By tcorrado@hubspot.com (Taylor Corrado)

Google for Nonprofits is a membership program for nonprofits based in the U.S. and U.K. (with country-specific programs). Though it has eligibility requirements, once accepted, you have access to free Google products.

Organizations like Kiva, BeatBullying, UNICEF, and charity: water are part of the Google for Nonprofits community. Each of these groups has used Google’s tools to heighten their awareness, particularly through Google Ads, YouTube, and Google Workspace, among other features.

Below, we’ll share the details of this free program so you can capitalize on these invaluable resources — five of which are shared below — that can be game-changers for your organization’s online awareness and fundraising campaigns.

1. Google Workspace for Nonprofits

Google Workspace for Nonprofits includes 30 GB of cloud storage, professional email addresses, and access to Google’s collection of apps: Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar, Slides, Forms, Meet, Sites, and more.

The benefit of these apps cannot be understated. For instance, if your team is disbursed in the field or operates in different countries, you can share and store information securely with Google Drive. Meanwhile, you can communicate online with people in various countries with Gmail and stay up-to-date on events with Google Calendar.

Image Source

Example: Google Workspace in Action

Samasource uses the various tools available to it through the program to connect about 850 people in five countries. Using Google Drive to communicate and share information across a vastly distributed workforce has been very important for training and tracking the organization’s projects across the world.

2. Google Ad Grants

Google Ad Grants (formally known as Google Grants) is a $10,000 monthly grant given to organizations looking to advertise on Google with text-based ads.

With the potential of driving 10,000 to 40,000 new visitors a month to your website, using this grant to attract new constituents to engage with your organization online is a no-brainer. Here are 10 tips for success with Google Ad Grants.

Example: Google Ad Grants in Action

Direct Relief International started using Google Ad Grants in 2003. Google helped the group revise its marketing plan, consisting of eight campaigns in paid search and remarketing, including 150 newly created text ads for an end-of-year giving campaign. Recently, the organization saw a 44% year-over-year increase in the number of online donations and a 40% bump in total dollars donated online just from Google Ads.

3. Google Analytics

Once you activate a Google Grants account, you can link it to Google Analytics.

Google Analytics provides your nonprofit with information on how people find and interact with your website and eventually take action to support your mission.

For Kate Lesniak, Principal Strategist at HubSpot, Google Analytics is critical for understanding what content actually converts.

“When it comes to nonprofits, understanding what pages and messages are drawing in casual visitors to become volunteers, advocates, or donors is fundamental to a sustainable content strategy,” she told me. “Rather than cranking …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron