Industry guru Dave Taylor offers tech support on technical and business topics, including iPhone, iPod, Microsoft Windows, Sony PSP, cellphones, online advertising, CSS, Web design, business, Unix, Linux, SEO, Mac OS X, and shell script programming.     


Is it true that non-profits can run free AdWords campaigns?

I'm involved with a local woman's shelter, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and we're constantly struggling to gain visibility so we can get more donations and help more women. Recently someone told me that Google offers non-profits free advertising on their huge AdSense [she means AdWords --DT] network but I can't find any info?


Dave's Answer:

You're making a common mistake in your question that I have to correct before we go any further: AdSense is the network of advertising, the "publish" side of the equation, and it's aimed at bloggers like me and other sites where Google can display relevant adverts and share the revenue with the individual publisher. AdWords is the advertiser side, and an AdWords campaign encompasses both a mechanism for injecting ads into the AdSense stream and ads onto Google's search results and related pages. You're talking about AdWords since you want to advertise.

Now, yes, your friend is correct and though little known, Google has a generous program called Google Grants. As the company explains:

"The Google Grants program supports organizations sharing our philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts... Designed for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, Google Grants is a unique in-kind advertising program. It harnesses the power of our flagship advertising product, Google AdWords, to non-profits seeking to inform and engage their constituents online... Google Grant recipients use their award of free AdWords advertising on Google.com to raise awareness and increase traffic. "
Very cool stuff, and their site explains quite clearly the kind of non-profits supported and details how to apply. Here are some relevant links:One more quote from their materials: "... organizations that are either religious or political in nature are not eligible, including those groups focused primarily on lobbying for political or policy change."

The upshot of this is that if you're focused on helping women out, you'd probably be eligible for a Google Grant and be able to gain some advertising reach without cost. Certainly it'd be useful to match searches like "women's shelter XX" where "XX" is your town or city name. If you delve into lobbying on behalf of women, or abused women, or similar, then you might have a problem and it might be smart to spin that lobbying effort off into a related, but separate LLC or organization.

Having said that, I don't know of any non-profits that have received a Google Grant of this nature, so I would love to hear from anyone whose organization is enjoying this largesse from Google. Certainly it's a splendid idea, and the fact that one of my favorite organizations, UNICEF, is listed as a case study for Google Grants is way cool in my book.

Good luck to you. May we one day live in a world where we don't need women's shelters, but in the meantime, keep up the good - and important - work.


More Useful Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising Articles:
✔   How much money should I be making with AdSense?
Hey Dave, I get ~130.000 views per month and for 30 days of using AdSense I earned $60, is it a lot or...
✔   Add Po.st Social Media (Facebook, Google Plus) widgets to your blog?
I really like the set of social media buttons you have on the pages of your AskDaveTaylor site, Dave. What are they, and...
✔   How is CPM calculated on Google AdWords YouTube Video?
Have you bought Google AdWords Video [actually it's called "YouTube Promoted Videos" -dt] before? I'm confused about whether the CPM bid for 1000...
✔   How do I connect my Google AdSense and Analytics accounts?
I'd like to connect up my Google AdSense account and my Google Analytics stats account. I understand that if you do this, you...
✔   Why doesn't AdSense earn me any money?
I subscribe to any Google Adsense earnings but zero in the day, I do not know why: I hope you can advise me...

Let's stay in touch!
Sign up for my weekly AskDaveTaylor Newsletter and you'll receive even more tech and gadget help right to your inbox, along with exclusive news and industry updates. It's good stuff. I promise!
    Enter your name: and your email addr:  





Categorized: Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising   (Article 7603, Written by )
Tagged: adwords, charity, non-profit
Previous: Can I put mp3 music from Amazon's music store on my Apple iPod?
Next: Can I add a photo to my LinkedIn profile?




Reader Comments To Date:

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
Rather amazingly, there are no comments on this article yet.

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











I will never send you any unsolicited email. Ever.






Check This Out Too...

 
Look for Answers
Need Help? Ask Dave Taylor!


Follow Me on Pinterest

Find Me on Google+
ADT on G+
© 2002 - 2013 by Dave Taylor. All Rights Reserved.

Note: This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this web site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to my terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. My lawyer says "Thanks".
"Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.