1. About Reframe

Q1. Who is Reframe and what do you do?

Reframe is an impact consulting practice that helps land-owning nonprofits create sustainable impact often by using their land, buildings, and organizational assets. We are not developers or realtors. We sit on your side of the table and help you clarify vision, design viable options, and make informed decisions that align with your mission and governance responsibilities.

Q2. Who do you typically work with?

We primarily work with:

• Faith communities and congregations that own land or buildings

• Social agencies and charities with underused or aging facilities

• Community organizations and societies considering redevelopment, expansion, or major renovations

Most of our clients are asking some version of, “We own land. We want to help our community. We also want to survive. What should we do?”

Q3. How is Reframe different from a developer or real estate advisor?

• Developers focus on projects. We focus on your mission and long-term impact.

• Developers make their money from the deal. We work for you, on a fee-for-service basis, with transparent scopes with clear deliverables.

• Real estate advisors focus on property value. We help you weigh financial value alongside social, environmental, and mission value.

• Our main goal is that your board and leadership can say, “We made a sound, well-governed decision that fits our mission and responsibilities.”

Q4. At what stage should we talk to Reframe?

You do not need a concrete plan before you call us. It is often better if you do not.

We can help if you are:

• Just starting to ask, “How can we be of use to our community? And how can our land help?”

• Reacting to pressure from developers, funders, or government

• Already exploring concept plans and need a reality check

• In a stalled or conflicted process and need a structured reset

Earlier conversations, coming from a position of strength, usually give you more options and fewer regrets.

2. Impact and Mission

Q5. What do you mean by “impact”?

When we say impact, we mean the real, observable (even measurable) changes in people’s lives and in your community that can reasonably be linked to your work.

For land-owning nonprofits, this often includes:

• More people safely housed or better supported

• Stronger sense of belonging, local relationships, and reduced isolation

• Better use of land and buildings for community benefit 

• Increased inclusion, safety, and accessibility

• Reduced barriers for people who are most marginalized

We help you define what impact means in your context and how you might achieve it and measure it.

Q6. How do you make sure a project still aligns with our mission?

First, we listen to your leaders, staff, and community to understand your needs, constraints, and hopes. From there, we scan the wider context: neighbourhood, city or town, region, province, and even national trends across political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors.

Then we work with you to test your willingness to move toward the needs we have discovered. Together, we ask:

• Does this option serve the people we are called to serve?

• Who benefits most? Who might be harmed or pushed out?

• Does this strengthen or dilute our core identity and purpose?

• Will this help us be more needed and more relevant in our community in 5 to 20 years?

Your mission is the filter for every decision, not an afterthought.

Q7. What if our mission is faith-based or culturally specific?

That is fine. We work with faith communities and culturally specific organizations often.

Our job is to translate your purpose into clear impact outcomes that make sense to:

• Your board and congregation or membership

• Community partners and neighbors

• Funders, municipalities, and other stakeholders

We respect your identity and help you express it in language that others can understand and support.

Q8. Do you only recommend building housing?

No. Housing is sometimes the right answer, but not always.

We explore a wide range of options, such as:

• Stronger program strategy and partnerships without a major build

• Community hubs or shared space with partners

• Smaller infill projects or phased development

• Renovations that make current space more useful and accessible

• Land leases, partnerships, or partial redevelopment

Our starting point is: “What impact are you trying to create?” not “How can we fill this land with the biggest building?”

3. Sustainability

Q9. What do you mean by sustainability?

We look at sustainability across four areas:

1. Financial: Are you able to operate, maintain, and adapt over time without constant crisis fundraising?

2. Organizational: Do you have governance, staffing, and systems that can handle growth or change?

3. Social: Are you strengthening relationships, equity, and wellbeing in your community?

4. Environmental: Are you stewarding land and resources in a responsible way?

A “successful” project that burns out your people or locks you into a risky mortgage is not sustainable.

Q10. Will a redevelopment project solve our financial problems?

