GUEST POST // Google Ad Grants: A Quick Start Guide for Busy Fundraisers
By Jessica King of Getting Attention
As a nonprofit leader, raising funds online likely triggers thoughts of lengthy digital style guides and time-consuming social media outreach. While those are important components of a healthy digital marketing strategy, your nonprofit will find the most fundraising success when you promote your website.
Your website is full of important information about your nonprofit’s mission and how people can get involved, making it the ultimate tool to convert prospects into loyal supporters. That’s why Google offers a grant program through which eligible nonprofits receive $10,000 worth of ad credit every month to promote their websites in search engine results. In this quick guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Google Ad Grant, including:
Google grant basics
How to apply for Google’s grant
Google Ad Grant management tips
This grant gives you the power to promote your most important information, capturing the attention of prospective donors that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to reach. It’s crucial to understand the details of the program so your nonprofit doesn’t miss an opportunity to reach these prospects. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the basics of the program.
Google Grant Basics
The paradox of nonprofit fundraising is that raising money costs money. Marketing efforts can be expensive, but they’re necessary to raise awareness of opportunities to give.
Google’s Ad Grant program helps ease the burden of fundraising costs by providing $10,000 in free monthly ad credits to eligible nonprofits. Nonprofits can use this funding to bid on keywords related to their cause or their website’s content. Then, the nonprofit’s ad will show up on the search engine results page (SERP) when an internet user searches for that keyword.
For example, nonprofits might create ads that lead to the following landing pages:
Donation pages
Service pages
Educational content
Let’s say an animal shelter wants to promote a page about dogs available for adoption. The organization might target keywords such as “small dog adoption,” “large dogs for adoption in New York,” and “how to foster a dog” to get its website in front of internet searchers who are interested in adopting or fostering dogs. That way, their ads land in front of internet searchers who are already interested and more likely to respond positively.
Whereas social media and other marketing platforms allow nonprofits to promote specific fundraising campaigns, the Google Ad Grant provides funding for nonprofits to market their entire website. That way, every campaign gains visibility, as well as your nonprofit’s background information and other important details.
How to Apply for Google’s Grant
Like any fundraising initiative, acquiring the Google Ad Grant requires preparation. Before your nonprofit can leverage the power of Google’s program, you’ll first need to apply. According to Getting Attention, there are five steps to apply for the Google Ad Grant:
Check your eligibility. Your nonprofit must hold a valid charity status, have a high-quality website with an SSL certificate, and adhere to Google’s policies to qualify for the grant. Check your eligibility ahead of time to ensure the application process pays off for your nonprofit. If you aren’t eligible, make the necessary adjustments to become eligible.
Register with TechSoup. TechSoup provides mission-driven technology and resources to nonprofits for free or at discounted rates, making it a valuable resource whether or not you’re applying for Google’s grant! Registering with TechSoup signals your nonprofit’s legitimacy to Google, so you’ll need to create an account before moving on to the rest of the application process.
Create a Google for Nonprofits account. Next, sign up for a Google for Nonprofits account, providing the validation code you received from TechSoup. Once you’ve filled out the required forms, submit your request and wait for a response!
Optimize your website. Even if you know how to apply for the Google Ad Grant, you might not be well-versed in website optimization. Google will evaluate your website before approving you for the grant to ensure it has useful and trustworthy content. Prepare your website for this audit by adding your mission statement, implementing security measures, and optimizing your landing pages.
Submit your application. Once your Google for Nonprofits account has been approved, you’ll be able to access an eligibility form that asks for basic information about your nonprofit, its website, and its goals for using the grant. Submit the assessment and await a response from the Google Ad Grants team.
If you’re approved for the program, you’ll receive an email invitation and a billing profile. Accept the invitation and you’re ready to start creating ads for your nonprofit!
Google Ad Grant Management Tips
Making the most of your grant money to effectively promote giving opportunities requires wise allocation of the $10,000, which means you’ll need to carefully choose keywords, craft ad campaigns, and cultivate website content. Follow these three tips to maximize your fundraising with Google’s grant.
1. Understand your audience
Before you can create ads that appeal to prospective donors, you’ll first need to identify them! Define a target audience for your keywords and campaigns by conducting keyword research to learn what your target audience is searching for. This will help you discover the best keywords to target and determine which landing pages would be most relevant.
Then, create donor segments to group audience members based on shared characteristics. For example, if the target audience for an environmental nonprofit is mostly comprised of college students, the organization might create ads about recycling on college campuses. You might use segments that you’ve created for your other fundraising initiatives, but be sure they’re still relevant to the search intent.
2. Create valuable website content
Once you’ve captured the attention of your audience, they’ll click your ad to start exploring your nonprofit’s website. Encourage them to keep reading and clicking through your different web pages. To further engage your website’s visitors, optimize it using the following tips:
Use easy navigation. Encourage visitors to not just stop after reading one page, but to explore your entire website through easily accessible navigation.
Incorporate nonprofit storytelling. Share what makes your nonprofit special by telling the story of your cause, your work, and your organization.
Provide clear calls to action. Develop strong calls to action that thoughtfully urge visitors to complete a task upon visiting your website.
Remember, compelling visuals and easily readable text are also important for getting visitors to engage with your content. To convert website visitors into donors, you’ll need to compel them to give by demonstrating the importance of their support. Make each page visually appealing and incorporate your nonprofit’s branding to associate your content with your organization’s identity.
3. Work with a Google grant manager
According to NonprofitsSource, a successful Google Ad Grants management strategy takes a lot more than simply writing ads. While the grant is well worth it, the extensive application and management process can take valuable time away from your other fundraising activities.
Working with a Google Ad Grant management team allows your nonprofit the freedom to focus on its other marketing initiatives while the experts handle your ad campaigns. Aside from sheer convenience, professional management also brings the benefit of expertise, which is extremely helpful if your team doesn’t have experience handling ad marketing.
Google’s Ad Grant provides the funding you need to make a significant impact on your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy. Understanding the program’s requirements and how to create successful campaigns is critical to making the most of this grant money. Develop a clear plan for how you’ll use the grant before getting started to ensure you reach your goals quickly and efficiently!
This guest post was written by Jessica King.
Jessica helps nonprofits acquire and manage the Google Ad Grant to expand their impact. Prior to her work at Getting Attention, Jessica worked in nonprofit and higher education organizations focusing on communication and digital marketing, and most recently in search engine optimization in the mission-driven sector. Jessica holds a master’s degree in communication from Virginia Tech. In her free time, you can find her reading, building furniture, and hanging out with her cats, Benny and Olive.
