Are you a non-profit organisation nervous about allocating your marketing budget to ads? Or are you perhaps a very small charity that doesn’t even have a marketing budget to spend? Whatever category you fall under, fear not - there may be a solution. 

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With Google Grants, you can get the ball rolling with digital advertising without having to spend a dime. Sounds too good to be true, right? Below, we break down what a Google Grant is, who is eligible and how to obtain one.

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The Google Grant lowdown

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Google Ads Grant is a $10,000 grant available to nonprofits and charitable organizations that are enrolled in the Google Grants Program. This money can be used on Google Advertising or in other terms, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. What’s even better? This $10,000 is a monthly allowance! So, if you’re an NFP reading this article and you haven’t enrolled in the program yet, time is quite literally, money people! 

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So, who can apply? 

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Of course, the opportunity to snag some extra cash would get the best of us overexcited - but before you get ahead of yourself, here’s the checklist to ensure your organisation is eligible. 

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• You must hold a current and valid charity status. In Australia, this means being registered and listed on the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) Charity Register.

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• Your organisation must acknowledge and agree to Google Grant’s required certifications regarding how to receive and use donations obtained from the grant. 

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• Your website needs to be fully functioning and provide adequate detail on your organisation. 

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And - who can’t 

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Unfortunately, those ineligible for Google Grants include: 

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• Governmental organisations and related entities. 
• Medical groups (including hospitals). 
• Education centres, schools, universities and childcare centres. 

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There are, however, some exceptions and caveats to these exclusions, so it’s important to do your research in case all is not lost. 

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Why use it? 

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Did we not have you at the free money part? Yes, yes we jest - but seriously, there really is a myriad of things you can do with Google ads that will immensely benefit your organisation. Here are some of our favourites: 

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• Attract donors. While this may not happen straight away, having PPC ads helps to build trust and with trust (will eventually) come donations. 

• Advertise job vacancies and recruit volunteers. Through Google ads, you can tailor your candidate search and access a larger talent pool to find the right people. 
• Drive more traffic to your website. This seems like an obvious but oh-so-important one. There are over 60,000 registered charities in Australia, so yep, achieving decent web traffic may be a tad challenging without the help of Google Ads. 

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Keen to know more? Lucky for you we have a real-life success story of an organisation benefitting greatly from the Google Ads Grant - Heide Museum of Modern Art.

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