How Social Media Helped Power Colchester Community Food Shelf’s Thanksgiving Drive.
Stephanie knew the ins and outs of the food bank network after her years of volunteering for Colchester Community Food Shelf. When it came to stocking the shelves for Thanksgiving amidst a government shutdown, Stephanie had to rely on her community to help fill in the gaps. “The need has grown considerably. Prior to COVID, we had maybe 100 families. After COVID, we’ve been growing about 20% every year.”
Ensure you’re getting what you need.
The problem that Stephanie faced was one that many food shelves were familiar with. “We get a lot of what we call miscellaneous. It's items that we don't stock on our shelves, but people have donated. Getting the items we stock and that we would spend money on, that's one of the biggest challenges.”
After hearing about GiftDrive from Ginger Morton, President of the Williston Community Food Shelf, Stephanie decided to test it out. “I realized that it was yet another tool in our toolbox to get donations.” She was able to decide exactly which items were listed on the drive page, making it easier to get what the food shelf truly needed.
Meet donors where they’re at.
Stephanie realized that the best way to reach her community would be through sharing the drive somewhere she knew it would be seen - online. She promoted the Thanksgiving drive on Colchester Community Food Shelf’s website, Facebook, and on Front Porch Forum. “I saw a direct correlation between when a Front Porch Forum post was posted and the spike in donations. I actually did an experiment, because that's who I am, and I put a post out there just to see the spike, and it was consistent. So it was people on their computer reading and going, heck, I'll follow that link and I'll make that donation. And it was so powerful.”
The drive was a hit, collecting 650+ items valued at over $4,000. “It came at the right time for us. I felt it was a huge success. So did a lot of people in our organization. They were just like, where's all this food coming from? And I'm like, GiftDrive! So you know, the timing couldn't have been better.”
And not only that, but Colchester Community Food Shelf’s donors embraced the platform. “I had three people write back to me and say, you know, this was so easy and so happy we could help.”
Lean on your community.
Stephanie attributed a large part of the drive’s success to the community members who supported the campaign early on, many of whom heard about it online. Thanks to them, Colchester Community Food Shelf was able to provide Thanksgiving supplies for over 230 families. “I think that's what attracts a lot of people to nonprofits, is that you never knew the level of generosity of your community till you're involved with an organization that draws from that community.”
Stephanie’s story is a great example of how simple online advertising can go a long way in getting the word out about a drive. By meeting donors where they were at, she was able to engage the technologically savvy generation and ensure a plentiful Thanksgiving for her neighbors in need.
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