Google Ad Grants is a product created to help nonprofits see more exposure on Google search, gain more volunteers and donations, and get up to $40,000 USD in in-kind advertising, all with no cost to the nonprofit. Google Ad Grants is extremely simple to use, so quite simply, it is an essential tool for nonprofits. A few minutes working with Google Ad Grants and you’ll see success through website visits, donations, volunteers and in-kind advertising. It’s a win-win-win so the sooner you can get started the better.

Eligibility Requirements

Of course the first thing you have to understand is whether or not your nonprofit is even eligible. Google has detailed requirements on their official Google Ad Grants webpage which include:

  • Hold current and valid charity status. For example, in the US you must have a current 501(c)(3) status.
  • Acknowledge and agree to Google Grant’s required certifications regarding how to receive and use donations obtained from the grant (we will go into more detail on this in later sections).
  • Have a website that is both functioning and provides adequate detail on your nonprofit and what you offer.

The following organizations are not eligible for Google Grants:

  • Governmental entities and organizations.
  • Hospitals and medical groups.
  • Schools, childcare centers, academic institutions and universities (philanthropic arms of educational organizations are eligible).

To stay eligible, nonprofits must:

  • Link all ads to the approved nonprofit link from the application.
  • Be active on your account; logging in at least monthly.
  • Create ads reflecting the nonprofit’s mission. Product advertisement is OK as long as 100 percent of the proceeds support your program.
  • Ads cannot offer financial products such as credit cards or mortgages.
  • Donations cannot be large products such as cars, boats or property.

How Google Ad Grants Work

Once you’ve determined if you’re eligible and have what it takes to stay eligible, Google Ad Grants is created to make your ad appear on search pages for audiences searching for nonprofits similar to yours. Your message can be shared globally, reaching thousands of people aware and unaware of your work. You’re in control of who sees your message and when (the same way that AdWords works for any small business). Below is an example from Google showing what you might see:

grants

Your grant ads are tied to Google Analytics, making it easy to track and understand what strategies are working and what needs work. Google also makes it easy for donations to be made—the simpler the better for your partners.

To get started, answer this question: Do you want your account to manage itself or do you want to be in control of every aspect?

AdWords Express cuts down time management needed for your grant ads by automatically managing when and where your ads appear. Simply pick your audience, write a few lines of text about your nonprofit, set your budget and go.

AdWords is more hands on, allowing the account owner to access tools to create, target and optimize each campaign.

Ads are text only, no photos or videos and all campaigns must be keyword targeted on Google. Maximum cost per clicks is only $2 and each nonprofit receives $10,000 a month in in-kind advertising. Again, you can’t lose!

Additional Services

If your nonprofit meets specific requirements, you could receive as much as $40,000 a month for ads through Grantspro. See the eligibility overview to learn more about these specific requirements and how they differ from above.

Google provides an immense amount of support for this program – videos and support communities are available to walk new nonprofits through the process. Keep in mind that Google Grants simply allows you to earn monetary credit, but the way you run a paid search campaign is the same as the way all small businesses do, which you can learn more about here. The video below, for example, shows you how to get started as well as references lots of other videos to take you through the process one step at a time.

Support through the community can also be found with FAQs, quick tips and tricks and much more. The screenshot below shows what this looks like:

faq-grants

Finally, The Huffington Post also published a great infographic that is specific to Google Ad Grants that can help you visualize your next steps. If you have any questions, personal experiences to share, or comments about Google Ad Grants, let us know in the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!

Feature Image Photo: www.cbcelements.com