Nonprofit Advertising
Table of Contents
In the United States, there are an estimated 1.5 million active nonprofit organizations. Naturally, each organization wants to attract volunteers and interested employees to its cause.
With so many organizations competing for the same spotlight, getting your nonprofit organization the exposure it deserves can be challenging.
That’s why you’re here; as the owner of a nonprofit, you want to learn more about nonprofit advertising and how to gain more visibility for your cause.
When planning a nonprofit advertising campaign, there are two main factors to consider.
First, you need to understand advertising policies.
For Google Ads, nonprofit organizations must be aware of any policies that impact their advertising. For example, Google Ads has a policy that limits ads that solicit funds from a user. Google only permits solicitation of funds on behalf of a politician, political party, or tax-exempt charity.
Next, you’ll want to consider the advertising costs. With so many nonprofit organizations in the country, a potential volunteer has an abundance of choices of what organization to partner with. As a result, the cost of using Google Ads for a nonprofit isn’t cheap.
The average cost your organization will pay is $10—$12 per click for a nonprofit keyword. Let’s assume that your average conversion rate is 2%. This means that for every 100 visitors, 2 will join your organization. In the end, you’ll pay around $500—$600 to get a new member.
Feeling ready to explore nonprofit advertising alternatives? Skip to that section below or head over to our Nonprofit SEO page.
Keep reading to see examples of Facebook and Google Ads for Nonprofits, learn about keywords and their costs and even explore keywords you can target.
Examples of Google Ads For Nonprofits
Want to find the best converting ads for nonprofits? When an ad leads to a conversion, that conversion can often be traced back to a successful Google Ad.
What makes Google Ads for nonprofits succeed? When a user searches for something, Google Ads put your organization in front of potential volunteers right when they are most interested.
Below, we take a look at several examples of Google Ads for nonprofit organizations and examine what makes them work.
Why it works: Just about everyone knows who the Better Business Bureau is. So, the reliability of this source is already clear. Additionally, the longevity mentioned in the ad—since 1974—elevates that trust a user feels.
Why it works: This ad clearly states what this cause is focused on in a concise way. So, a user who wants to work with educational causes will know after reading this ad if they’re interested in learning more.
Why it works: This ad includes links below the ad copy. So, if a user wants to learn more about what this organization offers, they can easily navigate to site pages directly from this ad.
How Much Do Nonprofit Keywords Cost on Google Ads?
Here, we look at 10 of the best nonprofit keywords on Google along with their average cost per click.
- nonprofit corporation – $7.00 / per click
- creating a nonprofit – $5.00 / per click
- working for a nonprofit – $2.00 / per click
- nonprofit consulting – $4.00 / per click
- how to start a nonprofit in california – $5.00 / per click
- nonprofit management – $17.00 / per click
- start a nonprofit – $6.00 / per click
- nonprofit ideas – $30.00 / per click
- certified nonprofit professional – $5.00 / per click
- nonprofit management and leadership – $20.00 / per click
While some keywords may only cost you $2, many nonprofit keywords are more likely to cost you at least $5-10 per click.
What does that mean for your advertising campaign? Essentially, you’ll pay Google this cost each time someone clicks on your ad. Suffice it to say, this cost can add up quickly.
Facebook Ads For Nonprofit Organizations
What is another way you can boost the visibility of your organization through paid advertising? Facebook ads!
Facebook ad campaigns can relate to a variety of topics and help you target certain demographics.
Our first example of Facebook ads for nonprofits is an ad campaign illustrating two causes that support diversity:
Why it works: These ads have videos that build off of the ad copy’s text. So, these ads help educate a user on these causes. Additionally, these videos work as testimonials about these causes, which is beneficial.
Our next example highlights three causes that a potential volunteer might find appealing:
Why it works: The images that these ads use are all visually appealing while remaining relevant to the ad copy’s topic. These ads also outline the specific role that these nonprofits are looking for. So, an interested user who feels they fit the role might want to learn more.
Why it works: Not only are these ads visually appealing, but they also share impactful facts in an easy to digest way. When an ad covers topics relating to social or political issues, the timeliness of it is crucial. So, these ads work because an interested user is likely seeing other content regarding these topics and wants to learn more.
Nonprofit Advertising Alternatives: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
What are the benefits your organization may gain by engaging in a nonprofit SEO (search engine optimization) campaign? There are three factors that impact this type of campaign. Known as the Three C’s, these reasons are: Costs, Clicks, and Conversions.
When looking at the clicks your ads receive, you want to see the traffic you’re getting from those ads. Let’s look at the traffic example search using the keyword “nonprofit” below:
On average, 98% of clicks for this search go to organic results. That means that only the remaining 2% of traffic goes towards sponsored results.
What does this large gap between organic and paid traffic mean? Overall, users tend to trust organic results more than they do sponsored results.
Another factor that impacts traffic is that Google won’t show ads for certain searches. Below, I’ve searched “community service nonprofit.” Instead of showing me sponsored results, Google’s first result is a list of Local SEO results, showing nonprofits near my location.
In the end, both users and Google tend to trust organic results over paid results for nonprofit organizations. This preference results in a lower cost for advertising as well as higher conversion rates.
Want to see how well your website is optimized for SEO? Run a free SEO audit to find out!
The Big Question: How Do Nonprofit Organizations Connect With Their Community?
A major driving force for your nonprofit advertising campaign is this: you want to grow your organization. To do so, your advertising campaign needs to engage with the right people at the right time.
Is the best method to use for my ad campaign through Google Ads? What about Facebook Ads? Or, should I consider an SEO advertising campaign?
Understandably, we might be biased. If we were in your shoes, we’d invest in an SEO campaign for our nonprofit organization.
Nevertheless, we believe in the fact that search engine optimization is the best way to create sustainable growth for any company. This is especially true for small businesses and organizations.
So, if you’re interested in lowering your ad costs while attracting more members, contact our team here at Markitors and schedule a consultation.
Our first step is scheduling a 15-minute call with you in order to learn more about your organization. Next, we’ll conduct a free SEO audit of your website, any major competitors and relevant keywords.
After analyzing this data, and confirming that it makes sense to work together, we will present you with one of our SEO solutions.
