Paid media strategy across Google PMax, Meta, and LinkedIn. Built for a 24-hour giving window.
All FY24 and FY25 data comes directly from the TrueSense decks.
Includes email, direct mail, paid ads, organic social, lightbox, and all other channels. This is the full program view, not paid media only.
The FY24 RGD campaign window (Feb 26–Mar 31), the platform attribution table shows zero gifts, zero revenue, $0.00 ROAS across every paid channel due to a tracking issue. Except the 3 appeal code gifts / $260 from Meta. FY24 RGD paid data isn't usable as a benchmark. FY25 is what we're working from.
| Channel | FY24 Spend | FY24 Performance | FY25 Spend | FY25 Platform Gifts | FY25 Platform Revenue | FY25 ROAS | FY25 CPD | FY26 Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search / SEM | $5,000 | Tracking errors — no data | $2,872 | 223 | $100,621 | $35.03 | $12.88 | ✓ → PMax |
| Display | $4,500 | Tracking errors — no data | $5,490 | 530 | $86,898 | $15.83 | $10.36 | ✓ Folded into PMax ↑ |
| Meta (Social) | $4,000 | 3 appeal code gifts / $260 | $4,997 | 364 | $63,288 | $12.67 | $13.73 | ✓ KEEP |
| $4,500 | Tracking errors — no data | $4,484 | 0 | $0 | $0.00 | — | ↺ REPOSITION ($700) | |
| CTV | $15,000 | Tracking errors — no data | $15,011 | 62 | $10,060 | $0.67 | $242.11 | ✕ REMOVED |
| YouTube | $15,000 | Tracking errors — no data | $14,950 | 18 | $3,016 | $0.20 | $830.53 | ✓ Folded into PMax ↑ |
| Demand Gen | — | — | $2,052 | 17 | $2,965 | $1.45 | $120.68 | ✓ Folded into PMax ↑ |
| Native | $1,500 | Tracking errors — no data | — | — | — | — | — | ✕ Not continued in FY25 or FY26 |
| TOTAL | $49,500 | No reliable platform data for RGD | $49,855 | 1,214 | $266,848 | $5.35 | $41.07 | — |
YouTube and Demand Gen aren't being cut. They're moving into PMax. PMax serves across YouTube, Display, Gmail, Maps, and Search, so all those placements are still active. The difference is that the previous strategy spent a fixed budget on YouTube and Demand Gen no matter what. PMax only sends impressions to those placements when Google predicts they'll actually convert, using your CRM audiences and live donation signals to decide. Same inventory, smarter allocation.
CTV is the only thing actually gone. Connected TV (Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Pluto, etc.) runs through third-party DSPs. And at $0.67 ROAS last year, it wasn't earning its budget anyway.
The previous strategy put $30,000 into YouTube and CTV every year, 60% of the paid budget, with almost nothing back in platform-reported revenue. Meanwhile, paid Search at $5,000 drove $100,621. FY26 redirects that budget toward what actually converted.
| Channel | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 (Barbara Simao) | vs FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $5,000 | $15,000 | +$10,000 ↑ | |
| Meta (Paid Social) | $3,000 | $4,000 | $4,300 | +$300 ↑ |
| $4,500 | $4,500 | $700 | −$3,800 ↓ | |
| Display | $4,500 | $5,500 | — | Folded into PMax ↑ |
| YouTube | $15,000 | $15,000 | — | Folded into PMax ↑ |
| CTV | $15,000 | $15,000 | $0 | Removed |
| Native | $1,500 | $0 | $0 | — |
| TOTAL MEDIA | $49,500 | $50,000 | $20,000 paid + $10K/mo grant | — |
| Phase | Asset | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I Pre-Event | Paid Search | $5,000 | $5,000 | $3,000 (Search & PMax) |
| Paid Social (Meta) | $2,000 | $3,000 | $800 | |
| $2,500 | $2,500 | $200 | ||
| Display | $2,500 | $2,500 | In PMax | |
| YouTube | $10,000 | $7,500 | In PMax | |
| CTV | $10,000 | $12,000 | $0 | |
| Native / Other | $1,500 | $0 | $0 | |
| Phase I Total | $33,500 | $32,500 | $4,000 | |
| Phase II Giving Day(s) | Paid Search | $5,000 | $5,000 | $12,000 (Search & PMax) |
| Meta | $1,000 | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| $2,000 | $2,000 | $500 | ||
| CTV | $5,000 | $3,000 | $0 | |
| YouTube | $5,000 | $7,500 | In PMax | |
| Phase II Total | $15,000 | $16,500 | $15,500 | |
| Phase III Post-Event | Meta Social Only | $1,000 | $1,000 | $500 |
| Phase III Total | $1,000 | $1,000 | $500 | |
| Grand Total | $49,500 | $50,000 | $20,000 + $10K/mo grant |
* Google Ad Grant runs continuously at $10K/mo across all phases — not an additional cost per phase.
Confirm all LP URLs. LP 1 General Hub (Phase II) URL still needs to be confirmed.
| Campaign | Platform | Phase I | Phase II | Phase III |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMax — Main Campaign General, High-Tier, Scarlet Promise, R Scholarship, Future Scholars, Edge Fund, Cancer Institute | PMax | $2,500 | $9,000 | → Evergreen ads |
| Brand Search | Search Grant | $500 paid + Grant | $3,000 paid + Grant | → Evergreen |
| Cause Search One ad group per cause | Grant | $10K/mo | $10K/mo | Evergreen |
| Meta | $800 | $3,000 | $500 thank-you | |
| LinkedIn — Senior Alumni | $200 | $500 | Paused |
LinkedIn ran at $4,500/year with zero platform-reported donations in both years. FY26 drops it to $700 to test whether it can contribute with a more targeted approach. One more data point before making a final call. If FY26 comes back the same, it comes off the plan in FY27.
If search is doing well, Grant PMax is worth adding before Phase II launches. It extends coverage across Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Maps for free. The only real risk is CTR compliance — PMax can pull the account-wide rate down, and the Grant requires 5%+ at all times. Falling out of compliance mid-event means pausing campaigns to fix it, which is the last thing you want during a 24-hour window. Let Phase I search run first, confirm CTR is healthy, then decide. If it doesn't happen this year, it's the first thing to test in FY27. If you do add it, copy the asset groups and audience signals directly from the paid PMax campaign — no need to rebuild from scratch. For FY27, test whether dedicated creative performs better than reusing paid PMax assets.
Before diving into the KPIs, here's how the two revenue numbers in this strategy relate to each other:
| Target | Amount | What It Covers | Who Drives It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Giving Day Goal | $900K+ | All channels combined: email, direct mail, paid ads, organic, lightbox | Full program (TrueSense historically managed email + DM; paid ads are one component) |
| Paid Media Platform Target | $200K+ base · $267K+ stretch | Google Ads + Meta Ads Manager + LinkedIn Campaign Manager platform-reported conversions only | Barbara Simao LLC, paid media scope only |
The base paid media target is $200K+ on $20,000 spend. The stretch goal is $267K+, which would match FY25's platform revenue at less than half the spend. FY25 TrueSense generated $266,848 at 5.35x ROAS on $49,855. The 13x+ ROAS projection is based on the Scarlet Promise PMax campaign currently running, which is showing strong returns. We're projecting conservatively at 8–13x+ for the full campaign given broader audience targeting and a compressed 24-hour window.
A few things to keep in mind before you look at the FY26 numbers: