## Community Improvement

**Location:** Fond du Lac, WI  
**Organization size:** 3 employees

> “From the beginning, I had a great relationship with Ryan and everyone at Harness. It felt like Harness was there for us—they were super supportive. Two years later, we’re still here.”

### Amber Kilawee  
Executive Director of Fond du Lac Area United Way

### The Situation:

A limited donor base

> “If we were at an event and someone didn’t have any cash, we had no mechanism for that person to donate.”

_Fond du Lac County United Way_ needed a new strategy to handle individual giving. With no technology to support digital donations, they were missing out on key opportunities to raise funds by limiting their donor reach.

### The Challenge:

Getting board buy-in

> “Our board is really fiscally conservative, so we needed to get buy-in from the beginning.”

Working closely with Executive Director Amber Kilawee, Harness took the time to understand Fond du Lac County United Way’s intricate board dynamics. Together, they came up with a plan to leverage the board’s companies to sponsor _Fond du Lac County United Way’s_ Harness subscriptions. This unique arrangement successfully secured buy-in—and over time, the Harness platform began to pay for itself.

### The Solution:

Activate donor acquisition

> “Harness has been key to our success. I love seeing new donors come through in real time, which lets me connect with those donors immediately.”

Harness helped _Fond du Lac County United Way_ implement tools that allowed new donors to give seamlessly to specific impacts through a simple text. With a new, easy way to give, funds—and new donors—began rolling in.

### The Result:

A clear return on investment

**+221% Increase in donors**

> “Our return on investment is obvious—it’s right there on the Harness dashboard. I can just pull it up to show the board how all the costs break down per initiative.”

With a new strategy for individual giving and technology to support digital donations, _Fond du Lac County United Way_ was able to gain 177 new donors, improving their previous numbers by 221%. Even better? The staff and board enjoy collaborating with [#TeamHarness](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harness-technologies/) to proactively and enthusiastically suggest new ways to utilize Harness tools.

### Ready to transform your individual giving?

[Book a demo](https://www.goharness.com/demo/nonprofit)