What are Facebook ads?
Charity Facebook ads can reach people in their Facebook news feeds, on Instagram, in the right-hand sidebar of Facebook, and within articles viewed on Facebook.
There are loads of different ad formats available – from carousels for promoting a range of fundraising products or services, to video ads to grab people’s attention, and canvas ads for a full-screen experience.
Why should charities use Facebook ads?
Facebook ads are great for charities because:
- they’re amazingly cost effective
- they give you total control of your budget – you only spend money when someone takes a desired action
- you can create laser-targeted audiences – you won’t waste money reaching people that don’t matter to you
- it’s really easy to test different audiences and ads on a small budget, then scale it up
How can I use Facebook ads?
Here are some great ways charities are using Facebook ads:
Challenge events recruitment
The vast majority of medium to large charities use Facebook ads to recruit people to their challenge events.
It’s a great way to reach people in the area near the event.
Check out the discount code included this NSPCC – a great way to rise above the noise.
Regular donor acquisition
Fundraising on Facebook isn’t easy. But if you ask the right people, you can make progress (especially if you can ask for donations using Facebook Donate).
Here’s an ad from Alzheimer’s Research UK that emphasises the need for research when making the ask.
Campaigning
If you run campaigns or petitions, Facebook ads can be a great way to get people to sign up.
In this ad, Save the Children combine video with a petition ask.
Sponsorship
In this ad, Dogs Trust are promoting their dog sponsorship programme. They include a picture of a dog – hard to go wrong with that little cutie.
Emergency appeals
For international development charities, emergency appeals are a big part of digital fundraising. When they happen, charities like WaterAid UK need to reach a lot of people – and fast.
Facebook ads are a perfect way to do that.
Community fundraising
In this community fundraising Facebook ad, British Heart Foundation take advantage of their distinctive red branding to stand out from the rest of your newsfeed with a concise, compelling ask.
Staff recruitment
When RNLI needed a new social media manager, they turned to a very logical place – social media.
This smartly targeted ad was a great way to get a social media savvy bod on board.
Helpful links to get you started
To get started, check out my blog on JustGiving: how charities can get started with Facebook ads.
You can also read our blog post about how charities could be braver on social media in general.
For other tips and tricks, check out:
