Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[Samuel Patton]

Hi all, apologies as I'm a bit behind schedule in answering the last round
of questions. We ended up taking a few extra days to get the details of the
program right, and launched this ads experiment on Wednesday, July 12th. I
posted an update today to our meta page for this experiment
, but
we don't have any conclusions, yet, due to our late launch.

Here are the questions I saw:

*James Heilman: Interesting experiment. Can you provide versions of the
fundraiser notifications so people can provide feedback?*

Sure. Our first ad group uses the same image of Jimmy Wales, with two
different sets of copy. You can see screenshots of the two ads on our meta
page .
If anyone has suggestions for content that you think might motivate new
donors, let me know. It's particularly difficult to come up with
representative images. Jimmy appeared in our banners for a while, so we
decided to start there.

*Chris Keating: Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom
audiences tool to include (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF
donors?*
This was a big discussion topic before we launched this pilot project. We
are not currently suppressing or targeting ads to our donor list, but we
will revisit this option and it's pros and cons if we decide to keep
testing ads.

*Also from Chris: (And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed
at the actual fundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the
only movement body that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same
way's it approaches the on-wiki banners? :) )*

Yeah, I can’t answer that :)

Hope everyone has good weekends,
sam

On Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 4:49 PM, Samuel Patton 
wrote:

> Hi all, I've received a bunch of great questions both on and off list. I'm
> really happy to see how interested people are in this pilot. It is a new
> experiment for us, too, and I hope the learnings will be beneficial to all.
>
> I just wanted to send a quick note of acknowledgment because it's getting
> late in my timezone and I haven't had a chance to get answers to all
> questions. I'll be back in touch next week with more info.
>
> thank you,
> sam
>
> On Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 6:46 AM, Chris Keating  > wrote:
>
>> Thanks Sam! Very interesting to see the WMF dip its toe into the water of
>> off-Wikipedia fundraising for small gifts for the first time. :)
>>
>> Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom audiences tool
>> to
>> include (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF donors?
>>
>> (And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed at the actual
>> fundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the only movement
>> body that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same way's it
>> approaches the on-wiki banners? :) )
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 6:58 PM, Samuel Patton 
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Hi everyone,
>> >
>> > I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
>> > Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
>> > received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
>> > Engagement.
>> >
>> > *I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
>> > , and would be
>> happy
>> > to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
>> >
>> > Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a
>> small
>> > fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
>> > posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will
>> direct
>> > users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing
>> pages.
>> >
>> > Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people
>> who
>> > find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the
>> Foundation’s
>> > mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way
>> for
>> > nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness,
>> and
>> > we’re excited to dip our toes into this.
>> >
>> > Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
>> > experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We
>> hope
>> > to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
>> > perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
>> > appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.
>> >
>> > *Where will the ads appear?*
>> >
>> > This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls
>> content
>> > that appears in the news feed of Facebook users.
>> >
>> > They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appear
>> > within the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.
>> > (Instagram is a Facebook property.)
>> >
>> > They will not appear as banners, pop-ups

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[Samuel Patton]

Hi all, I've received a bunch of great questions both on and off list. I'm
really happy to see how interested people are in this pilot. It is a new
experiment for us, too, and I hope the learnings will be beneficial to all.

I just wanted to send a quick note of acknowledgment because it's getting
late in my timezone and I haven't had a chance to get answers to all
questions. I'll be back in touch next week with more info.

thank you,
sam

On Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 6:46 AM, Chris Keating 
wrote:

> Thanks Sam! Very interesting to see the WMF dip its toe into the water of
> off-Wikipedia fundraising for small gifts for the first time. :)
>
> Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom audiences tool to
> include (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF donors?
>
> (And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed at the actual
> fundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the only movement
> body that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same way's it
> approaches the on-wiki banners? :) )
>
> Regards,
>
> Chris
>
> On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 6:58 PM, Samuel Patton 
> wrote:
>
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
> > Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
> > received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
> > Engagement.
> >
> > *I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
> > , and would be
> happy
> > to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
> >
> > Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a
> small
> > fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
> > posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will direct
> > users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing
> pages.
> >
> > Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people
> who
> > find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’s
> > mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way
> for
> > nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, and
> > we’re excited to dip our toes into this.
> >
> > Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
> > experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hope
> > to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
> > perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
> > appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.
> >
> > *Where will the ads appear?*
> >
> > This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls
> content
> > that appears in the news feed of Facebook users.
> >
> > They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appear
> > within the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.
> > (Instagram is a Facebook property.)
> >
> > They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appear
> > alongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”
> > advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that users
> > expect from Facebook and Instagram.
> >
> > *How will you target your ads?*
> >
> > In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country
> > (U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respond
> > particularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and
> frequent
> > consumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reported
> > information about educational achievement, news readership, and
> > philanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. In
> > addition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectiveness
> > across other characteristics - age, gender, etc.
> >
> > A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn*
> whether
> > there are any demographic differences in how people respond to our
> > messaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who is
> > more likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group about
> > what to do with that knowledge.
> >
> > *Can users opt out?*
> >
> > Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest to
> > them. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to
> not
> > annoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.
> >
> > *Who is working on this?*
> >
> > Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications
> to
> > run this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by a
> > small company called Middle Seat.
> >
> > *Will you keep us in the loop?*
> >
> > Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so
> > far.
> >
> > Stay tuned for more updates!
> >
> > sam
> >
> > ---
> >
> > *Possible target audienc

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[Chris Keating]

Thanks Sam! Very interesting to see the WMF dip its toe into the water of
off-Wikipedia fundraising for small gifts for the first time. :)

Out of interest are you planning to use Facebook's custom audiences tool to
include (or possibly exclude) people who are already WMF donors?

(And, more of a movement strategy question than one aimed at the actual
fundraising team - if this works, will WMF decide it's the only movement
body that is allowed to fundraising on Facebook, in the same way's it
approaches the on-wiki banners? :) )

Regards,

Chris

On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 6:58 PM, Samuel Patton 
wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
> Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
> received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
> Engagement.
>
> *I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
> , and would be happy
> to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
>
> Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a small
> fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
> posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will direct
> users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.
>
> Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people who
> find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’s
> mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way for
> nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, and
> we’re excited to dip our toes into this.
>
> Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
> experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hope
> to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
> perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
> appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.
>
> *Where will the ads appear?*
>
> This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls content
> that appears in the news feed of Facebook users.
>
> They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appear
> within the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.
> (Instagram is a Facebook property.)
>
> They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appear
> alongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”
> advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that users
> expect from Facebook and Instagram.
>
> *How will you target your ads?*
>
> In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country
> (U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respond
> particularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequent
> consumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reported
> information about educational achievement, news readership, and
> philanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. In
> addition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectiveness
> across other characteristics - age, gender, etc.
>
> A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whether
> there are any demographic differences in how people respond to our
> messaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who is
> more likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group about
> what to do with that knowledge.
>
> *Can users opt out?*
>
> Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest to
> them. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to not
> annoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.
>
> *Who is working on this?*
>
> Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications to
> run this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by a
> small company called Middle Seat.
>
> *Will you keep us in the loop?*
>
> Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so
> far.
>
> Stay tuned for more updates!
>
> sam
>
> ---
>
> *Possible target audiences:*
>
> *STUDENTS & EDUCATORS*
> *How likely to donate are current students and educators?*
> Age: 18 - 65+
> Target: Current students above high school level and educators based on
> self-reported “job title”
> Reach: 1,000,000+
>
> *PHILANTHROPISTS*
> *How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropy
> and donating to charitable causes?*
> Age: 18 - 65+
> Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy and
> donating to charity
> Reach: ~460,000
>
> *NEWS READERS*
> *How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’re
> daily news consumers?*
> Age: 18 - 65+
> Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily news
> consu

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[James Heilman]

Thanks Sam

Interesting experiment. Can you provide versions of the fundraiser
notifications so people can provide feedback?

Best
James

On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 1:57 PM, Samuel Patton 
wrote:

> Hi, John. Thanks for taking the time to share your questions, and I'm happy
> to answer them. I've included your original questions and my answers
> inline:
>
>
> *Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram? If so, how much is being
> allocated that part of this pilot?*
> Yes; we’ll pay a cost per click, or per impressions, for these ads. We’ve
> allocated $5,000 USD for this experiment.
>
>
> *What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will be
> considered successful?*
> The ultimate goal of running an ads program would be 100% ROI; $2 raised
> for every $1 spent. We will also be able to compare ROI with that of our
> existing payment processors and determine if Facebook helps increase our
> efficiency. But we have no expectations because we don’t yet have data. For
> the purpose of this experiment, we simply want to establish benchmarks that
> could guide further testing. That being said, our online fundraising model
> is entirely built around a/b iterative testing, and we'll employ those
> principles in this pilot.
>
> *If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that most of
> the knowledge gained will already have been published previously by other
> non-profits who've tried similar.*
>
> A fair point, though I’d note that, as far as our banners and emails, ‘our
> donors don’t always behave like other donors.’ The copy, design, and ask
> amounts that work for us do not track exactly with the experiences of other
> non-profit peers, whom we also monitor and consult.
>
> If the ROI is favorable, it also gives us the opportunity to engage a new
> set of Wikipedia users. This new medium opens the possibility to get new
> donors on our list, and educate more people about the Foundation and the
> movement.
>
> *I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by Middle
> Seat >, and not that it is
> former staff member Zack Exley's company. Is there a requirement that this
> consulting job will culminate in a published and openly licensed report by
> Middle Seat?*
>
> Zack Exley is not directly involved in this experiment, though he is a
> founding member of Middle Seat. We’re working with Middle Seat to tap into
> their expertise in social advertising and targeting, but all content
> approval and reporting will be handled by the Foundation in keeping with
> our established best practices.
>
> I appreciate your scrutiny and the chance to offer some more clarity on
> this test.
>
> regards,
> sam
>
> On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 2:45 PM, John Mark Vandenberg 
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Sam,
> >
> > Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram?
> > If so, how much is being allocated that part of this pilot?
> >
> > IIRC, at least Facebook has a separate program for non-profits, but
> > they didnt offer ads for non-profits at reduced rates as part of that
> > program.
> >
> > What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will be
> > considered successful?
> > If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that
> > most of the knowledge gained will already have been published
> > previously by other non-profits who've tried similar.
> >
> > I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by
> > Middle Seat , and not that it is former staff
> > member Zack Exley's company.
> > Is there a requirement that this consulting job will culminate in a
> > published and openly licensed report by Middle Seat?
> >
> > Regards,
> > John
> >
> > On Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 12:58 AM, Samuel Patton 
> > wrote:
> > > Hi everyone,
> > >
> > > I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
> > > Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
> > > received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
> > > Engagement.
> > >
> > > *I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
> > > , and would be
> > happy
> > > to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
> > >
> > > Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a
> > small
> > > fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve
> sponsored
> > > posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will
> direct
> > > users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing
> > pages.
> > >
> > > Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people
> > who
> > > find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the
> Foundation’s
> > > mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way
> > for
> > > nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness,
> and
> > > we’re excited to dip 

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[Samuel Patton]

Hi, John. Thanks for taking the time to share your questions, and I'm happy
to answer them. I've included your original questions and my answers inline:


*Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram? If so, how much is being
allocated that part of this pilot?*
Yes; we’ll pay a cost per click, or per impressions, for these ads. We’ve
allocated $5,000 USD for this experiment.


*What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will be
considered successful?*
The ultimate goal of running an ads program would be 100% ROI; $2 raised
for every $1 spent. We will also be able to compare ROI with that of our
existing payment processors and determine if Facebook helps increase our
efficiency. But we have no expectations because we don’t yet have data. For
the purpose of this experiment, we simply want to establish benchmarks that
could guide further testing. That being said, our online fundraising model
is entirely built around a/b iterative testing, and we'll employ those
principles in this pilot.

