Iowa West Foundation • Imagine Hour • Case Study
Strategy + Design + Execution + Facilitation
Client: Iowa West Foundation
Project Timeline: 2022
Industry or Expertise: Foundation
Reimagining Community Engagement:
The Iowa West Foundation's 'Imagine Hours' Journey
The Iowa West Foundation (IWF) redefined community connection with "Imagine Hours," an innovative series of interactive brainstorming sessions. These sessions sought to bridge the gap between IWF and the residents of Pottawattamie County. Teaming up with Tandem Works, IWF transformed standard community meetings into dynamic, engaging events that resonated deeply with attendees.
"Imagine Hours" was more than just dialogue; it catalyzed change. The insights gained directly influenced IWF's strategic vision for 2023, ensuring a continued and meaningful conversation with the community. This case study explores how IWF and Tandem Works turned community feedback into a vibrant and transformative experience, forging a stronger, more connected future.
Client: Iowa West Foundation
Who they are and what they do:
In the world of philanthropy, the Iowa West Foundation (IWF) is known for its vibrant presence and transformative contributions. IWF has enhanced the community, bridged gaps, and spurred significant growth, bringing a new level of vitality and progress to the region.
Based in the casino-rich landscape of Council Bluffs, Iowa, IWF emerged from a 90s-era mandate: "You want casinos? Great, but let’s see some of that green flowing back into the community." Thus, IWF was born, turning casino cash into community gold to the tune of over $550 million in grants.
Project Summary: Imagine Hours
A series of Community-Wide Listening Sessions
In the spring of 2022, the Iowa West Foundation launched a series of community-wide idea-sharing sessions called "Imagine Hours.” These weren't your average, yawn-inducing town halls. Nope. They were dynamic, community-wide sessions designed to stitch together the diverse patchwork of Pottawattamie County and Southwest Iowa into a vibrant tapestry of ideas and visions.
These sessions aimed to foster active participation and encourage Pottawattamie County residents to envision the community's future collectively and to help shape the Iowa West Foundation’s strategic visioning process.
Challenge — or what we like to call the opportunity:
Flashback to 2020, when the new CEO, Brenda Mainwaring, spearheaded a survey that unveiled an uncomfortable truth: the community felt disconnected from IWF's workings and wanted more transparency. Brenda and her team didn’t just see a problem; they saw a launchpad for reinvention.
The mission? Listen to the community, forge a bond, and implement an action plan.
Vivian Kvam and Machaela Clark, founders of Tandem Works.
Insert Tandem Works
This is where we swing into action. Tasked with the challenge of transforming the mundane into the extraordinary, we joined forces with IWF.
IWF engaged with us (Tandem Works) to help design, promote, and facilitate engaging community feedback sessions to reach all Pottwattamie residents. The Iowa West Foundation (IWF) was in a prime position to strengthen its already significant impact on the community through a series of engaging and well-attended listening sessions. The results of these listening sessions would guide the board and the organization's strategic planning by meeting the needs and desires of the community. It was clear
Our Strategy:
Our mission? To create and facilitate insightful and engaging community feedback sessions alongside Nicole Lindquist, Director of Communications, then put that information into something the rest of the IWF team and board could use.
Boring was banned.
Instead, we envisioned sessions that would be well-attended, interactive, inspiring, and, dare we say, a little bit fun. We waved goodbye to the dreary world of folding chairs and PowerPoint slides, opting instead for sessions that ooze character, like cozy rural coffee shops and buzzing art spaces.
In the process of bringing this vision to life, collaboration was key. We joined forces with the IWF team, embarking on a series of intensive brainstorming sessions to dig deeper into the goals and desired outcomes.
Together, our teams melded minds and ideas, ensuring every angle was explored and every possibility considered. This synergy between Tandem Works and IWF was instrumental in shaping an approach that was both innovative and deeply resonant with the community's needs.
With this all in mind, our team went to work and created the concept of the IWF “Imagine Hour,” where community members from all walks of life and experiences came together to share dreams, ideas, and feedback and be inspired about their community. Sessions were held in rural coffee shops, art spaces, a neighborhood bar and grill, and other community spaces. Two special sessions were created for high school students and the Spanish first session to ensure all ages and languages were engaged.
Deliverables:
Concept
Event Location + Feel
Branding
Results
T-shirts
Postcards
Sticky Notes
Banner
Backdrop
Digital Assets
Creative Templates
Focus Groups
Videos
Results:
The insights gathered from the Imagine Hour sessions, combined with the recommendations of the focus groups, provided valuable guidance during the Strategic Visioning Retreat of the Iowa West Foundation Board in the fall of 2022 to move the organization and community further. You can find a sample of the summary here.
“Everyone understands that listening is an important part of community service but that doesn’t mean it’s easy, especially when you want to create a space where many voices are welcomed and heard. Tandem Works brought creative ideas, collaborative solutions, and energetic engagement to our process and helped us achieve our goals. Vivian and Machaela established a positive environment that allowed community ideas to flow freely. We learned that our neighbors love living here, just like we do. We also learned what they think would make our hometowns even better. Those ideas and recommendations are the foundation of Iowa West Foundation’s new strategic vision.” - Brenda Mainwaring, CEO
As we enter 2023, the revised vision and strategy for the future are being introduced to the community, offering an opportunity for additional feedback. To view the complete presentation, please click below.
Want to learn more about the listening sessions?
Listen to Vivian Kvam, Tandem Works and Nicole Lindquist, Director of Communications, talk about the project on the Riding Tandem Podcast. There was so much to talk about it, there’s a part 1 and 2!
Nailing an RFP, scope creep and sticky details - a candid chat with client Nicole Lindquist (PT 1)
This was not a boring townhall meeting. The community liked it.
“I went to one of the Iowa West Foundation Imagine Hours because I wanted to share my vision and learn of others’ visions for where I am from and choose to live. I am in the game and want to contribute to making things better. It was vibrant, energizing, and exciting to recognize what is great about SWI and what we want to make it a magnet for those driven by a high quality of life (with great jobs, houses, schools, communities, and opportunities) and who are open to find that in SWI.”
- Connie Casson, Founder - Blue Seats Consulting
“Council Bluffs is a great place to live with amazing people. It was inspiring to see all of the people with diverse thoughts and opinions get together and express their vision for the future. I was happy to be a part of it.”
- Scott Williams, Head of Recycling - North America
Being a part of the Imagine Hours was truly an incredible experience. The fact that a Spanish session was hosted, made it even more special. As a member of the Hispanic/Latinx community, witnessing this milestone was truly inspiring.
- Maria Torres, Health Equity Cordinator - Pottawattamie County, Iowa
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