunny Oakland, CA. We are based in xučyun (Huchiun), on unceded territory of the Lisjan Ohlone people.

We are a proudly AfroBoricua-led small business, shining bright from sunny Oakland, CA. We are based in xučyun (Huchiun), on unceded territory of the Lisjan Ohlone people. 

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