With the year winding down, we are reflecting on what shaped our work in 2025.

This year, our work continued to be shaped by collaboration, learning, and steady growth. We partnered with organizations across the social sector on projects rooted in care, equity, and impact.

2025 by the numbers:

• 34 projects completed across evaluation, facilitation, and strategic planning

• Nearly 1,000 new LinkedIn followers, expanding our reach and connections

• 5,400+ unique website visitors learning about our work and services

These numbers only tell part of the story. Behind each one is a relationship, a shared question, and a commitment to doing this work thoughtfully and well. We’re grateful for everyone who trusted us to be part of their work this year.

Reflections from 2025

2025 has been a year of progress and learning. Here’s what stood out in each season:

Winter (January–March)

Context

• A busy, delivery-heavy season that stretched capacity.

• Strong focus on internal foundations and preparing for growth.

• Early signals of operating at a broader, more national scope.
  

Intentions

• Care and confidence: Support one another through a demanding season while building trust in our value, offerings, and expertise.

• Sustainable ways of working: Right-size internal priorities, maintain balance, and examine systems and tools to better support sustainability.

• Intentional growth: Be thoughtful about how we grow as a team and make deliberate choices about resourcing and support.
  

Learnings

• Teamwork felt strong and deeply supportive, especially as pressure increased.

• Confidence grew over the course of the season, particularly toward the end.

• Burnout surfaced early, reinforcing the need for better pacing.

• Codifying our offerings helped clarify our value and direction.

• Making space to listen to one another strengthened trust and alignment.

• Wrap-up and reflection practices reinforced confidence in our work.

  
  

Spring (April–June)

Context

• A season of “getting out in the world” through conferences, events, and partnerships.

• Dedicated time for internal projects, learning weeks, and a team retreat.

• Lighter project load, but still a lot to juggle due to travel and transitions.
  

Intentions

• Care and balance: Support one another through travel and shifting workloads while maintaining healthier balance in a busy season.

• Trust and collaboration: Respect different ways of working, build trust through handoffs, and engage ecosystem partners thoughtfully where helpful.

• Grounded reflection: Stay nourished and grounded while bringing reflection and criticality to the work amid broader social and global heaviness.
  

Learnings

• Being in community and “out in the world” helped clarify what resonates about our work.

• Growth conversations surfaced big, generative questions about team composition and compensation.

• Letting go of rigid definitions of who we serve felt clarifying and energizing.

• The contrast between spring’s energy and external heaviness required intentional grounding.

• Retreat time strengthened relationships and opened space for honest conversations.
  

Summer (July–September)

Context

• A slower external pace paired with high internal energy.

• Focus on internal strategy, theory of change work, and systems clean-up.

• Ongoing organizational growth marked by team transitions, including welcoming a new team member and navigating the departure of a long-standing colleague.

• Internal projects without fixed deadlines required sustained self-motivation.
  

Intentions

• Anchor: Grounded, steady energy without manufactured urgency.

• Transition: Support seasonal and team transitions with care.

• Set the Table: Solidify systems and focus on supportive onboarding.
  

Learnings

• Team transitions reinforced the importance of inclusive, equitable, and intentional hiring practices that centre values, clarity, and care.

• Some projects surfaced questions about scope, expertise, and value delivery.

• Internal projects require different momentum strategies than client work.

• Letting go of self-imposed pressure helped maintain balance during personal transitions.

• Anchoring intentions supported steadier energy throughout the season.

  
  

Fall (October–December)

Context

• Historically a busier season with year-end and fiscal pressures.

• Shifts in the external environment affecting partners and clients.

• New geographic relationships and more national rhythms.

• Internal supports and partnerships approaching transition points.
  

Intentions

• Intentional exploration: Stay open to new ideas and partnerships with discernment, experimenting where opportunities align with our values and strategic direction.

• Grounding in our systems: Strengthen the internal structures that sustain our work by refining planning rhythms, clarifying processes, and supporting ease, consistency, and collective alignment.

• Spaciousness to settle: Create room to pause, reflect, and integrate, prioritizing steady energy and presence so insights and initiatives can take root before moving forward.
  

Learnings

• Several projects surfaced the importance of clearer scope definition and firmer boundaries, particularly around what is possible within time, budget, and our areas of expertise.

• We learned to more explicitly name and navigate moments of discomfort when delivery pressures risk pulling us away from our values, especially in project management decisions that impact community members and partners.

• Engagement with ecosystem members reinforced the need for earlier, more intentional onboarding, clearer roles, and better recognition of capacity, access needs, and contribution.
  

Looking Ahead: See You in 2026!

Reflecting on 2025 reminded us how much growth came from paying attention to our capacity, our systems, and each other. Over the year, we strengthened our foundations, and learned how to grow with more intention and care.

Our seasonal reflection practice has become an anchor, helping us slow down when needed, ask for support, and notice progress that is not always visible day to day. As we look ahead, we are committed to continuing this steady, thoughtful approach as we move into 2026.

Here’s to building on what we have learned, staying connected to our communities, and carrying this momentum forward.