American Lung Association Case Study: End-of-Year Giving Campaign Drives Exponential Donation Revenue Growth

Overview

The American Lung Association partnered with X Agency for their end-of-year giving campaign, aiming to maximize donations and drive significant revenue growth. By leveraging remarketing strategies, the campaign achieved remarkable success, including a 118% year-over-year (YoY) growth in donation revenue.

Mission

The American Lung Association is dedicated to saving lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through research, education, and advocacy. Their end-of-year giving campaign plays a critical role in securing the funding needed to continue their vital work.

Challenge

Re-examining Spend Along the Funnel

In 2021, the majority of the Facebook marketing budget was allocated to prospecting new donors. While this strategy brought some success, insights from the campaign revealed that existing supporters—those already engaged with the organization—were more likely to donate. This realization highlighted the need to reallocate resources towards remarketing efforts to target these high-potential audiences more effectively. It is composed of web visitors, engaged users from past ads on Facebook and Instagram, as well as past donors from email lists and the Facebook pixel.

XA Solution

Expanding Remarketing Efforts

Building on lessons learned from the prior campaign, X Agency collaborated with the American Lung Association to refine their strategy for 2022. The focus shifted to engaging audiences who had already interacted with the organization’s content or expressed intent to donate.

Remarketing Audiences

The campaign prioritized remarketing to:

• Web Visitors: Individuals who had visited the organization’s website.
• Engaged Users: People who had interacted with past Facebook and Instagram ads.
• Past Donors: Identified through email lists and the Facebook pixel.

Abandoned Donation Audience

A new audience segment was created to target individuals who started the donation process but did not complete it. These individuals were re-engaged through tailored messaging to encourage them to finalize their donations.

Results

Remarkable Outcomes

The refined strategy delivered outstanding results:

• 132 Additional Attributed Donors: Focusing on remarketing resulted in 132 more donors compared to the previous year, demonstrating the effectiveness of targeting engaged audiences.
• $10,000 in Donation Revenue: The campaign saw an impressive 118% YoY growth in donation revenue, showcasing the success of engaging high-propensity donors.
• Optimized Budget Allocation: With just $1,500 more spent on Facebook ads than the previous year, the campaign achieved exponential growth, proving the efficiency of the new strategy. This optimized budget allocation ensured that marketing dollars were effectively utilized to drive meaningful donor engagement and revenue growth.

Services We Provided

X Agency delivered a comprehensive suite of services to ensure the success of the campaign:

• Strategic planning and audience segmentation
• Facebook and Instagram paid ad management
• Remarketing strategy development
• Data analysis and performance reporting

Conclusion

Through a refined focus on remarketing and audience targeting, X Agency helped the American Lung Association achieve exceptional results for their end-of-year giving campaign. By reallocating resources to engage existing supporters, the organization not only increased donor contributions but also optimized its marketing spend for maximum impact. This case study underscores the power of data-driven strategies in amplifying nonprofit fundraising efforts.