UltraViolet: Testing Mission-Aligned Lead Generation

UltraViolet is a national gender justice organization that works to create feminist cultural and political change and improve the lives of women and gender-expansive people. The organization mobilizes people through digital organizing, advocacy, and creative campaigns to challenge sexist policies, practices, and beliefs. Its work focuses on areas such as disrupting sexist culture, holding institutions and tech companies accountable, and strengthening participation and equity in democracy.

Overview

UltraViolet, a national advocacy organization mobilizing communities to fight for gender justice and equality, received a grant from Progressive Multiplier to experiment with lead generation and direct-to-donate advertising strategies. Building on past digital organizing successes and anticipating the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade, UltraViolet tested whether mission-aligned media sources could compete with Facebook for cost-effective donor acquisition while maintaining values alignment.

Key Strategies & Tactics

UltraViolet's lead generation experiment consisted of several integrated components designed to identify the most effective channels for building their donor base:

• Mission-Aligned Media Testing: Splitting grant funds between mission-aligned sites (Juggernaut, Daily Kos, and Civic Shout) and Facebook to compare lead acquisition costs and quality
• Lead-to-Donor Conversion: Running lead acquisition ads with donations as after-actions to test conversion pathways
• Donor Upgrade Testing: Experimenting with recurring donor upgrades and out-of-sequence special gift appeals
• Segmentation Analysis: Evaluating differences between activist-first versus donor-first audience segments
• Welcome Series Implementation: Launching immediate welcome series for new leads to strengthen conversion rates

Lessons Learned

Adapt When Results Don't Meet Expectations

When initial results fell short, UltraViolet made the difficult decision to change firms mid-project, accepting a temporary slowdown to improve long-term outcomes

Different Sources Yield Different Results

Civic Shout delivered the fastest launch and second-highest donor rate; Juggernaut had the strongest donor rate overall; Daily Kos proved most expensive with the lowest conversion

Welcome Series Drive Conversions

Leads who received a welcome series converted at 3.1%, compared to just 2% for those without—a simple change that strengthened all fundraising efforts

Movement Moments Create Opportunity

Launching during the Dobbs decision allowed UltraViolet to capitalize on heightened engagement and deliver timely education to new supporters

Data Infrastructure Matters

Clean data systems and proper tracking from the start are essential—fixing issues mid-project slowed progress but ultimately improved results

By the Numbers

Impact

Through this experiment, UltraViolet demonstrated that mission-aligned media sources can serve as viable alternatives to traditional social media platforms for lead generation, providing organizations with options that align spending with values. Despite mid-project challenges that required changing vendors, UltraViolet exceeded their lead generation goals by nearly 80% while gathering valuable data about conversion rates across different audience segments and platforms. The projected three-year return of more than $100,000 on their initial investment—representing approximately 10% of future revenue—shows the long-term value of strategic donor acquisition. Their discovery that immediate welcome series increase conversion rates by more than 50% has strengthened not just this project but all their fundraising efforts. The mass messaging capabilities they built directly supported their program work, enabling real-time petition delivery and education during critical moments like the Dobbs decision, while the data they collected informed press statements and advocacy campaigns that advance gender justice.