Google for Nonprofits UK

As technology rapidly advances, there are plenty of ways that you can operate your business more efficiently. Being a nonprofit organisation can be tough at the best of times and even more so as we recover from a global pandemic. You may be faced with the challenge of how to raise awareness of your cause and fundraise in times of uncertainty.

So, are you wondering what your next business goal should be, where to focus your efforts, or how to start getting results quickly?

Google for Nonprofits features

So what is Google for Nonprofits? Google for Nonprofits UK is a programme launched in 2009 whereby Google gives away free premium services and applications that might otherwise be too expensive. Non-profit organisations have access to up to £7500 ($10,000 USD) in Google search ad credits per month, Google Workspace (G-Suite) accounts and YouTube advanced features. Believe us, these features make the 10 minutes that it takes to apply is totally worth it! 

There are four main products of the programme which we will explain in more detail:

Google Workspace for Nonprofits UK

The most useful of them all – Google Workspace for Non for Profits offers productivity applications for free. If you have a Gmail account, you may be familiar with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). It is Google’s professional collaboration platform with an integrated suite of secure google apps including cloud storage, documents, spreadsheets and communication tools.

It is a cloud-based system that allows for easy collaboration from anywhere, on any device. Free subscriptions mean volunteers can effectively manage content and documents by working together on the same single version of a document, spreadsheet, or slide.

Cloud technology is fastly becoming vital to a company’s digital transformation success with Google recently publishing that over 375,000 NFP organisations in over 60 countries are using nonprofit tools.

Google Workspace for Charities features:

If you are seeking more advanced features or storage, Google offers upgrade options for NFPs. Nonprofits have access to discounted rates with savings of over 70% for the various packages.

Advantages of Google Workspace for Non for Profits and how it benefits you

Google Workspace is the best cloud storage for nonprofits because charity staff or volunteers are likely to use Gmail on a personal level. This means that they are familiar with the system and will have the confidence to use it within the workplace. Other advantages include:

Google Ad Grant For Nonprofits

Google Ad Grants is free Google advertising for charities – Google gives you up to £700 ($10,000 USD) in-kind to use on text-based adverts per month!

This online marketing tool allows you to generate traffic to your website and social media, resulting in spreading your message to reach prospective donors. Adverts are a great way to get people to buy tickets to events or sign up to your newsletter.

Search ads work by what is known as pay-per-click (PPC) which is essentially bidding on a variety of specific keywords and themes centered around your cause.

For example, let’s say you create an advert to bid on “charity event” or “charity volunteer work London” or “donate to a food bank near me” – if someone was to search these keywords via Google, there’s a chance your ad would appear at the top of the page. The higher your result on the page, the more likely that your message will be seen than if it was just appearing organically as it would be further down the list.

Google Ad Grants work just the same as Google Ads online advertising, you will have an account where you can manage your AdWords campaigns and activity. You can install tracking on your website via Google Analytics to track your campaign performance and custom goals that you create.

Think of it this way – the more your ad appears in Google search results, the more you attract donations, recruit volunteers and share your story with audiences all over the world.

YouTube Non-profit Programme

The YouTube Nonprofit programme elevates your YouTube channel to the next level. With interactive donation cards and link anywhere cards on your videos that create a simple user experience for donors to donate.

Telling your story and getting your messages across is probably the most important element in getting donors aligned with your cause. Video is a great media tool to create emotion and increase a customer’s understanding of who you are and what you stand for ultimately, eliminating barriers to giving.

Create a video about where the donation funds go and how they make a difference. In doing this, the donors connect with the project and may be more inclined to donate.

Management of the platform can be timely but it’s results definitely make it worth the effort.

Google Earth and Maps isn’t suitable for all but is great if you have physical locations, especially overseas. It has the ability to take your supporters on a virtual tour. People can locate your community programmes and resources all over the world and you can track and share your organisation’s impact via the data visualisations feature.

Google also provides nonprofits with Google Maps Platform credits, allowing you to do more and gain a larger reach.

A great success story example would be Charity: Water – they used this feature to send donors GPS locations of where new wells were going to be built. This connected donors with the project to increase impact and bring it to life. You can read more about it on the Google website.

Google Nonprofits eligibility and application

Let’s chat

Our recommendations vary depending on the size, scale, and location of your organisation. It is likely that your organisation can make use of some if not all of the features included within the programme.

Google Workspace for Nonprofits and Google grants are extremely useful resources, making this programme totally worth it, even if you only use those two features. Google Workspace allows you to manage your content and do work better while Google Ad Grants is one of the best online marketing tools that literally gives you free money. 

We work with a variety of nonprofits and charities across the UK who are working to raise awareness for a variety of causes. Our Innovation Specialists have the knowledge and expertise to recommend and coach you on best practices to get the most of the programme, whatever your budget and cause.