Maybe, but not automatically. Redevelopment can improve your financial position, but it can also create new liabilities.

We help you:

• Understand the true cost of operating a new or larger facility

• See how lease, rent, or partnership income might change over time

• Test best-case, likely-case, and worst-case scenarios

• Avoid relying on unrealistic assumptions or single-point projections

Our goal is not a pretty pro forma. Our goal is a decision that holds up under scrutiny.

Q11. Can a project help our operating budget and still be affordable and ethical?

Yes, but it requires deliberate choices.

We explore models that balance:

• Revenue generation (for example, market or mixed-income units, community-serving commercial uses)

• Deep affordability and inclusion for people who need it most

• Public funding, philanthropy, and impact investment

• Long-term stewardship of land as a community asset

You will likely face trade-offs. We help you see them clearly and choose what aligns with your values.

Q12. How do you consider environmental sustainability?

We encourage you to treat environmental stewardship as a core part of your mission, not just a design feature. That can include:

• Aligning with local climate or environmental codes and plans

• Prioritizing energy efficiency and long-term operating cost savings

• Climate resilience and adaptation for your site and buildings

• Landscape and design that supports community health and connection

We are not engineers or architects, but we help you ask the right questions and bring the right experts to the table.

4. Governance and Risk

Q13. Why is governance such a big part of your work?

Because land is often your largest asset and decisions about it can:

• Lock in your direction for decades

• Put your organization at financial risk

• Affect your relationships and reputation

• Change the work and identity of your organization

Good governance means that you can show how and why you made decisions, who was involved, what information you relied on, and how you managed conflicts of interest and risk.

Q14. What governance supports do you provide?

Depending on your needs, we can:

• Clarify roles of board, staff, and committees around land decisions

• Facilitate board and leadership workshops

• Help you create a decision framework and criteria

• Support policy development related to partnership, land use, and risk

• Provide tools for board self-assessment and renewal in the context of big decisions

We do not replace your legal or financial advisors. We help you use their advice well.

Q15. How do you help us manage risk?

Risk reduction is a main driver of our systems. We use structured risk analysis and practical questions, such as:

• What could realistically go wrong, and how serious would it be?

• Where are we overexposed, and where do we have options?

• Do we understand legal and regulatory requirements for our role in a project?

• Is our governance structure strong enough to handle this?

We encourage you to match risk with capacity, and to avoid deals that depend on everything going right.

Q16. What if our board is divided or tired of this conversation?

That is normal. Land discussions are often emotional and exhausting.

We can:

• Name and frame the tensions clearly and respectfully

• Design processes that include input without letting things spiral

• Reset the conversation around shared purpose and agreed criteria

• Help you set boundaries for engagement, timeline, and decision-making

We have a “nobody left behind” mandate so sometimes the healthiest outcome is a clear “not now.” That is still a valid and responsible decision.

5. Process and Services

Q17. What does a typical Reframe process look like?

While every engagement is tailored, a common pathway includes:

1. Discovery
- Understand your context, mission, assets, and pressures
- Review existing studies, plans, and financials

2. Vision and Impact
- Clarify who you serve, what impact you want, and your non-negotiables

3. Options and Feasibility
- Develop a range of land or facility options and test them against your impact and sustainability criteria

4. Governance and Decision
- Support board and leadership to weigh options and choose a direction

5. Roadmap and Next Steps
- Outline practical next steps, partners to engage, and capacity you will need going forward

You can engage us for all stages or for one or two key parts.

Q18. Do you do full development or project management?

No. We are not acting as developers.

We help you get to a clear, well-governed decision and a realistic roadmap. Then we can help you identify and engage the right project partners, if you choose to move ahead, acting either as trusted advisors or even as an owner’s representative.

Q19. How long does a Reframe engagement usually take?

It depends on scope, governance rhythm, and complexity. Most impact, sustainability, and governance engagements around land and facilities range from a few months to over a year.

