NJ Food Democracy Collaborative Donation Form ~ How We Turned Connection Into Support

Check out our Zeffy form (one of many that we’re using with success!):

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/5-years-of-impact-support-our-growth

Why we love it

NJ Food Democracy Collaborative brings people together across New Jersey’s food system, including farmers, food access organizations, public agencies, researchers, funders, advocates, health leaders, and community partners.

We love this form because it gave supporters a simple way to invest in the thing our network needs most: connection. In New Jersey’s food system, connection can mean a farmer finding a buyer, a food access organization finding a farm or distributor partner, a community advocate finding a policy table, or a local idea finding the support it needs to grow.

One survey respondent said it plainly: “The FDC connects people.”

The campaign raised $2,330 across 28 donations.

What’s one thing we’d repeat: Lead with what connection makes possible.

For us, that meant showing donors that support for NJFDC is not abstract. In 2025, NJFDC engaged approximately 700 participants across 18 cross-sector convenings statewide, with approximately half returning regularly for ongoing collaboration.

That level of engagement did not come from a donation form alone. It came from people having a trusted place to meet, share information, build relationships, and move from conversation into action.

For other nonprofits, the takeaway is this: do not make the donation page explain the whole system. Use the page to show what your work makes possible, then make it easy for someone to say, “I want to help make more of that happen.”