We are helping foster the most resilient, innovative, globally competitive, and inclusive economy possible. As a country, we must come together to address systemic barriers preventing Canadians from gaining meaningful employment.
LIFT convenes selected SPOs through programs and cohorts designed to help organizations deliver their missions more effectively to more Canadians. These programs and cohorts are comprehensive and last anywhere from one to three years.
Our highly engaged, specialized approach includes hands-on management support and expertise from our impact team, resources from our national network of pro bono partners, and strategic funding made possible by the financial contributions of our investors. With a focus on building capacity in areas that are foundational to high-performing SPOs, LIFT helps organizations become stronger from the inside out. As the organization becomes more self-sustaining, it is better positioned to grow and change more lives. This approach has proven to greatly accelerate the growth of SPOs to deliver services that tackle entrenched social problems.
Organization
Strategy
Leadership
Cohorts
Our Difference
- We are a trusted partner. In our 10 years of working with social purpose organizations, governments and funders, we’ve developed a deep understanding of what works in this space. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing the social sector – after all we are a social purpose organization ourselves.
- We take a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach. The best solutions are not designed in isolation. Our ability to connect, engage and inspire new collaborations is a key ingredient for the results we create together.
- We meet you where you’re at. While some challenges cut across the entire sector, each organization has its own unique context and distinct challenges. Our approach is grounded in leveraging your strengths to help you succeed.
- We know the roadmap to finding the right solutions. We tap into our vast experience in the sector and utilize coaching techniques and network supports. We leverage your expertise and ensure your organization has the capacity to deliver impactful results.
- We help organizations plan for tomorrow, today. We identify and seize on sector trends and emerging opportunities to ensure any solutions are future-proofed.
Our Methodology
LIFT is now a premium brand of choice for SPOs. We are validation that an SPO is efficient, measures performance and delivers real social impact. We have a proven and disciplined model to identify and scale up SPOs. Our endpoint is when an SPO has built the necessary foundation to support sustainable growth.
We seek out SPOs with the potential and ability to generate the largest social outcomes leading to meaningful employment. Through careful screening, tapping into networks, and deploying marketing strategies, we reach out to those SPOs best suited to our model.
The process can take months and demands commitment from the SPO’s senior leadership team. Areas reviewed during the due diligence period include business planning, financial history, measurement data and market analysis. An internal case for investment, including growth potential and milestones, is presented for decision.
In the early investment stage, we focus on long-range business planning and establishing specific milestones along the way that will position the SPO for a step change in its operation.
We help SPOs demonstrate, through evidence, the impact they are having on their clients’ lives and identify opportunities to enhance their impact. For example, our focus is not on how many youths attended a skills workshop but on how many youths found and kept jobs.
We work with each SPO to ensure they have the requisite capacity to grow by addressing key challenges and leveraging organizational strengths. During this phase, the focus is on building the capacity of the SPO through the transfer of skills.
We support SPOs’ ability to effectively manage change by enhancing their depth and breadth within the current market and assessing the feasibility of new markets and areas for expansion.
We design activities and convene in-person and virtual forums as an opportunity for SPOs in our portfolio to jointly learn, share and eventually partner for enhanced outcomes and impact.
Our endpoint is when an SPO is capable of meaningful, measurable and scalable social outcomes, and is prepared to move on to the next phase of its growth and development. LIFT begins a natural reduction in involvement with SPOs.