Why Redstart Creative

Redstart Creative aims to be a leading branding and digital partner to organizations enacting positive change in our home state of Maryland and to cities, states, and spaces beyond. We will be known for our commitment to amplifying voices within our community; inclusive and engaged company culture; excellent quality of work; collaborative nature with both clients and employees; and educational efforts to support our colleagues and peers.

At Redstart Creative, we’re passionate about what we do: providing branding and digital marketing to nonprofits and small businesses who are enacting positive change in the world. Our diverse team of creatives bring a wealth of professional experience and a personal investment in creating clear communications for organizations working to make the world a better place to live. Our clients are leaders in driving social impact and equity in education, the environment, and human services in their communities. 

That’s because at Redstart, we ourselves are committed to amplifying social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We value and encourage collaboration, community service, and initiative. We are always working to retain and attract employees working for the greater good. We foster a culture that supports employee empowerment, career development, and passion/ownership in our work. 

And while we recognize that one organization cannot change society, we can partner with and model ways to do things differently for those that are underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized. These principles are how we aim to embody our values.

Redstart believes in the power of people. We value kindness and kinship and want the people we work with to engage with their communities to make the world a better place. We are committed to amplifying social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We understand that in order to grow and improve as a society, we need to be honest, ethical, and open-minded. We also know that these principles are nothing without trust. 

To foster trust, we value and encourage collaboration, community service, and initiative. We foster a culture that supports employee diversity, empowerment, career development and passion/ownership in our work. We value keeping an open mind and heart to innovations and trends, and encourage our team members to bring their fresh ideas to the table. 

At Redstart Creative, we also recognize that your work is only a part of who you are. We value the whole person. We encourage all aspects of our team’s lives (babies, dogs, hobbies etc.) to be present and brought to their experience with Redstart as they feel comfortable.  

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, disability, age, pregnancy, marital status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Above all, we continue to prioritize being an inclusive workplace that helps make an impact in our community.

At Redstart, there are two things that we know for sure: when individuals feel engaged, they are empowered. And when we welcome multiple points of view, innovation sparks. We’ve learned this from watching our team members who perform best when they feel like they belong. And we’ve seen our partners drive real, measurable impact, using their lived experiences to shift the conversation around civic engagement, social justice, and community spirit. 

To be the best version of ourselves, we focus on staying open-minded and open-hearted — so that we can grow better, together. Embodying these core beliefs are fundamental to how we affirm and demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Here are some specific ways in which we are actively supporting inclusivity and educating ourselves: 

• Continuing to work with a DEI coach on a monthly basis (Erica Courdae), with whom we have been working with since 2020. Each year, we conduct self-evaluations to assess our progress and identify areas to address in the year coming. Completing culture fit interviews with new team members and prospective clients to ensure inclusivity is a shared value. 
• Encouraging all aspects of our team’s lives (babies, dogs, hobbies, etc.) to be present and brought to their experience with Redstart, as they feel comfortable.
• Cross-posting job listings on LinkedIn, Diversity Job Board, Pink Jobs, and Hire My Mom to reach a wide range of applicants.
• Disclosing the salary range to all applicants at the start of the interview process.
• Leading our interview process with a culture fit interview prior to the technical interview to assure there is alignment with our values.
• Working with diverse business support partners, including women of color that support our finance and human resources.
• Living an authentic, flexible, family-first culture, which helps women who had to leave the workforce during the pandemic return to work.
• Protecting jobs for parents on family leave by bringing in contractors to help manage the workload. 
• Completing a full HR audit this year, which will include a review of positions, salary ranges, and handbook revision.
• Creating a gender neutral copywriting policy, which we apply toward our own materials, such as our handbook, as well as content creation for clients.

Creating a team with diverse backgrounds has been intentional, because we know it makes us a better company. 

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital status, military/veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Above all, we continue to prioritize being an inclusive workplace that helps make an impact in our community.

At Redstart Creative, we love what we do within branding and digital marketing, and we want you to have fun too! We find that a fit within our company culture is just as important as experience in the industry. As we consider working together, here are some ways to tell we might be a good match:

• You have a collaborative culture.
• You encourage feedback from different perspectives.
• You are committed to social justice and equity.
• Your values align with our values. 
• You agree it’s better when we operate with people with different perspectives, and your board and staff reflect that diversity of experiences and backgrounds.
• You maintain and respect boundaries around availability.
• You are detail-oriented in your requests, feedback, and effort in working with us.
• You are able to make and maintain deadlines, and communicate if they are not able to be met (because we know life happens). 
• You love working with others in collaborative ways to create outcomes that benefit others.

We might not be a good match if:

• You expect immediate replies or replies are expected beyond our normal working hours. (We return phone calls within the business day and emails within 2 business days.)
• You do not value the need for mental health days or consider vacation time as being fully out of office time.
• You communicate via the quickest and most easily accessed method, even if it is not the established way communication is handled.
• You do not value feedback or insight from a different perspective than the one you hold.
• Your expectations surrounding meetings and video calls are inflexible and do not account for a team member’s current home or family needs.

We believe in a work environment that prioritizes the project while maintaining the value and happiness  of our team members. We take great pride in making sure we set boundaries that separate time and energy commitments between work and life.

Team Commitment and Expectations

• Our work hours are 9-5, M-F. We are not required to respond after hours.
• Emails are returned within two business days, not immediately.
• Phone calls are returned within one business day, not immediately.
• Urgent communication can be shared via Slack (instead of text).
• Text is not a method of team communication.
• A fully out-of-office vacation will be supported by team members.
• If you are sick or need rest, please send an update and don’t attend meetings. If you are unwell, you are not expected to show up or work. 
• Feel empowered to work when you want and can work at your best, even if it is beyond regular team working hours.