*If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that most of
the knowledge gained will already have been published previously by other
non-profits who've tried similar.*

A fair point, though I’d note that, as far as our banners and emails, ‘our
donors don’t always behave like other donors.’ The copy, design, and ask
amounts that work for us do not track exactly with the experiences of other
non-profit peers, whom we also monitor and consult.

If the ROI is favorable, it also gives us the opportunity to engage a new
set of Wikipedia users. This new medium opens the possibility to get new
donors on our list, and educate more people about the Foundation and the
movement.

*I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by Middle
Seat >, and not that it is
former staff member Zack Exley's company. Is there a requirement that this
consulting job will culminate in a published and openly licensed report by
Middle Seat?*

Zack Exley is not directly involved in this experiment, though he is a
founding member of Middle Seat. We’re working with Middle Seat to tap into
their expertise in social advertising and targeting, but all content
approval and reporting will be handled by the Foundation in keeping with
our established best practices.

I appreciate your scrutiny and the chance to offer some more clarity on
this test.

regards,
sam

On Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 2:45 PM, John Mark Vandenberg 
wrote:

> Hi Sam,
>
> Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram?
> If so, how much is being allocated that part of this pilot?
>
> IIRC, at least Facebook has a separate program for non-profits, but
> they didnt offer ads for non-profits at reduced rates as part of that
> program.
>
> What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will be
> considered successful?
> If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that
> most of the knowledge gained will already have been published
> previously by other non-profits who've tried similar.
>
> I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by
> Middle Seat , and not that it is former staff
> member Zack Exley's company.
> Is there a requirement that this consulting job will culminate in a
> published and openly licensed report by Middle Seat?
>
> Regards,
> John
>
> On Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 12:58 AM, Samuel Patton 
> wrote:
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
> > Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
> > received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
> > Engagement.
> >
> > *I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
> > , and would be
> happy
> > to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
> >
> > Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a
> small
> > fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
> > posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will direct
> > users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing
> pages.
> >
> > Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people
> who
> > find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’s
> > mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way
> for
> > nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, and
> > we’re excited to dip our toes into this.
> >
> > Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
> > experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hope
> > to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
> > perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
> > appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.
> >
> > *Where will the ads

Re: [Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[John Mark Vandenberg]

Hi Sam,

Does this involve paying Facebook and Instagram?
If so, how much is being allocated that part of this pilot?

IIRC, at least Facebook has a separate program for non-profits, but
they didnt offer ads for non-profits at reduced rates as part of that
program.

What targets have been set to evaluate whether this pilot will be
considered successful?
If it is just to *learn* about potential demographics, I fear that
most of the knowledge gained will already have been published
previously by other non-profits who've tried similar.

I cant help but notice that you mentioned the work will be done by
Middle Seat , and not that it is former staff
member Zack Exley's company.
Is there a requirement that this consulting job will culminate in a
published and openly licensed report by Middle Seat?

Regards,
John

On Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 12:58 AM, Samuel Patton  wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
> Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
> received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
> Engagement.
>
> *I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
> , and would be happy
> to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*
>
> Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a small
> fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
> posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will direct
> users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.
>
> Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people who
> find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’s
> mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way for
> nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, and
> we’re excited to dip our toes into this.
>
> Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
> experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hope
> to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
> perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
> appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.
>
> *Where will the ads appear?*
>
> This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls content
> that appears in the news feed of Facebook users.
>
> They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appear
> within the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.
> (Instagram is a Facebook property.)
>
> They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appear
> alongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”
> advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that users
> expect from Facebook and Instagram.
>
> *How will you target your ads?*
>
> In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country
> (U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respond
> particularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequent
> consumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reported
> information about educational achievement, news readership, and
> philanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. In
> addition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectiveness
> across other characteristics - age, gender, etc.
>
> A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whether
> there are any demographic differences in how people respond to our
> messaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who is
> more likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group about
> what to do with that knowledge.
>
> *Can users opt out?*
>
> Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest to
> them. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to not
> annoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.
>
> *Who is working on this?*
>
> Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications to
> run this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by a
> small company called Middle Seat.
>
> *Will you keep us in the loop?*
>
> Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.
>
> Stay tuned for more updates!
>
> sam
>
> ---
>
> *Possible target audiences:*
>
> *STUDENTS & EDUCATORS*
> *How likely to donate are current students and educators?*
> Age: 18 - 65+
> Target: Current students above high school level and educators based on
> self-reported “job title”
> Reach: 1,000,000+
>
> *PHILANTHROPISTS*
> *How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropy
> and donating to charitable causes?*
> Age: 18 - 65+
> Target: Facebook users with self-reported in

