Fundraising campaign drops road show in favor of live stream

Live, in-person events had been at the heart of the effort to raise awareness for the No Kid Hungry annual fundraising campaign, “Dine for No Kid Hungry.” (People who eat out can round up their checks or donate in exchange for rewards.) The team recognized that live streaming was becoming an unstoppable trend: 111 million-plus Americans live-streamed videos in 2019. In re-imagining their campaign, the team opted to get off the road and live-stream a well-promoted 90-minute variety program across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

With a celebrity host and a celebrity-chef co-host—along with appearances by other celebrities—the show featured segments on feeding finicky kids, noodle jewelry, a cooking demo, and pancake art. Interviews were also included, as were cutaways to partner locations (like Arby’s and Shake Shack), with partners introducing a sweepstakes component of the campaign. Some 278,000 people saw the live stream, with 170,000 visits recorded to the landing page, a more than 550% increase over 2018. The campaign also earned top-tier media coverage.