Bark Media

What Bark Media does

Bark Media is a specialized digital communications and marketing agency founded in 2017 in Lawrence, Kansas, by James Duft and Jessica Kellner. The firm exclusively serves mission-driven organizations — primarily nonprofits, certified B Corporations, impact-driven businesses, and educational endowments — operating in sectors such as environmental sustainability, regenerative agriculture, B Corp community building, impact investing, and disability rights. Its service portfolio spans impact messaging development, integrated strategy development and implementation, thought leadership content, audience growth, action and engagement campaigns, brand positioning, and measurement and analytics, delivered as custom professional services engagements on a project-based or retainer basis.

Bark's go-to-market is founder-led and relationship-driven, with prospective clients contacting the founding partners directly via the company website. The firm builds credibility and generates inbound demand through a content marketing engine that includes an extensive article archive on its website, the monthly newsletter The Good Measure, contributor content on the B The Change Medium publication (produced for B Lab U.S. & Canada), and Forbes.com columns managed on behalf of the Sorenson Impact Institute. Flagship multi-year partnerships with Bioneers (since 2017), B Lab U.S. & Canada (since 2018), and SOCAP Global (since 2020) anchor the client base, supplemented by engagements with organizations such as Beyond Benign, Fibershed, the ADA Watch coalition, KU Endowment, Clean Yield Asset Management, and the Sorenson Impact Institute. The team consists of approximately 9 core members working remotely from a single Lawrence, Kansas headquarters, with no proprietary technology platform — the firm relies on standard marketing technology tools, editorial expertise, and the deep networks of its senior staff to execute client work.

Name

Bark Media

Legal name

Bark Media Co.

Website

https://barkmediaco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bark Media is a Lawrence, Kansas-based digital communications and marketing agency that exclusively serves mission-driven organizations — including nonprofits, B Corps, and impact-driven businesses — with integrated strategy, content, audience growth, and measurement services delivered through project-based and retainer engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Integrated Marketing Communications Agency

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Cause/Sustainability & Purpose-Driven Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE), Thought Leadership & Executive Visibility (BPAFADAG), Corporate Event Planning & Management Services (Agencies/Planners) (MPAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Strategic communications services
• Content marketing agency
• Digital marketing strategy
• Social media management
• Thought leadership content

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Communications Consulting Services: Bark Media generates revenue by providing integrated communications and marketing strategy services to mission-driven organizations. Services include strategy development and implementation, content creation, audience growth campaigns, thought leadership development, event marketing, measurement and analytics, and brand messaging. Revenue is earned through project-based and retainer-style engagements with nonprofit organizations, impact-driven companies, and thought leaders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bark Media is a communications and marketing agency that partners with mission-driven organizations to develop and execute integrated communications strategies, content marketing, audience growth campaigns, event marketing, thought leadership, and measurement services. The firm sells its expertise through custom project-based and retainer-style engagements to nonprofits, B Corps, impact-driven businesses, university endowments, and individual impact-sector thought leaders, and also publishes a monthly impact-business newsletter.

Product overview

Bark Media is a marketing and communications agency offering a comprehensive suite of services for mission-driven organizations. Their core service portfolio includes Impact Messaging Development, Strategy Development & Implementation, Thought Leadership, Audience Growth, Action & Engagement, Measurement & Insight, Increased Capacity, and Support for Growth. The agency also produces 'The Good Measure,' a monthly newsletter featuring impact business stories and Q&A interviews with leaders in the regenerative economy space. Bark Media works exclusively with purpose-driven organizations across impact sectors including impact investing, regenerative agriculture, climate action, and democracy reform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Development & Implementation Integrated communications and marketing strategy development paired with execution support across multiple channels, aligned to measurable organizational goals; sold to mission-driven organizations on a project or retainer basis.
• Impact Messaging Development Strategic messaging development service that helps mission-driven organizations clearly communicate their impact and value proposition to target audiences.
• Thought Leadership Services Content and positioning services to help organizations and individual leaders establish and communicate expertise and leadership in impact sectors such as sustainability, impact investing, and social innovation.
• Audience Growth Campaigns Content-driven strategies designed to build and expand an organization's engaged audience and community of supporters across owned and earned channels.
• Action & Engagement Campaigns Communications strategies and campaigns that drive specific audience actions including donations, event attendance, and advocacy; includes ticket sales marketing for events such as SOCAP.
• Measurement & Insight Services Data analytics and performance measurement services that track campaign effectiveness and guide strategic decisions, including reporting of outcomes such as email-list growth, conversion rate, and engagement metrics.
• The Good Measure Newsletter Monthly email newsletter titled "The Good Measure" amplifying stories of impact business, featuring Q&A interviews with impact business leaders, organizational stories, and sector insights; signup managed through Mailchimp.

