Feeding Northeast Florida, the region’s largest food bank serving 12 counties across Northeast Florida, has raised $841,500 in online donations and welcomed 4,400 new donors through digital ad campaigns since partnering with Fable Heart Media in Fall 2023.
Before this partnership, the organization had never used digital advertising to support fundraising or volunteer recruitment. Together, we built and managed ongoing campaigns across Meta and Google that inspired generosity, expanded reach, and ultimately helped close the hunger gap in the communities they serve.
Our work has included everything from full-funnel awareness campaigns to targeted recurring donor efforts, always grounded in one goal: mobilizing more people to give in a way that feels personal, doable, and deeply connected to the mission.
Challenge
Before embracing digital advertising, Feeding Northeast Florida relied primarily on major donors to fund its work. While generous and vital, this group represented only a fraction of the broader community that cared about the issue of hunger.
Recurring donations were minimal. Most volunteers, email subscribers, and social media followers hadn’t been invited to give in a way that felt approachable or actionable. Despite having a strong mission and a growing audience, FNEFL didn’t yet have a scalable strategy to engage everyday supporters online.
The opportunity was clear: connect with more people more often and give them meaningful ways to make an impact.
Results
In just over a year of running digital ad campaigns, Feeding Northeast Florida has seen transformational growth in online giving and donor engagement:
These results reflect more than numbers. They show what’s possible when digital advertising is tied directly to mission impact.
Our Approach
Strategy & Planning
Our team partnered with Feeding Northeast Florida to develop a year-round digital advertising strategy focused on one goal: closing the hunger gap by compelling more people to give.
From the beginning, we worked closely with the internal marketing and philanthropy teams to understand donor behavior, seasonal giving patterns, and the organization’s most urgent needs. This collaboration helped shape a cross-platform approach that included both Meta and Google Ads, targeting people in different stages of awareness and engagement.
Rather than relying on high-dollar fundraising appeals, we leaned into low-barrier asks, especially recurring donations of just $10 per month. This simple commitment felt manageable for most supporters while still delivering a meaningful impact: 60 meals each month for someone in need.
Intentional audience targeting was also a focus. Starting with warm contacts like volunteers, email subscribers, and social media followers, we expanded our reach through lookalike audiences, which helped our team find new supporters with similar values and interests. As campaigns progressed, we adjusted based on performance, constantly optimizing for long-term results and donor retention.
Creative & Execution
The message was clear: local hunger is real, and you can help. But how we delivered that message made all the difference.
Emotionally compelling stories were key. We created various ad formats, including videos, carousels, and static graphics. Our team built every asset with a focus on clarity, local relevance, and real-world impact. One of the standout campaigns was “Feed Your Neighbors,” which asked a simple but powerful question: Would you feed your neighbor today? This campaign helped supporters understand the issue in a personal and immediate way.
Throughout the year, we updated creative to align with seasonal needs, local events, and organizational priorities. Whether it was holiday giving or emergency response, each campaign felt timely and mission-aligned.
By pairing thoughtful messaging with strategic placement and consistent testing, we helped make giving feel more accessible and personal while reinforcing the mission every step of the way.
Spotlight:
The Monthly Giving Campaign
One of our most successful efforts to date was our recurring giving campaign, which invited supporters to give just $10 per month—the equivalent of providing 60 meals. While the ask was simple, the strategy behind it marked a significant shift in how the organization approached donor engagement.
We identified a key opportunity that had previously gone unrecognized. There was a large, mission-aligned audience, former volunteers, email subscribers, and social media followers who deeply cared about hunger relief, but the food bank had never invited them to give in a way that felt accessible. Before our involvement, this group wasn’t a focus of FNEFL’s fundraising efforts.
Flipping The Script
Instead of focusing on major donors or high-dollar one-time gifts, we built a campaign around a low-barrier ask with high impact. For the donor, $10 a month felt manageable. For the organization, recurring donations at that level provided a steady stream of support and long-term sustainability.
The campaign launched on Meta and featured a compelling video of a team member explaining the scale of local hunger, enough to fill the Jaguars stadium four times over. That visual drove the message home: this is a local issue, and you can be part of the solution right now.
Key Campaign Outcomes
By reframing what it meant to give and inviting a previously overlooked audience to take part, this campaign didn’t just raise funds. It redefined how FNEFL connects with its broader base of supporters.
6X Increase in Monthly Giving Revenue in Six Months
6X Increase in Monthly Giving Revenue in Six Months
77% Year-Over-Year Increase in Online Donations
77% Year-Over-Year Increase in Online Donations
By reframing what it meant to give and inviting a previously overlooked audience to take part, this campaign didn’t just raise funds. It redefined how FNEFL connects with its broader base of supporters.
This work is ongoing. With new campaigns launching and fresh creative regularly tested, the partnership between Fable Heart Media and FNEFL continues to evolve. But the goal remains the same: serve more people, close the hunger gap, and invite the community to be part of the solution.
Ready To Scale Your Business?
Whether it's turning passive supporters into recurring donors or finding scalable ways to increase online revenue, we help our clients see opportunities where others see limits.
If you're ready to explore fresh ways to grow your impact and revenue through digital ads, we’d love to chat!
