June 2025: Where Nonprofits are Advertising
I have spent more than ten hours contacting Meta Support in the last month on behalf of one client. I’ve got the spins from being passed between Meta’s “internal teams” so many times. Yesterday, we finally succeeded in getting their account back online. (Knock on wood!!!)
It’s sad because without my (paid) help, nonprofits give up. It’s too complicated, and ain’t nobody got time.
For this particular client, Meta is worth fighting for. For your organization, Meta may not be worth the headache, or may not be the best way to reach your ideal supporters.
This year’s M+R Benchmarks tell us that many nonprofits are flatlining or decreasing their social media ad spends and investing more elsewhere:
Source: M+R 2025
Where is elsewhere? “Multi-channel ad formats” primarily refers to Google Performance Max (which includes YouTube), “Connected TV” refers to video ads on TV streaming services and devices, and “P2P SMS” means sending text messages—either to your existing contacts, phone numbers “borrowed” from voter lists and political campaigns, or both.
Let’s look at the cost per donation from these different ad platforms:
Source: M+R 2025
Search (text ads on Google, Bing, and other search engines, NOT including Grants), texting, and multi-channel boast the lowest costs per donation, surprisingly alongside Twitter/X.
This data is based on nonprofits of all sizes. The M+R Benchmarks include:
Small nonprofits—annual revenue below $500,000)
Medium nonprofits—annual revenue between $500,000 and $3,000,000
Large nonprofits—annual revenue above $3 million
This means nonprofits big and small are investing in text messaging and ads beyond social media.
I’m working with a client right now that saw a 4:1 return on ad spend running Google Performance Max ads last holiday season. Meanwhile, they didn’t raise a dime with Meta Ads. I’m hearing this story more and more.
On the Search front, you likely need to spend $ beyond your Google and Bing Grants every month to fundraise effectively. The Grants work best for awareness and lead generation in most cases.
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Connected TV is expensive and doesn’t make sense for most of my clients. You’d probably want to spend at least a few thousand dollars a month on these ads, and you’d need to invest even more to create great video content.
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And what about text messaging? You know I’ve been talking about this a lot because I believe it’s the lowest-hanging fruit for donor engagement and fundraising, and it’s very affordable unless you have a massive contact list. If you have supporter phone numbers, use them! Meanwhile, put out emails, website pop-ups, and social media posts to start collecting more #s.
Your organization can spend around $200 a month (possibly even less) for a great SMS/MMS platform that integrates with your fundraising platform and allows message scheduling and automated journeys. If you’re interested in this, reply or send me an email! I may be able to get you a special deal with extra text credits.
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Then, of course, there are other social media platforms. I’m getting asked often about running LinkedIn Ads.
LinkedIn Ads are expensive. In my experience, they're 5-10x more expensive than Meta Ads for the same reach or # of leads. That said, it may be worth the cost in specific situations because LinkedIn users may have higher intent and income, and can be targeted based on their JOB, not their supposed interests.
I wouldn’t spend a bunch of money on LinkedIn ads for direct fundraising right now. Rather, I would target specific industries and job titles with awareness and lead generation campaigns.
There’s also a LinkedIn Ad Grant, which is opening up again this summer. This grant is elusive 👻. No one knows who has received it in the past. None of my clients ever have. I contacted LinkedIn for Nonprofits with some questions and never heard back. I would review the application, and if your work aligns perfectly with their focus areas, spend an hour or two (with ChatGPT’s help) applying.
If you’re interested in exploring any of these ad platforms, now is the perfect time to start so you’re well-versed for Fall (what I call “prime time”) and Giving Season. Use these summer months to run low-cost ads to raise awareness and collect new contacts, focusing on the first two stages of your donor journey.
Let me know if you have questions about any of this! If you’re looking for a partner to build an advertising strategy and/or run your ads, please reach out. I currently have one opening starting in August. If I’m not the right fit, I can refer you to someone I trust.
Ciao for now!
-Caroline
P.S. There are only two spots left in our upcoming Monthly Giving Mastermind! The application closes next Friday (6/20). This program is a $14-18k investment in an expertly crafted monthly giving program with all the content and strategy you need to grow your sustainable revenue. I’m the copywriter for this cohort, and the team is awesome. Let me know if you have questions.
