Feeding America is the largest domestic hunger organization, made up of a network of 200 food banks. Together, they feed more than 46 million people through food pantries and local food programs, and also advocate for programs that help families in need of meals and food assistance programs. With unemployment on the rise as a result of the pandemic, food bankers, volunteers and partner agencies have been on the front lines ensuring all communities have the food they need during this difficult time. Despite these challenges, the Feeding America network has remained resilient, providing over 1.3B meals since March 1 for families enduring the measureless hunger crisis in America.
Feeding America initially elected to partner with Baltimore-based agency, R2integrated to achieve and enhance their main business goal of maximizing brand reach in order to drive donations and increase revenue for the organization in order to satisfy their holistic mission of not only reaching but also helping families in need.
Throughout year one of the partnership, R2i helped increase the organization’s paid search revenue by ~15% YoY. In Year 2, COVID-19 struck the country, triggering a vast surge in those needing food, many for the first time. Feeding America and the network quickly became the epicenter for disaster relief and sought-out organization for people to offer donations and food, inherently appropriating a prominent face for the non-profit industry.
The sudden increased needs of families nationwide drove increased visibility for Feeding America, coincidingly driving significantly higher search volume and the need to react quickly. In tandem with and working under a tight and accelerated timeline, R2i conducted a comprehensive paid search assessment and executed a strategy for maximizing momentum.
With the heightened awareness, R2i optimized paid search spend allocations and results skyrocketed, occasioning massive spikes throughout the month of March alone:
– 500% increase in branded search volume
– 1,000% increase in donation volume (number of gifts as a result of paid search traffic)
Increased visibility and seamless experiences not only enabled donors to more easily search for and find Feeding America’s site from Google and other top search engines, but it also led to notable increases, achieving ~600% growth in paid search revenue compared to the previous year.
While COVID-19 represents only a small portion of the two-year partnered timeline, the rapid growth shines a spotlight on not only the leadership role Feeding America has adopted in the country’s relief efforts but also the essential need for maintaining search presence for keeping pace with new, increased demand for meals and food assistance across the country.
R2i approaches every business challenge or opportunity data-first. By understanding Feeding America’s brand pillars, voice and overarching vision, we could pivot existing approaches to ensure that not only was the relevant and right message presented amidst the pandemic but that all connected elements architected one cohesive, available resource, reaching those most in need. The supporting case study outlines our work and the true impact of our partnership.
