With a mission to scale social impact, Community Boost wins Global Emerging Partner of the Year Award

About Community Boost

I started Community Boost because I loved marketing and tech but wanted to apply my skills and passion to help market missions that truly matter. I fell in love with the nonprofit sector as each organization we help market is doing amazing life-enriching or life-saving work.

We have fully boot strapped Community Boost and today are a 65-person team and growing. Last year in 2023, we directly served more than 300 nonprofits through our agency, more than 200 through our new accelerator program, and shared our learnings and insights with more than 50,000 nonprofit leaders that registered for our Nonprofit Marketing Summit. We’ve generated more than $100 million in revenue for nonprofits through the channels we manage, $25 million of that in 2023 alone. We’re just getting started!

Their mission and vision

At Community Boost, our mission is to scale social impact by growing thriving communities.

Our 20-year vision is big. We want to solidify the world’s leading nonprofit ecosystem that empowers nonprofits to raise more than $100 billion. Over the next three years, our focus is to become the premier agency partner for next gen nonprofits globally.

Despite our ambitious vision, what truly motivates us each day is the humbling honor of helping amazing causes transform their missions into movements. Our purpose is to generate more conversions, funding, and community support for our nonprofit partners. The more successful we are in this effort, the more positive impact we can create in the world.

Success with Microsoft Advertising

Since 2015, Community Boost has been leveraging Microsoft’s suite of tools, particularly Microsoft Advertising and data analytics, to drive our mission forward. These powerful and user-friendly tools have been instrumental in streamlining our operations, enhancing our outreach efforts, and ultimately enabling us to make a more significant impact in the communities we serve.

One notable success story is how Microsoft Advertising has helped us connect with a wider audience and effectively communicate our message. By utilizing targeted ad campaigns and leveraging the extensive reach of the Microsoft Advertising Platform, we’ve been able to engage with individuals who are passionate about the causes we support. This increased visibility has led to a surge in community participation, volunteer sign-ups, and donations, allowing us to expand our programs and initiatives.

Moreover, Microsoft’s data analytics tools have provided us with valuable insights into our target audience, enabling us to tailor our communication strategies and optimize our campaigns for maximum impact. By understanding the preferences and behaviors of our supporters, we can deliver more relevant and compelling content, fostering deeper connections, and inspiring greater action.

The impact of Microsoft’s tools extends beyond just advertising and analytics. The Microsoft Nonprofit Summit, which our team had the privilege of attending, showcased the latest advancements in technology for nonprofits. The insights gained from this event have sparked new ideas and possibilities for leveraging Microsoft’s ecosystem to drive positive change. We’re excited to explore innovative ways to collaborate with other organizations, share best practices, and harness the power of technology to address the most pressing challenges faced by our communities.

Their growth journey

At Community Boost Consulting, our partnership with Microsoft Advertising has been a game-changer in our mission to empower nonprofits and drive positive change. Microsoft Advertising has opened up an entirely new channel for us to provide valuable support to our nonprofit partners, many of whom are new to advertising and may have limited resources for marketing.

One of the key advantages of Microsoft Advertising is its accessibility and affordability for nonprofits. Programs like Microsoft Ads for Social Impact have been invaluable in enabling nonprofits to increase their visibility, find new supporters, and grow their impact. By leveraging these programs, we’ve been able to help our partners reach audiences they may have otherwise struggled to connect with, all while working within their often-limited budgets.

Moreover, our collaboration with Microsoft Advertising has also been crucial in growing our own business and enhancing our ability to serve the nonprofit sector. By offering this powerful advertising platform to our partners, we’ve differentiated ourselves as a valuable resource and strategic partner for nonprofits looking to expand their impact. This has helped us attract new clients, deepen our relationships with existing partners, and establish ourselves as a leader in digital marketing for the nonprofit sector.

Making a difference

Outside of our day-to-day mission driven work, we give and encourage our team to participate in paid volunteer time throughout the year. Our team logged more than 350 volunteer hours in 2023, completing 11 volunteer events last year.

Innovative ideas

At Community Boost, we’re at the forefront of a transformative shift in nonprofit marketing. In a digital landscape where genuine connections are increasingly scarce, we recognize the urgent need for a new approach—one that prioritizes authentic relationships and community-building. This is why we’re proud to pioneer the era of Community-First Marketing, a groundbreaking strategy that empowers nonprofits to thrive in the face of the current generosity crisis and eroding supporter trust.

Community-First Marketing represents a seismic shift in how nonprofits engage with their supporters. It moves beyond the traditional, transactional tactics that have become increasingly ineffective in fostering meaningful connections. Instead, it places the community at the heart of every interaction, leveraging cutting-edge technology to cultivate vibrant networks of passionate supporters.

