Case Study: SMASH (nonprofit supporting students of color) raises $1M for social justice with Audiense audience targeting

How a nonprofit used audience targeting to raise $1M for social justice

SMASH, the Kapor Center’s nonprofit program that expands college and career readiness for students of color with a STEM focus, faced a daunting $500,000 fundraising target amid a noisy news cycle and fickle social media algorithms. Paid Twitter ads were suspended for being “political,” so SMASH could not rely on advertising and had to run a grassroots campaign targeting large donors, influencers and corporate partners to cut through the clutter.

SMASH used Audiense to pinpoint engaged, verified influencers and potential donors, then executed a three‑part plan: influencer outreach, promotion of a $500,000 matching gift to drive renewals, and corporate partnership engagement. Over six weeks the data‑driven approach generated millions of impressions, new followers, converted targeted outreach into donations, maximized the matching gift and secured corporate partners — raising more than $1M.

SMASH

Cliff Worley

Chief Communications Officer