In the heart of Ukraine's struggle, where one in three families battles hunger, and a third of the population grapples with unemployment amid the ravages of war, Hope For Ukraine stands as a beacon of sustenance. As critical infrastructure crumbles and farmers face insurmountable challenges, our mission is clear – to provide not just food, but hope, to those facing the harsh realities of conflict.
Hope For Ukraine currently runs one of the biggest feeding programs on the ground in Ukraine providing on average 1500 families with food kits weekly. our emergency food kits become a lifeline, feeding a family of four for up to 10 days. War is still ongoing in Ukraine, and so does our commitment to answering the calls from our community. As winter approached more and more families were struggling to put food on their table. We were overwhelmed by the number of requests we receive daily from families asking for basic groceries, and we need a larger platform to deliver the message.
To address the escalating need, we launched the "Hope Begins With A Meal" campaign in the latter part of 2023. Our aim: to raise $200,000, delivering an additional 10,000 food kits to families on the front lines of hardship.
We launched the Hope Begins With A Meal campaign at the end of July 2023. Our strategy was to use social media and reenegenize our existing donor base in order to hit our targeted goal. Twice daily, we shared stories of Ukrainian resilience, transforming our audience into a community of supporters.
Analyzing our donor data, we strategically launched targeted Facebook ads in areas with the most backing. These ads served as gateways, directing more attention to our crowdfunding platform, where every dollar meant food for those in need.
We centered a storytelling social media campaign strategy in order to bring awareness of Ukraine food insecurity issue to our social media audience. Turning our posts into a conversation was our strategy to build relationships with our Facebook and Instagram followers supporters. Entry points of engagement led to more awareness, and an investement.
Our biggest challenge was to figure out our messaging in order to reengage our audience on issues facing Ukraine and food shortages in particular. We needed to reignite interest in a cause admist the fatigue of a prolonged conflict.
Shifting the focus to food as a fundamental human right struck a chord, reminding our audience that beyond the war-torn landscape, people were grappling with the basic necessity of survival.
Through our social media post and ads we were telling a story of how once Ukraine was dubbed "a breadbasket of Europe" and now the disruption to farming will affect the food security of millions of Ukrainians, many of whom have been forced out of their homes and are wondering where their next meal will come from.
With each ad and post we have seen increased engagements and more visits to our crowdfunding page we set up on our website. After about 4 weeks of very little response we started seeing donations coming in from first time donors. Through these ads and outreach strategy on social media we got connected to Rotary Club International and they played a big part in helping us achieve desired results.
The second phase of our strategy was to energize our existing donor base. Personalized emails and letters describing WHY additional support of our food program wasis needed through personalized stories from individuals in Ukraine that have to wonder every day how to get their next meal. Our stories, their stories, we’re resonating deeply with the audience.
Our “Hope Begins With A Meal” campaign in 2023 was big success. Through our social media ads, we were able to connect with Rotary International and they invited us to work with them on one segment of their Million Meals For Ukraine campaign. Through that partnership alone we were able to provide 6,000 food kits. A surge of support from our online community, coupled with extra donations, resulted in an additional 4,000 food kits.
By the campaign's end, the collective efforts had not only met our goal but had surpassed it, gifting 10,000 food kits to families in war-torn Ukraine. In the face of adversity, we delivered not just sustenance but a ray of hope to those who needed it most. And we did this, through storytelling.
