Imagine what your nonprofit could do with $10,000 of advertising every month.
Nonprofit ad grants are your ticket to free ad spend on Google, but we heard a rumor that time is running out to use them to their full advantage. True or not, if you’re unfamiliar with Google AdWords, this is your opportunity to get your brand in front of your stakeholders and increase the chance of clients or donors finding their way to your website.
Google currently offers a monthly $10,000 nonprofit AdWords grant at absolutely no cost to 501(c)3 organizations. This could decrease to $2000 by the end of the year with the new change we’re hearing about. If your nonprofit is ready to get serious about expanding your reach, there’s no time to waste to get started.
What can you do with AdWords?
Before taking you through how you can sign up for free nonprofit ad grants, let’s talk a little bit about how Google AdWords works. We’ve found that one of the biggest reasons our clients haven’t set up AdWords is because they don’t understand how effective it is across industries.
When you search for something in Google, its algorithm uses keywords to decide which websites to show you. You can purchase keywords in Google to help others find your organization within AdWords. Depending on how you set up your account, you can boost your chances of appearing higher up on the page.
Keyword costs differ depending on how competitive they are. For instance, a general term like “nonprofit” will be much more expensive to rank for than the more specific, “Chicago clean water nonprofit.” Your AdWords dashboard will give you complete transparency into keyword cost and what position your ad will appear in search. The best part is that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad – exposure on Google is free.
For a nonprofit looking to reach a larger audience, this real estate in Google is invaluable. And this is just scratching the surface with AdWords’ reach and capabilities.
How do I apply for Google Nonprofit Ad Grants?
It’s simple to apply for Google nonprofit ad grants, but there are two small quirks of the membership application that you may not expect. In addition to meeting the qualifications for the grant, your organization must:
- Obtain a TechSoup validation token.
TechSoup provides nonprofits with discounted technology to improve the way they function. As a Google partner, TechSoup offers a validation service to discern whether or not an organization qualifies as a nonprofit. Your TechSoup token will be your key to verifying that your organization qualifies for nonprofit ad grants.
- Apply for the Google for Nonprofits Program.
Once you’re accepted into this program, you are automatically eligible for nonprofit ad grants. However, the Google for Nonprofits Program gives your organization a few added bonuses beyond AdWords, including access to:
You can learn more about these programs and nonprofit benefits here. After you fill out the application, it could take anywhere from 30 to 45 days to get approval. We recommend getting started as soon as possible.
How to integrate Nonprofit Ad Grants into your marketing plan?
When integrating the nonprofit ad grant into your marketing plan, consider these questions.
- How much capacity do you have to manage your AdWords account?
- How will the success of your AdWords campaign impact your bottom line?
- How can you measure success?
Remember that starting from scratch with AdWords will require a testing period to decide what’s working and what’s not. Once you start gathering data, you can increase your spend per ad to improve your results.
Google Ad Grants can be just the foot in the door you need to propel your advertising efforts. Sign up for your Google Ad Grant today and, by the way, Prosper Strategies can help you set up and manage your AdWords account. Schedule your free consultation with our AdWords expert.