Our innovative approach reimagines the very foundation of nonprofit marketing. We’re moving away from the outdated, one-dimensional “go-to-market" mindset and embracing a dynamic, “go-to-community" philosophy. This transformative strategy enables nonprofits to amplify their impact without proportionally increasing their resources, by focusing on deepening relationships and inspiring collective action.

Through Community-First Marketing, we empower nonprofits to build resilient, engaged communities that drive long-term growth and impact. By harnessing the power of technology and data-driven insights, we help organizations create personalized, value-driven experiences that resonate with their supporters. This approach not only increases revenue and expands reach but also fosters a sense of belonging and shared purpose among supporters.

At Community Boost, we’re not just adopting Community-First Marketing; we’re pioneering it. Our goal is to empower organizations to inspire, engage, and grow their impact, not by increasing headcount, but by deepening the community heart count.

Generative AI

At Community Boost, we’re dedicated to leveraging technological advancements to enhance our services for nonprofit partners and drive positive change. Our partnership with Microsoft has been instrumental in integrating generative AI into our business strategy and operations, revolutionizing our approach to digital marketing and community engagement.

One of the most significant innovations stemming from our collaboration is the Copilot tool, an AI-powered assistant that optimizes campaigns and deepens audience understanding. By harnessing advanced machine learning and natural language processing, Copilot provides valuable insights into user behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns. This powerful tool empowers our team to make informed, data-driven decisions, automating asset creation, enhancing messaging, and identifying trends and opportunities. As a result, we can swiftly adapt our strategies and refine our targeting to better serve our nonprofit partners.

Furthermore, Copilot’s predictive analytics capabilities enable us to anticipate future trends and proactively adjust our campaigns. This ensures that our nonprofit partners remain at the forefront of digital marketing innovation, staying ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving landscape.

The impact of generative AI extends beyond campaign optimization. It also helps us gain a deeper understanding of our audience’s motivations and the issues they care about most. This insight is invaluable in crafting compelling content and fostering stronger connections between nonprofits and their supporters, ultimately driving increased engagement and support for their causes.

Through our ongoing partnership with Microsoft and the integration of generative AI tools like Copilot, we‘ve significantly expanded our reach and enhanced our ability to support a greater number of nonprofits effectively. These cutting-edge tools have streamlined our operations, increased efficiency, and provided us with actionable insights. As a result, we can scale our impact and empower our partners to build stronger, more engaged communities that drive lasting change.

As we look to the future, we’re excited about the boundless possibilities that our continued collaboration with Microsoft and the advancements in generative AI will bring. By staying at the forefront of emerging technologies, we’ll continue to enhance our effectiveness, amplify our partners’ impact, and drive positive transformation in the communities they serve.

Their biggest win

There have been many wins, but the biggest success has definitely been the overall impact we’ve been able to drive for the nonprofit sector since utilizing Microsoft Advertising. Since partnering with Microsoft Advertising, our active accounts have generated over 215 million impressions, 1.9 million clicks, 136,940 conversions, and $1.4 million in revenue for our nonprofit partners.

From 2022 to 2023, we achieved remarkable growth: Impressions increased by 917%, clicks by 90%, conversions by 239%, and revenue by 18%, totaling $3.1 million in 2023. Our conversion rate also improved by 77%, reaching 7.5% in 2023. These outstanding results directly address our business challenge of empowering social ventures and driving positive change, successfully connecting our nonprofit partners with engaged supporters and enabling them to make a greater impact.

Looking ahead

From August 20 to August 22, 2024, we'll be running our bi-annual Nonprofit Marketing Summit: 'Community Rising'. It’s the largest nonprofit virtual conference in the world, featuring more than 75 high-impact sessions over three days led by leaders across the nonprofit space.

The Nonprofit Marketing Summit features inspiring leaders from the highest impact nonprofits in the world and organizations committed to social impact like Microsoft, that deliver valuable, actionable content that helps nonprofits of all sizes accelerate their online revenue and impact, and the best part is that it's 100% free. Join more than 30,000 nonprofit leaders this August!

Exceptional relationships

We absolutely want to give a special shout out to the incredible people at Microsoft who have been instrumental in supporting our organization and events. The Ads for Social Impact program has been a game-changer for us, and we're so grateful for the dedication and assistance provided by Mandy Leifheit, Vi Nguyen, and Tania Vashisht.

We also want to acknowledge the fantastic collaboration we’ve had with other Microsoft team members who have supported our events, collaborated with us, and been incredible partners. A big thank you to Angelica Guardia, Robert Zhang, Christina Macchiarola, and Alex Kasavin for their valuable contributions, support, and partnership.

Thank you all for your commitment to making a positive impact in the nonprofit space. We truly appreciate your partnership and the difference you’ve made for our organization!

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