Growing a donor program by 700%: a community foundation success
About this member
- Helps build a vibrant "hometown" community where people can be proud to live, work and play.
- Member since January 2020
- 1,745+ donors as of March 2026
- $165,000+ raised with Give Lively as of March 2026
Products they use:
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The Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation exists to strengthen its community from the inside out. Its mission is to empower nonprofits, foster community involvement and provide educational opportunities through collaboration and giving. As a community foundation, it supports all nonprofits in the region, which makes its work both expansive and deeply personal.
Like many nonprofits doing vital local work, however, the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation operates with a lean team. Executive Director Natalie Hagglund wears a lot of hats: director of development, bookkeeper, website administrator, fundraiser. When you're a small shop, knowing what to do isn't always the hard part. The real challenge is finding the time, tools and guidance to do it well.
Finding a partner, not just a platform
In 2025, after almost five years using the Give Lively platform, Natalie discovered Give Lively Grow, Give Lively's capacity-building program designed to help nonprofit professionals make the most of their fundraising tools as part of a comprehensive, year-round strategy.
Natalie had a clear vision of what she wanted: create a strong recurring giving program and expand the foundation's donor base and engagement. She just needed support to get started.
That support came from Amy Truong, Give Lively's Member Success & Growth Lead. Through Give Lively Grow, Amy works one-on-one with nonprofit professionals like Natalie, leading strategy sessions, reviewing campaigns and hosting free regular webinars on topics ranging from donor retention to shifting from a high-volume fundraising mindset to a high-trust model.
Together, Amy and Natalie formulated a custom fundraising plan of action centered around the foundation's unique goals and community.
"[With Give Lively] you are not just given a set of tools and left alone; instead, you get a team and a community that genuinely wants your nonprofit to grow sustainably and succeed," says Natalie Hagglund.
A multi-pronged strategy that delivered real results
With Amy's guidance, Natalie learned how to build layered, interconnected campaigns rather than one-off appeals. The strategy they brainstormed together included acquiring new monthly donors, merging marketing for the foundation’s GivingTuesday campaign with the larger community campaign they facilitate,and then carrying that momentum directly into an end-of-year campaign rather than letting it fizzle out after a single day of giving.
They also established a complete communications approach: an email calendar, a complementary social media plan and an overarching campaign theme, plus images and captions to bring it all to life. Natalie’s vision had come to fruition as a cohesive donor experience that felt intentional and engaging from start to finish!
The numbers speak for themselves: the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation's monthly donor program expanded by 700%.
Why guidance matters for grassroots nonprofits
For Amy Truong, the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation story is a reminder of why the Give Lively Grow program exists in the first place:
"One of the most gratifying things about working with nonprofit organizations in the Grow program is how big a difference a little guidance and support can make for many smaller nonprofits," she shares. "Many organizations doing vital work on the ground don't have the advantages of big budgets and connections, so getting proven strategies into the hands of passionate grassroots organizers can have a massive impact."
For community foundations like the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation – where the work is local, the team is small and the mission is big – that kind of support can be the difference between surviving and truly thriving.
