Google grants are a great way for Nonprofits to get additional funding and resources. These grants provide access to Google's powerful tools and products, such as Google Adwords, YouTube, and more. With these resources, Nonprofits can increase their reach, build awareness of their cause, and raise funds to support their mission

Google Grants give Nonprofits up to $10,000 pm to advertise their cause. NPOs can use this to drive awareness, recruit volunteers, raise money or just about anything to promote their cause. These grants which can be a gamechanger for small – mid size Non-profits; which are otherwise constrained for

I have spoken to a large number of Non-profits in the past and very few actually know how to leverage these grants. I will not cover the application process as you can access all the information on the Google website for Nonprofits

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The must have: It’s the Nonprofit website

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Not any website but a website that satisfies Google’s parameters for disbursing these grants. You must get the website audited before applying for the grants to prevent rejection. The website must satisfy the following criteria:

1.     Clearly state your organization name, mission and activities

2.     Have substantial content, updated information, clear navigation and clear call to action

3.     Load quickly, no broken links, secured with HTTPS

4.     No sales of product and services as the sole purpose of the site

5.     Describe how any products or services sold support the mission and how funds are used, for example, by disclosing a annual report

Does Google really give out $10,000 pm?

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The grant includes the words “up to" This indicates the maximum amount that is given out per month. From years of experience we have found out that it is nearly impossible to spend the entire amount. How much you can spend is decided on Search volumes for the cause that you are promoting (Among other factors)

Example: If you a Nonprofit running a pet shelter then you will bid for pet related keywords on Google which has a certain search volume(That is the number of searches that are happening for pet shelter related keywords). This determines the total amount that google will spend for your Nonprofit. Example: For a Wheelchair basketball Nonprofit that we worked for we could spend only $700 per month whereas for a Kids education Nonprofit we could spend $3,500. For a small – mid size NPO this rarely goes beyond $5,000

Google starts small and then scales up your campaign as more and more people interact with your ads. This means that your ads must being interesting and relevant to what people are searching for

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Non-profits have complained that campaigns have stopped midway and hence they could not leverage the grants

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A large number of Non-profits find these grants overwhelming to operate and a lot of them have complained that the grants get stopped mid-way.

The fact is that Google will not throw money at you – Right?

‍You will have to work hard and earn it. Follow these steps for success:

·       Your account level budget is set to $329.00 per day.

·       Your campaign level bid settings are set to conversion tracking.

·       You’ve created 1 ad campaign.

·       You’ve created 2 ad groups.

·       You’ve created 2 ads in each ad group (4 ads total).

·       You’ve added at least 10 keywords to each ad group.

·       You’ve created at least 2 Sitelink extensions.

·       You’ve created at least 2 Callout extensions.

·       You've created at least 1 landing page and 1 "Thank you" page

·       You have conversion tracking set up on at least 1 "Thank you" page

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Non-profits have complained that campaigns did not yield any result. Why?

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By results they mean more online donations. The issue with Non-profits is that their expectations from these grants are sky high. The fact is that we will have to understand the purpose behind these grants.

The grants should be used to drive awareness for the cause. It is not supposed to bring in instant donors. These grants are one component of your entire marketing mix. So if a new donor sees your ad on Google then checks your social media pages and receives a email from you at a later point of time only then he / she decides to support your cause

The moral of the story is that you have to take a long term view of these grants to see results happening

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In Conclusion

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Remember the Google Grants are a very powerful tool to raise awareness for your cause, raise online donations and recruit volunteers. The process is cumbersome and you may need help with running these ads but it is worth it

To know more about these grants visit Google for Grants page

Free 30 min consultation on how you can leverage these grants specifically for your cause: Click here

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About NFS Foundation

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NFS Foundation is on a mission to bring financial sustainability to Nonprofits worldwide. We are a 501c3 located out of VA, PA,NM, NV. Our Fundraising platform MyCampaignDirector combined with cutting edge Digital marketing and Training gives Board Members and EDs the ability to strategize and implement the annual fundraising process. We give you a 25%+ uptick in fundraising‍

The Fundraising Platform is the first and only platform for Board members and Executive Directors to help them in the annual fundraising process. Moreover there is a companion app for them to be connected with the process of fundraising and stay engaged throughout the campaign.

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