Imagine having thousands of dollars per month to spend on advertising your nonprofit—without touching your marketing budget. With up to $10,000 per month in free advertising credit on Google, the Ad Grant is a powerful tool designed to help nonprofits amplify their digital presence, promote their mission, programs, and services, and support volunteer recruitment and fundraising efforts.
For nonprofits looking to maximize their online presence, the Google Ad Grant is a game-changer. And it isn’t just about getting more eyes on your content; it’s about leveraging digital marketing to make a tangible impact by allowing your nonprofit to compete with larger organizations and make your voice heard in a crowded digital space.
Learn more about how the Google Ad Grant has helped our client reach their goals.
Who is Eligible for the Google Ad Grant?
Nonprofit Status
To qualify for the Google Ad Grant, your organization must be registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This classification ensures that your organization operates for charitable purposes and is eligible for tax-exempt status. Unfortunately, government agencies, hospitals, and schools do not qualify, even if they carry a 501(c)(3) status.
Unique Domain and SSL Certificate
Your nonprofit’s website must be hosted on its unique domain, not as a subdomain of a larger organization’s site. This requirement helps establish your nonprofit’s identity and credibility online. Additionally, your website must have an SSL certificate to ensure security and protect visitors’ data.
Agreement to Google’s Terms
Your nonprofit must also agree to the Google Ads & Google for Nonprofits terms of service. This includes adhering to specific guidelines and maintaining transparency in your advertising efforts. By meeting these criteria, your nonprofit can unlock the benefits of the Google Ad Grant.
What Types of Campaigns Perform Best with the Google Ad Grant?
Promotion of Programs and Services
One of the most effective uses of the Google Ad Grant is promoting your nonprofit’s programs and services. By highlighting what your organization offers, you can attract individuals searching for solutions related to your organization’s services. Whether the goal is to drive enrollments or participants, capture interest or visits to your physical location, or promote general awareness of your nonprofit, Google Search users often have a high intent related to their search query, allowing you to “meet them where they are” more efficiently and motivate them to take a particular action.
Mission Fulfillment
Your nonprofit’s mission is at the heart of everything you do. Use the Google Ad Grant to create campaigns communicating your mission and values to drive users to your cache of resources–whether programs, services, or digital content. Share stories of impact, showcase the difference you’re making, and invite others to join your cause. Mission-driven campaigns can inspire action and foster community around your nonprofit.
Volunteer Recruitment
Volunteers are the lifeblood of many nonprofits. Use the Google Ad Grant to recruit new volunteers by advertising opportunities and highlighting the benefits of getting involved. Create specific ad groups for different volunteer roles and target keywords that potential volunteers might search for. Engaging volunteer-focused ad campaigns can help you build a dedicated team passionate about your mission.
Donation, Fundraising, and Event Attendance
Fundraising is essential for sustaining your nonprofit’s operations. While the Google Ad Grant can help drive donations, promote fundraising campaigns, and boost event attendance, we’ve found that Google Search ads are more powerful at driving awareness of your organization, its mission, and its services. This increased visibility expands your organization’s ecosystem and helps your development and fundraising team create meaningful connections that convert to loyal donors.
Keys to Success
Campaign Structure
A well-organized campaign structure that considers your audience segments, landing pages, and keyword themes is critical for maximizing the effectiveness of your Google Ad Grant. It enhances the user experience, allows for more targeted messaging, and improves performance tracking.
Conversion Tracking
Implementing conversion tracking is essential for measuring the success of your campaigns. By tracking key actions such as program registrations, purchases, donations, volunteer sign-ups, or event RSVPs, your organization is getting valuable insights into campaign performance and (perhaps more importantly) feeding Google data that will help it optimize when, where, and to whom to serve your ads for better results.
Keyword Research Beyond the Obvious Terms
Effective keyword research goes beyond the obvious terms related to your nonprofit (which are undoubtedly useful and necessary). Exploring long-tail keywords and tangential themes that potential audiences might use when searching for information related to your cause is essential for optimizing your campaign efforts.
Ongoing Analysis of Search Queries and Expansion of Ad Groups
Regularly analyze search query reports to understand which terms drive traffic to your site. Identify new opportunities for expanding your ad groups and refining your keyword strategy. By continually optimizing your campaigns, you can improve performance and ensure your ads reach the right audience.
Outsourcing Campaign Management for Maximum Results
Effective management of Google Search campaigns requires technical web development expertise and marketing and advertising acumen. Setting up conversion tracking requires familiarity with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager while identifying campaign opportunities, creating a sound structure, and drafting effective ad copy demand strategic marketing and advertising skills.
Bloom’s Ad Grant Edge Program offers a comprehensive, done-for-you solution for nonprofits aiming to implement effective Google Search campaigns. We guide you step-by-step through the application and grant-securing process and, from there, take over the reins to craft a successful campaign. This includes developing the campaign strategy, structuring the ads, and implementing conversion tracking. With ongoing monitoring and optimization, we ensure that your campaigns always perform at their best. Additionally, we provide monthly performance reviews so you can see the impact your campaigns are making and have success indicators to share with your executive team and/or Board.
Clients utilizing the Ad Grant Edge Program include:
- AGE of Central Texas
- Boy Scouts Capitol Area Council
- Dress for Success
- Goodwill Central Texas
- The Thinkery
Here are a few examples of how we’ve helped our clients reach their organizational objectives through Google Search Ads and the Google Ad Grant program.