Client Spotlight
NW Kansas Community Foundation Accelerator
Underwritten by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, the NW Kansas Community Foundation Marketing Accelerator was designed to empower 26 rural community foundations to build visibility, strengthen donor engagement, and grow local philanthropy. Through a blend of strategy, tools, and hands-on coaching, the program guided newly-formed foundations to find their voice, clarify their message, and create sustainable fundraising momentum—laying the groundwork for stronger, more vibrant communities across Northwest Kansas.
THE CHALLENGE
In the early stages of building 26 new community foundations, local staff and boards faced a blank slate—and a daunting question: Where do we even start? Despite strong passion and commitment, most foundations lacked a clear message, a donor engagement strategy, or even the language to explain who they were and why they mattered. Without guidance, foundations risked stalled momentum, donor confusion, and missed opportunities to spark local giving.
OUR APPROACH
The Northwest Kansas CF Marketing Accelerator, built on BowerComm’s Journey to Yes framework, was structured as a 10-month program with three key phases:
Preparation and Goal-Setting: Foundations completed pre-work including defining 2024 goals, stakeholder interviews, and communications self-assessments.
Two-Day Intensive Workshop: Staff and board teams gathered for hands-on training in May, covering audience profiling, brand messaging, communications planning, editorial calendars, budgeting, and campaign development for four key initiatives (new donor welcome, CF overview, planned giving, and year-end fund drive).
Implementation and Coaching: Weekly coaching calls, private group support, and real-time feedback kept foundations moving forward, helping them deploy campaigns, manage content through tools like Publer and Canva, and refine engagement strategies over the year.
THE OUTCOME
More donor conversations and gift commitments
Significant increases in Match Month donations
New corporate sponsorships secured for match pools
Greater confidence among staff and board members in donor communications
Immediate major gifts—including one donor's $100,000 gift triggered by a simple drip email
"After implementing BowerComm’s marketing guide, I started sending out a monthly email drip. One donor responded to say they appreciated the update—and that they had $100K to drop by my office. That email definitely paid off in ways I could have never imagined."
- Molly McWilliams
Executive Director, Republic County Community Foundation