Should your charity use Google Ad Grants?

Saying yes to £90,000 of free advertising may seem like a no-brainer – but understandably, charity decision-makers fear lengthy application processes, especially in a sector so pushed for time.  

 

But winning a Google Ad Grant, worth £7,500 per month, can transform a charity’s online visibility and help it grow faster. An Ad Grant will help charities and non-profit organisations be seen at the exact time someone is searching for your cause on Google. With it, charities can raise awareness, donations, event sign-ups, and enquiries, pushing thousands of new visitors to their website all at the same time.  

 

For those who have already used Ad Grants, the results speak for themselves. Some organisations using Ad Grants have increased their website traffic by over 500% and monthly donation income by over 800%. 

 

But while the benefits of having a Google Ad Grant are clear, there are still issues that board members and other decision makers may raise when you are looking at pursuing a Google Ad Grant. 

 

Here, we delve into the concerns boards may have about Ad Grants and the information that may help assuage them.

 

 

Why do Ad Grants raise concerns for decision makers? 

 

Firstly, the approval process for a Google Ad Grant can be lengthy and laborious, with no guarantee on whether an organisation will be accepted for the programme at the end of it. Applications can be refused or take months to be approved. 

 

If an organisation is approved for a Google Ad Grant, maintaining it becomes the next challenge. A charity’s activities must follow Google’s programme policies in order to continue using Ad Grants. If organisations do not adhere to these policies, they risk their grant being suspended or revoked.   

 

It is not possible for charities to simply step away once an Ad Grant has been secured. Google are always reviewing and improving their rules around the way Ad Grants can be used for charities, which can make it difficult for organisations to stay abreast of the latest guidelines. 

 

While the free advertising it provides is very helpful, it does takes time and resource to maintain an Ad Grant account. Organisations need to manage the grant and be regularly devoted to maintenance, as Google insists organisations log in to their account at least once a month or risk losing the grant. 

 

A charity board could also be concerned about the necessary skills required to put their Ad Grant to good use. Free advertising doesn’t help if it doesn’t work.  

 

Charity boards will ask if the organisation has the skills, as well as the time, to craft succinct, persuasive ads. Will staff be confident in using analytics to identify where ads are succeeding or is Ad Grants adding an extra burden to their workload? 

 

Indeed, this comes under additional cost – to both staff and the bottom line. Are charities likely to be charged for going over their grant amount? In utilising the grant could the organisation incur unexpected expenses that negate the value of the grant itself? 

 

These questions ultimately boil down to one overriding concern. Will there be sufficient return on investment to justify any additional outlay in resources?

 

 

How can these Google Ad Grant concerns be addressed? 

 

Charity boards are all about metrics and results. And Google Ad Grants provide plenty. Google Ad Grants present tangible and measurable returns on marketing and fundraising budgets, and by using the tools associated with Google Ad Grants, charities are able to collect meaningful data to support your wider objective too. 

 

Once the ads are live, they can use Google Analytics and conversion tracking to understand how your ads are performing. Which keywords are the strongest? Which ads are driving donations or recruiting volunteers? This ensures there are no wasted opportunities. 

 

If boards fear the time involved in applying for an Ad Grant, there are professionals that can help with that too. The Ad Grants Certified Professionals scheme can help charities through the process of applying to make it much more hassle-free for all parties concerned.  

 

The Access Group are one of seven companies in the UK working as part of that scheme, supporting more than 100 organisations in getting – and retaining – Ad Grants.  

 

Access use machine learning and natural language programming so that each campaign decision is guided by a wealth of data that improves performance. Access’ approach is proven to be twice as effective as Google’s guidelines for best practice Ad Grant management. 

 

What sounds daunting is not so complex, after all, especially with Access’ Ultimate Guide to Ad Grants on hand to help.  The process may take a little bit of time but gaining £90,000 of free advertising annually on the world’s most popular search engine is certainly worth it.