Setting Up a New Charity for Real, Sustainable Growth

"QueenCare was really impressed by the hard work Abby put into our communications report. She was thorough in her research, connected with members of our network, and helped us see both our strengths and the areas we needed to improve. Abby highlighted what makes us special and showed us practical ways to move forward with greater impact. It’s obvious she went above and beyond. If you want to clarify your communications and move forward with a clear pathway, reach out to Elevate."

Pipsy and Colleen, owners and operators of QueenCare

In 2025, QueenCare was a new charity in Leeds & Grenville with a clear mission. They support parents through pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenting. 

Families trust them, and the need in the community is growing. But strong frontline work alone is not enough. New charities need simple systems that help people find support, volunteer, and give.

Through the Elevate program, Abby McIntyre Consulting helped QueenCare prepare for their first fundraising and volunteer campaigns in December 2025 and build the foundation they need to grow - without burning out.

Why Many New Charities Struggle

Across Leeds & Grenville, early-stage charities tend to face the same challenges. People trust the mission but can’t easily find support. Volunteers want to help but there’s no intake process. Communication is irregular because teams are stretched thin. Fundraising starts without the structure needed to sustain it.

These are not leadership failures. They’re signs of growth without systems. QueenCare was experiencing all four.

Research shows that early-stage nonprofits grow faster when they have a clear pathway for support and involvement, a steady rhythm of communication, and a narrative the community can easily repeat.

Where QueenCare Started

QueenCare already had strengths many new charities take years to build.

• Families felt safe and understood
• People trusted Colleen’s nursing background and Pipsy’s lived experience
• Parents described QueenCare as “family”
• Many wanted to give back

But the structure around that trust wasn’t ready. Most people discovered QueenCare through word of mouth. The website made it hard to get support, volunteer, or donate. Their strongest asset, the stories of families, wasn’t visible online or in any campaign material.

Without clear pathways, the December campaign risked missing its potential.

What Needed to Be Built

The Elevate review identified three core needs.

• 1.     Clear pathways - Families, volunteers, and donors needed obvious places to click.
  Buttons like Need Support, Volunteer, and Donate were missing.
• 2.     Better visibility - QueenCare’s work is powerful, but many in the community didn’t know they existed. Their story needed to be easier to find and easier to share.
• 3.     Basic structure for growth - With limited capacity, QueenCare needed systems that reduced pressure instead of adding to it.

The focus was not on a full overhaul.

It was on building a simple foundation they could grow from.

About Elevate: Leeds & Grenville

Elevate: Leeds & Grenville (2025) is an annual program by Abby McIntyre Consulting that helps local charities build clear communication systems, strengthen trust, and share their impact. Each year, one organization receives a no-cost communications assessment and a simple three-month action plan. QueenCare was selected for 2025 because of their mission, their growing role in supporting families, and the clear gap in postpartum and early-parenting support in our region.