Multi-channel advertising is no longer experimental. Nonprofits increased spending on multi-channel ad formats by 86% last year, the largest jump of any advertising channel. These platforms like Google Performance Max use machine learning to serve creative assets across search, display, video, and social simultaneously, and they're delivering a $1.49 return for every dollar spent.
The surge reflects a fundamental shift in how nonprofits approach digital campaigns. Instead of managing five separate channel strategies, smart organizations are letting integrated platforms optimize placement, creative, and budget allocation in real time. The technology handles the coordination that used to require manual campaign juggling across disconnected systems.
Why it matters
Channel silos are expensive. When your search team doesn't talk to your social team, you end up competing against yourself for the same donor's attention. Multi-channel formats solve this by treating the donor journey as one continuous experience rather than a collection of isolated touchpoints.
The performance backs this up: while individual channels like search still deliver strong returns, multi-channel formats are gaining fast because they eliminate waste. The same creative asset works across platforms, messaging stays consistent, and the algorithm learns which combination of channels converts each donor segment best.
This isn't theory anymore. The 86% spending increase proves nonprofits are seeing results significant enough to fundamentally restructure their advertising approach.
Do this
Start testing multi-channel platforms with 10-15% of your advertising budget if you haven't already. The learning curve is real, but the rapid adoption suggests early adopters are finding it worthwhile. Feed these systems quality creative in multiple formats since they'll automatically test combinations across channels.
Track donor journeys across touchpoints rather than crediting a single "last click" because multi-channel strategies work by coordinating multiple impressions, not winning on one perfect placement.