We work with your existing meeting schedules and decision timelines rather than forcing you into a rigid calendar.

Q20. How do you involve staff, members, or the wider community?

We design engagement based on your context. It might include:

• Staff and leadership workshops

• Board retreats

• Congregation or member conversations

• Targeted interviews with key partners or neighbors

• Surveys or small focus groups

We help you balance genuine input with clear roles and decision authority.

6. Money, Fees, and Partners

Q21. How does Reframe get paid?

We work on clear scopes of work with defined deliverables and fees.

Our work is usually funded by:

• The organization itself, often from reserves or board-approved project funds

• Grants that support planning, capacity building, or community development

• Occasionally through shared cost arrangements with partners or funders

We do not take a percentage of development costs or ownership in projects.

Q22. Can you help us access grants or funding for planning?

Yes, to a point. We can:

• Identify potential planning or pre-development funding sources

• Help you articulate your case for support and impact model

• Prepare inputs that make applications stronger, for example, clear outcomes, governance, and sustainability logic

We seldom operate as a grant writer of record, but our work often strengthens your funding story.

Q23. Do you work with developers, municipalities, or other partners?

Yes. We often collaborate with:

• Municipal planning and housing departments

• Nonprofit and for-profit developers

• Housing providers and social service agencies

• Denominational or umbrella bodies

• Funders and impact investors

Our role is to help you understand options, negotiate from a clear position, and protect your mission.

7. Outcomes and “What Ifs”

Q24. What will we have in hand at the end of a Reframe process?

Depending on your scope, you will usually have:

• A clear impact and sustainability framework for land and facility decisions

• A set of tested options with pros, cons, and key assumptions

• A record of how you made decisions and who was involved

• Governance tools and criteria you can reuse in future decisions

• A practical roadmap for next steps, whether you are moving forward (with or without us) or pausing

• This includes a full “pre-development” and feasibility package that includes site plans, conceptual models, financial projections, and impact modelling

You should feel more confident explaining your choices to your community, funders, and partners.

Q25. What if we decide not to redevelop or not to proceed with any option?

That is still progress.

If you decide “not now” or “not this,” you will:

• Understand why, and be able to explain it

• Have clearer criteria for revisiting the question later

• Have strengthened governance and decision processes

• Often have identified smaller, lower-risk changes you can make in the meantime

A well-governed “no” is better than a rushed “yes” that puts your organization at risk.

Q26. What if we are already deep into a process that feels off track?

We can come in midstream. In that case, we often:

• Review what has been done to date

• Check alignment with your mission, risk appetite, and governance responsibilities

• Help you reset expectations with partners and your community

• Support the board in deciding whether to continue, renegotiate, or step back

Our priority is to help you regain clarity and control.

8. Getting Started

Q27. What should we prepare before meeting with you?

You do not need to have everything in perfect order. Helpful starting materials include:

• Your current mission, vision, or strategic plan

• Basic financial information and any recent budgets or audits

• Any existing land or building studies, appraisals, or concept plans

• An honest sense of your current pressures, hopes, and fears

We can help you sort and prioritize from there.

Q28. Who should be at the first meeting?

Ideally a small group of decision-makers who can speak to mission, operations, and governance, such as:

• Board chair or key board members

• Executive director, lead pastor, or senior staff 

• Anyone group or committee already tasked with “figuring out the land”

We can widen the circle later as needed.

Q29. How do we know if Reframe is the right fit for us?

You will likely feel we are a good fit if:

• You care deeply about your mission and community

• You want a thoughtful, structured process, not a quick pitch

• You want to understand trade-offs and risks, not hide from them

• You value honest conversation, even when it is uncomfortable

If we are not the right fit, we will say so and, if possible, point you to other resources.

Q30. How do we start the conversation?

Reach out, tell us a bit about your organization, your land or facility, and what questions keep you up at night.

From there we will suggest a first step, usually a short discovery conversation to understand your context and see how we can help.