Rubber Duck Regatta Is a Virtual Success
Partnering with Freestore Foodbank to grow fundraising for a long-standing event
In it’s 26th year, the Rubber Duck Regatta is a long-standing event for Freestore Foodbank, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tagline, Buy a Duck, Feed a Child encapsulates the event, where people buy ducks with 100% of funds helping to feed hungry children and also providing the donor a chance to win prizes. The actual event is held on Labor Day weekend with a rubber duck drop in the Ohio River. In 2020, the event—like so many others—had to go virtual.
As a result of going virtual, and the need to social distance during the fundraising period leading up to the event, there was a need to:
- Make up for lost revenue due to the cancellation of in-person duck sales.
- Replace the excitement of the annual physical event and duck drop.
- Make event messaging relevant during the pandemic.
- Enhanced the segmentation of eAppeals to personalize messaging for multiple segments including new donors who recently gave in response to COVID-19, past event donors, active donor groups, volunteers and more.
- Ensured that the message continued to stay relevant by connecting the dots from funds raised through the event to supporting emergency response efforts for families and children facing hunger as a result of the economic impact of the pandemic
- Analyzed and updated a separate welcome series personalized for new donors who joined the file through the event.
- Incentivized donations through a special, limited-time t-shirt eAppeal promotion that drove to a customized donation form with a minimum donation to receive a t-shirt.
- Used ecommunications to promote a “digital duck drop” aired on the local news in replace of the physical event.
