Case Study

Client:

Heartland Cancer Foundation

Project:

Marketing Partnership

Background

The Heartland Cancer Foundation (HCF) believes no cancer patient should fall behind on treatment because they can’t afford everyday essentials. Their mission is to provide practical, immediate financial assistance to eligible cancer patients in our community, helping remove barriers to care so patients can focus on what matters most: healing.

In the summer of 2020, Say Hey There began a marketing partnership with HCF. HCF needed more than one-off deliverables; they needed an embedded creative partner to help clarify messaging, build consistent visibility, and promote programs and fundraising efforts year-round. That ongoing, capacity-aware support is exactly what our partnership model was built for.

Brand Clarity

Before any creative work begins, we focus on building clarity. Our process starts with a deep-dive brand discovery, guided by a thoughtful questionnaire and conversations that help us truly understand who an organization is, not just what they do. Together, we explore mission, vision, values, challenges, value proposition, audience, existing materials, voice, standards, and needs.

This foundational work shapes everything that follows. With a clear understanding of HCF’s goals and priorities, we refined their brand messaging, developed concise brand bites and an elevator speech, and aligned their voice across platforms. From there, we created a long-term marketing strategy, established milestones and key dates within our planning program, and developed an annual budget to support sustainable, intentional growth.

“Our Story” Video

To bring HCF’s refined messaging to life, we co-produced an “Our Story” video to communicate the heart of the organization’s mission. Designed as a cornerstone brand asset, the video is regularly featured at HCF’s signature gala, where it helps ground the evening in purpose and connect supporters directly to the foundation’s work.

From the interviews captured for this piece, we also created shorter, standalone stories that could be shared across social media, email, donor meetings, and other touchpoints—extending the storytelling beyond a single asset and giving HCF a growing library of authentic, human-centered content to draw from over time.

Because this work is part of an ongoing partnership, the video continues to evolve. We regularly update the piece to incorporate new interviews and patient stories, ensuring the content stays fresh, relevant, and reflective of the people and impact at the heart of the foundation’s work. Beyond storytelling, the video serves as a flexible tool for both brand awareness and fundraising, helping HCF connect emotionally with supporters.

Workflow & Collaboration Tools

To support seamless collaboration, we use Google Workspace across our client partnerships. As a Google Workspace partner, we helped Heartland Cancer Foundation adopt Google Workspace as a shared platform for communication and collaboration.

By aligning on shared systems, we were able to work more efficiently together and create smoother workflows—making it easier to plan, create, review, and manage marketing efforts on an ongoing basis.

Social Media

As part of our ongoing partnership, we conducted a comprehensive audit of Heartland Cancer Foundation’s existing social media presence and developed a clear, sustainable content strategy rooted in brand consistency and audience connection. This included establishing an approvals workflow, creating on-brand social media templates, and refining how each platform was positioned and used.

We enhanced HCF’s social channels by updating imagery and descriptions, ensuring website integrations were complete, strategically pinning key campaigns, and thoughtfully utilizing platform features such as stories, video, and targeted advertising. These improvements helped strengthen visibility, clarity, and engagement across channels.

Since we began working together, HCF’s social media audience has seen measurable growth:

Facebook: +79.7%
Instagram: +170.7%
LinkedIn: grown to 396 followers from no prior presence

We also lead the strategy and execution for key events digital campaigns tied to major fundraising moments, including Give to Lincoln Day and Giving Tuesday.

Email Marketing

We refreshed HCF’s email marketing efforts by upgrading their Mailchimp account, designing on-brand email templates, and refining audience targeting. Each month, we develop a thoughtful editorial calendar that promotes HCF’s fundraisers, initiatives, and ongoing impact—ensuring consistent cross-promotion between social and email.

Event Marketing

Event marketing is a cornerstone of our partnership with Heartland Cancer Foundation. Each year, we support a full calendar of events, big and small—including the HCF Impact Gala, Oncology Symposium, Heartland Golf Classic, Give to Lincoln Day, and other initiatives like the end-of-year appeal—ensuring every fundraiser feels intentional and on-brand.

Rather than treating each fundraiser as a standalone effort, we approach event marketing holistically. We help shape the narrative around each event, align messaging with HCF’s broader mission, and determine the right mix of channels to reach supporters effectively. This includes developing appeals and sponsorship messaging, assisting with event descriptions and creative assets, and guiding how each event shows up across digital, print, and experiential touchpoints.

Our support spans the full lifecycle of an event—from early promotion to post-event storytelling—and often includes scriptwriting, slide deck design, photography shot lists, and the creative direction of print materials such as invitations and save-the-dates. Throughout it all, we ensure brand cohesion between individual event identities and HCF’s overarching brand, helping each fundraiser feel both distinct and unmistakably part of the Heartland Cancer Foundation story.

Donor Engagement Packets

When Heartland Cancer Foundation identified the need for professional, leave-behind materials for donor and sponsor conversations, we helped develop marketing packets that clearly communicate both the what and the why behind their work.

We led content development and co-designed the materials to ensure they reflected HCF’s mission while sharing a clear and compelling story. The packets highlight the foundation’s programs, impact, events, and opportunities for involvement—giving HCF a cohesive, on-brand tool they can confidently share in meetings, presentations, and community outreach.

Promotional Items

To support visibility and brand pride, we also help Heartland Cancer Foundation develop thoughtful merch and promotional items that extend their message beyond events and campaigns. This includes items like volunteer t-shirts and reusable shopping totes featuring an original “Stronger Together” Nebraska graphic—designed to reflect HCF’s mission and foster a sense of community among supporters.

Ongoing Partnership Model

Today, Say Hey There continues to serve as Heartland Cancer Foundation’s marketing partner. We collaborate closely on brand strategy, manage and steward HCF’s marketing budget, plan and execute integrated campaigns, support the promotion of fundraisers and events throughout the year, and create content. Our role functions as an extension of HCF’s team, providing both strategic guidance and hands-on execution to ensure consistent, thoughtful, and impactful marketing across all channels.