Quantifiable outcome

• Newsletter subscriber growth of over 70% for Beyond Benign
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• BioneersflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2017, Bark Media has partnered with Bioneers to develop year-round content output and grow audience around the annual conference and game-changing initiatives related to Restorative Food Systems, Biomimicry, Rights of Nature, Indigeneity, Women's Leadership, and Youth Leadership. Bark supports sold-out conference events and ongoing storytelling.
• SOCAP GlobalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2020, Bark Media has worked with SOCAP Global to strategize and execute annual audience growth, engagement, and conversion campaigns that grow the reach of impact solutions and drive ticket sales for the flagship SOCAP conference. Bark also leads content strategy including podcast editing and social media.
• B Lab U.S. & CanadaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2018, Bark Media has partnered with B Lab U.S. & Canada to produce the digital publication B The Change, overseeing a contributor network and producing articles, newsletters, and guides showcasing B Corp impact. Bark has been indispensable in articulating B Lab's vision, values, and Theory of Change.
• Sorenson Impact InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBark Media leads strategic communications for the Sorenson Impact Institute including thought leadership content strategy, contributor columns on Forbes.com, email-gated guides, virtual convening series, and monthly newsletters. Achieved significant year-over-year audience growth across channels.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cone Communications: Legacy purpose/CSR communications firm now part of Edelman. Comparable to Bark Media through its focus on cause marketing, sustainability communications, and corporate purpose storytelling, though operates at much larger scale within a global PR network.
• Kivvit: Strategic communications and public affairs firm with nonprofit and cause-based clients. Comparable via stakeholder engagement, messaging strategy, and integrated communications services for advocacy and cause-based organizations.
• Finn Partners: Global public relations firm with dedicated sustainability and impact practice serving purpose-driven brands and organizations. Overlaps with Bark Media in ESG, sustainability, and purpose-driven communications, though as one practice within a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• M+R: Established direct-response digital marketing and fundraising agency for nonprofits and advocacy organizations. Closely comparable to Bark Media in mission-driven client base, content/audience-growth services, and data-driven strategy approach.
• Mission Minded: Branding and strategic communications consultancy built around mission-driven organizations (nonprofits, foundations, advocacy). Comparable to Bark Media in cause-focused positioning and integrated communications engagement model.
• Spitfire Strategies: Strategic communications firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy groups. Overlapping service lines include messaging, audience engagement, and communications strategy for mission-driven clients.
• Big Duck: Branding, marketing, and communications agency focused exclusively on nonprofits and social-impact organizations. Directly comparable as a mission-sector specialist with messaging strategy and audience-development offerings.
• Pursuant: Full-service fundraising and marketing agency for nonprofits, with services spanning donor engagement, content strategy, and digital marketing. Direct comparability in nonprofit marketing services and outcome measurement.
• The Hatcher Group: Public relations and communications firm focused on nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises. Comparable to Bark Media in serving mission-driven clients with messaging, content, and PR support.
• Soapbox Engage: Digital marketing and online engagement platform/services for nonprofits. Overlapping offering in digital strategy, audience-building, and content marketing for mission-driven organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bark-media-co.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bark Media