On Thursday, June 25th, Hackforge held our 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) at our HQ in Downtown Windsor. This yearly meeting is an opportunity for the organization’s board of directors and staff to share behind-the-scenes stories with our members and community. It’s a chance for those who engage with us to learn more about everything that goes into our public programming, and to get a preview of our plans for the future.
As Hackforge has worked to return to its former glory post-pandemic, each AGM since 2022 has been able to tell a more positive and complete story of our operations. Every year we’re hearing more voices, seeing more faces, and planning bigger things.
For those who were unable to attend this year, here are the highlights:
Director Changeover
After eight years serving as a director and Board Secretary, Sherri Wheeler – a longtime Hackforge supporter – has moved on from the position. Sherri has been a huge asset to the organization over the years, and while we’ll miss working with her directly on such a consistent basis, we’re happy for her to be able to focus on enjoying and experiencing our work from the perspective of a consumer.
With Sherri’s departure comes new blood to the board – please join us in welcoming Claire Andrews as our newest director! Claire is relatively new to Hackforge (and Windsor in general), and we feel honoured to have her expertise and experience on our team. With a background in community organizing and over fifteen years working in graphics, she’s a perfect fit for our group of grassroots geeks.
Programming Growth
Year-over-year Hackforge is consistently reaching more people on a broader range of topics with our free community programming. Since last year’s AGM we’ve started three new interest groups, welcomed a slate of new presenters, and formed even more community partnerships. We expect this year’s final event count to land somewhere in the mid-sixties, right in line with how we’ve been performing for the last few years.
For a bit of perspective, in 2026 we have nine active interest groups. In 2021, we had five.
So now that we no longer need to hunt down presentations, Hackforge is changing its focus to instead consider how we can improve what we’re already offering – how can we make the lives of our interest group leads easier, and how can we ensure that the proper people know about the opportunities we offer? We’ll be experimenting with answers to these questions over the next twelve months, and hope to have answers for you at the next AGM in June 2027!
Membership Committee
As a registered not-for-profit, Hackforge is beholden to certain requirements. Having a board of directors, for example, isn’t just a whim – it’s a rule we must adhere to in order to keep our status. Similarly, having definite organizational “members” is a requirement. Membership is granted according to our bylaws, and holding membership entitles one to vote on organizational matters – like those brought up at our AGM. Whether or not one is an organizational member has no bearing on their ability to attend or host events at Hackforge.
Prior to 2022, membership was a paid privilege that required monthly dues. As a response to COVID-19 and the economic stressors this placed on everyone, the board made the decision to separate financial contribution from organizational membership. This is not a decision that leadership is interested in reversing. But we do want to explore how we can ensure governing rights are equitably administered throughout our community.
To that end, this past spring we resurrected the Hackforge Membership Committee. At the AGM, members Alex Tu and Cristiano Hernandez presented the group’s mission and work to date.
Committee Mission:
To develop the bylaws & processes that will guide how we welcome new members.
We also look to find a more sustainable way to objectively define, track and engage our members
Tu and Hernandez also shared information about upcoming opportunities to provide feedback to the organization, including a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, August 15th from 1 – 2:30 PM (hyperlink).
Funding for the Future
As Hackforge offers all of its programming free of charge, we commonly receive questions about how we’re funded. The AGM was a great opportunity to address this topic to a large group all at once.
Hackforge’s main source of funding comes from the sale and administration of our commercial product: the Tourism Innovation Lab’s (TIL’s) “Spark” Program. Sold to Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs), municipalities, and other entities, “Spark” is a mentorship and grant program for tourism entrepreneurs. It was started in 2018 by Justin Lafontaine, and joined with Hackforge in 2019. Since then, we’ve supported over 150 entrepreneurs across Ontario and B.C. as they developed new tourism products.
For the 2026-27 program year, Hackforge is scaling back on “Spark” deliveries as we investigate ways to update and improve the program to better suit the realities of 2026. While this might mean a bit of reduced cashflow over the next year, thanks to the prudence of past leadership the organization has a nest egg to fall back on while we undertake this important work.
We’re also experimenting with ways we can provide some additional benefit to folks in our local community, while also raising funds. Our first go at this will be happening on Sunday, July 26th when we host the Headshots for Hackforge Community Fundraiser. From 11 am – 4 PM on the final Sunday in July, our doors will be open for drop-in headshot sessions. There is no set price, but a $20 donation to the organization is recommended. We’ll have a professional photographer with backdrop and lighting on-site, and fully edited digital photos will be sent to individuals within a few weeks of the event.
Canadian-Focused Infrastructure
Part of our ongoing program review includes considering our SaaS products and finding opportunities to consolidate and/or nationalize. Where possible, we’re reducing redundancy and shifting away from overseas providers. Our website is already hosted by a Canadian company, and we self-host what we can, but we know there are other changes to be made. In the past, TIL programs have been reliant on tools like Dropbox, Weebly, and SurveyMonkey. We’ve already earmarked these for consolidation and replacement, and by the end of 2026 will have at least these three products replaced by self-hosted, Canadian, or existing services (in some cases all three!).