Advertising and nonprofits aren't typically mentioned in the same sentence. Ads are for businesses selling something, right? 

Not exactly.

Advertising for nonprofits is tricky and riddled with opinions from steer clear to spend what you need to get your message across. But, of course, it depends on who you ask. For example, if you're talking with a social media expert who happens to sell social media advertising services, you're likely to get some advice about the magic of social media advertising. 

Or, if you're talking to your local television station, chances are good you'll get impressive data about the viewership of local tv ads. You get the point. Everyone has an agenda, and it isn't easy to know who to trust. 

Since I have zero skin in this game and no hidden agenda, I'll try to break down some pros and cons of advertising and how to test the waters to see if it's worth your time and investment. As with everything I recommend, setting goals, testing strategies, and measuring results are critical. What works for you might not work for someone else, which is especially true in advertising with different markets and mediums. 

What qualifies as nonprofit advertising? 

Let's start with making sure we're on the same page. When I say nonprofit advertising, I mean spending money to place ads where other people will see them. 

These ads include but are not limited to:

• Social media ads

• Google or other search engine ads

• Radio ads

• Newspaper ads

• Television ads

• Print ads in local or national publications

The upside to nonprofit advertising

The most significant benefit to nonprofits that use paid advertising is exposure to new audiences and potential new funding sources. If your nonprofit only ever talks to your current or past donors, volunteers, and friends, the pool of potential donors is very, very limited. 

At best, about half of the US population actively donates to at least one charity in any given year. However, if you bring that stat down to the local level, that means that even if half of your town is giving to one charity, the percentage of people giving to your specific nonprofit is very small. 

Side note here -- if you're not actively tracking this kind of data, it's time to start. Even the most basic fundraising platforms like Little Green Light will allow for this kind of analysis. 

All this to say, you have room to grow your audience, and advertising is a relatively simple way to get there. The key here is ensuring that your advertising efforts are focused in the right place at the right time so that they reach your intended audience. 

This brings us to the second upside of advertising, which is using specific data to target an audience and measure results. While data privacy issues are very much at the forefront of minds right now, there are still ethical ways to target your advertising efforts where they'll make the most impact. 

For example, let's say you're an animal shelter and trying to increase your awareness and shelter donations of food. Advertising in your local newspaper is an option, as well as pretty much any publication or media source. However, your best bet would be to advertise where you know pet owners will see your message. 

Current pet owners are probably more likely to understand your mission and be inclined to help based on their empathy for animals. You could accomplish this by running social media ads targeting users with pet-related interests or reaching out to local pet stores to inquire about advertising in their circulars or store displays. 

(By the way, these in-store opportunities are extremely valuable and often offered at no or low cost to nonprofit organizations. If you're not already equipped to set up professional displays, I recommend contacting a trade show displays company to purchase a flexible display that you can use at multiple events.)

The downsides to nonprofit advertising

While we've established that advertising does have its benefits for charities, there are also downsides to this approach. 

There's a stigma associated with nonprofits who pay for advertising.

It's not fair (or right), but there are lots of people who judge nonprofits unfairly for spending money on advertising. Unfortunately, this judgment falls in line with those who do not understand overhead (don't get me started!) or are uneducated on the challenges of nonprofit marketing. 

This type of attitude is likely to come from older donors who may incorrectly assume that you're allocating their donations to fund advertising campaigns instead of being directed toward programs or services. 

Nonprofit advertising requires budgeting and careful analysis.

Most nonprofits will tell you their budget could not sustain a healthy advertising expense in any given year. The right type of advertising (done strategically inside a specific campaign with goals and measurables) requires budgeting well in advance and careful analysis to avoid overspending or wasting resources. 

This level of budgeting can be a challenge for many organizations, especially those not already supported by boards who understand the bigger picture of nonprofit marketing. 

How to run a successful advertising campaign for your nonprofit

By understanding the challenges and benefits of advertising, organizations can make more informed decisions about using this strategy as part of their overall marketing strategy. 

Here are a few tips for setting yourself up for success for those who decide it's a worthy use of time and energy. 

1. Decide on a specific campaign opportunity and skip the general "awareness" efforts. For example, start an advertising campaign for new volunteers.

2. Set a measurable goal for your ad campaign and document all the parameters before you make any commitments. Because salespeople are always trying to convince you to do more, it's important to know what you want before you involve anyone else.

3. Give it time to work. One of the biggest mistakes in social media advertising (and businesses do it too) is running an ad for a few days and giving up. A proper campaign has a beginning and end date, a specific goal, and conversion metrics in place.

4. Measure your results and decide on the next steps. Once your campaign ends, do the necessary analysis to understand if you successfully reached your intended audience, the conversion results, and how future strategies might need to be adapted.

Free Nonprofit Advertising Opportunity

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the free advertising opportunity provided by Google called Google Ad Grants. Google Ad Grants are 100% free advertising for nonprofits - up to $10,000 a month. Of course, this type of program comes with stipulations and requirements though most nonprofits can handle it just fine.

I recommend working with a consultant on Google Ad Grants to ensure that you can receive 100% of the funding and make the best use of the ads. I've referred many clients over to the team at ConnectAd -- they do a great job and have a solid track record of success. 

*I have no affiliation with ConnectAd - I just think they do a great job! 

Does your nonprofit advertise? What kind of results have you seen from your efforts? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. 

Until next time,

Andrea

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