Brand Safety for P2P Fundraisers: Using Account Exclusions to Protect Campaign Integrity

Protecting donor trust: Brand safety for P2P fundraisers with account-level exclusions

Hook: Your peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraiser depends on trust. One misaligned ad placement — an ask appearing next to extremist content, gambling sites, or sensationalized misinformation — can erode donations, harm participant morale, and create a PR problem that lasts months. In 2026, with advertising increasingly automated, fundraising teams must apply account-level exclusions and content controls to preserve campaign integrity at scale.

The problem now (and why it’s urgent in 2026)

P2P campaigns are unique: they mix organizational messaging with participant-generated content, user-driven social amplification, and a high dependence on a repeatable, trust-preserving experience. Yet ad distribution has become more opaque since late 2024, and major platforms accelerated automation in 2025–2026 (Performance Max, Demand Gen, programmatic RTB), increasing the risk that donor-facing creative will run adjacent to unacceptable inventory unless account-level guardrails exist.

On January 15, 2026 Google announced a major change: account-level placement exclusions that allow a single exclusion list to block placements across Performance Max, Demand Gen, YouTube, and Display. This is a turning point — it makes centralized controls both possible and practical for fundraisers operating at scale.

Google Ads now lets advertisers block unwanted inventory from a single, centralized setting. Exclusions apply across Performance Max, Demand Gen, YouTube, and Display campaigns. (Google Ads announcement, Jan 15, 2026)

High-level strategy: three layers of protection for P2P campaigns

Treat brand safety as a layered system. For P2P fundraisers, use three complementary controls:

1. Account-level exclusions — centralized blacklists/blocklists for placements, domains, and apps applied across campaigns and automated formats.
2. Content & inventory controls — categorical exclusions (e.g., adult, gambling, extremist, illicit drugs), contextual targeting, and inventory filters from platform UIs.
3. Participant & creative safeguards — governance for participant pages, UGC moderation, and creatives to avoid accidental associations.

Why the account-level approach matters

Historically fundraisers had to manage exclusions campaign-by-campaign. That approach fails when campaigns scale, teams are distributed, or you rely on automated formats that can surface placements outside manual oversight. Account-level exclusions reduce human error, make audits simpler, and let fundraising teams enforce consistent rules across channels.

Practical, step-by-step playbook

Below is a step-by-step framework you can implement across Google Ads, Meta, programmatic partners, and your own P2P platform.

Step 0 — Establish your risk appetite and policy

Start by defining what “unacceptable” means for your organization. Build a short policy the fundraising, communications, and legal teams agree upon. Typical exclusion categories for P2P fundraisers:

• Extremist or hate content
• Illicit drugs and paraphernalia
• Adult / sexually explicit content
• Gambling & betting
• Scam or low-quality/misleading finance sites
• Political content (if your campaign must remain nonpartisan)
• Sensational misinformation that targets vulnerable audiences

Document the policy in one page; include examples and who has sign-off. This guides the technical controls below.

Step 1 — Build account-level exclusion lists (Google Ads example)

Use the new Google Ads account-level placement exclusions to create a single, shareable list for your organization. High-level steps:

1. In Google Ads, go to Tools & Settings → Shared library → Placement exclusions (Account exclusions).
2. Create a named exclusion list: e.g., “P2P Brand Safety — Blocklist 2026”.
3. Populate with domains, app IDs, YouTube channel IDs, and placement URLs you want excluded. Use a CSV template to bulk upload commonly problematic sites (see sample blocklist below).
4. Apply the exclusion list at the account level so it covers Performance Max, Demand Gen, YouTube, and Display.
5. Assign an owner and schedule calendar reminders for weekly or biweekly review during active campaign periods.

Tip: Include wildcard domains (e.g., *.example.com) for subdomain issues and add known low-quality ad networks. Save the list in a centralized cloud doc and version it.

Step 2 — Configure platform inventory filters and category exclusions

Account-level placement exclusions stop specific sites, but categorical filtering reduces systemic risk. Configure these on every platform you use:

• Google Ads: Exclude sensitive content categories via Content exclusions and Inventory filters (avoid “Sensitive content” categories and set Inventory to “Standard” or “Limited”).
• Meta (Facebook & Instagram): Use Ads Manager’s Inventory Filters and Block Lists. Limit In-Stream and suggested video placements if you run video creative.
• Programmatic (DV360, The Trade Desk): Apply pre-bid category blocking, domain lists, and verification vendors (IAS, DoubleVerify) at the advertiser or account level.
• Connected TV (CTV): Apply publisher whitelists and work with SSPs that support seller-defined inventory controls and pre-bid brand safety signals.

