Crowdfunding for Equity, Inclusion & Justice
Hillary Lyons
Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions. Since its beginnings, Slow Food has grown into a movement with millions of people in over 160 countries.
In 2018, Slow Food USA (SFUSA) published their “Equity, Inclusion and Justice Manifesto.” The goal of this document was to acknowledge the structural inequalities within our food system and the voices that are marginalized as a result.
Today, this manifesto has evolved into a national working group of Slow Food leaders dedicated to the development of an equitable, healthy, and just food system – one that truly works for all of us.
The Challenge
Each year, the EIJ working group raises funds for programming at Slow Food Nations, SFUSA’s annual gathering in Denver, CO.
In 2019, EIJ set out to raise$35,000but this year, they decided to take a different tack. Rather than rely on the handful of big donors that contribute every year, they decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign.
The EIJ working group sought to meet their ambitious target through micro-donations of $20-100. The campaign directors – Marisha Zeffer & Kevin Scribner – knew that they wanted to leverage social media to tap into Slow Food’s community of food activists, but they weren’t sure how to go about it. That’s where I came in.
The Solution
Create an all-encompassing digital crowdfunding campaign to stoke the passion & gain the support of SFUSA’s extensive network of food activists.
We accomplished this through:
- direct email & phone outreach to partners & past donors
- email campaigns to SFUSA’s mailing list
- a dedicated EIJ Facebook group of active & engaged community leaders
- a social media campaign across Facebook & Instagram over the course of 4 months
- empowering chapters to fundraise with “digital toolkits” that included suggested copy and shareable media assets
The Results
In the end, we surpassed our goal. Our concerted digital marketing and community building efforts raised a total of$37,369.72with55% of those donations being under $100. This surge of support and show of solidarity was unprecedented for Slow Food USA.
One unexpected result was that the EIJ Facebook group is still going strong to this day. It has become a valuable resource for sharing food justice news, chapter success stories, and resources for leaders to advance equity, inclusion, and justice in their communities.
A significant portion of all proceeds was also donated to the Mungere School in Tanzania, which sustains one of Slow Food International’s10,000 Gardens in Africa. Mungere’s half-acre organic garden feeds up to 200 students two meals a day – meals they would otherwise likely miss. Agricultural coursework is built into the curriculum, providing students with practical skills and work experience in sustainability.
2019
