The Central Okanagan Food Bank does roughly $5 million a year in donations—not a small operation—and they are searching for creative ways to stretch their dollars while increasing impact. They’ve noticed a few processes that are holding them back: coordinating campaigns and messaging, having an efficient way to provide tax receipting, and compiling donor intake information.
“trellis is fundamentally changing how we operate our business.”
Fraser Campbell, Board Member, Central Okanagan Food Bank
The Food Bank doesn’t always know how an organization’s food drive was communicated or coordinated, and they have no input into that campaign’s messaging. They don’t know if the people who organized the drive represented the Food Bank well, or how they got the donations, other than through brief conversations Food Bank staff may have had with the people dropping off the donations.
If someone representing this organization wants a tax receipt, that is now an extra job for a Food Bank staff member to coordinate efficiently.
If a process or system could be put in place to manage these details, this could fundamentally shift the Food Bank’s operating costs, effectiveness and efficiency.
enter trellis.
The Food Bank’s director created a trellis account, and within minutes she had videos, photos, and branding up and running; a volunteer was able to take over the campaign from there.
increased impact
The Food Bank had a transparent way of seeing who was buying tickets, while giving donors a branded page to purchase tickets from. With simplicity and ease, the Food Bank was able to acquire information regarding the new donors, and along with this data, they created a new-found interest in volunteer support from some of the Okanagan’s most esteemed chefs.
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new donor information and ticket purchasing was captured in one easy-to-understand place.
Along with these benefits, the Food Bank had the ability to follow up with donors, and send out customized tax receipting—all done through automated processes within the trellis platform, so no manual work needed. Yahoo!
increased engagement
Best of all, the majority of the event was coordinated by a champion, freeing up a whole lot of time and resources for the director and her staff at The Central Okanagan Food Bank. Simplifying fundraising events, expanding impact for good: this is the trellis effect.
what could have been a loss of opportunity has now become a major gain for the Central Okanagan Food Bank.
As the champion fundraising, Cody Pollard was keen to set up a multi-course dinner that would rival the likes of Michelin-Star restaurants. After sharing his idea and receiving approval from the Central Okanagan Food Bank, he contacted his friends who were chefs, and they jumped at the chance to support the Food Bank in an engaging new way.
9 chefs came together to create 9 courses for a one-of-a-kind dining experience in the new warehouse of the Central Okanagan Food Bank. Chefs created a multi-course plated tasting menu using only ingredients the food bank had at that current time in the warehouse.
increased savings
Cody and the Central Okanagan Food Bank’s team wanted to save as much money on event fees as they could. By using the trellis platform, they saved 4% on fees compared with the leading competitor. These savings translating into an extra $740.00 that are able to go back into the community, creating more impact for people living in the Okanagan.
$740.00 in fee savings turns into $3,700.00 in food for the Central Okanagan Food Bank.
In launching this gala event, the organizers’ main goal was to showcase the Food Bank in new and original ways. By participating in unique experiences like this gala, donors feel valued in the midst of giving generous donations, and can tangibly see the work and support the Food Bank is providing in the community. For next year’s gala, donors have already been inquiring about purchasing tickets.
trellis is here to help you up your fundraising game! Book a demo today.
