The following organizations who serve Hancock County, Ind., are welcomed to submit events to Hello Hancock:

• City and Towns
• Main Street Organizations
• Chambers
• Nonprofits
• Service Groups
• Churches
• Schools

Appropriate Content:

• Must take place within Hancock County, Ind.
  • Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Primary consideration for an exception will be if the event mainly benefits Hancock Co. residents and/or organizations.
• Family friendly
• Charitable events and fundraisers
• Festivals and fairs
• Social Gatherings
• Cultural opportunities like art shows
• Church VBS and community dinners
• Specific school events
  • Plays
  • Choir/Band
  • Proms
  • School Breaks
• Specific government hosted public gatherings like festivals and concerts

Inappropriate Content:

• On-going series or daily activities
• School sporting events with exception of state tournaments
• Government meetings
• Commercial promotion
• Individual interests
• Political campaigns

Check the Hello Hancock calendar before scheduling your nonprofit’s events so you can make informed decisions with the least amount of conflict with other organizations as possible. 

To add an event to the calendar: Email Events@HelloHancock.com with the details in whatever format works best for you—Facebook event links, newsletters, flyers, newspaper articles, or even a quick note. 

Opt-in event uploads: You can opt in to let the Community Foundation upload events we learn about from public domains directly to the calendar on your behalf. To opt in, email Events@HelloHancock.com.

Hello Hancock began as a grassroots effort in 2007 to give nonprofits a scheduling tool that would help prevent event conflicts. Many community partners have dedicated countless hours over the years to make Hello Hancock a valuable resource for Hancock County.

Nancy King had a dream of a calendar that would act as an effective scheduling tool for community events. The long-time community servant was known for her deep love of Hancock County and her involvement in many good causes. She had experienced first-hand the frustration when multiple events were scheduled on the same date and time. Out of that frustration, a conversation started with Greg Cross of Cross Creative Marketing. Would he be willing to help her address the scheduling situation through the development of a software program? The answer was yes, and HelloHancock.com was born.

While the calendar was initially embraced as both a planning tool and an information base, it struggled maintaining meaningful content. Over time, use of Hello Hancock dwindled. In 2016, Greenfield Sertoma Club felt they could serve the community by raising Hello Hancock from the ashes. They volunteered to cover related costs, and David Berard, Sertoma member, volunteered his time to monitor calendar content. Despite good intentions, the outdated software proved challenging, and among other issues, was not mobile friendly.

The Community Foundation of Hancock County realized the potential benefit to strengthen the effectiveness of nonprofit work though a more updated, robust scheduling tool. The Community Foundation convened those with existing calendars: Greenfield Sertoma, Hancock Health, and Hancock County Tourism.

In early 2018, the circle widened and the conversations deepened with Hancock County municipal leadership, the City of Greenfield, Main Street organizations, chambers of commerce, the Ministerial Association, and Hancock County Public Library. Representatives of these organizations became the Steering Committee of the effort. They determined platform parameters, desired content, and targeted events planners/stakeholders. The new website launched in 2018.

COVID-19 caused many nonprofits to lose a significant number of volunteers. The Community Foundation researched online platforms to connect individuals interested in volunteering with nonprofits in need of volunteers. Today, Hello Hancock is embedded in the Community Foundation’s website. The calendar is powered by Google, and Community Foundation staff bear the responsibility of keeping the calendar up to date. Volunteerism is promoted through an annual Volunteer Fair and an online nonprofit directory.

Are you interested in volunteering with a local nonprofit organization? View the Nonprofit Directory to learn about charitable organizations serving Hancock County and how you can work with them to give back.