Spirit Works Limited – Effective Corporate Gifting by Shain Jackson
Spirit Works Limited: an Aboriginal owned, operated and staffed company focused on the design, creation, and distribution of high quality West Coast Aboriginal artwork. In 2007, the year of our company’s birth, we had no idea where Spirit Works was going. While running from the law (practicing law that is), I thought it might be good to lay low, take a hiatus, and as an Aboriginal artist perhaps work on some of those designs buzzing around in my head. What’s happened since, quite organically, has been inspiring to all of us involved.
Corporate gifts by Spirit Works 6 Aboriginal Marketplace / July - August 2012
From an economic development standpoint, yes Spirit Works has done well. Since opening the doors we’ve seen near exponential growth, this even during the recent recession. We are also very proud to say, like many Aboriginal businesses, we have taken an active role in our community. On this front Spirit Works has developed programs aimed at providing employment and training to Aboriginal youth; donates space, equipment and expertise to Aboriginal artists in need; consistently donates time and artwork to numerous charitable organizations; has
designed and facilitated workshops aimed at providing cultural teachings for at-risk Aboriginal youth; and much more. Although all of this is important, what has really inspired those associated with Spirit Works is the artwork and what it’s really about. What many do not realize is that traditionally artwork was the only written language in Aboriginal communities. Our culture, history, and even our laws were codified into the artwork. Based on this what we do at Spirit Works, through our various art forms is provide a voice. What’s been the cause of much of the excitement surrounding Spirit Works is that the byproduct of this is a bridging of the gap between Aboriginal society and that of the rest of Canada. One might ask what all of this means in practical terms. It came about most noticeably within the margins of our corporate gifting program. Here we provide anything from promotional pins, to table gifts, all the way up to high-end gifts for dignitaries. We would be approached by various Aboriginal, corporate and governmental organizations all looking for a meaningful gift. What we found was that in facilitating these gifts we began acting in an almost diplomatic capacity helping our clients navigate through various levels of protocol. As a lawyer who represented Aboriginal interests in the resource sector, I can tell you first hand, the most successful files were those where the parties took the time to simply get to know one another. Within an environment of respect the parties were dramatically more likely to conclude a deal and maintain fruitful, and lasting, business relations. On the other hand I can tell you the quickest way to see a potential venture head south is by not taking those introductory steps and just showing up without any prior knowledge of their hosts, or worst yet with lawyer in tow. One of the most common misconceptions is that Aboriginal people in Canada are