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Second Helpings

What We Did:

Project Strategy & Planning
Project Brand Development
Project Web Design & Development
Project Social Media
Project Traditional Advertising
Digital Advertising
Project Copywriting
Project Collateral
Project Media Relations
Project Video


Second Helpings is a 13-year-old Indianapolis agency that rescues food and provides job training and hunger relief services. Well Done Marketing started working with Second Helpings in 2005, but our roots with the agency are actually much deeper. In 2002, we created Tonic Ball: a night of music to benefit Second Helpings. We had no connection with that organization at that time; we simply wanted to create an event that would do good in the community.

Second Helpings’ mission was clear—but communicating it to the public was a complicated task. And an important one: due to shortfalls in operating income, the agency needed to increase awareness and consideration among a diverse range of audiences to help it greatly increase annual income.

Starting with a branding exercise, Well Done Marketing developed and executed a comprehensive communications plan. We worked closely with the development team at Second Helpings on an aggressive fundraising plan that included, for the first time, a segmented direct mail appeal campaign with messages tailored to specific audiences. In addition, we ran radio, television, and print advertising during the times we were sending appeal letters, thereby raising recognition levels in the market while we were actively asking for donations.

The results were striking, to say the least. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, income was up nearly 70%. Income exceeded $1 million for the first time. The number of donors increased by 47%. New donors for the year (697) actually outnumbered established donors (660). And our PR efforts generated nearly $200k in earned media.