AGO is a creative agency in service of nonprofits. We bring creative and technical expertise on behalf of the changemakers we support.
Services
Research & planning
Primary research, landscape analysis, case-building, and grantee evaluation.
Digital security & infrastructure
High-end operational security, modern digital infrastructure, and encrypted communications
Skill-building
Collaborative, learn-by-doing-it approach to capacity building, training, and coaching.
Strategic advisory
Insights gathering, opportunity reframing, and strategic decision-making support.
Creative products
Breakthrough campaigns, strategic communications, graphics, videos, websites, digital products, and interactive experiences.
Branding & marketing
Compelling architecture, articulation and expression of an organization’s unique value, identity, and core messaging.
Our approach
Projects
We deliver a best-in-class team to help launch new initiatives, build new brands or digital products, or reimagine existing operations for remarkable outcomes.
Co-creation & co-publishing
We collaborate with foundations and their network of experts to conduct original research and reporting, culture-informed content and editorials, and rich media assets.
Retained services for grantee networks
We evaluate a full grantee portfolio to identify high-impact opportunities for our broad range of services, and re-prioritize as needed throughout the life of the grant.
Our origin
Our CEO, Andrew Kessler, recognized that the talent found at marketing agencies, consultancies, and tech startups could help empower nonprofits to solve some of the deepest and most pressing issues facing humanity. But he also saw that the current model of connecting talent to these problems — for-profit companies occasionally taking on a bit of expensive pro-bono work on the side — created a strong disincentive for tackling these types of projects.
The solution emerged when The Simons Foundation engaged Andrew’s agency, Article Group, to create a new grantmaking brand called Science Sandbox. The engagement went so well that Article Group created a new 501c3 to accept grants and do similar work for other ambitious nonprofits. This innovative new model solves two problems at once. It allows AGO to hire top creative, strategic, and technical talent to work full-time on purposeful initiatives. And it also helps non-profits, who traditionally are discouraged from seeking grants to support marketing and infrastructure, to more easily benefit from the incredible energy and insight of this top talent.