No donor pipeline. Until we built one.
How we help CNIB Foundation find new supporters, earn their trust and turn them into donors.
This case study began as a Data Sciences engagement, prior to Phil joining forces with DS in 2026. Today, this same work sits within a broader integrated offering. Together, Phil and Data Sciences combine more than 25 years of nonprofit strategy, communications, fund development and governance expertise with performance marketing and analytics – helping nonprofits plan with clarity, connect more deeply with careholders, and make data-informed decisions that amplify impact.
- 3x minimum return on ad spend across every campaign cycle
- 1,500 to 2,600+ Qualified leads acquired, every year.
- 30% annual lead-to-donor conversion rate, year over year
- $800k to $1M raised year over year.
The Challenge
CNIB Foundation has served Canadians with vision loss since 1918. They deliver programs, advocacy, and community services that give Canadians living with vision loss the confidence, skills, and opportunities to live the lives they choose. Guide dogs. Peer support. Rehabilitation. Technology access. The work they do is as personal as it gets.
When CNIB came to us, their digital fundraising didn’t yet reflect the reach of that mission. Campaigns went out, but operated in silos. There was no consistent way to reach new audiences, no way to stay present with them over time, and no clear path from “I support this cause” to “I’m going to give.” The mission had the audience, but the program didn’t have the structure to reach them.
Our mandate was to build that structure: a way to find the right people, show them CNIB’s work in a way that moved them, and give them a clear and easy path to becoming donors.
Our Approach
We built CNIB’s fundraising program around a simple idea: donors don’t give to organizations they’ve just heard of. They give to causes they’ve had time to understand, and people they’ve come to trust. Everything we do is designed to create that journey.
Finding the right people
We run targeted digital advertising on Meta and Google to reach Canadians most likely to care about CNIB’s work. Guide dog campaigns are our strongest entry point, drawing in people with a genuine connection to the cause at a cost of between $8-$12per interested prospect. We test different messages to learn what resonates, then put more behind what worked. We continue to test more messaging to deploy varied and compelling appeals 365 days a year.
Telling a story that moves people
Fundraising asks rarely work on their own. We run informational content alongside donation campaigns, giving audiences a chance to learn about CNIB’s programs before being asked to give. Guide dog imagery and real impact stories does the emotional work of connecting people to the mission. By the time someone sees a donation ask, people are already familiar with CNIB.
Staying present until people are ready
Most people don’t give the first time they encounter a cause of a nonprofit. So we make sure CNIB kept showing up for them. People who engage with content are shown more of it over time, building familiarity and trust gradually. When major fundraising moments arrive, like the end-of-year giving season, we aren’t starting from scratch. We are reaching people who already knew and care about CNIB’s work.
What this means for your organization
Many nonprofits find themselves where CNIB started: a mission that deserves support, people out there who want to give, and a digital program that hasn’t yet found a reliable way to bring the two together. The campaigns go out but the results are inconsistent. The donors never quite materialize.
What changed for CNIB wasn’t a bigger budget or a flashier campaign. It was a smarter and more patient approach to finding people, earning their trust, and giving them a reason to give. One in three prospects become a donor every year. For nonprofits ready to build something that works consistently, that is exactly the work we do.