Getting Started With Digital Ads

Digital advertising can feel overwhelming—especially when you’re juggling limited time, budget, and tools. But when done right, it becomes one of the most effective ways to reach new supporters, re-engage existing ones, and drive meaningful results.

Let's break down what nonprofits and associations need to know to get started with digital ads, including how they work, how to target the right audience, and how to make your campaigns more effective.

Why digital advertising matters more than ever

Nonprofit teams are facing a familiar set of challenges:

• Limited budgets and small teams
• Disconnected tools and fragmented data
• Difficulty measuring performance across channels
• Increased competition for attention
• Uncertainty around funding sources

At the same time, individual donors are becoming a more critical source of funding. That shift makes it even more important to reach the right people and stay in front of them consistently.

Digital ads help solve this by extending your reach beyond your email list and social followers while reinforcing your message across channels.

What digital ads actually do

At a high level, digital ads allow you to:

• Reach new audiences who haven’t heard of your organization
• Stay top-of-mind with people who already engaged
• Reinforce messaging across email, social, and your website
• Test and optimize messaging based on real performance data

They don’t replace your existing marketing, they strengthen it.

A simple example: How channels work together

Here’s what a typical supporter journey can look like:

1. Awareness: Someone sees your ad on social media and clicks through to learn more
2. Consideration: They visit your site but leave without taking action
3. Follow-up: They receive an email or see additional ads reminding them to return
4. Conversion: They come back and donate, register, or sign up

Each touchpoint builds on the last. Ads are what keep your organization visible between those moments.

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic advertising is the system that powers most digital ads today.

Instead of manually placing ads on individual websites, programmatic technology:

• Automatically buys ad space in real time
• Places your ads across thousands of websites
• Targets users based on behavior, interests, and demographics

When someone loads a webpage, an automated auction happens in milliseconds to determine which ad appears. If that person matches your audience criteria, your ad can show up instantly.

Two core types of campaigns

1. Awareness campaigns (new audiences)

These help you reach people who don’t know your organization yet.

Common approaches include:

• Geofencing: Target people in specific locations (events, campuses, neighborhoods)
• Affinity targeting: Reach users based on interests, demographics, or behaviors
• Search-based targeting: Show ads to people who previously searched for relevant topics

The key here is specificity. The more clearly you define your audience, the better your results.

2. Retargeting campaigns (warm audiences)

These focus on people who already interacted with your organization.

You can target:

• Website visitors (like people who visited your donation page)
• Email subscribers
• Past donors or event attendees

Retargeting is often the highest-performing strategy because you’re reaching people who already showed interest.

How retargeting works

Retargeting relies on a tracking pixel, a small piece of code on your website.

When someone visits your site:

• Their visit is recorded anonymously
• You can serve them ads later as they browse other websites
• Messaging can reflect where they left off

For example:

• Visited donate page → sees donation reminder ads
• Opened email but didn’t click → sees follow-up ads

This creates a more personalized and consistent experience.

Ad design best practices

Even strong targeting won’t work if your ads aren’t clear or compelling.

Focus on:

1. Clear visual hierarchy

• Strong headline
• Supporting text
• Clear call-to-action (CTA)
• Simple layout that’s easy to scan

2. Concise copy

Avoid clutter. Prioritize the one message you want someone to remember.

3. Readability

• Use clean fonts
• Keep text large enough to read on mobile
• Give elements space to breathe

4. Strong CTAs

Match your CTA to the audience stage:

• Awareness: “Learn More”
• Consideration: “See How You Can Help”
• Conversion: “Donate Now” or “Give Today”

Urgency (like deadlines or matching gifts) can significantly improve performance.

Why ad size matters

Digital ads appear in many formats across websites and platforms.

If you only design one size, you’ll miss opportunities to show up. Standardizing your ads across multiple sizes ensures:

• Better placement opportunities
• Higher visibility
• Fewer rejected ads

Budgeting basics: What to expect

Digital ads are typically priced using CPM (cost per thousand impressions).

That means you’re paying for visibility, not clicks.

For example:

• $250 budget
• $5 CPM
• = ~50,000 impressions

That’s 50,000 opportunities to stay in front of your audience.

General CPM ranges:

• Broad audiences: Higher cost, more competition
• Local audiences: Moderate cost
• Retargeting: Lower cost, higher efficiency

Retargeting is usually the most cost-effective because it focuses on highly relevant users.

How to measure success

Your metrics should match your campaign goal:

Awareness campaigns:

• Impressions
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Website visits

Retargeting campaigns:

• Conversions (donations, sign-ups, registrations)
• Cost per conversion
• Return on ad spend

There’s no single “best” metric — only what aligns with your objective.

Final takeaway

Digital ads aren’t just about getting clicks. They’re about building a consistent presence across the entire supporter journey.

When done well, they help you:

• Reach the right people
• Stay visible over time
• Reinforce your message across channels
• Turn interest into action

And most importantly, they make your marketing more intentional, measurable, and effective.