Don’t Wait Until Year-End to Spend Paid Media Budgets


Paid media is pretty much a requirement for growth in today’s digital landscape. The number of advertising results on search results pages, the space ads take up in social media feeds, the number of ads forced into videos and the spots alongside articles that companies sponsor — it is clear that paid media gives you a leg up on the competition across most key platforms and channels.
This is the harsh reality with which many nonprofits are still struggling. Google Ad Grants are a great first step into this world, but, with a 13-cent return on ad spend (ROAS), it is clear that more paid digital efforts are needed.
While this represents the reality of the world, small budgets often represent the reality of nonprofits. It’s been said that great nonprofit leaders can rub two pennies together to make a dime.
The initial reaction to tight budgets and the knowledge that paid media participation is a requirement is often to wait and focus all of the budget during giving season (November and December), hoping that despite heavy competition from nonprofits and the commercial world, your message will land and someone will be compelled to become a donor.
This is not the right approach for a lot of reasons.
Why Waiting to Buy Paid Media Doesn’t Work
I can count the number of times on one hand that I went from “never heard of you” to “I’m happy to support you” in less than a week (or even a month).
This is not just isolated to me, research has found people trust institutions and established organizations less and less – this includes nonprofits, though that trust rebounded slightly last year. This makes sense, as a society we’re trained to be skeptical of everything.
In addition to the lack of trust and skepticism that people have, the definition of philanthropy is changing – the number of B-Corps is on the rise, companies like Patagonia are reinvesting profits into causes that their customers care about, and peer-to-peer giving through platforms is thriving.
Nonprofits need to do more than take money and distribute it to places of need. They need to foster connection with people and build passionate communities so that when they make an ask, that ask is not screamed into the wind, but instead becomes dinner party conversation. This is not a fourth-quarter activity, it is an ongoing effort that takes time and a focus on creating value for donors as well as the people the mission serves.
A Year-Round Paid Media Budget Breakdown
Often budgets remain flat or even decrease from year to year. This is true, but it is also true that paid digital programs require participation throughout the year to be effective — and an ineffective paid program ultimately costs more than other efforts.
Here is the budget breakdown I use when budgeting to ensure that participation in paid media extends to 12 months.
20% of the Budget for the First Four Months of the Year
Introduce your mission and organization to new audiences and reintroduce your nonprofit to lapsed donors. During the first four months of the year, invite current supporters to participate. Top-of-funnel media often comes with a cheaper cost per click so by targeting efforts you can ensure efficiency. Here are two tips to get you started now:
- Utilize native ads to drive traffic to stories with embedded donation asks and email signup forms.
- Consider ads that focus on the “did you know?” aspects of your mission that show new audiences you are taking a comprehensive approach.
30% of the Budget for Summertime Trust-Building
People know less about your organization than you might think. They also don’t trust established institutions and know that they have lots of options to support people in need close to them. Therefore trust needs to be built and FOMO introduced. It can be hard to capture people’s attention during this time because of vacations and travel, so this often takes creative ad placements that sometimes do not come with a direct return on ad spend (ROAS). With that being said, this is incredibly important. Here are two tips to consider this summer:
- Boost posts and create content that allows people to engage on the platforms as opposed to forcing potential donors to go to your website.
- Create audio and video ads to show trustworthiness while connecting with audiences on the go.
50% of the Budget for the Giving Season
This is when people are looking to give and cost per click will likely be higher due to competition. The audience should also include a lot more warm leads or people who are brand-aware, so these segments can sometimes increase the cost per click. Here are two things to consider during the giving season:
- Use Google’s and Bing’s Performance Max ads to connect with audiences in ways in which they want to be engaged.
- Run a single campaign as long as you can instead of several small campaigns so that it can truly optimize during the time of giving.
This framework is a starting point for nonprofits. For some years, a focus on new donors may require more to be spent early in the year or a robust email program may result in less money needed during the giving season, allowing you to reinvest that budget in other aspects of your paid program.
This framework also forces you to think about the donor journey (in a super simplistic way) and ensure that you’re investing in all phases of it. It allows you to narrow your focus as the year goes on and ensure that paid ads and landing pages/donation forms offer value to the donor at all steps in their journey. It also allows you to build on it year after year and become more and more efficient.
The preceding post was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.
Related story: Free Tools to Maximize the Success of Your Paid Media Campaigns
- Categories:
- Online Fundraising
- Social Media

Joe Frye is a digital marketer who has spent more than a decade helping organizations make an impact and connect their missions with individuals. He has led award-winning projects and campaigns for organizations, including PBS, No Kid Hungry, the Identity Theft Resource Center, Partners of the Americas, ADL and UNESCO.
Joe’s experience at the intersection of technology, data and creativity provides a unique perspective that allows organizations to create impactful digital ecosystems, increase donations, grow membership, improve member retention and increase overall revenue.