"We’ve been completely listening to the fans. We will hold our hands up and say we’ve been a bit too passive in the past, perhaps a bit too complacent. We’ve taken the message on board."

The Foundation of Hearts is beginning to take strides forward as it finds its way in what feels like a new era for the organisation. Having played a vital part in acting as the vehicle to save Heart of Midlothian Football Club when it was on the brink of catastrophe and then becoming owners in 2021, the question for a while has been 'what's next?'

Foundation chairman Gerry Mallon has been honest in his assessment of what felt like a period of stasis for the group, ticking along in the background, and not making too much noise. In the eyes of some fans, it was silence.

That is beginning to change.

For Foundation members there has been an increase in communication and a desire to reach out and engage with fans in numerous different ways.

READ MORE: What next for Foundation of Hearts: Pledge target, board changes, fan opinion

Pledgers will have had a more regular stream of emails from Mallon and the Foundation land in their inboxes of late. As well as being active on social media, there is a dedicated WhatsApp channel for supporters to learn of updates as they happen. A new survey has been sent out asking for feedback on communication. The Foundation was part of the Maroon Mile announcement this week, while earlier this year they hosted a 90 Minutes with the Coaches presentation which was both popular and successful with a desire for similar events going forward.

In addition, there has been the launch of a new website. It is hoped it will be a better representation of the FOH, allow for current and prospective pledgers to better connect with the organisation and help with future projects.

"We’ve been doing a lot of listening to Foundation members over the course of the last few months and there are a few things that have come out of that," Mallon told Hearts Standard. "First of all, we struggled to get over the message that the Foundation isn’t actively involved in day-to-day football club affairs. I can appreciate when people are owners of the club and members of the Foundation feel like they want to make an impact but our message is very much about we’ve got a professional club board to do the football decisions and we are all about making sure we maximise the resources that they have.

"Some of the messages we got were our message wasn’t clear enough about what the Foundation is all about and that we don’t appeal to enough people. We need to continue to invest in broadening the appeal of the Foundation and talking to as many people as we can."

Key to that has been a "phenomenal bunch of people" on the Foundation's marketing team. Both in terms of ideas and professional skills, those volunteers will, Mallon believes, "make that message as impactful as possible and as clear as possible".

One project currently in the pipeline is the Trusted Voices initiative whereby the Foundation aims to bring together current players, coaches, ex-players and personalities associated with the club to act as ambassadors to elevate FOH's profile and enhance engagement.

"It's finding new ways to keep the momentum going, let people know we are still a thing," Claire Hammond, a FOH volunteer and part of the marketing team, told Hearts Standard. "I think some of the fans think we saved the club, that was that and they don’t have to think about it. It’s still ongoing. A lot of the members are my age and above. We need younger people coming forward, we need a wider demographic, women, younger people, minorities. To make it more inclusive and representative.

READ MORE: Tynecastle Park Hotel: Hearts income boost, Romanov, Donald Ford, Taylor Swift

"I guess the next best thing we’ve got is probably things like former players, legends, popular people who are tied to Hearts. The plan is to gather together a community of trusted voices, ideally they will be supporters of the Foundation.

"It’s finding other ways to let people know we are here. The aim of the board of the foundation is that every Hearts fan should or could be a member, funds permitting of course. We should be able to attract as many as we can."

Mallon added: "The marketing group has got great ideas about how we structure and tailor all those messages and one of the critical things under the Trusted Voices is finding people who can help amplify that message and put it across really clearly because it is all very well me or Garry Halliday speaking about it but there are people whose voices cut through to supporters in a much more impactful way and we know they are people who are held in huge respect and they are people who are committed to the Foundation and get it."

The group has already had buy-in from the likes of Gary Mackay, Gary Locke and Paulo Sergio. And rather than a one-off event, the Foundation wants to utilise this community on an ongoing basis with different avenues and events to get the organisation's message out there.

A key avenue for growth with ambitious plans to significantly increase the number of owners is engaging with the younger generations of fans. 

"Maybe they were too young at the time when the club was at death’s door," Mallon said. "We need to remind them of the importance of what the Foundation means to the future of the club and the present. The fact that those donations people give, allows them to be an owner of the club and make a real difference in terms of the product on the pitch."

READ MORE: The beating heart of Gorgie: How Big Hearts is changing lives in the community

Hammond noted the impact involving the first team could have in increasing the profile of the FOH in the eyes of young supporters, while the Gorgie Ultras are another important partnership.

The fan group has gained plenty of admiration from all around Tynecastle Park especially younger fans who can be seen kitted out in Gorgie Ultras merch on matchdays or even donating money for displays. The group has attended a FOH plot ceremony and has been front and centre helping Big Hearts whether it is collecting Christmas presents for children or donations for foodbanks.

Mallon, who was a keen advocate in the club buying into the Ultras and getting their own section, is well aware of the impact they can have.

"The Ultras have established themselves as a really important part of the culture and DNA of the club in the same way the Foundation is," he said. "The more that we can work together to support each other, the better it is for the club overall."

In this new era of the Foundation, perceived passivity is being disregarded for increased productivity.

The new Foundation of Hearts website can be found HERE and the survey which is to be completed by March 15 HERE.

Due to the migration to a new system, it has required the transferring of Direct Debits. The FOH tweeted this week: "Following a number of further checks, we will take pledges due from 8th February to 5th March this week. Pledges taken later in the month should be taken as normal. Thank you for your patience and continued support."

Any members that need assistance should email: pledgeverify@foundationofhearts.org