Google Grants
I love being able to work with organizations that are trying to make the world a better place. Ideally, I would like to exclusively dedicate my services to the non-profit sector. I’m moving in that direction by helping non-profit organizations receive and and efficiently manage Google Adwords Grants.
What are Google Grants?
Google Grants are awarded credits for their Adwords pay-per-click advertising system. Google is giving away the ability to send huge numbers of qualified people to your organization’s website. This can be amazingly valuable if it is handled correctly. Initially, a non-profit will be credited with $10,000 dollars per month ($120,000 per year) in their Adwords account. Keyword research is done, and campaigns are constructed and uploaded to the Adwords server. These credits are spent by winning a bidding war for your ads to be shown on the various researched keywords and key phrases on the right hand side of the Google search engine. If your average cost per click is $0.25, you can lead 40,000 targeted and interested visitors to your website. What could your organization do with that many eyes and ears on your message?
What can my organization use a Google Grant for?
Basically, you can use your advertising for whatever you want.
- If you need to get the word out about that important workshop or fundraiser coming up next month, you can target your advertising to reach people in just your city (or area) that have similar interests.
- If you need to alert people about an important issue, you can target those that will be most receptive.
- If you need donations, you can automatically send large numbers of people who care and are ready to donate right to your website.
- If you are seeking volunteers, you can easily target those who might be interested.
- Or all of the above…
Who is eligible?
The requirements are simply that the organization must have 501(c)(3) status, and must agree with the AdWords Terms and Conditions.
Eligible nonprofits include, but are not limited to, the following focus areas:
- Animal rescue & conservation
- Arts
- Disaster & relief services
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Science & technology
- Voluntarism & community outreach
- Youth advocacy & programs
Ineligible nonprofits include, but are not limited to, the following concentrations:
- Commercial non-profits
- Credit-counseling services
- Mutual membership benefits (networking, professional, alumni, and other membership organizations)
- Portals and directories
Also, be aware that any organization with the following components on site are not eligible for the program: political/lobbying content; religious content which proselytizes or discriminates on the basis of religion; Google AdSense; car/boat/real estate donation-focus; and entirely fee-based programs.
What’s the catch?
There is no catch. Google is really committed to helping non-profits make the world a better place. With an advertising budget like this, you can take your non-profit to the next level.
What’s in it for you?
I’m willing to help your organization if it makes sense. I enjoy working with non-profits. But, you can go through the grant application process yourself and then learn to manage the Adwords account efficiently over time.  What I offer is help with the grant application, and I can handle all the technical details of running your advertising account. If you would like me to handle your account, that’s great, and you should know that I only charge 5% of the spend. (That’s half of what I charge for-profit businesses… I really like working with non-profits). If you spend $10,000 per month, that’s $500 for me… the cost of a part-time employee.
It is actually difficult to spend all of your credits. Bids cannot be over $1.00/click, and that means long-tail keyword research is the key to spending your credits. That brings me to another reason I might come in handy. If your organization can consistently spend over $9,000 per month you can ask to upgrade your grant and have your Google Grant raised to $40,000 per month ($480,000/year).
Here’s more details on Google Grants.