DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose and M+R Outperform ROAS Goal by 12x With MNTN Performance TV

DonorsChoose is a nonprofit organization (NPO) that helps public school teachers across the country crowdsource much-needed school supplies for their students, with a focus on historically underfunded schools. While DonorsChoose successfully drives donations throughout the year, they’ve found that Q4 / the winter holidays is a peak time for giving. To ramp up performance prior to this particularly busy season, they wanted to test a fresh advertising channel that would allow them to reach new audiences, ultimately driving more donations.

In partnership with their agency M+R, DonorsChoose looked for an advertising solution that was flexible and would give them the ability to integrate reporting with third party platforms, while producing meaningful performance. M+R had successfully launched Connected TV (CTV) campaigns for other clients and thought it could be a great option for DonorsChoose, as well, but the channel alone wasn’t enough. To meet DonorsChoose’s unique needs and ensure the best results possible, M+R turned to MNTN Performance TV.

Bringing in new donors who are passionate about DonorsChoose’s mission is paramount to our ability to support teachers and students. MNTN has allowed us to reach targeted audiences at scale while maintaining our aggressive ROAS goals as a nonprofit.

Joe Coakley
Director of Digital & Growth Marketing, DonorsChoose


0x

Higher ROAS Than Goal for Teacher Appreciation Week Campaign

0%

Improvement in CPA From Teacher Appreciation Week Campaign To Back-to-School Campaign

Objective

Test a New Performance Channel To Drive Donations During Pivotal Times of Year

As an NPO in the education-equity space, DonorsChoose experiences three prime periods for donations throughout the year: 1. April–May (which includes Teacher Appreciation Week), 2. August–September (back-to-school), and 3. Q4/the winter holidays. They were eager to try out a new advertising channel to bolster performance and drive donations during these key time frames. Offering the reach and prestige of traditional television advertising, paired with the flexibility and control of digital channels like paid social media, MNTN proved to be just what they were looking for. And what started as a pointed seasonal advertising effort transformed into a powerful evergreen performance engine.


Solutions

Prospecting

While they were optimistic about the potential success of CTV advertising, DonorsChoose and M+R were acutely aware of the amount of resources they were investing in the channel. So, to evaluate the efficacy of CTV for their needs, they set up a trial Performance TV prospecting campaign that ran April through May.

Precision audience targeting was of the utmost importance to DonorsChoose and M+R. While reaching a large number of potential customers was key, they were more focused on engaging with the right types of people. To ensure they were targeting these consumers, they leaned on MNTN’s comprehensive audience suite, which gave them access to thousands of specialized segments. They focused first on frequent donors, and then narrowed in on people who had given to children’s charities.

Engaging ad creative was paramount to their success on CTV, as well. For their test campaign, they used an ad that really brought the DonorsChoose brand to life. Visually, it featured fun, colorful animation paired with real-life imagery of teachers and students. As important as what the ad looked like was the story it told — it clearly outlined how DonorsChoose supports teachers and students and how easy it is for people to donate to the organization.

Their initial test campaign with MNTN performed so well that M+R and DonorsChoose decided to continue their CTV efforts in a longer-lasting way (more on this below). And during the pivotal back-to-school time period, they tailored their ad creative to the season by highlighting a child’s wishlist for the upcoming school year and how donating to DonorChoose could support students like this to thrive. All of their ads followed MNTN’s creative best practices, featuring branding throughout and a clear call to action at the end.


The Results

Significantly Exceeded Performance Goals

Set on understanding the true business impact of CTV, DonorsChoose and M+R were honed in on campaign measurement. MNTN’s comprehensive reporting suite — which integrates with a variety of third party measurement tools — enabled them to easily track performance.

In just two months of running ads on Performance TV, DonorsChoose was able to surpass their return on advertising spend (ROAS) goal by 12x. Because of this they decided to extend their CTV efforts through the pivotal back-to-school period (August through September). This second campaign drove even stronger performance, producing a 74% improvement in cost per acquisition (CPA) from their previous efforts.

This continued powerful performance demonstrated just how beneficial CTV was to DonorsChoose’s business — it drove new donors to their website and directly increased their bottom line. And while they initially viewed CTV as a way to support seasonal tentpole moments like Teacher Appreciation Week and back-to-school, they now use it as an evergreen channel that runs at various times throughout the year.

Related Case Studies

Affinity Federal Credit Union's Year-End CTV Push Doubled Q1 Performance

Affinity Federal Credit Union is a customer-centric organization with a mission to improve the financial wellbeing of its members. They serve people across the nation,...

Kane Footwear Hits Its Stride with MNTN, Delivering 250% Higher ROAS Than Goal

Kane Footwear creates active recovery-focused shoes designed to help athletes and active individuals recover faster and perform at their best. Built on science-backed design and...

Beddy's Exceeds Holiday ROAS Goal by 150% With MNTN

Beddy’s was founded by two moms who struggled to get their kids to make their bunk beds. That everyday challenge sparked the creation of Beddy’s...

American College of Education Aces CTV Performance with MNTN

With a mission to deliver high-quality, affordable, and accessible online programs, American College of Education (ACE) prides itself on putting the satisfaction of its students...

Gozney Drives Full-Funnel Growth and Other Piping Hot Results With MNTN

Gozney manufactures premium outdoor pizza ovens that bring professional-grade performance to home cooks. With high average order value (AOV) premium products that typically have a...

Style, Meet CTV: J.LINDEBERG and Maison MRKT Exceed ROAS Goal by 9x With MNTN

As an international brand for modern and aware consumers, J.LINDEBERG seamlessly bridges sport and fashion by combining sharp silhouettes with functional sportswear. Looking to expand...

The Perfect Performance Prescription: Jase Medical Increases ROAS by 47% With MNTN

Founded with the belief that everyone should have access to life-saving antibiotics, Jase Medical provides customizable medical kits containing physician-recommended medications for emergencies. As a...

Venus Et Fleur’s CTV Performance Blooms With MNTN Matched

Venus et Fleur is a luxury floral design company that specializes in long-lasting, customizable arrangements. With the marketing landscape shifting, they went looking for channels...

MNTN is the future of TV and direct-response advertising.

Learn how to better drive performance for your digital campaigns with this full-funnel solution.

Sign Up Now