The Dane G. Hansen Foundation is committed to providing opportunities for the people of Northwest Kansas to enjoy the highest possible quality of life. Fulfillment of our mission is predicated on three specific goals:
• Strengthening and supporting our communities
• Creating an environment for growth
• Increasing economic opportunities
We will advance our mission by investing in the areas of:
• Education
• Health Care
• Economic Development
• Community Social Services & Security
• Conservation & Environment
• Arts & Culture
• Community Beautification
In March of 2017, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation trustees announced support of the Strategic Doing initiative in NW Kansas. All of the 26 counties the Foundation serves are participating in the process.
Background
After three years of funding unrestricted County-wide grants, the Trustees wanted to challenge counties to think longer term and really consider how these county-wide funds could be used to support both preservation and growth in our NW Kansas communities. Strategic Doing and Betty Johnson’s facilitation skills have been provided as a tool to help counties learn a process for this broader thinking.
County-wide efforts should encompass many organizations and individuals. Strategic Doing encourages broad participation. In most instances, the numbers of people coming together to begin the dreaming and doing in NW Kansas has been impressive. It can be hard to see the benefit of this kind of work at the beginning. But the Foundation is strong in supporting this work. Not only are there great examples of community change that has happened using this process across the country, but two of our 26 counties had already begun the Strategic Doing process before the Foundation announced the regional initiative. Both have had great success with moving projects forward using Strategic Doing. The Trustees are eager to see this happen in all of our counties.
What is Strategic Doing?
Strategic Doing teaches people how to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes and make adjustments along the way. In today’s world, collaboration is essential to meet the complex challenges we face. Strategic Doing enables leaders to design and guide new networks that generate innovative solutions. It is a new strategy discipline that is lean, agile and fast—just what organizations, communities and regions need to survive and thrive. For more information on the Strategic Doing Process, visit strategicdoing.net.
Moving forward
Each county’s community foundation (or Hansen grant review committee) has an agreement with the Hansen Foundation. In that, the Foundation agreed to offer additional unrestricted grant funds through 2021 for counties that “participate in and continue to pursue in good faith the goals and objectives of the Strategic Doing Initiative.”
The Trustees hope the opportunity for additional funds will allow counties to think beyond the immediate. It is the expectation of the Trustees that the first facilitated meetings are only the start of the work that can, and hopefully will, happen in our counties. The community meetings are designed to get things started, the strategic part if you will. The doing part will happen both now and into the future!
To help continue the work, the Foundation has extended the contract with Betty Johnson & Associates to include additional community meetings, support on specific projects working through the process, and training to create additional support people for future projects.
About Betty Johnson & Associates
Betty Johnson, CFRE, president of Betty Johnson & Associates, has worked with various types and sizes of nonprofits throughout her career doing fund raising, capital campaigns, marketing and communications, staff and volunteer management. Collaboration and teamwork have always been key to the success her teams have enjoyed.
Her work as a consultant has included various types of nonprofits including social service agencies, community development, agricultural organizations, hospitals, churches, community foundations, schools, and art organizations that have local, regional, state, and national constituencies. She has traveled the country working with donors, corporations, and foundations to create partnerships and funding to enhance nonprofit organizations. Her style and personality allows her to relate to people of various backgrounds and experience.
She is a northwest Kansas native, and a graduate of Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS, with a degree in Speech with minors in theatre and journalism and is currently on the FHSU Alumni Association board and executive committee, a TOPS Facilitator, and certified in Strategic Doing. She has raised millions of dollars for the nonprofit sector and trained thousands of nonprofit staff members, board members, and volunteers.
