By Jenna Wachtmann, Ball Brothers Foundation
Like many private foundations, ours has historically kept a relatively low profile. That all changed a decade ago when our board and staff embarked on a strategic planning process. It became clear through its community conversations, interviews, and research that our foundation had a real opportunity to extend our impact by improving our communications.
We recognized, our president & COO often says, that we needed to tell our own story. We had an important opportunity to make our funding priorities clearer to potential grantees, to be more visible (and ensure we would continue to be invited to sit at the table during important community discussions), and to build the strong relationships with nonprofit and community leaders centered on mutual understanding and cooperation that have been at the heart of our work since 1926.
In response, BBF has become proactive in its communications over the past decade. We created a website, began submitting regular press releases to our local newspapers, and worked with students at local Ball State University to create a series of short videos featuring our grantees and community. We’ve seized the opportunity to tell our own story.
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