[Wikimedia-l] Fundraising pilot on Facebook

[Samuel Patton]

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to let you know about a project we're trying on the
Foundation's fundraising team. Thanks to all the help and advice we've
received from our colleagues in Communications, Legal, and Community
Engagement.

*I've posted this announcement as an update on Fundraising's Meta Page
, and would be happy
to answer questions and keep the discussion up there.*

Over the next three weeks, the Advancement team will be conducting a small
fundraising pilot on Facebook and Instagram. This will involve sponsored
posts, served in English to people in the United States, that will direct
users to donate to the Foundation using our own donation processing pages.

Fundraising is always interested in exploring new ways to reach people who
find value in Wikipedia and are interested in supporting the Foundation’s
mission. Advertising across social networks is a proven and popular way for
nonprofits to find new supporters and build organizational awareness, and
we’re excited to dip our toes into this.

Like the many tests we run for Fundraising, this pilot will involve
experiments testing different imagery, copy, and calls to action. We hope
to answer the question: how well does our on-Wikipedia.org messaging
perform when presented on another site? It will also examine how our
appeals perform across demographic and interest groups.

*Where will the ads appear?*

This pilot will use “sponsored posts,” which is what Facebook calls content
that appears in the news feed of Facebook users.

They will also appear on Instagram as “sponsored stories” that appear
within the flow of photo and video posts users scroll on that network.
(Instagram is a Facebook property.)

They will not appear as banners, pop-ups, or display ads that appear
alongside the news feed. This is a test in what is called “native”
advertising, meaning it uses the same content display area that users
expect from Facebook and Instagram.

*How will you target your ads?*

In addition to the broad parameters of language (English) and country
(U.S.), we have identified a few target audiences that might respond
particularly well to our appeals: educators, philanthropists, and frequent
consumers of news. We will build these audiences based off self reported
information about educational achievement, news readership, and
philanthropic interest. I've included details on each audience below. In
addition to these, we have discussed the value of comparing effectiveness
across other characteristics - age, gender, etc.

A large part of the value in running this experiment is to *learn* whether
there are any demographic differences in how people respond to our
messaging. If this experiment does give us compelling info about who is
more likely to donate, that is exciting! And we'll talk as a group about
what to do with that knowledge.

*Can users opt out?*

Of course. Users can hide individual ads if they are not of interest to
them. This is also something we can measure to better understand how to not
annoy or impose on social media users in future fundraising drives.

*Who is working on this?*

Fundraising is partnering with the social media folks in Communications to
run this test. The promotion and measurement of ads is being managed by a
small company called Middle Seat.

*Will you keep us in the loop?*

Absolutely. By July 15 we intend to share an overview of our testing so far.

Stay tuned for more updates!

sam

---

*Possible target audiences:*

*STUDENTS & EDUCATORS*
*How likely to donate are current students and educators?*
Age: 18 - 65+
Target: Current students above high school level and educators based on
self-reported “job title”
Reach: 1,000,000+

*PHILANTHROPISTS*
*How likely to donate are Facebook users interested in both philanthropy
and donating to charitable causes?*
Age: 18 - 65+
Target: Facebook users with self-reported interests in philanthropy and
donating to charity
Reach: ~460,000

*NEWS READERS*
*How likely to donate are Facebook users whose behavior suggests they’re
daily news consumers?*
Age: 18 - 65+
Target: Facebook users with interests and behavior that suggests daily news
consumption
Reach: ~1,000,000
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