Quick guide to the Google Ad Grant for non-profits
Deciding where to invest funds is tricky when you work for a non-profit. You want every penny to go towards achieving your mission, but how do you attract more volunteers and donations unless you spend time and money promoting your organisation?
One thing you can do is take advantage of the Google Ad Grant. It has been around for a while and you might even have heard of it, but I’ve spoken to a lot of people who are missing out simply because they don’t know if their non-profit is eligible!
The grant gives you $10,000 in free credit to use on Google search ads. Since you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, $10,000 will definitely give you enough budget to get those all-important clicks. With one type of advertising taken care of, you can direct more funds into helping your cause.
So, it sounds good, but you haven’t used Google Ads before. If you work for a smaller non-profit or charity you may not have a designated marketing department, never mind a Google Ads specialist and that’s ok.
Yes, it can be a bit overwhelming at the start – especially if you’re trying to keep multiple plates spinning and “free time” for upskilling is a luxury, but that’s where I can help. I’ve broken down the process so you’ll know what to expect, and I’ve thrown in some tips at the end to help you get better results from your search ads campaign.
What is the Google Ad Grant?
The Google Ad Grant gives your non-profit or charity £7,000 per month to run search ads on Google.com to help you get your message out to people who are searching for organisations like yours. It can fuel your marketing and boost awareness of your cause by helping you reach people who are looking to volunteer, donate or need your services, at the exact moment when they are searching for them.
Google estimates that over 35,000 non-profits across 50 countries are using the Ad Grant so you’ll be in good company if your application is successful.
How do I know if my non-profit qualifies?
Non-profits and charities around the world can benefit from it as long as they meet Google’s criteria. The requirements are fairly broad so you might already meet them without having to do anything.
Before you apply, you need to:
Be registered and hold a valid charity status in the country where your non-profit is based
Sidebar: government entities, hospitals/medical groups, schools, academic institutions and universities can’t apply for the grant, but philanthropic arms of educational institutions can
Agree to abide by Google’s rules on non-discriminatory practices and donation receipt and use
Drive people to a quality website owned by your organisation that isn’t for commercial purposes, uses Google AdSense or features affiliate links (what counts as a quality website? Great question – here are Google’s quality guidelines)
How do I apply for the Google Ad Grant?
So, you qualify for the grant. Onto the next step – claiming that credit! If you tick all the eligibility boxes, you can go ahead and complete the 3-step online application process.
Here’s what you need to do:
Request a non-profits account
Complete the eligibility form. You can find the link to this in your non-profits account by following the steps outlined in the Google Ad Grants activation guide
Submit your activation for review from your non-profits account
Bonus step: have a cuppa (and a biscuit) to congratulate yourself
That’s it! If your claim has been approved (and this can take up to 5 working days), Google will notify you by email and provide you with instructions on how to access your Ad Grant account. Don’t be tempted to create your own Google Ads account, you need to wait for Google to provide you with one so you don’t get charged for clicks.
To access the account, you also need to accept Google’s email invite to the Google Payments billing profile. Don’t panic when you see this, all advertisers need to do this before they can access Google Ads, but you won’t get charged for clicks as long as you use your Ad Grant account. Once your account is ready, you can crack on with creating your first search ads campaign.
Reach people who are looking to volunteer, donate or need your services, at the exact moment when they are searching for them!
What do I need to do to keep the grant?
Now that your non-profit or charity has qualified for the Google Ad Grant (yey), make sure you don’t lose the grant by sticking to Google’s policies. Here’s what you need to do to hang on to your credit:
Don’t bid on single words or overly generic keywords
Keywords need to have a quality score of 3 or over
You can only bid on keywords that are relevant to your mission or service – no bidding on branded keywords that aren’t affiliated with your organisation
Maintain a 5% overall click-through rate every month
Track meaningful conversions and receive at least one conversion per month
Geo-target relevant locations
Have at least two active ad groups per campaign
Run at least two ads per ad group
Set up a minimum of two unique sitelink ad extensions
Complete Google’s annual survey
It probably goes without saying, but no promoting hatred, intolerance, discrimination, or violence
Are there any limitations I should know about?
Only a couple. Understanding them can help you get to grips with where your ads will show and how much you can spend each day.
Campaigns can only use keyword targeting – you can’t target by demographic, audience, etc., but you can use geo-targeting to limit who can see your ads
Your ad will appear below the ads of paying advertisers
The most you can bid on a keyword is $2 unless you use one of the following smart bidding strategies: Maximize Conversions, Target ROAS or Target CPA
How can my non-profit get the most out of the grant?
You can either run your Ad Grant account yourself or source outside help from a PPC manager. If you’re managing the account, remember that Google Ads can take a while to master, so don’t be hard on yourself if it takes time to get the mix of targeting, bidding, ads, account structure, and landing pages right!
To help you get off to a flying start, I’ve answered the top 3 questions I get asked by non-profits about the Google Ad Grant.
Where should I show my ads?
When you’re setting up geo-targeting ask yourself whether the people you serve are based in the same location as your donors and volunteers. This will be straightforward for many organisations. If you run a local food bank then your ads will be targeted to the town or city that you’re based in. But, say your donors are based in Scotland and your charity sends people out to support projects in Kenya. If this is the case, you should target the ads to where your donors are based.
Alternatively, if your non-profit serves multiple locations, consider setting up a campaign for each location so you can send targeted ads to people in different areas.
Once your ads are up and running, you can use the location report to refine your targeting. It’ll show you aggregated data on the whereabouts of people who click on your ad so you can narrow or broaden your targeting as needed.
How do I make sure I spend the credit attracting the right people to my website?
Because you can’t use audience targeting, it all comes down to your keyword selection and ad copy. Start by asking what words people use to describe your services. You can use free tools like Ubersuggest or Google’s own Keyword Planner to come up with keywords ideas. Both will show you how much you can expect to pay to bid on different keywords and how competitive they are.
If your services are only relevant to a certain demographic, use the ad copy to pre-qualify website traffic. Say you run a youth charity for example, while you can’t target your ads by age group, you can work details of who your service is for into the ad copy and use language that resonates with your target audience (speak their language but don’t get into trouble by breaking Google’s ad policy).
How should I structure my account?
When people are new to Google Ads it can be tempting to add every keyword into one big catch-all campaign. Please don’t do this! Not only will it give you less control over your account, but it can also tank keywords’ quality score, increase how much you need to pay per click and put people off clicking on your ad.
Build an account that your organisation deserves. Split campaigns out in a way that makes sense for your non-profit – it could be by service or location for example. In each campaign, group closely related keywords into separate ad groups, then craft ads that use keywords from their ad group and compel people to take action whether that’s visiting your site, donating, using your online resources, signing up to volunteer, etc.
Google also gives you the option to use its Smart campaigns feature to automate parts of the campaign set-up.
Hopefully, that’s enough to get you started! I know that managing a Google Ads account can be hard if you haven’t done it before, and based on my time working at a non-profit, I bet you’re already rushed off your feet even before you take on more responsibility. But, if you’re keen to give it a shot, remember that you’re awesome for stepping up to the plate and having a go.
If you ever need a hand, I’m here and I’d love to help. I can support you with claiming your grant, Google Ads training, account set-up or full account management. The first consultation is free, and I offer an ongoing discount for registered charities and non-profits! Get in touch for a chat to find out how I can help your organisation.