About Heartland Technology

The Heartland Technology Here to Serve Fund was created to empower shareholders to influence the fund’s direction, ensuring their voices are heard. The fund will be dispersed amongst three non-profit organizations. This initiative won’t impact other donations made throughout the year. A $10,000 donation pool has been approved for the 2025 Here to Serve Fund. 

Heartland Technology has been providing telecommunications services to the town of Jesup, Iowa and surrounding areas since 1902.  We operate as a cooperative – meaning our customers are member-owners or otherwise referred to as shareholders.  We strive to provide the best customer experience, the highest-quality services in technology, and dedicated support to our community.

To qualify for the fund, organizations must be a registered 501c, must fall into one of three categories: Charitable, Youth Programs, and Education, and must benefit those whole live within our exchange. See exchange map here. Three non-profit organizations who apply and meet the qualifications will be chosen by the Here to Serve committee; a committee comprised of Heartland Technology employees and board members. 

Once the organizations are selected, they will be included on the annual board member voting ballot mailed to all shareholders in February or March. Each shareholder will have one written vote to choose the organization they believe should receive funding. Voting will conclude at the Annual Meeting, and the results will be announced one week afterward. This process ensures that all shareholders have a say in how the Here to Serve Fund is allocated. Non-profits will receive a percentage of the total funds based on the votes they receive. For example, if Organization A secures 53% of the votes, they will receive 53% of the total fund. This approach ensures that funding is distributed in proportion to shareholder support for each organization.

This fund is a new initiative at Heartland Technology. If the Board of Directors wish to continue the fund in 2026, organizations would only be able to receive funding every three years and would need to reapply every year if not selected. Each of the three select non-profit organizations will receive a minimum of $500.