Case Study
How Jasper County Built a Digital Town Square
A rural Iowa county's journey to unified community engagement across 735 square miles, connecting residents with events, resources, and each other.
A rural Iowa county's journey to unified community engagement across 735 square miles, connecting residents with events, resources, and each other.
Jasper County is geographically large and deeply community-driven. Events happen everywhere, from Newton, the largest town, to smaller rural communities. But information was fragmented. Residents had to search across Facebook pages, individual nonprofit websites, library announcements, church bulletins, and government notices. Many residents were simply missing events or resources. County leadership wanted to go beyond standard transparency and be proactive in creating connections.
Event information was scattered across Facebook pages, nonprofit websites, library announcements, church bulletins, and government notices. Residents had no single place to look.
Spread across multiple small towns and 735 square miles, casual community connections were difficult. The decline of traditional media further reduced information channels.
Residents relied on social media algorithms to discover events, meaning many people missed important community activities and services.
Critical programs like food assistance, addiction recovery meetings, and rental support were difficult to discover through traditional channels.
“Jasper County is more than the Board of Supervisors… it’s more than driver’s licenses and property taxes. It’s about bringing together resources for people of all ages and all needs.”
JCJenn CrossCommunications Specialist, Jasper County
Using With, Jasper County created a centralized community calendar embedded directly on their website. A single trusted destination residents can bookmark and return to.
County government events, nonprofit programs, library activities, support groups, food assistance, and youth events appear side-by-side, reducing stigma around accessing help.
Partners submit their own events, nonprofits share updates, county departments contribute activities. The calendar naturally grows through community participation.
Built to work on older phones, tablets, and shared devices. Fast, simple, and accessible for residents even during stressful situations.
“You have to think about how people are accessing this — are they using a tablet, an iPad, an Android, something older? The number one thing is it has to be optimized for all devices.”
JCJenn CrossCommunications Specialist, Jasper County
Residents now have one place to find everything happening in their community, replacing fragmented social media and scattered websites.
Organizations naturally began coordinating. Libraries plan around school schedules. Towns avoid overlapping festivals. Groups share resources and ideas.
Food assistance, addiction recovery meetings, rental support, resume workshops, and childcare resources now appear alongside everyday community events.
The county now drives people to a single trusted destination, eliminating reliance on unpredictable social media algorithms.
Maintained by a part-time coordinator who simply approves and organizes community submissions. The calendar grows through participation.
Leaders and organizations now host more events because promotion is easy. Veterans coffees, special office hours, and new programs thrive with central visibility.
“They’re able to share resources because they know this person is having this event… they can figure out what works and what doesn’t.”
JCJenn CrossCommunications Specialist, Jasper County
Jasper County demonstrates that building stronger communities doesn't always require complex technology or large budgets. By creating a centralized calendar, Jasper County transformed its website into a digital gathering space, connecting residents with events, resources, and each other. And in rural communities where distance can make connection harder, that simple change can make all the difference.
See how BeWith can help your county centralize events and connect residents.