Meet Willow Grey
We partner with mission-driven organizations—nonprofits, human-centric businesses and impact-driven tech companies—to transform purpose into powerful movements.
We bring the same strategic rigour, creative excellence, and velocity we learned in Silicon Valley, but we apply it to work that changes lives.
We’re not a traditional agency. We embed ourselves as true partners, we only work with missions we deeply believe in, and we measure success not just in metrics, but in meaningful impact.
That’s the world we’re building at Willow Grey.
What we believe
The most important work shouldn’t be invisible
Too many organizations doing critical work remain unknown—not because their missions aren’t compelling, but because they can’t access marketing expertise. We’re changing that.
Authenticity and effectiveness aren’t mutually exclusive
You shouldn’t have to compromise your values to build visibility. Marketing can be both genuine and powerful.
Partnership beats transactions
We don’t work for organizations; we work with them. We embed ourselves in your mission and care about your success as deeply as you do.
Empowerment trumps dependency
The best partnerships build your capacity, not keep you reliant. We actively work to make ourselves less necessary over time.
Community matters more than growth
We see people, not users. We build movements, not campaigns. We measure meaningful change, not vanity metrics.
The most important work shouldn’t move at the slowest pace
Mission-driven organizations deserve the same velocity and innovation as Silicon Valley—without the compromises.
Our vision & mission
Vision Statement
A world where every mission becomes a movement—where impact-driven organizations command the attention, resources, and communities they deserve to change the world.
Mission Statement
We deliver exceptional marketing and brand strategy to mission-driven organizations—transforming purpose into powerful movements that build awareness, rally communities, and drive the resources needed for lasting impact.
what makes us different
The values we live by
Purpose Over Profit
We exist to serve mission-driven organizations that are making a real difference. Every decision we make starts with impact, not the bottom line. We measure success not just in metrics, but in meaningful change.
Humanity First
We see people, not users. We build community, not just numbers on a dashboard. We honour the humans in every interaction—our clients, their audiences, and each other.
Partnership, Not Transactions
We don't work for organizations; we work with them. We embed ourselves as true partners, bringing the same care and ownership to their mission as if it were our own.
Generosity of Spirit
We give back—our time, our expertise, our resources—to the communities we serve. We believe in making exceptional work accessible to organizations that traditionally can't afford it. We lead with abundance, not scarcity.
Craft & Curiosity
We're relentless about doing marketing, communications, and brand work exceptionally well. We stay curious, thoughtful, and open to perspectives beyond our own. We take deep pride in the work.
Trust Your Gut
When faced with difficult decisions, we return to our intuition and our purpose. We trust ourselves and each other to do what's right, even when it's hard.
Meet the founder & CEO, Erin Blaskie
After 20+ years building brands across venture capital, tech startups, and mission-driven organizations, I’ve learned that the best work happens at the intersection of exceptional strategy and genuine purpose.
I started in tech—working with venture-backed startups, learning to move fast and think strategically. That experience taught me what world-class marketing looks like and how to deliver it at startup velocity. But over two decades, I kept gravitating toward work that mattered: brands with missions beyond profit, organizations solving real problems, companies where values drove decisions.
I founded Willow Grey to bring Silicon Valley velocity and creative excellence to organizations that actually change lives—without the values compromises that too often come with “growth at all costs” mentality. Whether you’re a sport organization, a tech startup, or a social enterprise, if your mission drives your strategy, I want to help you build a movement around it.
When I’m not building movements with mission-driven organizations, you’ll find me adventuring with my husband as well as our children—Willow and Cade—both of whom remind me daily why work that matters actually matters.
- Ottawa Forty Under 40 Award
- Peter Stewart Business Mentor of the Year
- Featured in AdWeek, Globe & Mail, Entrepreneur
Giving back & investing in the next generation
Beyond client work, we’re committed to ensuring the next generation of entrepreneurs and founders has access to the mentorship and guidance they need to build mission-driven ventures.
Current commitments:
Chair, Entrepreneurship Program Advisory Committee
Algonquin College (since 2018)
Shaping curriculum and ensuring students learn not just how to build businesses, but how to build businesses that matter.
Mentor — Futurpreneur Canada
Supporting young entrepreneurs (18-39) launching their first ventures with strategic guidance and real-world insight.
Inclusive Innovation Challenge Judge — MIT
Evaluating ventures solving global challenges with innovation, equity, and impact at their core.
EIR — Innovation & Entrepreneurship Centre
Providing hands-on guidance to students and early-stage founders navigating the startup journey.
Mindtrust Leader & Mentor — Mindtrust Leadership
Developing emerging leaders through peer-to-peer learning and strategic mentorship.
Too many talented founders—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds or building mission-driven ventures—don’t have access to experienced guidance.
We give back the mentorship we wish we’d had starting out.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What exactly does Willow Grey do?
A: We’re a strategic marketing and brand consultancy that partners with mission-driven organizations to build visibility, community, and resources. We provide fractional CMO services, brand strategy, campaign development, and marketing capacity building. One of our specialization areas is partnership marketing—helping organizations protect and grow corporate sponsorship revenue through strategic activation. What makes us different: we only work with missions we deeply believe in, we embed as true partners (not external vendors), and we build your capacity rather than creating dependency.
Q: Do you work with for-profit companies?
A: Yes—if they have strong social missions or are solving critical human problems. We work with purpose-driven tech companies in climate, health, accessibility, education, and civic tech. We don’t work with companies focused purely on growth, profit optimization, or building convenience features without meaningful social impact. Mission matters more than business model.
Q: How is Willow Grey different from traditional marketing agencies?
A: Traditional agencies optimize for profit and growth. We optimize for impact.
Key differences:
- Client selection: We only work with missions we believe in
- Partnership model: We embed as part of your team, not external vendor
- Capacity building: We actively work to make you less reliant on us
- Values alignment: Purpose over profit, humanity first
- Pricing: Accessible models designed for mission-driven budgets
- Focus: Partnership marketing that drives revenue, not just brand
We bring Silicon Valley velocity to mission-driven work—without the values compromises.
Q: What is "partnership marketing" and why do you specialize in it?
A: Partnership marketing is strategic marketing support for corporate partnerships and sponsorships. It sits at the intersection of marketing activation and revenue generation. Most mission-driven organizations are great at selling partnerships—but struggle with consistent, strategic activation. The result? Partners don’t see value, renewals get difficult, and revenue walks out the door. We specialize in this because:
- It’s critically underserved in the mission-driven sector
- It directly impacts revenue (2-5x ROI target)
- Poor activation puts hundreds of thousands in renewal revenue at risk
- It requires specific expertise that most organizations don’t have internally
Q: What does "fractional" mean?
A: Fractional services provide senior-level expertise part-time (typically 1-3 days per week) at a fraction of full-time cost. You get CMO-level strategic thinking and execution without the $150K+ salary and benefits. Fractional works well when you need sophisticated marketing leadership but can’t justify (or don’t need) someone full-time. It’s flexible and scales with your needs.
Q: Do you take on small projects or one-off work?
A: Generally no. We focus on longer-term partnerships where we can embed ourselves and create meaningful impact. One-off projects don’t allow for the depth of partnership we believe creates the best results. Minimum engagement is typically 3-6 months, though this varies by service.
Want to join the team?
We’re building something special—and we’re looking for talented people who believe work should matter. If you’re passionate about marketing for mission-driven organizations and want to be part of a purpose-over-profit company, we’d love to hear from you.