Reducing Donor Acquisition Costs Without Taking Over the Campaign

Reducing Donor Acquisition Costs Without Taking Over the Campaign

Your donor acquisition costs are climbing. The board is asking tough questions. You’ve tried agencies before—but they overpromised, underdelivered, and left your team feeling sidelined. You don’t want a rescue. You want clarity, structure, and a way forward that leaves your team stronger, not replaced.

This case study is especially relevant if you are:

  • A nonprofit director facing rising CAC but hesitant to outsource campaigns

  • A marketing lead overwhelmed by too many ads and too little signal

  • A board member concerned about ROI but committed to internal capacity

  • A donor communications team needing coaching, not critique

  • A stakeholder looking for fixes that preserve culture and control

The solution wasn’t a takeover. It was a reset—on their terms.

This case study shows how Pholus helped a regional NGO reduce donor acquisition costs by 17% in six weeks—without taking control of their campaigns. We coached their internal team, cleaned up creative bloat, built an optimization framework, and strengthened messaging clarity. The result wasn’t just better performance—it was restored confidence, ownership, and sustainability.

If your team is talented but tangled in the wrong process, this case study may help you guide the reset.

Download it now and read it quietly. You’ll know if it applies.

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