A Decade of Impact and Shared Vision

Community Heart & Soul® builds stronger, healthier, and more economically vibrant small cities and towns across the United States through the Community Heart & Soul model, a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it. This year marks a significant milestone for Community Heart & Soul: ten years of impactful collaboration with three extraordinary partner organizations. In this special Q&A, Nancy Van Milligen, President & CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (Iowa), Laurie Zierer, Executive Director of PA Humanities (Pennsylvania), and Brian Treece, President & CEO of the Findlay-Hancock Community Foundation (Ohio) reflect on what initially motivated them to embrace Community Heart & Soul, the successes they’ve witnessed, and the factors that have made these partnerships so enduring.

What initially motivated your organization to partner with Community Heart & Soul, and what needs or goals were you hoping to address?

NVM: The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque is headquartered in a more urban city within a seven-county region that is otherwise very rural. In order for our philanthropic work to have the most impact, we need trusted relationships throughout that rural area to understand the needs that exist. Community Heart & Soul helps us strengthen our connections in our smaller towns, but it also increases skills and leadership capacity in those places and makes our partnerships more effective and impactful.

LZ: Ten years ago at PA Humanities we had something audacious to prove. We aimed to redefine the value and use of the humanities. We had started to center our work on people and in our shared humanity – to put the tools of the humanities, like storytelling, into action for the good of the community. With Community Heart & Soul, we could see this process come alive and learn about its real impact on people’s lives. As a result, people in 16 communities are standing taller as they look at the abundance of what they have. They aren’t stuck focusing on deficits but instead recognize their strengths and shape their future on their own terms. New leaders have emerged, trust and pride have grown, and history and culture honored. And if folks are not living by their values, they ask what they need to do to get on the right path and they hold each other accountable.

BT: Hancock County’s population is split about 50% in the county seat (Findlay) and about 50% in smaller villages throughout the county. Our Community Foundation was looking to support the smaller villages in more meaningful ways. Historically, we had provided a smaller grant for a project – very transactional grantmaking. With Community Heart & Soul we hoped to move toward more transformational partnerships. We wanted to get to know the communities, learn their needs, and partner in more impactful ways.

Reflecting on the past decade, what key successes have emerged from this partnership, and have there been any surprising benefits that stood out?

NVM: Towns that have done Community Heart & Soul have shown increased capacity to do big things. They are more ready to undertake heavy lifts like endowment building, capital campaigns, or passing school bond referenda. The leaders have more skills around building consensus, listening, and planning for action. They know themselves better and can quickly get the community to take action. A surprising benefit of Community Heart & Soul is how we have seen the processes and principles of the program embed themselves within our organization. It has changed how we do our work, especially our community engagement and programs.

LZ: We’ve been able to diversify and create wonderful partnerships at the state level with the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and the PA Route 6 Alliance – two uncommon partners for humanities organizations. It’s been an opportunity to step out of our sector to learn on the ground about asset-based community development, our approach and practice to grantmaking, and to get to know Pennsylvania communities in a way we’d never seen before. The work with Community Heart & Soul opened the door to major research collaborations with Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania, along with articles published in journals like The Foundation Review. We are a model nationally for promising practices for place-based grantmakers seeking inclusive, people-centered community change.

BT: This partnership has helped us do our work more effectively. We have a deeper knowledge of the communities that have gone through the Community Heart & Soul process. We know the people, their hopes and concerns, and what they think will elevate their communities in the future. Knowing our communities has allowed us to have a greater impact with grantmaking, and we’re making transformational grants that truly meet the needs and aspirations of our communities. We can also better connect nonprofits with community members who have a passion for the areas, which leads to improved service delivery. More developed relationships with community members also results in new funds being created and additional gifts to existing funds.

In your view, what factors have made the partnership with Community Heart & Soul so effective and sustainable over the years?

NVM: The three core principles of Community Heart & Soul are perfectly aligned with the place-based philanthropy done by community foundations: Focus On What Matters Most, Involve Everyone, and Play the Long Game. The Heart & Soul process is specifically tailored to do this work in rural towns which is just what we needed. We have also been able to help the Community Heart & Soul team understand how to embed place-based philanthropy more intentionally into the processes they use across the country, so we feel like it has been a mutually beneficial collaboration.

LZ: Simply put, our partnership has been effective and grown because we have shared values and goals. We are both committed to open communication and ongoing learning, which has kept our work authentic, resilient, and impactful. On a personal level, we genuinely love working with the folks at Community Heart & Soul—they are wonderful partners who share our passion for putting people and relationships first. Over the years, we have become more and more committed to one another and to cultivating Community Heart & Soul into the process it is today.

BT: In addition to strong support from Community Heart & Soul, a number of factors have made our partnership effective and sustainable. First, the model and materials adapt with time – there’s continuous improvement to make sure the training and support materials are timely and relevant. Second, Community Heart and Soul convenes practitioners to share best practices to benefit the communities they are working with throughout the U.S. Our community coordinators gain valuable insight from other Heart and Soul communities, and in turn share what they are doing. Lastly, we have committed significant resources to the process and the model. Since the beginning of our partnership, we have had a Community Heart & Soul Coach embedded on our team to provide the connection between the community, our Foundation, and Community Heart & Soul. Our entire staff, board, and donors agree this process is working in Hancock County!

These reflections underscore the value of partnerships rooted in connection and a collective desire to make a difference. These leaders and their organizations have not only championed the Community Heart & Soul process but also helped shape its evolution and influence. Together, we’ve seen firsthand how this resident-driven approach empowers communities, strengthens relationships, and creates lasting change. As we look to the future, we’re inspired by the possibilities that lie ahead and grateful for the journey we’ve shared over the past decade. Here’s to many more years of working together to help communities thrive!

Learn more about Community Heart & Soul at CommunityHeartAndSoul.org, and by downloading the Community Heart & Soul Intro Book today.