Diversifying audiences is one of the most common challenges nonprofits raise with us – without engaging new and younger audiences, they risk their supporter base quietly dying out.
That's where influencer marketing comes in. But here's the problem: in a 2022 survey of nonprofits, nearly half reported working with influencers, yet only 13% actually paid them.
While many nonprofits have since progressed and pushed on in their understanding of the value that paid influencers can bring to a marcomms strategy, it is still not uncommon to experience bumps in the road when it comes down to securing budget. So often a client's ability to fulfil its campaign's potential hinges on that strategic decision.
The word “influencer” first began to register on Google Trends in mid-2015, and today its value is ever-increasing.
Research carried out by Classy in 2022 and reported on by the Johnson Center reveals that next-gen donors (defined as millennials and Gen Z) are four times as likely as traditional donors (baby boomers and Gen X) to learn about a cause through influencers or celebrities, and that ‘69% of next-gen donors prefer to hear from organizations on social media, particularly on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.’
Younger audiences are clearly looking to and being influenced by non-traditional methods, in the realm of social media and in the form of content creators.
So, influencer partnerships present an opportunity to bridge the generation gap and create meaningful connections with younger potential supporters. This leads to a potential knock-on effect for brand awareness and giving: both central driving factors in a nonprofit's strategy.
Yet despite this potential, paid partnerships remain the exception rather than the rule – a gap that's considerably wider than in the commercial industry, where paying influencers is standard practice.
At Jersey Road, we believe that unpaid partnerships can be impactful and drive great engagement, and there is definitely a place for these partnerships in your strategy.
But the reality is that modern day creators are personal brands run as sophisticated businesses, including managers, agents and multiple income streams. For many, this is their full-time job.
Paying people what they are worth simply reflects the level these professionals operate at in 2026, rather than treating them as hobbyists or part-time creatives.
Here are four reasons why investing in a paid influencer engagement strategy pays off:
Without budget, you’re limited to whoever will post for free, which narrows down your influencer
pool and may lead to you attracting less relevant creators in a bid to ‘make do.’
Even a small budget widens your pool and gives you more pulling power, meaning you can partner with influencers whose audience truly aligns with your objectives. That goes beyond impressions to real engagement and potential conversion. Potential is the key word – even paid campaigns can't guarantee instant donations, nor should that be your only KPI.
Plenty of other metrics reflect a positive return on investment: link clicks, reach, engagement rate, sentiment. These point to longer-term strategic value – building awareness and warmth towards your brand, and laying the foundations for future support.
Though they may have a much smaller reach, micro influencers serving a small, committed niche often have higher engagement rates than macro creators with many thousands of followers - and the bonus is that their fees are typically smaller. You can still achieve results within reason and a smaller budget.
Putting budget behind an influencer campaign often raises the ceiling on production value – powering everything from high-quality environments (studio spaces, equipment and so on) to editing capacity and content ideation.
Being paid also shifts the influencer's mindset: they're now more likely to treat your campaign as a contracted deliverable rather than a quick favour.
Most influencers are building a brand and running a business. If you're paying for their time, your campaign gets scheduled and prioritised, tied to deliverables that only get compensated on completion.
Having a bigger space in a creator's mind tends to mean quicker response times, more willingness to go the extra mile, and stronger motivation to work well with your organisation.
When creators are paid, it frees up more of their time to work on your campaign. Naturally, that means you spend more time with them - and more time together often leads to greater results. It builds understanding and rapport, laying the foundations for longer-term partnerships, such as ambassadorship. Once a creator has an affinity for your mission, or the people within it, trust grows and doors open to future opportunities.
Unpaid or gifted campaigns can also build strong relationships. A great example is Mercy Ships' recent collaboration inviting music artist Jake Isaac for a physical visit.
When nonprofits give creators the chance to experience their work firsthand, it creates natural buy-in and deeper passion for the cause. But long-term relationships aren't just about the influencer creating content repeatedly - your nonprofit has to give value back too. The positive sentiment that comes from a successful campaign, where people feel valued and see real impact, increases the appetite to extend and cement the relationship.
Influencer partnerships for Christian nonprofits are an evolving, exciting space - and you have a real opportunity to harness the right people to elevate your mission and engage the next generation for your cause.
Read our Salvation Army influencer case study.
By Rebekah Lanferman, Senior Account Manager, Jersey Road
With decades of experience in journalism, advocacy and communications, our team knows what it takes to craft campaigns that can have a lasting impact.
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