Digital donor acquisition for charities
You get a paid media and creative programme that finds new donors at a cost your finance team can defend, then converts them into a file you own. We run Meta, Google and TikTok campaigns, write the creative, build the landing pages, and report on revenue and return on ad spend.
Who this is for
- You need new donors but cannot say what each channel costs to acquire one.
- Your seasonal campaign has a fixed window and has to return revenue.
- Your creative is approved by committee and never tested in market.
The problem we usually find
Most charities measure ads by impressions, clicks and cost per click. None of those fund a programme. The result is a campaign that looked successful and left the file no bigger, or new donors acquired at a price that never pays back.
How we deliver it
The five pillars, applied to acquisition.
- 1
Discovery
Tracking audit and past creative review: if revenue is not attributable end to end, nothing after it is trustworthy.
- 2
Strategy
Budget split by objective, audience and season, with a target return on ad spend set before a dollar is spent.
- 3
Creative
Ad creative and landing pages built against a tested framework and rotated on a schedule, so fatigue does not eat your season.
- 4
Execution
Daily campaign management across Meta, Google and TikTok, with in-flight optimisation against live revenue.
- 5
Reporting
Weekly revenue and return on ad spend reporting your board can read, with cost per acquired donor by channel.
What you get
- Tracking and attribution setup
- Full-funnel campaign build across Meta, Google and TikTok
- Ad creative and landing pages
- Weekly optimisation against live revenue
- Seasonal campaign planning
- Post-campaign diagnosis and next-cycle recommendations
What we report
- Revenue and return on ad spend
- Cost per donor acquired
- New versus returning donor revenue
- Creative performance by concept
Acquisition usually runs as a seasonal project or ongoing retainer. See pricing. See pricing.
Results from this work
5.39x
Dhul Hijjah Campaign ROAS
Dhul Hijjah Search Campaign Returns 5.39x ROAS Alongside SEO Rebuild
A European humanitarian charity paired a tightly targeted seasonal search campaign with a full SEO and website rebuild, lifting domain authority and putting 137 keywords into ranking positions.
Read the case study$534K
Revenue Raised on Gift Catalogue
Symbolic Gift Catalogue Returns 27x ROAS with $534K Raised
An international faith-based nonprofit used catalog retargeting and performance search to cut through holiday ad saturation.
Read the case study6.2x
Evergreen ROAS
Evergreen Acquisition Returns 6.2x ROAS Across the Year
An always-on Google and Meta program with a new-donor welcome series drove consistent revenue outside seasonal peaks.
Read the case study80%
Donation Revenue Lift
Donation Page A/B Test Lifts Revenue 80% and Recurring Gifts 90%
A food bank ran an A/B test on its giving experience and saw large gains in both one-time revenue and recurring donations.
Read the case study184%
Lead-to-Donor Conversion Lift
Combined Quiz + eBook Funnel Lifts Lead-to-Donor Conversion by 184%
A civic education nonprofit tested a quiz funnel, an eBook funnel, and a combined funnel; the combined path converted best.
Read the case studyCommon questions
What return on ad spend should a charity expect?
It depends on season, audience warmth and whether you are acquiring or reactivating. Acquisition campaigns often run near break-even in year one and pay back through retention. Seasonal campaigns to a warm audience run far higher. We set the target with you before launch.
Do you use the Google Ad Grant?
Yes where you qualify, and we run it alongside paid search rather than instead of it. The grant has spend and bidding limits that make it a support channel, not the whole search strategy.
Who owns the ad accounts?
You do. We work inside your accounts and your pixels so the data history stays with you when the engagement ends.
What is the framework for winning creative?
We score every concept before it runs on relevance, offer clarity, tension and immediacy, then check it against what raised money for you before. The blog post on the framework walks through it with examples.
Can you work with our existing brand?
Yes. Most engagements work inside your brand guidelines. Where the guidelines are actively costing you revenue we will say so and show the evidence.
Start with a free tool
Your Lead Magnet Funnel Blueprint
Get the guideYour Creative Brief That Wins
Get the templateYour Storytelling Guide for Appeals
Get the guideOther services
Not ready to talk yet?
Take the playbook instead. Practical frameworks from real engagements, free, no sales call attached.