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Charity Marketing · Australia
Marketing for Charities and Not-for-Profits
The Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation gave away 10,000 art packs in 8 weeks through a campaign we ran. It produced 11,036 leads at $1.04 each, and 245 donations followed. The lesson we took from it: offer something useful first, and ask for the donation second.
11,036Leads, WCH Foundation Campaign
$1.04Cost per Lead, WCH Foundation
245Donations From the Campaign
10,000Art Packs Given Away in 8 Weeks
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A charity rarely has one audience. Donors, volunteers, people who need your service, lottery buyers and bequest prospects all arrive with different questions, and a board wants to know what each dollar of marketing returned. Most commercial marketing plans assume a single customer and a single sale, which is why they fit a charity badly.
This is one of the few sectors where we can show our own published result. Below is what the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation campaign showed, next to what Google, the ACNC and Semrush say about the conditions you work under.
What We Found
What the numbers say about charity marketing
From Google's and the ACNC's own pages, our case study, and the Semrush terms we checked on 12 November 2026.
Donor clicks are expensive
Semrush estimates "donate to charity" at about US$13.66 a click and "charities to donate to" at about US$14.93, on 590 searches a month each. Advertisers are paying real money to reach those people.
The grant has a ceiling
Google's Ad Grant offers eligible organisations up to US$10,000 a month in ads on Google Search. It comes with a program-level US$2.00 maximum bid, which only conversion-based Smart Bidding can go above.
Few charities search for an agency
"Charity marketing" gets about 40 searches a month. It is a small search market, so we would not build a charity's plan on what other charities do: we start from your own audiences.
A gift can come before the ask
The foundation's art packs brought in 11,036 leads. The case study reports 245 donations resulting from it, so much of the value sits in what happens to those contacts afterwards.
The regulator isn't who many assume
The ACNC says plainly that it does not regulate fundraising. States and territories do, and a charity must comply where it raises funds, not just where it operates.
How We Help
What each channel does for a charity
Each channel has its own page with the rules and numbers behind it.
SEO for charities
Separate pages for donors, volunteers and the people you serve, with claims a careful reader can check.
Google Ads for charities
An Ad Grants account kept inside Google's rules, and a paid account where the grant can't reach.
Meta Ads for charities
Campaigns built around one clear ask, reported against donations and not just clicks.
The Landscape
The challenges charities and not-for-profits face
Most come from small teams, several audiences and public scrutiny of every dollar.
One website, several jobs
The person looking for help tonight and the person planning a gift in their will land on the same homepage. Each needs a clear path that doesn't run through the other's content.
Free ad spend still costs time
Ad Grants accounts must hold a 5% click-through rate each month and keep valid conversion tracking. Someone has to watch that, and in a small team it is usually nobody's main job.
Not every not-for-profit qualifies
Google excludes government bodies, hospitals and schools from its nonprofit program, though foundations attached to them can be eligible. A club or association that isn't a registered charity may need a normal paid account.
Words are regulated
The ACNC warns charities against statements such as "100% of contributions will benefit those in need" when some money goes to administration. Misleading appeals can breach Australian Consumer Law.
The board asks about cost
Spending on fundraising is legitimate, in the ACNC's words, but the people responsible for the charity have to be able to explain it. Reports need to show donations and leads, not impressions.
Our Evidence
What the WCH Foundation campaign showed
The Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation in South Australia wanted a thoughtful, interactive way to attract leads. Its team created art packs for children visiting the hospital, and we ran the campaign that promoted them. All 10,000 packs were given away within 8 weeks. The campaign generated 11,036 leads at a cost per lead of $1.04, brought 89,750 new visitors to the website, and 245 donations resulted from it. The foundation then ordered more packs as a way to keep connecting with potential donors. It is one campaign for one well-known foundation, so treat it as evidence of an approach, not a forecast for your cause.
What You Get
A plan a small team and a board can both live with
- We ask which audience matters most this year (donors, volunteers, service users or supporters) before choosing a channel
- An eligibility check for Google Ad Grants before anyone pays for clicks
- Appeal copy checked against what you can show about where the money goes
- Reports written for a board: leads, donations and cost, with the gaps in tracking stated
- Special pricing for not-for-profits, quoted after a call, and ad spend that is never marked up
Keyword figures: Semrush Australian database, checked 12 November 2026. Volumes and click prices are Semrush estimates, and click prices are shown in US dollars. Ad Grants amount: Google Ad Grants. Eligibility: Google for Nonprofits. Fundraising regulation: ACNC Fundraising Hub and ACNC, charity fundraising and the public. Foundation figures are from our published case study.
Common Questions
Charity marketing, answered
Which channel should a charity start with?
If you are a registered charity without an Ad Grants account, start there: the eligibility check costs nothing. If you already have one, the next step depends on your goal. Service enquiries and volunteer sign-ups usually suit search. A campaign with an offer, like the foundation's art packs, needs paid reach.
Do you work with not-for-profits that aren't registered charities?
Yes. Sporting clubs, associations and social enterprises can use the same channels. The difference is that Google's nonprofit program may not be open to you, so we plan around a standard paid account and say so early.
Do you have charity results you can show?
One published case study: the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation, with 11,036 leads and 245 donations from a single campaign. We don't have a published charity SEO result, and we say that on our SEO page.
Other Industries
Other industries we market
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