STORIES OF IMPACT
We skip the logo walls and self-congratulatory case studies. Instead, we share anonymized impact stories – authentic samples of our work that respect client privacy and let the results speak for themselves. Explore a selection below.
NONPROFIT – A national membership organization working to build a more inclusive Canadian SETT workforce engaged our team to co-design and implement an integrated monitoring and evaluation process for a major government-funded project. We developed a sophisticated M&E framework, conducted mixed-methods research, and assessed both the project's short-term outcomes and long-term impact, resulting in a final funder report and several executive briefing documents.
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE – A leading career accelerator for Indigenous, Black, and racialized women sought to better understand the career development experiences of systemically marginalized women in Canadian workplaces. We helped co-write a pioneering public study that harnessed the voices and lived experiences of these women to build a more equitable and inclusive career development ecosystem across Canada.
PRIVATE FOUNDATION – A Silicon Valley-based private foundation supported our exploration of the understudied origins, evolution, and impact of West Coast philanthropy. This four-year initiative drew on materials from over a dozen archives as well as freshly elicited insights from more than a hundred philanthropic leaders worldwide. The findings will be shared with the public via two dedicated knowledge resources: a book and an oral history collection.
NONPROFIT – A Newfoundland and Labrador nonprofit devoted to women’s rights, public policy, and social innovation approached its 25th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, we produced a rigorously researched institutional history for the senior leadership team that, along with a companion strategy deck and staff interviews, reflected on a quarter-century of advocacy and allyship efforts through an equity lens.
BUSINESS SCHOOL – A former dean and current professor of management practice at a leading London business school requested an independent evaluation of his book on decision-making and judgment. Through several rounds of editing and one-on-one consultations with the author, we stress-tested the study’s core arguments for rigour and accessibility, refined its narrative flow, and readied it for trade press publication.
LOCAL CHARITY – A charity for the performing arts in Oakville, Ontario was hit hard by the shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and in need of revitalization. Over a period of 12 months, we led members of the board through an intensive visioning exercise that produced a new mission statement, a complete stakeholder map, a modern digital presence, and a fundraising strategy that cushioned against the long-term effects of the virus.
PRIVATE FOUNDATION – A prominent New York foundation commissioned an assessment of its nearly 90-year history. We contributed over thirty original research and financial reports to the global research program, drawing on interviews, organizational records, and program materials uncovered in archives across Europe and North America. We also served as lead editor during the preparation of an academic volume.
HIGH-NET-WORTH INDIVIDUAL – A Canadian business executive turned major philanthropist wanted to discreetly explore the lessons and future uses his private and professional papers, amassed over decades, held. We conducted a thorough appraisal of the records' quality, identified and analyzed strategically important documents, designed a records maintenance program, and proposed a range of creative follow-up projects.
ART MUSEUM – A prestigious art museum asked one of the world’s leading scholars to contribute a chapter on Edsel and Eleanor Ford to a lavishly illustrated volume on prominent collectors and patrons of art in the United States. We designed and executed the research program in support, which included site visits to galleries and archives in New York and Michigan, and distilled the garnered insights into a proprietary author report.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION – Canada's oldest bank wanted to celebrate its bicentennial by sharing its rich history with customers, employees, and the broader public. We carried out the research at key bank locations in Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago, recruited and trained project associates, and managed stakeholder interests in a complex operating environment, ensuring the successful delivery of several books, talks, and case studies.
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