Step 3 — Integrate third-party verification

For large or high-risk P2P campaigns, subscribe to a verification service. These providers give automated signals, scoring, and post-impression reporting:

• Integral Ad Science (IAS)
• DoubleVerify
• Oracle Moat

Use them to: (a) set pre-bid blocks, (b) monitor viewability and brand safety incidents, and (c) generate incident alerts you can route to your comms and ad-ops teams.

Step 4 — Secure P2P participant-generated pages

P2P fundraisers often host participant pages that external donors see. These pages are high-trust touchpoints and require separate governance:

• Implement a simple content policy for participants (no hate speech, no solicitations for other causes, no violent imagery).
• Use automated moderation tools (profanity filters, image moderation APIs) and human review for flagged pages.
• Disable third-party advertising or programmatic ads on participant pages unless you whitelist safe publishers.
• Provide participants with templates and examples to reduce variance in messaging and visuals.

Step 5 — Align creatives with context and donor expectations

High-quality creative reduces sensitivity risk. Best practices:

• Keep donation asks straightforward and succinct; avoid sensational language that may get misclassified.
• Avoid references to violence, graphic imagery, or political advocacy unless explicitly part of your mission and allowed by policy.
• Include clear branding and links to your official domain to signal legitimacy to both donors and verification systems.

Step 6 — Monitoring, incident response, and reporting

Establish a monitoring cadence and an incident playbook:

1. Daily: Ad ops checks for placement reports and verification alerts during campaign peaks.
2. Weekly: Brand safety dashboard review — incidents, impressions on excluded placements, viewability, and conversion changes.
3. Incident response: If an ad runs beside problematic content, pause the creative, add the placement to the exclusion list, notify comms/legal, and document the action in an incident log.

Track KPIs that correlate to brand safety and donor trust: donation conversion rate, average gift, CTR, viewability, and number of brand safety incidents. Over time you’ll see whether exclusions improve conversions and reduce PR risk.

Sample account-level blocklist (starter template)

Below is a concise, non-exhaustive starter blocklist you can paste into a CSV for Google or programmatic platforms. Adapt to your policy and region.

• Domains flagged for hate/extremism (vendor-supplied lists + manual add)
• Gambling domains and app IDs
• Adult content domains
• Known scam/low-quality finance domains
• YouTube channel IDs with disallowed content
• Ad networks with poor transparency or high fraud signals

Note: Rely on your verification vendor and manual review to populate hostnames — avoid publishing full public lists that might become out-of-date.

Platform-specific quick-checks

Google Ads

• Create and apply account-level placement exclusions (Jan 2026 feature).
• Set Content exclusions and Inventory filter to remove contextual categories you’ve agreed to block.
• Use automated rules to pause campaigns if brand safety incidents are detected by your verification partner.

Meta (Facebook & Instagram)

• Use Ads Manager’s block lists and Inventory filters — exclude in-stream videos and certain Audience Network placements when necessary.
• Prefer manual placement control for high-sensitivity creatives (exclude suggested videos and third-party apps).

Programmatic (DV360, The Trade Desk, DSPs)

• Upload your blocklist at the account level and activate pre-bid category blocking.
• Enable verification providers and map category blocks to pre-bid rules so inventory is rejected before bidding.

Unique P2P considerations — participant behavior, UGC, and amplification

P2P fundraisers spread organically through participants’ social feeds and networks. That introduces two key risks:

1. Participant posts may link to off-platform content that is low-quality or harmful, and donors may associate your brand with that content.
2. Paid distribution (boosting participant posts or running ads based on participant content) can surface those posts across unpredictable contexts.

Mitigations:

• Provide participants with pre-approved share copy and image templates.
• Require participant pages to pass a short moderation checklist before they are promoted via paid media.
• When boosting participant posts, use whitelisted placements only and apply the account-level blocklist.

