Case Study: Meta Ads - Medical Aid for Palestinians Virtual Challenges 🏃‍♂️

By Jacob Southgate-Cryer

Background

In May, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) launched their virtual fundraising challenge, Stride for Palestinians. A 107km challenge, covering the equivalent distance between the West Bank and Gaza.

Unlike many charities, MAP chose to use a paid sign-up model. This approach asked for a modest upfront supporter contribution, which offset incentive and fulfilment costs whilst ensuring greater commitment.

Objectives

  • Recruit participants via Instagram/Facebook to join the challenge.

  • Support MAP in achieving their fundraising target of £200,000.

Results

Activity exceeded expectations, delivering strong activation and return on ad spend:

  • Over £357k raised via paid activity.

  • £450 average raised per fundraiser, vs. a target of £250.

  • High fundraiser activation rate of over 80%.

  • £12.50 Cost Per Active Fundraiser (CPAF), low relative to benchmarks.

Success Factors

Channel Spend Optimisation: Instagram drove the majority of registrations, demonstrating the platform’s effectiveness with this highly engaged audience. By keeping budgets flexible across Meta platforms, we maximised overall campaign performance.

Campaign Structure: Targeting was split between prospecting and warm audiences, allowing us to reach both new and existing supporters effectively. By running only as many ad sets as needed, thus reducing investment during the learning phase while maintaining efficiency and maximising results.

Paid Sign-Up Model: Unlike most charities, MAP introduced a registration fee. This worked particularly well due to the urgency and resonance of the cause, ensuring participants were highly committed from the start.

Seamless Supporter Journey: The Enthuse integration created a smooth flow from ad → registration → fundraising activation, minimising drop-offs and supporting strong conversion rates.

Conclusion

In partnership with MAP, we delivered a high-performing virtual challenge campaign that not only met but exceeded expectations. The combination of a paid sign-up model, Instagram-led recruitment, and a streamlined supporter journey enabled MAP to mobilise thousands of fundraisers and secure over half of the challenge’s £670,000 total revenue through paid activity.

Does your organisation need a refreshed strategy for virtual challenges in 2026, or help with figuring out if it’s the right model for you? We’d love to help you plan - get in touch today to book a call