Getting the much-needed funding your Not-for-Profit requires to meet operational and capital goals is never easy. You have to appeal to a wide range of people, from long-term donors to first-time fans.
A good way to supplement your fundraising goals is with PPC (pay-per-click) advertising on popular social media platforms and search engines like Google or Bing. Best of all, you get a lot of ROI from PPC ads compared to other more traditional methods like billboards, newspapers, radio, TV, and mail inserts.
What are PPC Ads?
The average PPC, when well targeted, has a 200% ROI for your “ad spend.” That is a massive benefit comparable to only email marketing and word of mouth. The goal of PPC ads is to target specific users by demographics or behaviours using an online model. You are charged a fee for every click or impression your ad receives.
For example, if you wanted to attract more patrons to your local Thai restaurant, you could run a $5/day PPC campaign on Google. Every time someone searched for related terms like “Thai food near me” and had geolocation settings in your target area, a small percentage of that $5 is used up.
Before you go into PPC ads thinking it is a breeze, realize that no one gets “just” right the first time. There is a little trial and error to finding the best combination of demographics, user details, and visuals or content that will appeal to your target audience. That being said, PPC advertising offers NFPs a lot of benefits like:
- Targeted Reach: You’re able to target aspects of users like age, interest, behaviours, geolocation, and other demographics.
- Measurable Results: Most, if not all, PPC systems have built-in analytics and metrics so you can monitor and make adjustments (click-through rates, conversion rates, cost per click, etc.).
- Cost-Effectiveness: You only pay for PPC ads when someone clicks or interacts with your ad. That reduces unwanted expenses compared to other traditional methods.
- Immediate Impact: While you can schedule PPC ads, the impact begins when you click “start.” You should start seeing measurable results in under a few minutes – all things being optimized.
The right PPC ad campaign can revolutionize your NFP fundraising efforts. Even if you have an upcoming gala with only two days left to advertise, PPC ads allow you to reach those specific people most likely to interact with your brand and provide financial resources.
Tips for Improving PPC Ads with NFPs
#1 – Set Clear Goals
Running a PPC ad campaign is only half the battle. You should have a clear goal in mind for your fundraising efforts to measure against.
Start with something like, “I want to spend $5/day for two weeks to bring in $3,500 in new donor funds.” That informs how you will make subtle changes to ensure you’re getting the type of response you want. It also helps you decide if you need to change content, visuals, or ad placement so you are optimizing messaging.
Some good KPIs you can track include:
- Total Donation Amount
- Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- Conversion Rate
- Cost Per Donation
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
#2 – Leverage Targeting and Segmentation
The most significant benefit of PPC ads is that you can focus on donors, volunteers, clients, and community members most likely to interact with your Australian NFP. You must find a way to build a campaign around behaviours, demographics, interests, and other factors related to your target audience.
A good trick of the trade is to create “target users” for each segment of your PPC ad. For example, say you’re running a pet rescue focused on family pets like dogs and cats. If you’re running a fundraiser, you might create a few target users like:
- A 27-year-old female with kids living in a target geographic area who loves cats
- A 65-year-old male or female living alone who donates to animal shelters
- A 42-year-old male who volunteers and listens to Taylor Swift
Those are specific examples, but they give you an idea of the types of audiences you can reach out to that share your NFP’s mission.
#3 – Make Content that Sells
You have to have engaging ad copy and imagery. Here is where everyone will “judge a book by its cover,” so make that cover sing.
Stick to persuasive copy that directly communicates who you are, what your NFP is doing, and how you impact the local community. Be sure to emphasize the benefits or outcomes people can expect by supporting your NFP and your mission. You want to highlight how you’re making a difference – not just outlining a list of features.
Try to stick to shorter sentences and use images that evoke emotions. You’ll want to run A/B testing comparing two different images or ad copies and then go with the combination that brings in the best results.
#4 – Optimize Landing Pages
Most PPC ads direct users to a landing page. This could be your donation page on your website, about us page, or volunteer intake form.
Whatever you choose as a target page, make sure it is optimized. The webpage should be fully mobile responsive and directly related to the action of the ads. You don’t send a fundraising lead to an FAQ page on your website. You want them to go to the donation page or something built specifically for the ad campaign.
#5 – Monitor and Adjust
Do yourself a big favour and schedule “check-ins” with your PPC platform of choice. You can set things to automatically adjust using modern AI (artificial intelligence)/ML (machine learning) tools, but having a human at the wheel helps.
The goal is to look at your metrics and how well the PPC ads are meeting your unique fundraising goals. If there is a problem, here is your chance to make adjustments to the ad placement, target users, or content so it performs better.
One thing that gets overlooked is the types of devices your ad resonates with the most. If your audience tends to use mobile more than tablet or desktop, you may want to focus on that device only in your settings.
Conclusion
PPC advertising is a powerful way to grow and improve your NFP fundraising efforts. Take your time to build an emotionally powerful campaign, and you could exponentially boost the number of donors contributing to your goals.
At Web 105, we help Australian NFPs, healthcare teams, and government agencies optimize websites for all kinds of activities. From building something new from scratch to ensuring your landing pages attached to ad campaigns are perfect, we can help.
Call us today, and let’s discuss how to provide the best possible website for your unique needs.
FAQs
What is the 33% rule for nonprofits?
The rule states at least 33% of all revenue comes from small donations that give less than 2% of your NFP’s total revenue from other sources (charities, government, investments, etc.).
What is the downside of PPC advertising?
The only real downside is it will take some time to learn. You can designate someone on your team, have a volunteer with experience in PPC ads, or hire a third party with a proven track record working with Australian NFPs.
Which platform is most commonly used for PPC advertising?
This is subjective based on your needs and where your target audience tends to hang out online. Most people use Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for PPC advertising.