Case Study: Feeding San Diego achieves $5.4M in online donations for COVID-19 hunger relief with Classy

Feeding San Diego Raises $5.4M on Classy in the Wake of COVID-19

Feeding San Diego, a regional hunger-relief nonprofit, faced a sudden surge in need when COVID-19 struck and had to rapidly scale operations to keep San Diego residents fed. The pandemic forced the organization to pivot its fundraising strategy to support increased demand for food assistance.

By doubling down on online fundraising through the Classy platform—launching a March relief campaign, two follow-ups, and a holiday peer-to-peer drive—Feeding San Diego raised $5.4M online between March 2020 and January 2021. Campaigns drove a 760% year‑over‑year increase in online donations in December, a 230% rise in peer‑to‑peer giving, 721 new recurring donors adding $38,286 in monthly donations, and 79% of donors opting to cover fees.

Feeding San Diego