How to Use Meta Lead Ads to Grow Your Nonprofit’s Email List

By Heather Mansfield, Founder and Editor-in-chief of Nonprofit Tech for Good

Meta Lead Ads are a great way for nonprofits of all sizes and budgets to grow their email lists, and with 33% of online donors saying that email is the communication method that most often inspires them to make a donation, prioritizing growing your nonprofit’s email list in 2026 is the best way to raise more money online.

The most recent edition of the M+R Benchmarks Report revealed that the average cost per lead (CPL) from Meta Platforms, i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, is $3.20 utilizing all Meta ad formats. However, Meta Lead Ads can cost significantly less, provided you create a compelling lead ad. Here’s how:

Step 1: Set up the lead ad.

As an admin for your nonprofit’s Facebook page, go to Meta Ads Manager > Create > Leads:

Next, name your campaign, such as “Grow [Your Nonprofit] Email List” and set a daily budget for your lead ad. At minimum, set a daily budget of $3 a day. Note that you can stop running an ad at any time by pausing it in Ads Manager.

Then you’ll be prompted to give your “Ad set” a name, such as [“Your Nonprofit” Leads Ad Set]. Think of an “Ad set” as a folder that organizes all your lead form ads, if you create more than one.

For “Conversion location,” select “Instant forms.” This option enables your nonprofit to collect email addresses directly from Facebook, rather than sending potential new subscribers to a page on your website. Instant forms consistently result in the highest conversion rate due to the ease of subscribing.

Next, select the “Audience” to whom you want the ad presented. You can select audiences that you have already created in advance in Ads Manager, or create a new one. Audiences can be customized by location, gender, age, interests, etc., and it’s important to note that the more broad your audience, the more cost-effective your lead ads will be.

Under “Placements,” select the Platforms where you want your lead ad to be displayed. Note that the default is to display the ad on Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s Audience Network. Once you become more accustomed to using lead ads, you can A/B test the platforms. It is worth noting that you are able to select the platforms you have added to Meta Business Suite.

Step 2: Set up the lead ad form.

Select “Create form” and configure the contact information you’d like to capture from your lead form. You have the option to have your new leads be stored for download in Facebook or in Google Sheets, or to have your leads go directly to your nonprofit’s CRM (see list).

You will then be prompted to add a “Subscribe to [Your Nonprofit]!” headline and description text, and most importantly, the contact fields for the opt-in form. It’s best to keep the number of fields limited to ensure an easy and quick opt-in process, but at a minimum, select first name, last name, and email address.

To complete your form, add a “Thank you for subscribing!” headline, a closing description, and a call to action, such as “Visit [Nonprofit Name].”

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Step 3: Create your ad.

The final step in creating your lead form ad is to upload a graphic for your newsletter (see Canva templates) or a screenshot of your newsletter (1080 x 1080 pixels or 1080 x 540 pixels).

Next, create the primary text for your ad written to entice a person to subscribe, a headline, and select the “Sign up” call to action.

Step 4: Publish and monitor your ad in Meta Ads Manager.

Initially, your cost per lead (CPL) will range between $2-5 depending upon how broad or narrow your target audience is for your lead form ad, but over time, your CPL should decrease as Meta “learns” who on Meta platforms to best present the ad.

For Nonprofit Tech for Good, the ad featured in this post was initially published on February 24, 2026. During the first three days, the CPL averaged $3.23, but by March 17, 2026, the CPL had decreased to $1.34. If the CPL for your ad does not decrease over time, or few leads are acquired, experiment and A/B test your lead form ads with different graphics, text, and audiences.

Step 5: Download your leads.

At least once a week, download your new leads from Meta Business Suite > Leads Center and add them to your nonprofit’s email list. As a best practice, place new leads in an email automation that thanks them for subscribing from Facebook and/or Instagram and welcomes them to your community!