Turning Complex Social Challenges Into Practical Change

Pineapple Flags works with non-profit, government, social enterprise and community groups to build services, redesign systems, amplify impact, shift policy and practice and share what works.

15+ Years

Of local and national civic and organizational leadership experience.

8+ Million

In funding secured and mobilized for solutions, putting resources behind housing, gender-equity, safety, opportunity and community-led change.

40+ Projects

That turned collaboration into meaningful community impact.

Complex Challenges Need More Than a Single Solution.

Some challenges call for something new to be built and others require organizations to rethink how they work together, shift policy and practice, build influence and bring new ideas into the room. 

Pineapple Flags works across these points of change,  bringing strategy, research, community knowledge and practical experience together to help create something meaningful and lasting. We will work alongside your team the whole way as your plans become a reality.

What we offer stems from our theory of change, meaning we help you build services, redesign systems, amplify impact and influence, shift policy and practice and build knowledge through sharing what works.



Building Services

Turn Ideas and Identified Needs Into Practical Solutions

Great ideas that innovate with care, build new ways, and fill gaps in our systems deserve to move from aspiration to action and we can help.

Redesigning Systems

Redesigning Systems by Changing How People, Power and Resources Work Together

Systems are complex places, often shaped by decades of fragmented decisions, a deficit of equity thinking, and stitched together by processes that were never designed to work together. We help make sense of the complexity, identify where change is possible, and build new ways of working that better serve people and communities.

close up of an online facilitation with a board of post it notes

Amplifying Impact and Influence

four people walking down the steel frame hallway of a new housing build
community art, painted cans ziptied to a sign post in Kitchener Ontario

Building the Resources, Relationships and Influence Needed to Move Good Ideas Further

Great ideas can sit on the sidelines when they don’t have the resources, relationships or support to move forward. We help build the partnerships, funding, attention and influence that give good ideas the opportunity to reach their potential and create meaningful change.

Shifting Policy and Practice

Turning Evidence and Lived Experience Into Changes in Policy and Practice

Good work can only go so far when the policies and practices around it create barriers to change. We help bring community knowledge, research and lived experience into the decisions that shape how systems work and turn what we learn into better policies, stronger practices and new possibilities for change.

City of Kitchener skyline at sunset
empty chairs in a circle in a community room ready to engage

Sharing What Works

Sharing Knowledge to Help Change Take Hold and Amplify

Change has the potential to travel beyond the work itself. We help capture what was learned, share what worked and create knowledge others can build on, so good ideas have a chance to take root in new places.

How We Work

How we work matters just as much as what we create, and our approach is grounded in relationships, equity, curiosity and a commitment to meaningful change.

hands with hearts icon
Care as Core Infrastructure

Relationships, wellbeing and sustainability are part of how change happens.

two text bubbles icon
Lived Experience is Expertise

The people closest to an issue should have meaningful influence over the solutions.

people celebrating icon
Equity Changes the Question

We look at intersectionality and who benefits, who is missing and how power shapes outcomes.

people together
Always Collaboration Over Silos

Complex problems require people, governments and organizations to work differently together.

clipboard
Practical Change is Kindness

Ideas need pathways to implementation that are grounded, not just good reports.

light bulb
Curiosity Before Certainty

Intentional space must be given to understand the problem before jumping into a solution.

Bringing Deep Knowledge to important community issues.

Our areas of impact reflect where we bring experience, knowledge and practical insight, shaped by years of working alongside communities, understanding the systems around them, and supporting the people working to create change.

Housing and Homelessness

Housing is about more than a place to live. It’s about the systems, policies, and communities that make housing possible. Explore our work to build more equitable and responsive housing systems.

Arial shot of Kitchener
GBV, Anti-Hate and Community Safety

People deserve to feel safe, welcome, and able to belong in the communities they call home. Explore our work building safer, more connected, and inclusive communities.

Gender Equity and Intersectionality

Building systems where women, trans, and gender-diverse people can live, lead, work, and thrive. Explore how we bring gender equity into strategy, policy, programs, and organizational change.

Advocacy, Policy and Systems Change

Good policy starts with listening to the people who experience systems every day. Explore how we connect research, lived experience, and community knowledge to create meaningful change.

Community Systems and Collective Impact

Bringing people, organizations, and ideas together to create change that no one can achieve alone. Explore our work building stronger collaborations, community systems, and collective approaches to change.

Economic Inclusion and Social Enterprise

Creating more equitable pathways to economic inclusion through social enterprises that meet real community needs. Explore our work in inclusive entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and community-based economic development.

Children, Youth and Families

Strong communities are built around the people, relationships, and systems that help children, youth, and families thrive. Explore our work strengthening those supports and creating better pathways forward.

Working on Complex Social Change?

 If you are trying to build something new, rethink something that isn’t working, influence a decision, or make good work travel further, let’s talk about what you are working on.