Leading with resilience and action: ImpactUp
Along with over 30 cities worldwide, The Good Growth Company hosted the Toronto gathering of ImpactUp, a global quarterly event created by We Are For Good to bring people together. It’s for nonprofit professionals, social impact leaders, and any changemaker who is looking for inspiration and ideas for meeting this moment and growing their impact.
This edition of ImpactUp focused on a powerful theme: Hold Fast: Leading with Resilience and Action.
In a time where many nonprofit professionals are navigating burnout, funding gaps, and systemic uncertainty, the evening provided space for honest conversation, peer connection, and mutual encouragement.
Rather than formal presentations, our event centered around open, dialogue-based discussion — facilitated by prompts and guided reflections that encouraged participants to speak from experience and listen with care.
Why gather?
The objective was clear: to explore how nonprofit leaders can stay grounded during turbulent times, take meaningful action even when the path ahead is unclear, and lean on one another for support. In smaller and larger group conversations, everyone was invited to reflect on their current challenges, their personal sources of resilience, and the importance of collective care.
Learnings from our community discussion
During the group discussion portion of the evening, we explored a few key areas:
Resilience in the now
The evening began with a reflection on what is weighing most heavily in participants' work and lives today. Individuals named pressures such as uncertainty in funding, lack of recognition, and emotional fatigue. But they also shared what keeps them grounded — values, moments of rest, or a sense of responsibility to the communities they serve. There was recognition that staying steady isn’t about having it all figured out, but about continuing to show up with purpose.
Owning your agency
This segment invited reflection on the areas where community members feel stuck — and where they still have control. While many spoke about systemic barriers, they also highlighted the power of making small decisions, taking initiative, and trusting their instincts, even when the outcome is unclear. Participants acknowledged that traditional systems of power often don’t reflect the realities of their lived experiences, and discussed how to navigate these with integrity.
Bias to action
When the path forward isn’t obvious, what do we do next? This part of the conversation focused on how to build momentum in moments of uncertainty. Some community members spoke about listening to intuition, taking manageable steps, and giving themselves permission to move forward imperfectly. Some shared examples of how stepping away from organizational structures had allowed them to pursue purpose-aligned work in new ways.
Endurance and staying the course
Burnout was a recurring theme, particularly among those juggling multiple roles or facing personal and professional crossroads. Participants discussed how they are caring for themselves, or how they want to start doing so. Practices such as resting without guilt, connecting with others outside their usual networks, and celebrating milestones were all named as ways to sustain the work long-term. There was also discussion about the need to acknowledge when we’ve reached capacity and give ourselves grace in those moments.
Community as an anchor
In the final discussion, the group reflected on the importance of community — not just as a concept, but as a practice. Participants emphasized the need to both give and receive support, and to be intentional about the spaces where they show up and connect. Resources like the Nonprofit Hive were shared as practical ways to stay grounded through peer connection. Others talked about the role of mutual aid, collective care, and building cultures that center humanity, not just productivity.
One good thing
To close the night, we asked everyone to share one “good thing” — a piece of advice, a grounding thought, or something that has helped them through recent challenges.
Themes that emerged included gratitude, trusting the process, focusing on what can be controlled, and the idea that every step — no matter how small — matters. Some participants highlighted the importance of rethinking their relationship with work, money, and rest, while others pointed to the simple but powerful act of showing up and being in community as its own form of resilience.
A moment of real connection
The ImpactUp Toronto meetup was more than a networking opportunity—it was a space for shared reflection, vulnerability, and renewed purpose. In a sector often stretched thin, it reminded us that we don’t have to do this work alone. Through honest conversation and collective wisdom, we can hold fast, together.
This Toronto edition of the ImpactUp meetup series was hosted by Daniel Francavilla and The Good Growth Company.
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