2026 Impact Report

An illustration of five people standing in the foreground of a cityscape. Three people are collecting garbage, and a child is watering a tree as an elderly man using a cane observes.

At Proof Strategies, we believe actions speak louder than words. It’s at the core of who we are and what we do. And since 1994, we’ve made a positive impact on our people, the planet, and within our community. 

To focus our efforts, we’ve used the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as a blueprint for evaluating our impact. Many of the initiatives we undertake for ourselves and our clients advance one or more of the 17 goals—including Zero Hunger, Good Health & Well-Being, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Gender Equality, among others.   

Proof counsels a wide variety of organizations and businesses, so we are uniquely positioned to help deliver positive impact at scale through the work we do for our clients. 

Positive Impact: People 

How we show up for our people is critical to our success and the future of society at large. In fact, three of Proof’s six core values directly relate to Impact initiatives:  

We support our people in many ways, including:  

Personal development 
Our continuing training and education program provides stipends to employees who are pursuing learning in new areas that support our work and their career goals. We know this is integral to employee satisfaction and life success.  

Flexibility 
Our work hours are designed to balance business needs with family commitments. This includes a hybrid working model, as well as leave options to allow people to manage family emergencies without feeling pressure from work.  

Wellbeing 
Our comprehensive benefits package includes traditional and holistic medicine, in addition to critical illness insurance. Team members receive one paid Nature Day annually away from work to benefit from the restorative experience of connecting with the outdoors, and free subscriptions to the Headspace mental health and wellness app.  

Equity, diversity & inclusion 

We embrace equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), including:   

Nearly 20 languages spoken by Proofers 

Two-thirds of Proof’s senior management identify as women 

Recognized recently as one of Canada’s Great Places to Work™ as well as a Best Workplace in Canada for Inclusion 

Proof holds a Certificate of Accessibility from the Rick Hansen Foundation 

Positive Impact: Planet 

Proof is committed to reducing our impact on the environment and supporting efforts to preserve our planet. We were the first PR firm in North America to be certified as carbon neutral in 2008 and have maintained that status ever since in all our offices. We also provide monetary incentives to employees who bike to work or buy hybrid or electric vehicles.  

Here are a few other ways that we contribute to a healthier planet:  

Offset credits 

Most recently, we offset our unavoidable Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) by purchasing offset credits from Will Solutions, a B Corp located in Québec. Our latest carbon footprint audit reveals a 75% reduction in emissions since 2017. To reflect our growing use of AI, we also purchase offset credits to reflect our energy consumption in that sector. 

Clean energy 

We have worked with Bullfrog Power to purchase green electricity since 2007 and green natural gas since 2023. Over that period, this reduced our impact by 1,748 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent to taking more than 407 cars off the road for a year, and or diverting more than 617 tonnes of waste from landfills.  

Suppliers 

We select the most environmentally conscious vendors. We purchase sustainable products from Grand + Toy (100% post-consumer fibre and FSC Certified paper): Green Shift (biodegradable, compostable kitchen products); and coffee either ethically sourced in accordance with Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE) or 100% Rainforest Certified.  

Positive Impact: Community 

Proof is the only marketing and communications company recognized with Imagine Canada PRISM Certification. Our monetary and in-kind support for charities sets us apart as a leader in community investment and social responsibility, and our employees contribute to their communities through volunteerism, pro bono work, and fundraising to ensure we leave a positive lasting impact.   

In 2025, our Employee Engagement Survey revealed that 98% of Proofers say they feel good about the ways the company contributes to the community. 

4,200+ hours of volunteer work by Proofers since 2008

$219,000+ in donations and pro-bono work to 55 organizations from 2024-2026

Second Harvest: More than $44,000 raised since 2007, equaling 93,550 meals

Since 2021, Proof has participated in the TDSB Black Summer Student Leadership Program. Each year, we host two Black high school students for paid internships, designed to foster leadership, build professional skills, and create career pathways through experiential learning, aimed at reducing systemic barriers and boosting self-confidence. 

Our Founder & Chair, Bruce MacLellan partnered with the Social Studies Educators Network of Canada to develop three lesson plans on trust for elementary, middle and high school educators. Available to teachers nationally in English and French, the goal is to encourage teachers to explore and include trust-building in their classrooms, to foster a generation that values and understands the significance of trust as part of creating a harmonious society.  

We actively promote volunteerism outside of work and offer employees one paid day per year for volunteering. Proofers volunteered for a wide range of causes including:  

Beyond Proof Charity Days, our people share their knowledge and skills via volunteer positions, including 25 advisory or board member roles with organizations, such as:  

Positive Impact Through Our Work 

Given the nature of our work, we have great potential to influence widespread change through the advice we give and the organizations with whom we partner. Areas where we’ve made an impact include: