one by one®: Museum of the West Texas Frontier
After a major rebranding in 2021, the Museum of the West Texas Frontier was on the hunt for ways to raise its profile and draw in visitors. The nonprofit museum in Stamford, Texas, provides education to all ages on the history of rural West Texas.
“We tell the five stages of settlement on the West Texas frontier using our town story as the example,” said Jewellee Kuenstler, director of the museum. “We used to just focus on local Stamford history. Now we focus on the Comanche, ranchers, farmers, railroads and towns that settled the frontier.” 
The museum’s target audience consists of approximately 200,000 people in about 10 counties. Its mission includes welcoming people into the museum free of charge and bringing education out into the community. The Museum of the West Texas Frontier offers services to 30 school districts where all the programming is free.
Nonprofit promotional items for out-of-town visitors
Thanks to a one by one grant, the museum will get a branding boost. Looking for creative nonprofit promotional items, the organization purchased branded fans and mini footballs to use at upcoming events this year. The promo fans will be distributed during the Texas Cowboy Reunion, a summer rodeo that brings more than 25,000 people to the area over the Fourth of July weekend. “In Texas, everybody uses fans,” said Kuenstler.
The footballs will be tossed into the stands at high school football games in the fall. “Our plan is to have cheerleaders throw these footballs out to the visiting side so they see the name of our museum and Google® it,” said Kuenstler.
A little help goes a long way
When the museum reopened with its revamped mission three years ago, it had just one part-time employee. It has grown to include one full-time and five part-time workers. Much of the operation is powered by grants; in the nonprofit world, every bit helps. Help from the one by one grant is a perfect example. “Advertising is so important. For a big company, it might not seem like a lot of money, but for a little business or a little nonprofit, it can really make a difference. To us it was a godsend,” said Kuenstler.
A note from Cheryl
We love to see nonprofit promotional items chosen with such creativity and intention. Hopefully the fans and footballs get the word out about this small-town West Texas jewel and help carry its story all across Texas. If you’re interested in a one by one grant, visit onebyone.4imprint.com.