A Breakdown Of A Little-known But Important Set Of Marketing Tools Offered By Google
If you work for or manage a nonprofit organization, you’re certainly aware of the challenges that come hand-in-hand with stretching a limited budget versus trying to reach more people. Google recognizes these challenges and offers five premium marketing features for free under its little-known but very useful program for qualifying NPOs called Google for Nonprofits.
Google for Nonprofits is an online membership program that allows NPOs in over 51 countries to use premium Google marketing and analytics services at no cost. They include G-Suite, Ad Grants, Google Analytics, the YouTube Nonprofit Program, Google Earth and Maps, and Google donation tools
Major nonprofits throughout the world including UNICEF, the Jane Goodall Institute, The Van Gogh Museum and Special Olympics are just some of the organizations that are currently enrolled in Google for Nonprofits.
Google claims that their program can help NGOs spread their message more efficiently by providing tools that optimize fundraising strategies and allow teams to cloud-connect across the globe. Organizations such as Direct Relief International show that it can deliver, with a 44% year-over-year increase in online donations and a 6,000% increase in website traffic after becoming a Google grantee.
The caveat is that not all NGOs qualify for the membership program, and it’s not available in all countries. Google requires you to be validated by TechSoup or a local TechSoup partner in order for them to consider your organization’s membership, but what is TechSoup?
There are specific requirements that need to be met in order for nonprofit organizations to be eligible for the membership program, and they differ based on country of operation. What is common among the requirements however is that the NGOs cannot be:
- Governmental entities or organizations
- Hospitals or healthcare organizations
- Schools, academic institutions, or universities
For a full list of eligibility requirements by country, click here.
Google for Nonprofits can help you streamline your NGO’s operations and facilitate communication between teams. It also positively impacts your donation strategy. Here’s how:
G-Suite
When becoming members, nonprofits have access to a collection of collaborative productivity apps called G-Suite (formerly Google Apps). It includes Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Hangouts, and Google Docs. Google for Nonprofits offers G-Suite Basic which usually costs $50.00 / year or $5.00 per month.
G-Suite makes it easier to connect with teams that don’t work in the same place by facilitating the flow of information through real-time cloud collaboration. Members get 30GB If storage and their information can be accessed all on one secure place. Google also offers 24/7 assistance if you need support or run into any problems.
Google Ad Grants
A pretty generous and great feature that’s provided by Google for Nonprofits is Ad Grants, where qualifying NGO’s are granted $10,000 worth of in-kind advertising every month to advertise on Google. The grant helps your organization reach tens of thousands of new people, positively impacting your web traffic and increasing donations towards your cause.
To qualify for Ad Grants, NGOs must apply to Google Nonprofits and have lawful charity status in their country of origin. The organization must also meet Google’s certification requirements that center on non-discrimination and donation use, in addition to having a solid website with substantial content.
YouTube Nonprofit Program
Some nonprofits rely heavily on the use of video to convey their message, but Google has taken it to another level with its YouTube Nonprofit Program. The feature allows nonprofits to include donation cards on videos and YouTube doesn’t take any transaction fees when viewers donate, so all proceeds go to your cause.
If your organization has over a thousand YouTube subscribers, you even get access to YouTube Space, a professional production studio that’s available for creators and advertisers and located in major cities around the world. The Space holds events and hosts workshops, with the added bonus of being a great place to network and build partnerships.
Google Earth and Maps
Google Earth and Maps is a feature for organizations that want to project data visualizations to their audience and shows people where the organization has made a visual impact. It can be used to connect people to resources in their surrounding area and allows organizations to add 360-degree imagery of their location.
The Donor Maps feature for example shows your donors how much they’ve made a difference in a particular area, and how their efforts have benefitted this area which encourages them to do more towards that cause.
Donation Tools
The Donation Tools feature that’s included with Google for Nonprofits helps organizations increase their donations by connecting them to their audience. With easy-to-use tools and sharing options, NGOs are able to share their message with a wider audience and create targeted campaigns on social media platforms of their choice.
Organizations also get access to the One Today App, an application that features different nonprofit projects every day and shares their cause to a larger audience. It’s a fantastic way to be exposed to more people and increase your organization’s reach.
Our Take
More than just a cloud-based system, the services and features available through Google for Nonprofits can give your organization the extra boost that it needs to reach more people, streamline your operations, and most importantly – make a stronger impact towards your cause.
Google for Nonprofits truly does provide a valuable set of tools and services that NGOs can use. It allows nonprofits to benefit from the marketing and advertising options that are available to them from the world’s most popular search engine and make a difference in the world today.
