The Challenge

First Tee – Greater Akron had strong programming and a passionate leadership team—but like many mission-driven organizations, their story lacked alignment across stakeholders.

There was not clarity on what were the “right” measures of success:

• -Number of kids served
• -Program reach and expansion
• -Individual success stories
• -Long-term impact on youth

Without a unified narrative, messaging risked becoming fragmented—making it harder to clearly communicate value to donors, partners, and the broader community.

The Opportunity

Before scaling visibility or marketing efforts, the organization needed to answer a more foundational question:

What does success truly look like—and how should it be communicated?

Through early discovery, it became clear that:

• -Stakeholders were aligned in mission, but not in emphasis

• -Quantitative metrics (e.g., number of participants) were dominating the narrative

• -The transformational impact on individual lives—arguably the most powerful differentiator—was under-leveraged

This revealed a critical opportunity:

• -Shift the narrative from volume to impact
• -Elevate depth of change over breadth of reach
• -Create a shared definition of success that stakeholders could rally around

Our Approach: Stakeholder-Led Discovery & Alignment

K Studies facilitated a structured process to bring leadership voices together and uncover what mattered most.

1. Stakeholder Input & Perspective Gathering

We engaged key stakeholders across the organization to understand:

• -How each defined success
• -What they believed differentiated First Tee
• -What they felt was missing or underrepresented in current messaging

This surfaced both common ground and points of divergence.

2. Identifying the Core Tension

Through synthesis, a clear tension emerged:

“Are we telling a story about how many kids we reach—or how deeply we change lives?”

While reach was important, stakeholders consistently expressed that the true value of First Tee was in:

• -Building confidence
• -Shaping character
• -Creating long-term life outcomes

Yet this wasn’t consistently reflected in how the organization showed up and prioritized initiatives.

3. Facilitating Alignment

K Studies guided leadership through this insight, helping translate diverse perspectives into a unified direction.

The result:

• -Shared agreement that impact—not just reach—should lead the narrative
• -Alignment on prioritizing individual transformation stories alongside supporting metrics
• -A clearer, more focused lens for future marketing, fundraising, and communication efforts

The Outcome

✔️ Board-level alignment on strategic focus
✔️ A unified definition of success centered on impact per individual served
✔️ Clear direction to evolve messaging from “how many” to “how meaningful”
✔️ Stronger foundation for storytelling, fundraising, and community engagement

Key Takeaway

The most effective strategies don’t start with execution—they start with alignment.

By bringing stakeholders together and uncovering what truly matters, K Studies helped First Tee – Greater Akron shift from a fragmented narrative to a shared, purpose-driven story rooted in real impact.

Why It Matters

When organizations align on what success looks like:

• -Messaging becomes more consistent

• -Stories become more compelling

• -Audiences connect more deeply

• -Growth becomes more intentional