How we reignited Meta for World Vision Australia, driving a 266% YoY increase in child sponsorships

World Vision Australia’s Meta advertising channel had become stagnant. The cost per lead had exceeded sustainable levels, messaging lacked emotional resonance, and engagement was low. Despite their strong brand and mission, Meta was underperforming and failing to deliver child sponsorship outcomes.

To address World Vision Australia’s challenge of engaging and nurturing contacts, Social Garden implemented a personalised marketing automation strategy using HubSpot.

Full-funnel campaign structure
We implemented a multi-stage campaign framework to guide prospects from awareness to action. Each funnel stage featured tailored messaging and creative, aligned with supporter intent and readiness.

“Sponsor Connection” creative concept
We reimagined child sponsorship as a personal relationship, linking donors and children through shared traits like birthdays and hobbies. This approach deepened emotional connection and improved conversion.

Audience segmentation & CRM integration
Using GA4 and HubSpot data, we built segmented audience journeys and synced them with World Vision’s marketing automation platform. This ensured prospects received relevant messaging at the right time.

High-performing video content
Short-form video assets were designed for Meta feeds and achieved 5x higher click-through rates than static ads. These assets helped expand reach to new demographics and increased engagement.

The implementation of a full-funnel Meta strategy drove a 266.6% year-on-year increase in child sponsorships for World Vision Australia.

Short-form video delivered 5x higher CTR than static assets, and the campaign achieved 10% month-on-month growth in conversions. Meta was repositioned as a high-impact acquisition channel, contributing to World Vision’s second-best year on record for child sponsorships.

“You’ve transformed a dead channel into an acquisition channel.”

Jacqui Martin, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, World Vision Australia

Result

“The data tells a powerful story - consistent, audience-first strategy over 12 months didn’t just build awareness, it built trust. This is the impact of playing the long game: compounding relevance, stronger recall, and scalable acquisition.”

Zoe Mulcahy
Account Director