Was the Facebook Ads Boycott a Success, Your Guide to Google Analytics & New Charity Navigator Rating System

The Results Are In: Facebook Ads Boycott

One fact we can all agree on? The boycott was not successful. Not only did Facebook ad spend increase last month — from $3.78 million in June to $3.83 million in July — but the recommendation of changes from Stop Hate for Profit were largely unmet. Despite this, many big-name companies are done posturing and have returned to the platform to advertise (or never stopped advertising on other Facebook-owned platforms). Also, the majority of Facebook’s total ad revenue comes from small advertisers — a group that includes many nonprofits — and many didn’t feel they could afford to pause campaigns during the COVID crisis. This boycott gives us all a lot to think about.

A Move To Smaller, More Frequent Donations

Did you know the average donation in 2018 was $128? If you think that number seems high for current times, you’re not alone. There’s a new wave pushing to lower the bar for smaller donations as a way to expand your donor pool. Especially if your nonprofit is targeting Millennial and Gen Z donors, smaller, more frequent donations make giving more manageable. If you’re wondering how to implement this, a good place to start is to encourage donors to round-up their donations or “set up their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns” that typically garner a few dozen dollars for your cause.

Your Guide to Google Analytics

We talk a lot about Google Analytics in these newsletters. If you’re looking for an easily-digestible article to bookmark so you’re never confused by the analytics you’re looking at, this one from Funraise is a good one. It’s simple, to-the-point and includes action items so you’re not left wondering, ‘Okay… now what?” Need more insight into what metrics you should pay attention to? Check out this webinar.

Engage Your Donor Base

It’s not a 2020 newsletter unless we mention COVID. With fall approaching, I’m already stressing about how to handle year-end giving campaigns. Fortunately, TechSoup has some good advice. Nurturing your donor base and staying connected is a core aspect of fundraising. Don’t neglect them in the off-season! While you may want to take this time to tidy up the backend of your nonprofit fundraising strategy, donation page design and donor data, also consider sharing your nonprofit’s mission, thanking donors and providing important updates to engage supporters.

Charity Navigator Updates Its Rating System

As if 2020 couldn’t get more destabilizing, a major charity watchdog unveils a new way to analyze nonprofit performance. “Since 2001, Charity Navigator has rated the efficiency and effectiveness of thousands of nonprofits based on measures of finance, accountability and transparency.” It’s also garnered a lot of criticism for putting too much emphasis on an organization’s overhead. Now, the Encompass Rating System uses four key indicators: finance and accountability, impact and results, leadership and adaptability, and culture and community to grade organizations. I think this marks a step toward a more balanced evaluation system, but time will tell.