I recently shared some examples of micro campaigns that we executed for several of our food bank clients, and I’m back again to share a few more if you’re looking to spice up your digital campaigns.
Below are three more food banks who are getting creative and seeing results. May these success stories act as inspiration for you to take a leap of faith for your fundraising.
1. Cross-country collaboration is a home run
Food Bank for New York City (FBNYC) partnered with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank for a fundraising showdown. Their joint Strike Out Hunger campaign centered on the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the athletes took to the field, the food banks challenged each other to a fundraising face-off. (RKD and North Texas Food Bank won an AVA Digital Award for a similar campaign during the 2023 World Series.)
To make this possible on their end, FBNYC first secured a $50,000 grant from the Yankees Foundation. Then, they launched the campaign in two days. How did they achieve such a tight turnaround? They ...
- Used AI tools to generate a logo
- Built the donation form with Classy’s user-friendly Studio
- Worked with Synergy and RKD Group to send a peer-to-peer (P2P) text message
- Managed their own email messaging
What was the result? With an average gift of more than $210, they collected 355 gifts and raised $75,000. This campaign played into the strength of partnership, timely response to cultural moments and tools that let food backs act faster.
Consider: Is there a big sports event in your community—Super Bowl, World Series, March Madness, etc.—that you can leverage to garner attention for your mission?
2. Quick disaster adaptation delivers needed revenue
On July 13 every year, the people of Houston celebrate 713 Day. Based on the local area code, 713 Day is an occasion to honor the city, its culture and its people.
Houston Food Bank (HFB) worked with RKD to change their July cultivation strategy into a multichannel, day-of-giving campaign for FY24. Powered by direct mail, paid media, email and website tactics, this day of giving featured a match for donors and customized creative highlighting 713 Day.
However, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Houston just five days before the campaign’s planned launch. Considering their devastated community, the HFB team decided to leverage and extend their campaign to provide disaster relief.
With a rapid response and remote support from the RKD team, HFB diverted its energy into providing immediate relief despite being impacted by the storm as well. RKD and Synergy sent P2P text messages, and HFB’s own team managed email communications for the match extension.
The adapted campaign brought in more than $300,000 during the month of July—well over the initial goal of $57,000. By pivoting in real time and having content ready to go, the HFB team was able to provide more for its community at a critical time of need.
Consider: What sort of natural disasters are common to your area? Are you prepared to adapt your fundraising quickly in the face of an emergency?
3. Online extension enhances food drive
North Texas Food Bank (NTFB)’s annual Peanut Butter Drive unites North Texas communities to collect peanut and other nut butters that are then distributed through NTFB Child Programs and the org’s feeding network.
In 2024, NTFB extended its reach with an online micro-campaign. RKD added an online fundraising element and shaped it into an opportunity for early giving with a match offer. This initiative was three days long and consisted of two emails, a resend, social media kit and specialized donation form.
The online extension was a huge success, and the campaign raised an additional 13% in revenue compared to 2023.
- Email efforts increased the YOY clickthrough rate by 40%.
- The month’s total email revenue grew by 68% with the addition of the micro-campaign.
- NTFB saw a 63% lift in gifts.
Consider: How can your food bank extend the reach of existing campaigns by adding a digital micro-campaign? Creativity can start small and grow.
These three examples show that digital micro-campaigns can pay off in big ways. Responding to cultural moments and building off what you already have can help your food bank raise more funds, bring in more gifts and increase your impact.
By experimenting and taking digital risks, you can reach more donors and change the narrative of what effective fundraising should be, so take to the internet and put the fun in fundraising!
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