How articulating the need in a Facebook ad impacts donations

At Frontier, we’re ramping up the volume of a/b testing that goes into every single one of our campaigns. One channel where testing is absolutely essential is paid advertising. 

On Facebook / Meta in particular, it’s very hard to predict which creative assets in a given campaign are going to lead to more clicks and conversions as well as lower costs. 

In the experiment below, you’ll see what we learned by testing the ad creative in a Facebook ad campaign around the Thanksgiving holiday here in Canada. 

The Hypothesis 

When running a campaign for Ottawa Mission, we had recently tested using more organic-looking imagery. The more genuine and authentic images were leading to better performance likely because they were more human and believable. 

For this campaign, we were asking for donations around Canadian Thanksgiving. Which means there was a clear date on the calendar where there was a higher perceived need for donations. 

The original ad creative for the campaign utilized this genuine, human approach. It showed a picture of a man named Ben, shared his personal story, and asked for a donation to help others who might be in a similar situation. 

But we had a wondered: 
Would ad creative that showcased the larger need around Thanksgiving lead to a difference in performance? 

The treatment ad used the same organic-looking approach to the imagery, but instead used a photo that was representative of the greater need—not just isolating one particular story. The copy of the ad jumped right into articulating the needs in Ottawa around the Thanksgiving holiday. 

It clearly stated the need. And it made an immediate appeal for donations—all while using the same authentic approach to the creative. 

The Results 

The ad that clearly focused on the needs led to a 95% increase in donations! 

We all know that stories and testimonials can be very powerful to help donors see the potential impact of their gift. But other experiments from our friends at NextAfter have shown a similar result: when there is urgency around a particular deadline or event, clearly communicating the need is often the more effective strategy. 

How can I apply this tactic? 

Any time you are approaching a clear deadline—Giving Tuesday, end of the year, or other high urgency campaigns—test getting straight to the point. Clarify the scope of the problem or need and make a clear appeal for donations. 

Stories and testimonials earlier in a campaign are often very effective at helping build trust. They can cause a donor to see how a gift would potentially make an impact. These kinds of stories may lead to some donations right away, but they also can cultivate and prime a potential donor for an appeal coming later in a campaign. 

After donors have been cultivated and primed, your clear donation appeals closer to the deadline will be much more effective. 

Looking to a/b test and optimize your online fundraising? Send us a note and we can chat about ways we can help you get started: https://www.frontier.io/about