As Project Launchpad approaches its first anniversary, I want to look back at what we quietly built this summer and preview of what is coming this Fall.
Summer is usually the season charities catch their breath. For us at Project Launchpad (PLP), it’s been the opposite: a quiet, steady season of building, so that when the Fall rush hits, our members have even more in their corner.
It’s hard to believe we’re just weeks away from our first anniversary. What started as an idea shaped by six founding charities has grown into a membership of 93 small and mid-sized organizations from across the country, supported by nine sector allies who’ve each committed real, tangible value back to the charities they serve.
Building Quietly, Growing Steadily
This summer, we rolled out two new interactive tools inside the member portal: a Launch Readiness Compass to help charities pinpoint exactly where they stand today, and a Mission Tier Builder to help them map out what growth could look like next. Both were built from scratch using Canadian benchmarks and PLP’s own frameworks, because our members deserve tools designed for their reality, not a generic template borrowed from somewhere else.
We have kept our free course library growing for every member, whether they are on our no-cost Launchpad Lite tier or our Lift-Off membership. They get practical training in project management, grant writing, story telling and resilience. And for our Lift-Off members, access to Imagine Canada’s Grant Connect Community Edition opens the door to thousands of private and public foundation grants that most small charities could never afford to access on their own.
New Partnerships Taking Shape
One of the questions we hear most from charities is a version of, “how do we know who to trust?” That is exactly the question PLP exists to answer, and this summer that work has been happening on several fronts at once. We are in discussions with an Ottawa-based web development agency about affordable website options for members, and with a national organization that offers low-cost, affordable devices to the nonprofit sector. We are also meeting with another CRM provider to explore what a member-friendly offering could look like.
Alongside these conversations, we’re actively engaging corporate supporters to keep PLP’s momentum growing, and we’ve been fortunate to secure the volunteer support of several dedicated individuals who are helping to advance our marketing and member engagement efforts. We’re also exploring what collaboration could look like with other sector-aligned organizations who share our commitment to helping smaller charities and nonprofits thrive.
A Media Partner Who Believes in the Work
It’s worth pausing on this: the fact that you’re reading this article at all is its own small proof point. Hilborn Charity eNews has supported PLP since before we launched, and in doing so has shown, article after article, the same kind of commitment to Canada’s smaller charities that is the reason we created PLP. We’re grateful for that partnership and for a media ally that shows up for this segment of the sector.
Listening Better
This Fall, we will also launch a new member e-newsletter and put better processes in place to stay closer to what our members need. As PLP grows, staying in tune with our members matters more, not less, and we want to make sure that growth never comes at the cost of listening.
Already Planning for 2027
Our current webinar series is already booked solid through December, and we’ve started building out our 2027 series. It’s a small detail, but it says a lot: we’re not just planning for the next few months, we’re planning for the long haul.
Celebrating One Year
This Fall, we’re especially excited to make our newest tools and resources available to members, and to celebrate PLP’s one-year anniversary on October 27th. It’s a milestone we didn’t build alone, and we’d love for you to celebrate it with us.
PLP was built on the belief that small charities shouldn’t have to choose between the resources they need and the impact they want to make. Every tool, every partner, every conversation we’re having right now exists to close that gap. This Fall, we’re just getting started.
Ready to Stop Doing It Alone?
When a charity is ready, a whole world of advanced tools, vetted expertise, and discounted resources is waiting for them, for less than what a single consulting session would typically cost. Membership is free to join, and there’s no better time than now to get ready for what’s ahead this Fall.
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Lois Graveline is Co-Founder of Project Launchpad and Founder & CEO of Harmonia Philanthropy. Reach out at: hello@projectlaunchpad.ca or visit us at https://www.projectlaunchpad.ca.
