Central Texas Food Bank

Central Texas Food Bank Uses Leading-edge Technology to Fight Hunger

Central Texas Food Bank partnered with Blackbaud to roll out a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in the wake of Hurricane Harvey – and raised $40,000 in urgently-needed donations the first month alone. 

Central Texas Food Bank intended to roll out its new peer-to-peer solution gradually, but when Hurricane Harvey caused catastrophic destruction to the surrounding community, the food bank partnered with Blackbaud to go live immediately.

That first month alone—during the most urgent time of need—$40,000 in donations poured in, according to database and stewardship manager Ann Symmonds.

“It was successful without any hitches,” she said. “We immediately were able to start raising money, and people were able to connect. It was so easy and user-friendly and didn’t require the staff time that something like that would have before we had the peer-to-peer solution.”

Immediate Peer-to-peer Success

One in seven adults, and one in five children are at risk of hunger in Central Texas—stark numbers that amount to nearly 440,000 people. The Austin-based Central Texas Food Bank aims to nourish the hungry and turn thosestatistics around.

“Blackbaud helps us fulfill our mission by providing us with the software that we need to help connect our constituents to the causes that they care about,” Symmonds said. “We have so many people in Central Texas at risk of hunger, and having the right databases and the software solutions helps us connect people to the mission.”

Central Texas Food Bank participated as an early adopter of Blackbaud’s peer-to-peer solution—eager to explore the opportunity and also provide feedback on what worked. “The peer-to-peer solution turned out to be a great return on investment for us,” Symmonds said. “Crowdfunding has allowed the Food Bank to spread the word quickly in times of unanticipated crisis. Recent events like Hurricane Harvey and the federal government shutdown have left our community in great need overnight. Crowdfunding allows us to reach our existing supporters and their networks quickly, which means we’re able to meet the increased need during these times and provide more nourishing meals to Central Texas families.”