World Food Program USA

The objective

Driving donations to alleviate global hunger

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is a humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

World Food Program USA, the US affiliate of WFP, tested a fundraising campaign on TikTok during the Giving Season in 2023, and decided to implement always-on fundraising and donation campaigns after seeing the platform's potential. Their goal was to increase donations and raise awareness around alleviating global hunger among a younger audience. They aimed to engage TikTok's diverse user base, mainly focused on attracting younger donors, fostering continuous support, and efficiently driving donations.

The approach

Audience and creative content testing

To achieve its objective, WFP USA adopted a strategy centered on continuous testing and learning, focusing on both audience targeting and creative content. Instead of merely informing the audience about their mission, WFP USA showcased the real impact of their work, explaining how each donation would contribute to alleviating hunger and where the funds would be allocated for the greatest impact.

The campaign was centered around engaging content and ad creative that felt natural on the platform. Understanding that Gen Z and Millennials want transparency about how their donations are utilized, WFP USA crafted assets that clearly explained the impact and educated their audience on what the United Nations World Food Programme does. These ads were designed to blend seamlessly into TikTok's feed, ensuring they felt natural and engaging rather than intrusive. This approach was aimed at maximizing user engagement and fostering a genuine connection with the audience.

WFP USA used TikTok's targeting capabilities and made data-driven adjustments to optimize performance. They initially took a broad approach to targeting, in order to learn who was most likely to donate. They used this data to create Donor Lookalike Audiences (LAL) to refine their targeting, ensuring they reached people most likely to support their cause.

The campaign involved rigorous testing of different creative elements and messaging. By analyzing performance data, WFP USA continuously refined their strategies to improve engagement and conversion rates.

The first three months were focused on establishing a foundation and gathering insights through a testing and learning phase. Building on these insights, WFP USA refined its approach in the second quarter. The optimizations led to a substantial increase in conversions from younger donors and a notable reduction in CPA, demonstrating the effectiveness of WFP's continuous testing and learning strategy.

In March 2024, the 18-44 age group comprised 84.01% of conversions, with a CPA of $36.14 and a return on ad spend (ROAS) of 1.33. By April-June, this group's share rose to 90.63%, as strategy refinements reduced CPA to $17.36 and increased ROAS to 2.27, highlighting the effectiveness of targeting, especially among the 25-34 age segment.

The results

Endless impact through engaging younger donors

The World Food Program USA's strategic approach to leveraging TikTok for fundraising has proven highly effective. Through TikTok, they were able to mobilize a younger generation of supporters to care about the organization's mission and join them in alleviating global hunger.

By embracing a testing-and-learning mindset as well as focusing on both audience targeting and genuine creative content, WFP USA successfully engaged their target audience, raised significant funds, and increased awareness about global hunger.

From Q1 to Q2 2024, WFP USA was able to achieve a 70% increase in return on ad spend and a 52% more efficient cost per acquisition. These remarkable improvements underscore the importance of continuous optimization and data-driven decision-making. Inspired by these successes, WFP USA plans to further invest in TikTok campaigns in 2024 and beyond, reinforcing the platform's role in their ongoing efforts to combat hunger worldwide.

"To date this fiscal year, TikTok has helped World Food Program USA recruit 13% of its new digital donor acquisition goal and counting," said Angela Kung, Director of Digital Advertising & Marketing at WFP USA. "TikTok has easily become one of our most cost-efficient channels in engaging new supporters and persuading them to join our mission."