The problem
Chances are, most people scrolling past your content don't know you. They don't understand the depth of the problem you are solving, or the solution you need support to realize.
They don't fully understand the problem you're trying to solve, why it matters now, or why your organization is the solution worth supporting.
So if you want to grow and scale beyond your existing circle, you have to start speaking to broader audiences. You need to reach people who are unaware, lightly aware, curious but unconvinced, or emotionally interested but not ready to act.
Conversion ads close the door. Diverse creative opens it.
It's not about one perfect ad
Your goal shouldn't be to make "one perfect optimized ad." It should be to build a diverse portfolio of ads that connects and paints complete pictures to different people.
That means education, stories, identity-based content, social proof, impact — and yes, direct asks. All working together to paint a picture over time, for people at different stages of their journey.
If your ads feel "inefficient," it might not be your targeting or budget. It might be that you're skipping the conversation and jumping straight to the ask.
The Awareness Levels framework
My favorite way to diversify creative is based on Awareness Levels. I adapted this from a great framework by Dara Denney and tweaked it specifically for the nonprofit sector.
The idea is simple: different people need different messages depending on how much they already know about you and your cause. Here's how it breaks down:
| Stage | User Journey | Market | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Unaware | Users are not thinking about the problem or your cause. | Celebrity content, Humor, Educational content, Pattern interruption. | |
| 2. Problem Aware | Users recognize that a problem exists and feel some emotional or personal tension around it. | UGC Single Testimonials, Tutorials, Founder's Story, Identity based content, Shocking Statistics. | |
| 3. Solution Aware | Users understand the problem and know that solutions exist. They are beginning to consider whether supporting a solution aligns with their values. | Program highlights, Impact statistics, Beneficiary Testimonials, Before and After. | |
| 4. Organization Aware | Users are aware of their problem, potential solutions, and potentially how you compare with other orgs. | Donor Testimonials, 3 Reasons Why, Differentiation from other orgs, Transparency content. | |
| 5. Most Aware | Users know your organization, trust your work, and understand your impact. They are deciding when and how to act. | Direct CTAs, Offers, Awareness days, Peer to peer events. |
What this means in practice
When most charities run ads, they're only making content for Stage 5 — the people who already know them, trust them, and just need a nudge. That "$25 helps someone like John" ad? It's a Stage 5 ad. And it works great for that audience.
But Stage 5 is your smallest audience. It's the group most likely to convert, but it's also the group that's already been asked a hundred times. You're fishing in an ever-shrinking pond.
The organizations that grow are the ones building creative for every stage. They're making educational content that catches the attention of people who've never heard of them. They're telling founder stories that build emotional connection. They're showing impact data that moves people from "interesting" to "I want to help."
A single product or donation appeal can be told in five different ways to five different people. That's not inefficiency — that's how you build a pipeline of supporters instead of just squeezing the ones you already have.
The strongest ad accounts I've managed aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones with the most creative diversity — where we're running ten different angles simultaneously, letting the algorithm find which message resonates with which person, and learning from all of it.
So before you optimize your next ad, ask yourself: which stage am I talking to? And what about the four stages I'm ignoring?