Client Story: Feeding South Dakota
Ensuring that all people have access to basic necessities—like nourishment and shelter—is something very important to all of us at Numad. What an honor it was when we met the good people of Feeding South Dakota following a presentation we gave on donor engagement in the Black Hills region in 2012, a meeting that turned the possibility of a collaboration into a reality that is now feeding thousands more across the state.
When their doors opened in the mid-1970’s, the then Sioux Falls Ministerial Association’s objective was to have a “centralized place where those in need of food would go to receive groceries.” Since then, Feeding South Dakota has grown into a statewide organization with the mission of eliminating hunger in South Dakota. To work towards this mission Feeding South Dakota turned to Numad to:
Raise $6 million to expand current facilities.
Develop campaign theme and branding concepts to raise awareness of Feeding South Dakota’s efforts and the needs of the community.
Strategy development, word crafting, and editing support for major grant applications.
Build out talking points for campaign related events and key prospect visits.
Research profile development and cultivation/stewardship strategy for individual, business, and foundation donor prospects.
Through regular weekly meetings and collaboration efforts Numad worked with Feeding South Dakota to make this campaign a reality.
Creation of a case booklet and supplemental marketing materials for donor visits, and the development of creative ways of communicating the message of Feeding South Dakota were all part of Numad’s work in messaging Feeding South Dakota’s campaign efforts, giving the development team tools they could use throughout the donor cultivation process. Regular stories about Feeding South Dakota's impact in the state were strategically placed in the media prior to announcing, and during, the campaign.
Additional behind the scenes work included identifying individual and organizational donor prospects through internal conversations and supporting conversations with community leaders. Role playing, prospect prioritization, extensive research profiles on well over 350 donor prospects, development of talking points, recommended donation ask amounts, and stewardship strategies were all part of a thorough process in which Numad supported the raising of campaign funds.
The completion of this 3-year campaign ended well ahead of schedule, finishing in two and a half years and with the final amount raised greatly exceeding the goal and positioned Feeding South Dakota with longer-term partnerships with individual donors. This effort brought together individual communities and an entire state around a single cause, eliminating hunger in South Dakota.