Purpose by W

Building organizations that matter.

Purpose-led strategy, leadership and culture.

I’ve spent my career building organizations and the relationships that move them forward, and helping good ideas become something real. Now I bring that experience to businesses, nonprofits and foundations that need practical leadership and someone who knows how to turn plans into action.

Big-picture thinking. Roll-up-your-sleeves execution.

Let’s Talk See My Work

Taking on new engagements for 2027

Wendy Mitchell, founder of Purpose by W

Strategy & Leadership

Navigate change. Build what’s next.

Executive advice, interim leadership, strategic planning and governance that helps an organization move instead of slowing it down.

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People & Culture

Engage people. Strengthen performance.

HR foundations, engagement, leadership development and learning that help good people do their best work and stay. I’ve built learning programs for TD employees and CPA Ontario.

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Purpose & Impact

Create lasting positive change.

Purpose built into strategy and operations, plus community investment, foundations, grant programs and the relationships between business, government and community that make them work.

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Both sides of the table

I’ve sat on both sides of the board table.

I’ve reported to boards as an executive, and I’ve chaired and served on them. I understand the pressures of both seats, and how to bring them together to move an organization forward, whether the table belongs to a company, a foundation or a charity.

Much of that work happens between people. I pay close attention to the relationships around the table, because that’s usually where progress starts or stalls.

The Boardroom Governance, strategy, accountability and oversight. The Executive Seat Leadership, operations, people, implementation and results.

The Boardroom

Governance, strategy, accountability and oversight.

The Executive Seat

Leadership, operations, people, implementation and results.

See where I’ve sat on each side

In the boardroom

  • Board ChairLiveWorkPlay, five years
  • Grant Review Committee ChairUnited Way/Centraide Ottawa, three years
  • Governance & People CommitteeNanaimo Community Foundation

In the executive seat

  • Executive DirectorCPA Ontario Foundation, Ottawa Community Housing Foundation, Shelter Movers Ottawa
  • DirectorThe Conference Board of Canada and Volunteer Canada
  • ManagerMBNA Canada, as an early employee when the company came to Canada

Selected work

A few examples of how I’ve helped organizations build, grow and change. Each one says whether I was consulting, on staff or leading the organization.

My impact at a glance

25+years of leadership experience
6organizations founded or launched
$20M+in funding secured and stewarded
3organizations led as executive director

In their words

From recommendations on my LinkedIn profile. Read more

Wendy Mitchell at a conference

The W behind the purpose

I’ve spent my career building things that matter.

Sometimes that has meant launching an organization from scratch. Other times it has meant helping a leadership team through change, strengthening something that already works, or turning a complicated idea into something people can actually use.

Through all of it, relationship building has been at the heart of my work. I find the right people, bring them to the same table and help them build something none of them could build alone. That network is one of the things you get when you work with me.

I like practical solutions, honest conversations and people who care about what they’re building. Good leadership, a healthy culture and a clear strategy should make an organization simpler to run. If my work adds complexity, I haven’t done my job.

When you work with Purpose by W, you work with me. I’m on the first call, in the workshop and writing the final report.

More About Me

Where I can help

Sound familiar?

Every organization hits moments like these, whether it’s a family business, a national company or a community charity. Open the ones that feel close to home.

Leadership transitions

Someone important is leaving, arriving or changing roles.
  • Our CEO or executive director is leaving, and the search will take months.
  • We have a new leader who needs to get up to speed quickly.
  • The job at the top no longer matches what the organization needs.

How I help: Strategy & Leadership

Organizational change and growth

You’ve outgrown the way things used to work.
  • We’ve grown fast and our systems haven’t kept up.
  • A merger or acquisition means two cultures need to become one.
  • We’re restructuring and need a plan people will follow.

How I help: Strategy & Leadership

People and culture

Your people are the plan, and they’re stretched.
  • Good people are burning out or leaving.
  • Our HR policies are out of date, or we don’t really have any.
  • Our people need to keep learning, but nobody has a spare day for a course.

How I help: People & Culture

Governance and accountability

The people at the top table don’t see things the same way.
  • Our board, owners and leadership team are pulling in different directions.
  • Nobody is quite sure how to evaluate the person in charge.
  • Our policies were written for a smaller, simpler organization.

How I help: Strategy & Leadership

Strategy and execution

Plenty of ideas, not enough traction.
  • Our strategic plan is sitting on a shelf.
  • Priorities keep shifting and the team can’t keep up.
  • We need to show results to our board, investors or funders.

How I help: Strategy & Leadership

Purpose and impact

You want what you give back to count for more.
  • We have strong values, but they don’t really show up in how we make decisions.
  • Our company wants its community investment to be more focused.
  • We’re setting up a foundation or a grant program.
  • We need the right partners and stakeholders at the same table, and we’re not sure where to start.

How I help: Purpose & Impact

Why purpose

Purpose is a business decision.

Purpose beyond profit is the right thing to do. It’s also one of the smartest choices a leader can make, for companies, charities and foundations alike.

It engages your people

People give their best when their own values line up with the work. A shared purpose is one of the strongest tools you have to attract good people and keep them.

It earns trust

Customers, funders, partners and communities can tell a purpose you live from one you print. Living it builds loyalty and protects your reputation.

It drives performance, once it’s embedded

A purpose statement on its own changes nothing. The results come when purpose shapes strategy, operations and the everyday decisions people make.

Canadian organizations have values that run deep. Too few put them to work strategically, at the core of how they operate. That’s the opportunity, and it’s where I can help.

How it works

Purpose into practice

A practical path from why you exist to what your people do every day.

  1. Listen and diagnose

    We start with a conversation. Then I listen to the people closest to the work to understand what’s really helping and what’s getting in the way.

  2. Define purpose and plan

    Together we get clear on why you exist, where you’re going and the few priorities that matter most. You get a clear scope, timeline and fee up front.

  3. Activate with your people

    Purpose only matters when people act on it. I work alongside your leaders and teams to put the plan into practice, with drafts along the way.

  4. Measure and sustain

    We agree what success looks like and track it. You keep the tools, know-how and systems long after I’ve gone.

No hand-offs to junior staff. You work directly with me from the first conversation to the final handover.

Practical guides

Purpose, put to work

Short, practical guides for the moments that test an organization. Free to download and share with your board or team.

Strategy & Leadership

When your leader leaves

A board’s guide to the first 90 days of a leadership transition.

Download guide

Purpose & Impact

Purpose into practice

Six steps to turn your mission into everyday decisions.

Download guide

People & Culture

People first

Seven HR foundations every growing organization needs.

Download guide

Not sure where to start? Book a free 30-minute conversation and we’ll work out the first step together.

Something changing in your organization? Let’s figure out what comes next.

Send me a note and we’ll set up a time to talk.

Get in Touch