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How the Food Bank for New York City Leverages Giving Tuesday: Tactics and Team Collaboration

How the Food Bank for New York City Leverages Giving Tuesday: Tactics and Team Collaboration

Chapter Leadership Brief 11.27.24

by Melanie Buhrmaster
VP, Philanthropy, Food Bank for New York City

For the Food Bank For New York City, Giving Tuesday is much more than a single day of fundraising. It serves as a signature matching challenge day within our 40 Million Meals Campaign, a comprehensive holiday initiative to address the urgent food insecurity impacting 1.3 million New Yorkers. This annual campaign brings together the full force of our Marketing and Communications (MarComms), Fundraising Operations (Direct Response), and Major Gifts teams to create a seamless and far-reaching campaign that inspires new and existing supporters to give, amplifying their impact.

More Than a Day: Amplifying the 40 Million Meals Campaign

While Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity, we use it as the springboard toward the highest volume of donations within our broader 40 Million Meals Campaign, which runs November-December. Rather than focusing only on a single day, our Giving Tuesday efforts begin the week before with a carefully timed promotion that encourages supporters to start their Giving Tuesday plans early. This approach allows us to build momentum and expand Giving Tuesday’s impact across the entire holiday season.

The 40 Million Meals Campaign is backed by a significant matching challenge—our goal is to secure $2 million in matching funds from generous donors and board members, a key tactic in inspiring giving across all levels. With this match in place, donors know that their contributions will go even further, motivating them to contribute and reinforcing the critical importance of their support.  Food Bank maximizes the $2 million matching pool by offering special multiplier days throughout the 40 Million Meals campaign, sometimes offering 1:1 opportunities, and on special days like Giving Tuesday, extending the match 2X, 3X, and even 4X to leverage gifts of all sizes.

Cross-Team Collaboration for Maximum Reach

Giving Tuesday at the Food Bank is a multi-faceted effort that requires collaboration across MarComms, Direct Response, and Major Gifts. Each team plays an essential role:

  • MarComms crafts engaging stories, visuals, and messaging for social media, text, and email campaigns.
  • Direct Response ensures targeted outreach, delivering personalized messages and updates that resonate with our broader donor base.
  • Major Gifts works one-on-one with high-net-worth individuals, crafting custom appeals and priming them with a special link so they can see firsthand the power of their matched gift.

The result is a cohesive, omni-channel approach that includes social media, email, text messaging, and personal calls. This way, we connect with donors through their preferred channels, making it easy for them to engage.

Leveraging Donor Matches to Inspire More Giving

An essential part of our Giving Tuesday strategy is using matching funds as a tool to inspire greater generosity. Many of our major donors and board members step up to create a matching pool, effectively becoming the challenge that drives increased giving from other donors. By sharing stories of what these matching gifts achieve—such as providing nutritious meals for New Yorkers in need—we create an emotional connection that resonates with our supporters.

Our data shows that matching challenges are particularly effective. In fact, we know which donors are most motivated by matched giving, so we begin reaching out to them with a personalized link before Giving Tuesday even arrives. And by securing additional matching dollars, we often extend our match an extra day, encouraging sustained giving and maintaining the momentum beyond Tuesday.

2023 Giving Tuesday Highlights: Record-Setting Results

Our strategic, collaborative approach has delivered incredible results last year:

  • Total Dollars Raised: $442,673—a 3.4% increase over last year.
  • Total Gifts: 2,211, reflecting a 50.6% increase over FY23.
  • “Cover the Fee” Participation: 67%, which helped offset transaction costs and maximize impact.
  • New Donors: 500, expanding our community of support.
  • Additional Gifts from Current Donors: 416, showing that our engagement strategies motivate donors to give beyond their usual contributions.
  • Renewed Donors: 914 donors from the previous year recommitted their support.
  • Reactivated Donors: 552, including 250 who initially joined during the “COVID era” and were inspired to re-engage.
  • Texting Campaign: $30K raised from 300+ donors, with 35% of text donors being recovered from previous email opt-outs, proving the power of a multi-channel strategy.

Creating a Season-Long Impact

Thanks to the dedicated work of our teams and the generosity of our community, Giving Tuesday isn’t just a day—it’s the nexus of a transformative campaign that carries on through the holiday season. By extending the matching challenge another day, we were able to deepen engagement, reach more supporters, and ultimately bring more resources to our mission. Each year, our results are shared with major donors as an example of the effectiveness of matched giving, inspiring them to contribute to the match for future campaigns and solidifying their commitment to our shared mission.

Building Lasting Change

With this collaborative approach, the Food Bank For New York City leverages Giving Tuesday to not only raise funds but to build community, strengthen connections, and secure sustained support for our 40 Million Meals Campaign. Every dollar raised, every new donor engaged, and every story shared brings us closer to ensuring that no New Yorker has to face hunger alone.

Melanie Buhrmaster is a highly accomplished non-profit leader with over 30 years of experience advancing mission-driven initiatives.. She currently serves as the Vice President, Philanthropy at the Food Bank for New York City, where she leads efforts to build meaningful, trust-based partnerships with donors and stakeholders.

Her career highlights include leading capital campaigns and major gift programs, securing transformative philanthropic investments through authentic, purpose-driven partnerships. Beyond fundraising, Melanie excels in designing sustainable programs that align resources with organizational goals, fostering collaboration, and mentoring the next generation of non-profit leaders.

A compassionate and strategic thinker, Melanie is dedicated to creating impactful donor experiences that shift the focus from giving to an organization to giving through an organization, ensuring lasting support and meaningful change.

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