Here at Bristol Strategy, we are super-focused on ways to measure the performance of your fundraising processes, and improve them. That’s why we are so glad to have Jessica King’s great article on measuring the success of your advertising. Advertising when done right is a powerful enhancement of your fundraising efforts. So let’s hear from Jessica now:
Ads can bring in donors, volunteers, and new followers, whether they run on social media or on search through programs like Google Ad Grants. The real value shows up when you can see which ads are working and why. That is where measurement comes in, and it fits into a bigger online fundraising approach that connects your goals, tools, and supporters.
A key performance indicator (KPI) is a number that shows how well you are meeting a specific goal. Tracking a handful of them tells you what your audience responds to, so you can put your budget behind the ads that deserve it. In this guide, we’ll cover how to set goals, which KPIs to track, which tools make tracking easier, and how to review your results over time. Let’s begin!
Start by defining three clear advertising goals
Measurement only works when you know what you are working toward. As OrrGroup’s guide to nonprofit strategy notes, it can be difficult to decide which programs should receive the most support. A clear strategy helps you objectively assess the data and direct staff time and funding toward the programs with the highest proven ROI. Answer three questions before you launch your next campaign, and write the answers down so that your whole team works from the same plan.
These three questions give every campaign a clear starting point:
- What is our core objective? Pick one main outcome, such as more donations, volunteer sign-ups, brand awareness, or membership growth. A single objective makes it easier to choose ads, landing pages, and KPIs that all point in the same direction.
- Who are we trying to reach? Long-time donors respond to different messages than new community members or younger audiences on social media. Defining your audience first shapes your tone, your platform choice, and the action you ask people to take.
- What is the timeframe? Give the campaign a clear start and end date so you can compare results over the same period. A defined window also makes it simple to line one campaign up against the next.
Once the answers are set, turn them into targets. It helps to define success early, whether that means donations, sign-ups, or petition signatures. Use your past results to set achievable fundraising targets instead of guessing at a number. A goal you can reasonably reach builds momentum, and each win gives you better data for the next campaign.
Choose KPIs that match your goals
Once your goals are set, KPIs turn them into measurable targets. Each KPI is a simple calculation, so you are really looking for the figures that show how your ads perform against what you set out to do. Some goals call for financial numbers, others for engagement or website behavior, and most campaigns use a mix to determine their success.
Tracking the right metrics also supports specific platforms. For example, nonprofits that qualify for the Google Ad Grants program receive up to $10,000 a month in Google search ads, and the program requires recipients to track meaningful conversions and keep a healthy click-through rate. Monitoring these KPIs keeps your account in good standing while also helping you improve results.
The next three sections group KPIs by objective. Start with the group that matches your main goal, then add others as your reporting grows. Two or three KPIs are plenty at first, since a short list is easier to review consistently than a long one.
Financial and ROI metrics
When your goal is to raise funds, these metrics show what your ads earn compared to what they cost. They help you decide where each additional dollar of ad spend should go. Reviewing them after every campaign gives you a clear picture of what is paying off.
These four numbers cover most fundraising campaigns:
- Fundraising return on investment (ROI): This compares what you spent on an ad with the donations it brought in. To calculate it, subtract your costs from your revenue, divide by your costs, and multiply by 100. A positive percentage means the campaign earned more than it cost, which makes it easier to decide which campaigns to repeat.
- Cost per acquisition: This is the total cost of winning one new supporter through your marketing. If a campaign spends $500 and brings in 25 new donors, each one costs $20 to acquire. A falling number suggests your ad speaks well to its audience, and a rising one is a cue to refresh the creative or targeting.
- Cost per dollar raised: This shows how much you spend to bring in a single dollar. To calculate it, divide your total campaign cost by the funds raised. It is a handy way to compare campaigns of different sizes side by side.
- Average gift size: Divide the total donation amount by the number of gifts. Knowing this figure helps you predict results, since you can estimate how many gifts a campaign needs to reach its target. Tracking average gift size by ad tells you which specific messages or visuals drive the highest-value donations.
Looking at these figures together tells a fuller story than any one of them alone. A campaign with a modest ROI but a large average gift, for example, might deserve a second run. Pairing ROI with other key fundraising metrics, such as donor retention and landing page conversion rate, gives you a consistent way to compare campaigns over time. Record the numbers in the same place after each campaign so trends are easy to spot.
Engagement and visibility metrics
Not every ad is built to raise money right away. When your goal is awareness or community growth, the useful numbers show how people interact with your content. These metrics are especially helpful on social platforms, where attention is the first step toward support.
Three metrics give you a clear read on reach and interaction:
- Audience growth: This measures the change in your followers, subscribers, or email opt-ins over a set period. Compare a campaign’s growth against a period without ads to see how much the ads contributed. Email opt-ins deserve extra attention, since they give you a direct channel to supporters.
- Applause rate: This tracks passive interactions, such as likes, hearts, and positive reactions on an ad. These signals show your message landed even when someone does not click. A steady applause rate across several ads suggests your tone and imagery fit your audience.
- Amplification: This is the number of shares or reposts your content earns. When people share an ad, they introduce your organization to their own network, which makes this a good indicator of how many new supporters you are reaching.
If you run Facebook and Instagram ads, compare these numbers across your images and videos to see which creative earns the strongest response. Check them weekly during a campaign so you can swap in fresh copy or visuals while the ad is still running. Over time, the patterns show you which stories your community enjoys sharing.
Website and conversion metrics
Most ads point people to a website, so what happens after the click matters as much as the ad itself. These metrics show whether your site turns visitors into supporters. They also help you spot which page or message to adjust first.
Three numbers tell you how your site performs after someone clicks your ad:
- Conversion rate: This is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action after clicking your ad, like donating, signing a petition, or filling out a volunteer application. Google Ad Grants asks nonprofits to track meaningful conversions like these to ensure the free ad spend is actually advancing the organization’s mission.
- Click-through rate (CTR): As Getting Attention explains, CTR is the number of clicks an ad receives divided by the number of times it was shown, and Google Ad Grants accounts aim to maintain a strict CTR rate each month. For example, 2 clicks from 100 impressions gives you a 2% CTR.
- Bounce rate: This is the percentage of visitors who land on a page and leave without viewing another one. A bounce is not always a concern, but a rate that stays elevated on a campaign page can mean the page does not match the promise made in the ad. Repeating the ad’s headline and imagery on the landing page is a simple first fix.
Strong landing pages are built on trust-building website content, such as success stories, impact reports, and timely campaign updates. When the page continues the conversation the ad started, conversion rates tend to rise. Review these three numbers together, since a strong CTR paired with a weak conversion rate usually points to an issue with the landing page rather than the ad.
Begin with small goals and work up to larger campaigns as your data grows. Clear goals, a short list of KPIs, and a steady review habit turn your advertising into a dependable engine for your mission. Pick one KPI from the section that fits your main objective, set up its tracking this week, and let that first set of numbers guide your next campaign.
