How DC is Driving Focus and Momentum for its Members

Building long-term sustainability by aligning strategy, operations, and community with the support of a Fractional COO 

When Canada’s dietitians come together, they represent a community of influential health professionals across the country. The Dietitians of Canada (DC) is their national voice, advancing health through food and nutrition, shaping policy, and connecting 3,500+ regulated health professionals across the country. DC amplifies dietitians' expertise, raising the profile of the profession, advocating its value, and building networks that connect members locally and nationally. 

Here’s a snapshot of DC through the lens of Sidekick’s Entrepreneurial Design ™ Framework that looks at their 4Ps – Purpose, Passion, People and Profit:    

Dietitians of Canada through the lens of Sidekicks Entrepreneurial Design® Framework 

The Challenge 

With a new CEO stepping in, Dietitians of Canada found itself at a pivotal crossroads needing to modernize, sharpen its focus, and reclaim clarity in its identity. Sustaining impact had become increasingly difficult: membership was declining, cracks were showing between vision and execution, and there was a shrinking level of engagement to their most important audience: the members, leaving a feeling of disconnect for some from their professional community. 

The association is being powered by a small, dedicated team and a volunteer Board, with limited capacity. For the CEO, the challenge was twofold: creating space to look ahead at the future of the association and the profession, while  ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.   

The Solution 

With new leaders stepping into key roles, what DC required wasn’t a full-time executive hire, but  experienced operational leadership in a fractional capacity, bringing focus, discipline, and momentum to help the team stabilize. And because community engagement sits at the heart of DC’s identity, the approach couldn’t be top-down. Facilitation, listening, and alignment were key to the approach ensuring that member voices were heard, while connecting those perspectives back to the association’s core priorities. 

That’s where Sidekick stepped in. Acting as both a sounding board and an activator, we applied our operational focus in four key areas to set DC up for sustainable ownership: 

1. Business Modeling: Introducing frameworks like the Business Model Canvas to align the leadership team, clarify DC’s value proposition, and sharpen where to focus resources. 

2. Annual Planning and Implementation: Facilitating the development of DC’s annual plan, linking the Board’s strategic priorities to actionable goals. Quarterly pulses are keeping the team accountable, agile, and aligned, and are helping them with reality-check ideas, pivot when needed, and stay on track. 

3. Capacity Building: Through coaching and facilitated problem-solving, we support leaders in becoming stronger, more confident, and better equipped to execute. By pairing big-picture strategy with tactical next steps, we encourage a culture of accountability and forward motion. 

4. Community Engagement: Translating member-driven recommendations into action plans tied to DC’s annual priorities. We play a facilitative role, bringing together working groups from within the membership to reimagine and simplify key programs such as their volunteer communities of practice and the DC Awards, helping members feel connected, celebrated, and heard.  

"Sidekick has been instrumental in helping our team in our journey to rebuild and transform into an association focused on delivering true value to our members. As a new leader to the organization, Rosie and team have helped us map out our organizational priorities, find structure in our operations, and introduce us to new ways of strategizing and operating that have helped us gain clarity and focus. They do this by excelling at listening to our community, learning the nuances of our profession and helping to not just provide solutions, but also elevate my team's conversations and equip us to address future issues. " - John-Paul Cody-Cox, Chief Executive Officer, Dietitians of Canada 

The Impact 

The leadership team is now better aligned, with sharper clarity on priorities, quicker problem-solving, and greater discipline around what to pursue, and what to set aside. Membership numbers have begun to stabilize, showing signs of recovery, while engagement from volunteers and community members continues to grow, reinforcing the association’s reach and impact beyond its staff team.  

With stronger alignment, stabilizing operations, and a renewed focus on its members, DC is not only carrying this momentum forward but also building the foundations of sustainable ownership, equipping its leaders and community to confidently shape the future of dietetics in Canada. 

Over the course of our partnership, Sidekick has helped DC build steady momentum, fueling progress in their mission to strengthen member connection and amplify the voice of dietitians across Canada. 

"Sidekick has felt like a valued extension of my team - true ‘sidekicks’ - in helping our organization evolve and grow." - John-Paul Cody-Cox, Chief Executive Officer, Dietitians of Canada