Canada’s leading online strategy and design company for social change

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Jason Mogus, CEO and senior internet strategist for Communicopia // www.communicopia.com

Founded: 
1993
Number of Employees: 
5
Annual Sales:
$1 million +

Communicopia is now NetChange.

Jason’s Story

Jason Mogus was an enterprising 22-year-old of the .com boom—drawn to the hip, cultural, storytelling space that the World Wide Web promised to be. An activist at heart, Jason joined with friends under the business name “Communicopia” to create online strategies for groups with a social purpose. At Communicopia they were all activists, full of passion and indifferent to profitability. “We ran our business how we lived our politics, supporting those whose objectives advanced our world views. We still do,” explains Jason. This groundbreaking approach invigorated the environmental and social change community, leveraging online technology to their advantage. With these values-driven clients Communicopia survived the .com crash and sharpened their business know-how. Today, Communicopia is one of few firms that attracts high-profile non-profit and for-profit clients—from creating an online strategy for The Elders to repositioning BCHydro.com as a conservation gateway.

Meeting Renewal Partners

It was inevitable that Jason would bump into Renewal, as both were pioneers in the social capital sector. They became like-minded friends and business allies, with Renewal offering their mentorship and soon after an investment. For Communicopia, this investment attracted new clients from the SVI network and, above all, meant the assurance of Renewal’s ongoing guidance. “Being an entrepreneur is a lonely job, and being a social entrepreneur with your values fully intact is a doubly impossible task,” explains Jason. “So to have an organization that is there to hear your stories of success, to give you encouragement when you fail, to help you think through your problems . . . is invaluable. I was 25 when I first met the team at Renewal—they gave me wings but also showed me the ground.”

Making Ripples

Over the past 15 years, Communicopia has donated over $500,000 and maintained a 100% social change client base—a track record that inspires followers. Communicopia believes in sharing the secrets of this success. Each year, with funding from Renewal, they host the sold-out Web of Change conference at Hollyhock. Web of Change attracts tech-savvy social change leaders from across North America. Together, they broaden their knowledge, strengthen their relationships, and reconnect with their passion for change and innovation. This reputed event has created a thriving network of leaders using technology for the greater good. “If we can inspire others to dedicate some or all of their business to social change, then a lot more work will be done,” explains Jason. Communicopia has won the BCTIA’s Leadership in Social Responsibility Award and most recently an acclaimed Webby Award for World's Best Charitable Website, www.NothingButNets.net—a project of the UN Foundation that has raised over $20 million for anti-malaria bed nets in Africa.