The Charity Guild asked donors to contribute $5 this month and, to promote the fundraiser, post a picture of themselves online giving a high five.
BROCKTON — A nonprofit food pantry and thrift shop on Main Street raised money for 18,000 free meals in September, its leaders say, by taking to social media for a new style of fundraising.
With a digitally savvy Brockton native taking the helm as its new executive director, the Charity Guild asked donors to post a picture of themselves holding up a high five on Facebook or Instagram to announce their contribution.
“In order to be relevant to the youth and young adults in the community, it was really important for us to start creating a social media presence,” said the Charity Guild’s Executive Director Laura Striese.
The High Five for $5 campaign created a daily stream of donations and reminders to the community that a fundraiser was happening.
Striese said each $5 donation pays for about 15 meals, which the Charity Guild orders from the Greater Boston Food Bank and a network of local partners, including Shaw’s, Trader Joe’s and Costco.
“This is about giving people the opportunity to truly understand what $5 does,” Striese said.
Previous fundraisers had been announced on social media, but Striese said convincing donors to post pictures was a critical new strategy.
“Up until a few years ago, social media was used to post photos every couple months,” she said. “Now, it’s every day.”
Recent posts show donors high-fiving in from a Brockton School Committee meeting, Fenway Park, Shovel Town Brewery and places as far away as Ankara, the capitol city of Turkey. In their photos, many donors placed a specially designed sticker printed by the Charity Guild on their hand.
Others outside the Guild’s immediate reach drew a five on their hand using a marker, or edited the photo to include a five on their hand.
Since its kickoff at a Sept. 5 home game of the Brockton High School football team, where the Charity Guild collected about 1,500 pounds of canned food donations, the High Five campaign has raised $6,000. About $2,500 came in the form of matching funds from the Prone Family Foundation.
That marks a big improvement over the High Five fundraiser's inaugural run last year, which raised just under $2,000.
This year's High Five fundraiser ends on Sept. 30, dovetailing with the nonprofit’s annual fundraising gala on Oct. 3. Contributions can be made online using the link www.bit.ly/highfive2019.
“We have to gear up for the winter months, which are always busier for us at the pantry,” Striese said.
Staff writer Ben Berke can be reached at bberke@enterprisenews.com
