< Back to Results Rebuilding growth through agility and audience-first strategy The Challenge MorningStar Mission had long invested in direct mail and digital fundraising to engage supporters, but organic social media had not yet been fully integrated into its broader marketing strategy. With a lean internal team focused on mid- and major-gift relationships and community leadership, maintaining consistent social media execution was challenging. The Mission saw an opportunity to: Increase awareness in the Joliet market Build a more engaged online community Strengthen alignment between organic social and direct-response efforts Lay the groundwork to inspire action during key fundraising seasons Our Role Media Advanced Analytics The Solution RKD began with a comprehensive social media audit, evaluating MorningStar’s Facebook and Instagram presence and benchmarking performance against peer rescue missions in the Greater Chicago area. The audit revealed two clear priorities: Grow the audience base Increase engagement and interaction From there, RKD and MorningStar aligned on defined KPIs and implemented: A consistent, strategic content calendar Clear content themes to balance storytelling and organizational updates Cross-channel alignment to ensure social media supported paid media, email and direct mail efforts Ongoing performance monitoring and optimization Execution began November 1, just ahead of the critical year-end season. The Results Within the first month, MorningStar saw immediate momentum across both platforms. 214% increase in Instagram content interactions 164% rise in Facebook content interactions 202% increase in Facebook followers month over month (MoM) 281% growth in Facebook followers year over year 500% rise in Instagram followers MoM 214% increase in Instagram content interactions MoM 875% growth in Instagram views and link clicks MoM 164% rise in Facebook content interactions MoM 164% increase in Facebook views and link clicks MoM Early performance insights also revealed platform-specific preferences. Guest success stories resonated strongly on Facebook, while organizational updates generated more interaction on Instagram. These findings allow us to more precisely optimize content moving forward. Organic social media is often treated as a supporting channel. For MorningStar, it became a measurable growth engine. By establishing consistency, clarity of purpose and cross-channel alignment, MorningStar strengthened its visibility in the community while building a more engaged audience, positioned to respond to future fundraising initiatives. “We are encouraged by initial results and are looking to continue this progress. We are hopeful that a stronger presence on social media will engage a younger audience and encourage a new generation of supporters.” —Peggy Sue Munday, Director of Development Click or drag to explore More Results View allView all Emergency response and fundraising for Los Angeles MissionRead more > Revitalizing donor engagementRead more > DCO delivers 3:1 return on investment for LCIFRead more > New website UX drives engagement, givingRead more >
