Starting strong: HeartSupport exceeds 80% of organizational goals for the first quarter of 2025
As an organization, HeartSupport set some big goals to kick off a big year. As we look back on the first quarter of 2025, we’re excited to have met 80.33% of our objectives!
These continued strides forward are only possible because of the donations, volunteer hours, and heartfelt passion offered by so many of you. Thank you for continuing to heal the scene.
Here’s an update from the worlds of each HeartSupport department!
Support Calls are back!
As we’d hoped, we’ve been able to bring support calls back online to serve members of our community in a really in-depth way. These support calls pair trained volunteers with someone needing a little extra support.
In just the first week of re-opening the program’s doors, we saw:
31 Supporters applied
4 onboarded
27 begin training
13 Peers applied
10 onboarded
3 begin training
And best of all: 5 matches have been made!
As our programs grow, our staff has needed to grow too. We hired Reece Maopolski as our first-ever Program Assistant; you can get to know him a little better in this blog.
The Better Business Bureau Application submitted
This piece of paperwork has been a long time coming. The executive team worked on ensuring all documentation was in a place of excellence and order so that they could submit an application for BBB accreditation, a status which will “give consumers confidence that they're dealing with an ethical and vetted business.”
As the board continues to grow with the addition of Bryan Fevold and Matt Cavanaugh, HeartSupport also established and formally chartered three committees:
Governance
Internal Affairs
External Affairs
This is just another step towards the nonprofit operating at the highest level of excellence.
Preparing for festival season
One of our most important — and most ambitious — goals for 2025 is to be on-site at 12 major festivals. So far, we’ve managed to accomplish 57% of the approval process for being able to deploy at these festivals. We have also raised 75% of the necessary funding, which is a significant milestone! We are still looking for donors or sponsors to cover that final 25%; if you’re interested, reach out to us and find out how.
Meanwhile, new ways of being on-the-ground at tour dates are already underway. We piloted a brand-new inflatable support wall at Imminence’s show in Houston. We also tested a new method of pre-show outreach to enhance fans’ support experience. You’ll be hearing more about that in an upcoming blog!
The support wall at the Imminence concert in Houston, TX
As of the end of this quarter, our Band Training Program is 95% complete. As soon as the final nuts and bolts are in place, we’ll be selecting a few up-and-coming bands to test the program before we open it up to more artists with a shared vision to heal the scene.
Reaching out
A lot of planning has to go into preparing for the level of outreach that we’ll be doing at live events this year, and that planning is already 80% done. Our outreach crew has been mapping out the layout that will guide people through the physical experience at festivals. We’ve also been applying our hearts and minds to how to truly engage those who need it the most and how to connect with passionate future volunteers.
At the same time, we’re actively providing real-time support through our social media comment sections. For the first time, HeartSupport has invited input from a consultant who is helping us dream up ways to expand our social media reach even further. Just in this first quarter, we initiated 946 mental health conversations!
The technological backbone
Our tech department has continued to be the backbone holding up all of our operations. Reopening Support Calls required some tech support, and the tech team is deeply involved in the interface for the Band Training Program as well. Looking ahead, they’re also preparing tech for festival engagement.
Data management is a constant need for a healthy nonprofit, so the tech department has also been working hard to centralize information through Apache Airflow. This top-of-the-line program is used by major corporations and will truly improve HeartSupport’s data health.
Again, all of this has only been possible because of the incredible community of committed individuals who want to see healing come to the metal scene. Thank you for being a part of it!
