Some of you may or may not be aware that Google offer free Adwords budget of more than £6,000 a month for registered charities. The Google Grant was initially created for charities in the US however the Grant has been widely available throughout the world for years.
What Does The Grant Entitle You to?
The grant entitles you to more than £6,000 worth of adwords budget per month. The budget allows your ads to show in the paid positions on Google. The paid positions are the top 3 positions on Google and the ads down the right of the page.
Applying for the grant could not be easier!
How Does The Google Grant Work?
The Google Grant is paid completely by Google. You will be given an adwords limit of £6,200 ($10K) per month of spend. Although, It is very rare to reach the maximum budget due to restrictions on bidding.
What You Will Need
To set up the Google Grant you will need to provide
- The Official Company Address of the charity
- The Registered Name of the Charity
- VAT information if a charity registered in the UK
- The main contact for the charity
When you have the required details visit Google Grants Application.
Once you have completed the application you will need to wait for a reply from Google to confirm whether you qualify for the grant. Remember the confirmation will go to the e-mail address of the main contact that you have included in the application form.
What To Do If Your Grant Is Accepted
When you have been accepted for the Google Grant you will need to create a new Adwords Account. Set up the Google Adwords campaigns just as you would on a normal account, whilst paying attention to the strict guidelines (A check list will be provided to make sure you have followed the policy correctly).
Tips To Follow When Setting Up The Account
- You will not be allowed to bid more than $2 (recently increased from $1)
- Set the Adwords to run in dollars (this needs to be a default)
- Do not set up the billing, Google will do this for you.
When The Campaign Is Completed
When the campaign structure has been completed you will need to send the campaign to Google for review (provide Google with your customer ID). This can take up to 3 weeks to be confirmed, although it is rare to take so long.
Google Grant - Stepping Stones Nigeria
At High Position we have recently set up Google Adwords Grants for a number of charities.
The most recent campaign was created for Stepping Stones Nigeria.
Stepping Stones Nigeria is a Lancaster based charity that is probably most known for the BAFTA Award Winning Documentary ‘Saving Africas Witch Children.’
In Nigeria their is a deeply held belief in child ‘witches’ which has lead to violence and abuse towards children. The work that Stepping Stones does helps to educate the people of Nigeria about child rights and provides support and education to children that are not receiving basic food and water.
Building Malawi - Google Grant Makes An Impact
Another charity that we have worked with is Building Malawi, a small UK based charity that aims to improve opportunities for children in Malawi. In 2011 as a direct result of the Google Grant they generated additional enquiries which resulted in:
- 8 Volunteers signing up to go to Malawi
- One individual donating £14,000 for a whole library
- 5 strangers raised over £3000
- One individual committing to raising £20,000 for a new school building and has already raised £5,000
Google Grant Advice
If you would like any advice on the Google Grant Application Process or questions regarding your adwords account contact us. We are always happy to offer advice to non-profit organisations on how to set up an adwords campaign or a Google Grant.
