At a workshop with over 20 charities recently, I was really surprised to find out that only a small fraction had a Google Grant.
The Google Grant is really simple to apply for, and is a hugely generous and useful service. Here’s how it works:
- Google provide free Adwords worth up to $10,000 a month to registered charities. Adwords are the ads that appear alongside search results in Google.
- Any charity with a CHY number and a website is eligible for the grant (schools and hospitals are excluded however – see the eligibility criteria here)
- You just need to fill out a simple online application form, where you provide some information about your work and upload a copy of your CHY certificate
- Google say that they are reviewing all applications within 5 business days, so you shouldn’t have to wait too long for your Grant to become active
Google have this handy overview of the Google Grant service.
Why apply?
If a newspaper offered you $10,000 worth of free advertising per month, you’d jump at it, right? And unlike ads in newspapers, Google Ads are set up so that they only display to people who are interested in your topic. Also unlike print ads, Google Ads are completely trackable so you can see exactly what is working and what isn’t, and put your budget into your most effective campaigns.
In my experience, Google Adwords drive significant, relevant and valuable traffic to websites. People are already searching and interested when they see an Adwords ad, so they tend to be engaged when they click through to your site.
Apply Today
I can’t recommend enough that you apply for a Google Grant. No other online advertising company is providing such a generous service to so many charities. Even if you are still getting your head around it and are not sure how you will use it, at least get your application in and start the process.
Getting Started
We have a 5 Minute Guide to Google Ads by Adwords expert David Walker on the Digital Charity Lab website that will help you to get the most from your Google Grant once you’re set up.