Case example (how this looks in practice)

Example: A medium-sized nonprofit running a city-wide P2P campaign centralized its ad accounts in Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager. They implemented the account-level exclusion list in Google, activated Meta inventory filters, and onboarded a verification vendor for pre-bid blocking. During week one, the verification vendor flagged several low-quality placements and a YouTube channel that had slipped into trending political commentary. Ad ops paused the creative, added the placements to the account-level blocklist, and updated the participant moderation checklist to disallow links to that channel.

Result: Over the campaign’s first month the nonprofit saw fewer brand safety incidents and a small but measurable lift in conversion rate (driven by higher viewability and fewer negative associations). More importantly, the communications team avoided a potential PR challenge when a participant’s boosted post briefly surfaced next to inflammatory content — the team resolved it in under 2 hours because the incident process and account-level controls were already in place.

Operational checklist and roles

Assign roles and SLOs before launch. A simple RACI for P2P brand safety:

• Campaign Lead (R) — final decisions on exclusions and participant policy
• Ad Ops (A) — implements account-level blocklists, verification, and monitoring
• Comms/Legal (C) — reviews incidents and approves public responses
• Platform/Tech (I) — ensures participant pages and templates comply with policy

Daily/Weekly SOP:

1. Daily: Ad Ops checks verification alerts during active pushes.
2. Weekly: Review blocklist additions, performance KPIs, and participant page flags.
3. Post-incident: Add new placements to account blocklists and distribute a short incident summary to stakeholders.

Advanced strategies and future-proofing (2026)

As ad tech evolves in 2026, expect more automation and more pre-bid signals. Use these advanced strategies to stay ahead:

• Pre-bid contextual signals: Move beyond categorical blocks and use semantic/contextual targeting to ensure creative is matched to positive contexts.
• Dynamic exclusion lists: Integrate verification vendor feeds via API so your blocklist updates automatically based on live risk signals.
• Whitelist-critical placements: For high-trust creatives (donor landing pages, match-messages), use a trusted whitelist of high-quality publishers to guarantee context.
• Automate incident workflows: Use webhooks from verification providers to trigger automated rules (pause campaign, notify Slack, add to blocklist).
• Privacy & consent alignment: Ensure participant pages and landing pages handle consent for tracking consistently — privacy violations can cause ad removals and damage trust.

Measuring success

Key metrics to track monthly and after any major exclusion update:

• Number of brand safety incidents (by severity)
• Share of spend on excluded placements (should be zero)
• Donation conversion rate and average gift
• Viewability and completed views for video (YouTube & connected placements)
• Participant satisfaction and reporting of problematic placements

Use these to quantify the business impact of your brand safety program: fewer incidents, higher donor conversion, and reduced time-to-resolution on placement issues.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Over-blocking: Too many exclusions can reduce reach and drive up CPMs. Balance safety with performance by phasing controls and measuring impact.
• Stale blocklists: Add a review cadence and use vendor feeds to keep lists current.
• Disjointed governance: If ad ops, comms, and fundraising don’t align on policy, you’ll get delays. Formalize approval flow and incident SLAs.
• No participant guidance: For P2P, lack of participant training is a major blind spot. Provide shareable templates and mandatory moderation checkpoints.

Final checklist to launch brand-safe P2P campaigns today

1. Create a one-page brand safety policy and get stakeholder sign-off.
2. Build an account-level placement exclusion list and apply it across ad accounts (start with Google Ads’ account-level exclusions).
3. Activate content/inventory filters on every platform (Meta, programmatic DSPs, CTV partners).
4. Onboard a verification partner and set up pre-bid blocking.
5. Publish participant content guidelines and moderation steps.
6. Set monitoring cadence, incident response playbook, and KPIs.

Closing — preserve donor trust with practical guardrails

In 2026, ad automation will only accelerate. That makes account-level exclusions and strong content controls a must-have for P2P fundraisers who want to protect campaign integrity and donor trust. Start with a clear policy, centralize exclusions, and bake moderation into participant workflows. The extra few hours setting account-level guardrails before launch will pay dividends in fewer incidents, stronger donor confidence, and a smoother fundraising season.

Call to action: Need a quick audit or a ready-to-use account-level exclusion CSV and participant moderation checklist? Contact customers.life for a free P2P Brand Safety Audit and the Fundraiser Protection Toolkit — templates, SOPs, and a 30-day monitoring playbook to get you safe, fast.

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