Effective social campaigns for NGOs: How to fundraise and attract volunteers

Social campaigns for NGOs and voluntary organisations

Today, social media is one of the most effective tools for raising awareness and raising support for NGOs and voluntary organisations. With limited budgets and growing competition for attention, more nonprofits are using paid advertising to increase their reach, engage their target audience, recruit volunteers or fundraise.
Unlike organic listings, which are severely limited in reach as of now, paid ads allow NGOs to cut through the noise and reach their target audience directly. Regardless of the goal, a well-executed campaign can deliver great results – even with limited budgets.
This guide will explore how NGOs and voluntary organizations can effectively leverage paid SoMe campaigns to achieve their goals.

Why paid campaigns are essential for NGOs

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have drastically reduced organic reach and are prioritizing paid content in users’ feeds. For NGOs, this means they cannot rely on organic posts alone to reach new audiences OR your existing followers. Paid advertising ensures that your message reaches the right people at the right time.

Targeting specific audiences based on age, location, interests and behavior.
Optimization according to specific actions or behaviour, where the algorithm automatically identifies and matches the most interested people with your messages.
Rapid scaling up or down of campaigns according to performance and your campaign goals

Common challenges NGOs face with advertising

While paid campaigns have great potential, NGOs face unique challenges when entering the advertising world:

Limited budgets and resources:
Many NGOs operate on tight budgets, leaving little room for experimentation. However, even small investments can yield significant results when the campaigns are carefully planned and optimized.
Lack of expertise in ad platforms and analytics:
Navigating advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads Manager or Google Ads can be overwhelming without prior experience. However, there are many guides on the web and YouTube. Investing in training or partnering with digital marketing experts can help overcome this.
Competition for attention:
NGOs compete with other NGOs and organizations seeking donations, volunteers or otherwise. That is why it is important to stand out and become absolutely sharp in storytelling, creativity and authenticity.

Setting goals for social campaigns

To get the maximum benefit from paid campaigns, NGOs must start by setting clear and precise goals.

Campaigns for branding, volunteer recruitment and donations (fundraising)

Every paid campaign should have a specific and measurable goal. Common goals of NGOs include:

Branding:
The goal can be to reach new people and create awareness about a specific issue.
Engagement:
Drive likes, shares and comments to spread the word.
Volunteer recruitment:
Attracting new volunteers to join your organization..
Donations (fundraising):
Drive financial support for your projects through fundraising campaigns.

Selection of platforms for campaigns

Meta (Facebook and Instagram) is the best all-around platform for NGOs and can meet the vast majority of needs. With strong advertising tools and target optimization, we typically recommend starting here, as the platform is suitable for everything from fundraising to engagement.

LinkedIn is ideal for recruiting volunteers, especially if you are looking for people with specific skills. The platform’s detailed targeting makes it easy to reach people based on job titles, experience and education.

TikTok is perfect for NGOs that want to reach younger audiences and create viral awareness. With short, creative videos, you can tell engaging stories and achieve high reach at lower costs. However, it requires creativity and an understanding of the tone of the platform.

For the vast majority of NGOs, we recommend starting with Meta, but LinkedIn and TikTok can be strong alternatives depending on your goals.

Budgeting for advertising

Even with limited resources, NGOs can run effective campaigns if the budget is strategically allocated and continuously optimized. Start by focusing on one platform and use image and video ads to tell some of your best stories. Some NGOs start out with a monthly budget per DKK 2,000-3,500, but quickly discovers the effect of the advertising (if everything is set up correctly). From here you can scale up or down as needed.

Gradually, you can start testing several different ad formats, messages and target groups.

We typically work with a monthly spend between DKK 5,000 and DKK 45,000 with our NGO clients.

Critical to success: Use the algorithm optimally with tracking and optimization

The use of the Meta algorithm, tracking and optimization is essential to ensure successful campaigns for NGOs on the platform. The meta-algorithm helps to find and reach exactly the target group that is most likely to engage in the organization’s cause – whether the goal is to increase awareness, collect donations or recruit volunteers.

By setting up correct tracking and defining the desired event, such as a donation or registration as a volunteer, the algorithm can continuously optimize the campaign and ensure that the budget is used efficiently. This data-driven approach gives you the opportunity to create greater impact and maximize the effect.

Conclusion

Paid social media campaigns allow NGOs and voluntary organizations to reach further, engage more supporters and make a bigger difference. By setting clear goals, choosing the right platforms and applying data-driven strategies, even organizations with small budgets can achieve results.

FAQ on social campaigns for NGOs

How much should NGOs spend on paid social media campaigns?

The budget depends on your goals and the platform. To start with DKK 50–100 per day can give good results if set up and optimized correctly. We typically work with a monthly spend of between DKK 5,000 and DKK 45,000 with our NGO clients.

Are paid campaigns better than organic strategies for NGOs?

Paid campaigns complement organic efforts by increasing reach and driving specific actions like donations or event registrations.

How can NGOs use retargeting effectively?

NGOs can use retargeting effectively by targeting people who have already shown interest in your organization. This includes website visitors, previous donors or users who have interacted with previous campaigns. Retargeting ads can renew interest by showing relevant messages such as updates, thank you notes or new promotions.

How can NGOs use storytelling effectively in paid campaigns?

Combine emotional images with engaging text to show how your organization makes a difference. Share real stories that resonate with your target audience.

What is the difference between boosting posts and running a fully paid campaign?

Boosting is a simpler method of promoting an existing post, while a fully paid campaign gives you more options for targeting, ad formats and optimization. We always recommend using Facebook Ads Manager to manage your campaigns.