{"id":24851,"date":"2021-05-11T10:03:21","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T14:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=24851"},"modified":"2023-06-23T11:11:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T15:11:26","slug":"google-ad-grants-for-nonprofits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/google-ad-grants-for-nonprofits\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get More Out of Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Google Ad Grants<\/a> for nonprofits can be a great and versatile marketing tool. You can use it to attract new donors, promote a big event, raise awareness about your mission, or even raise funds for targeted projects like capital campaigns or emergency funds.\u00a0Google will even\u00a0give\u00a0<\/em>your nonprofit free ad money to help you out,\u00a0but many nonprofits\u00a0have yet to take the plunge.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofits see it as a poor investment of time because they haven\u2019t been able to succeed in the past. And, let\u2019s face it, it\u2019s intimidating. Plus, most nonprofit professionals already have a lot on their plate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we\u2019re going to break down the key things you need to keep in mind when getting started with Google Ad Grants for nonprofits. These tips will show you what to do so you can raise more for your mission! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Ad Grants\u00a0for Nonprofits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s talk about Google Ad Grants. The program has been around since 2003, and it provides $10,000 per month of free advertising for nonprofits. You\u2019re able to spend more than $10,000 but costs beyond your monthly grant need to be paid for using another account.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonprofits are <\/em>expected to spend the entire $10,000 dollars each month, and there are performance-related metrics nonprofits must meet in order to continue receiving the grant (more on those later).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most 501c3 organizations are eligible and the program is available all around the world. Unfortunately, hospital\/medical group nonprofits, government entities, and schools, universities, and academic institutions are not eligible. However, Google has a separate Google for Education<\/a> program you can check out if you\u2019re fundraising for a school.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 You can check out Google\u2019s (short) list of eligibility requirements<\/a>, or take this quick quiz from Beeline Marketing<\/a> to see if you qualify! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basics \u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Bidding Process\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Google Ads is set up like an auction, something most of us in the nonprofit world are quite familiar with! Instead of bidding on sweet auction items, you\u2019ll be bidding on keywords, which are the search queries your potential supporters put into search engines (in this case, Google).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s break down a few terms before we keep going: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Impressions: total number of times people viewed your ad <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Clicks: total number of times people clicked on your ad <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Maximum bid: total amount you\u2019re willing to spend for 1 click <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ll be competing against other marketers interested in the same keywords. With Google Ads, you\u2019re not paying for views of your ads, called impressions, but clicks on your ad that go to your landing page. When a donor clicks on your ad, search engines determine how much to charge you based on your maximum bid, which is how much you\u2019re willing to spend per click. This model is referred to as pay-per-click (or \u201cPPC\u201d).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Important KPIs for your account: <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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    • CTR (click-thru-rate) is the average number of times a person viewed your ad and then clicked on it. You can find this with a simple formula: CTR = total number of clicks\/total number of impressions <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • CPC (cost-per-click) is the average amount you are paying for 1 click on your ad. You can find this with a simple formula: CPC = total cost\/total number of clicks <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • CVR (conversion rate) is the average number of times a person completes a donation after clicking on your ad. You can find this with a simple formula: CVR = total conversions\/total number of clicks <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        KPIs are important in determining the success of your Google Ad campaigns. CTR will tell you how well your ads entice users to click through to your website. CPC will tell you how much you are spending per click. CVR will tell you how many people are actually completing a donation, the ultimate goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        While you can find averages for your industry for each of these, your own internal data is a good starting point to identify how well your campaigns are performing. For example, how much do you currently pay in advertising per donation or per visit to your website? Google Ad Grants may be free to nonprofits, but you\u2019ll still want to make sure your organization is getting as much as possible out of your campaigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Campaigns\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        A Google Ads campaign is a collection of one or more ad groups that share settings, such as a budget. Campaigns are generally organized by a topic. An example would be men\u2019s clothes. Within a campaign, you\u2019ll create ad groups, which contain keywords, ads, and bids. Ad groups are generally organized by a sub-topic such as men\u2019s socks, men\u2019s shoes, and men\u2019s shirts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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