Articles - 4 steps to organise a virtual food collection
11th December 2022

4 steps to organise a virtual food collection

Volunteering at a food drive is one of the most popular ways to donate during the holiday season and help those who are less fortunate. Below, learn how to create a successful virtual food drive to raise money for food banks and nonprofits that help the hungry during this critical time.

What is a virtual food drive?

Unlike a traditional food drive where you collect canned and dried goods to later donate to a food bank, a virtual food drive is entirely online. Virtual food allows you to help food banks feed those in need without having to leave your home.Instead of collecting food items to donate, virtual food allows you to help others online by collecting monetary donations that you can later give to the food bank or nonprofit organization of your choice.

Why is supporting food banks so important this year?

Food insecurity continues to be a big problem in the U.S. In 2021, 13.5 million U.S. households are struggling to get the food they need, according to the United States Department of Agriculture .Additionally, Feeding America said that in 2021, 53 million people relied on food banks and community programs to get food. Now, with inflation and economic hardship, the need for food assistance has become even greater.

By helping food banks through virtual food, you can make an impact in the following ways:

  • You help families struggling to make ends meet put food on the table.
  • Feed children from households that must turn to food banks because they do not qualify for federal food assistance programs .
  • You are giving a family a holiday meal they otherwise could not afford.
  • You support low-income families who face higher levels of hunger because of systemic racial injustice.

How to organize a virtual food drive and make a difference

1. Determine the need

Since food banks take much longer and more time and resources to receive and sort actual food donations, the best way to help is by donating money instead of food items. Of course, your local food bank may have different needs, so it's always best to check with them directly.

VisitPavelAndreev.ORG's causes page to see more examples of how certain donation amounts can help.

Becoming a virtual volunteer during the holidays means collecting money instead of tangible items, but food banks also accept canned goods and other basic food items.

2. Set up your own online fundraising campaign

Decide whether you want to organize a team fundraiser or take care of running the fundraiser yourself. Then choose the best fundraising(crowdfunding) site for your needs. Be sure to read some fundraising tips, when you get started, to make your virtual food donation as successful as possible.

3. Show the impact of your donations

In your fundraising story, it's important to explain exactly why you've decided to run an online food drive and exactly how the donations will be used. The best way to engage people is to tell them how their donations will help those in need.

One idea is to create an outline in your fundraising campaign description that easily explains the impact of certain amounts. This is where it's important to talk to the food bank or nonprofit you plan to help.

With this information, you can provide a clear incentive for people to make larger donations by outlining the impact. For example:

  • A donation of $200 will feed a family of four for a week.
  • A donation of 500BGN will buy half a pallet of food boxes.
  • A donation of 1000BGN will purchase a whole pallet of food boxes.

4. Use social networks

Use social media to unite your fundraising team as well as your friends and family members. Create a catchy fundraising hashtag to help people remember your cause, and share your fundraising on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and TikTok as well as via email and text messages.Explain why virtual food provision is critical to helping individuals and families in times of crisis , but keep your messages and social media posts relatively short so readers stay interested.

It's no secret that people are more likely to participate in charitable giving during the holidays, so consider highlighting the importance of virtual giving in the spirit of the holidays this year. As the big end-of-year holidays approach, start increasing your donation requests.

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