Northern Illinois Food Bank Supercharges Sustainer Growth Amid Federal Funding Cuts

When federal funding cuts threatened critical food access across Illinois, Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) needed a fast, effective way to replace lost dollars and build long-term stability. Allegiance Group + Pursuant (AGP) launched a targeted sustainer campaign designed to quickly convert previous donors into committed monthly givers.

The Situation

The nonprofit faced a sudden funding shortfall and a clear goal: acquire 50+ new monthly donors to help stock the shelves. With audience behaviors shifting and competition for donor attention rising, NIFB needed a data-driven approach that could scale impact quickly.

The Work

AGP activated a multi-channel Community Response campaign across July 2025, built around urgency and precision targeting.

Deliverables

• Segmented Paid Social campaigns on Facebook & Instagram using GivingDNA political affiliation data
  • Hard “cuts-based” messaging to Democratic-leaning previous donors
  • Soft “funding update” messaging to Republican and Unaffiliated donors
    
• Email appeals retargeting recent one-time donors (0–12 months)
  
• “Serve Hope” branded creative promoting monthly upgrades

The Results

• New Monthly Sustainers increased 6.5x+ YoY
• New Monthly Sustainer Revenue grew 8x+ YoY
• More than doubled our monthly goal of 50+ New Monthly Sustainers
• Paid Social performance exceeded industry benchmarks for both ROAS and CPA