St. Mary’s Food Bank serves to alleviate hunger through the gathering and distribution of food while encouraging self-sufficiency, collaboration, advocacy and education. Today, St. Mary’s Food Bank is one of the largest food banks in the United States.
Our Thanksgiving appeal resulted in:
34
days to break-even point
1,825
new and reactivated donors
$93,018
raised through breakeven date
34
days to break-even point
1,825
new and reactivated donors
$93,018
raised through breakeven date
“We are so appreciative of our partnership with RKD Group. Their strategic efforts toward acquisition have brought a much-needed influx of new donors. They even proved that acquisition can be net-positive!”
Lisa Notaro, Chief Development and Communications Officer, St. Mary’s Food Bank
THE CHALLENGE
Acquisition is an uphill climb
Like many other nonprofit organizations prior to the pandemic, St. Mary’s Food Bank was seeing acquisition get harder each year. Once COVID-19 hit the U.S., the food bank saw a record-breaking influx of donors who were looking for ways to support their community. Because they acquired so many donors in the spring, they were concerned that the fall would be another soft season for acquisition.
THE SOLUTION
Optimizing their Thanksgiving appeal
RKD recommended that the food bank continue to lean in on their acquisition efforts in the fall. We worked together to update their annual Thanksgiving appeal, adding pandemic language into the intro that explained the increased need this holiday season due to COVID-19. The P.S. was shifted to highlight their offer: $1 = 7 meals. To supplement this, St. Mary’s also ramped up their paid media efforts to build brand awareness throughout the community.
breakthrough
Breaking even in record time
The appeal was an instant success, breaking even 34 days after the first gift, which is unheard of for acquisition. Within six weeks of sending the appeal, new and reactivated donor counts reached 1,825. The appeal raised $93,018 and counting through the breakeven date.
