In the latest episode of the Marketing Tales Show, I had the pleasure of speaking with David May, the Director of Marketing and Communications at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.David studied at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., and earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in film.Upon graduation, he remained at his alma mater, worked in admissions for several years, then moved into #marketing, working his way into an Assistant Vice President of Web and Digital Media role at the university.After 17 years at Chapman, including his time as a student, David was ready to "finally graduate and go out into the big world and see what adventures there are out there," he recalls.Those adventures took him northwest on Interstate 5 and opened doors of opportunities at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which has served 1.6 billion meals since its inception in 1973.As Director of Marketing and Communications, David works toward reaching the next billion meals served.This begs the question: how does one market a non-profit in 2023?1 - Knowing your audience 2 - Distributing messages through modern marketing and low-cost practices"We have a high emphasis on ROI," David says.Focusing on #publicrelations efforts is one way to keep the cost down and awareness up.During the pandemic, food banks were a big part of the national story. The LA food bank gained coverage by notable outlets such as AP, Reuters, MSNBC, and many more, receiving nearly half a billion dollars in earned media coverage."One thing we like to do to ensure the media continues to work with us is to drop everything, and we get them what they need," David says.When it comes to food donations, those primarily come from farmers, growers, wholesalers, and grocers in the LA County area.Donations of funds are also invaluable, and the food bank partners with major corporations and professional sports teams in LA."These are organizations that want to make a big difference in the community," David says. "They call us and ask 'what can we do, how can we help?'"As a thank you, the food bank amplifies that message and shares the goodwill these companies show with its 200,000 newsletter subscribers and additional social media followers.Talking about the newsletter, if you're interested in learning more about the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and its story, visit its website and sign up or follow the food bank on social media.To get in touch with David, connect with him on LinkedIn or email him at [email protected] to learn more about how you can positively impact the people of LA County.Thank you, David, for being a part of the show, and thank you Kat Liendgens, for making yet another intro to a marketing leader.Until next time. ✌