Updates

The Challenge of Using Ad Grants for Fundraising

Ad Grants is a Google program that gives a budget of $10,000 per month to each non-profit organization, you can use these funds to promote your organization for free on their search engine.

In this article, I am going to explain why many organizations fail in their attempts to raise funds through Google Ads (formerly Adwords) and several tactics to achieve better results:

The Challenge of Using Ad Grants for Fundraising

Many organizations try to use Google Ad Grants to raise funds (in fact, it is the #1 goal of most of them).

But it is not easy to achieve this goal, mainly for 2 reasons:

  1. There are few people who go to Google to donate to an organization (for example, users who search for “donation environmental nonprofit”). So there are few opportunities to generate direct donations easily.
  2. These few opportunities are not usually available for free ads (Ad Grants), because there are often organizations that pay to appear in these searches, and paid ads always appear before free ads (that's how Ad Grants works).

Therefore, if you only use the most obvious strategies (such as creating Grants ads for searches related to donations), you will probably get mediocre results.

But there are tactics that can work much better to raise funds. Below I briefly comment on 5 of them, but with a little creativity we can discover many more:

Idea 1: Promote Products or Services

If your organization sells products or services of any kind (for example: Merchandising, courses, etc.), a great way to raise funds is to promote these products with Google Ad Grants.

Another (complementary) option is to promote products or services of other organizations or companies. This is allowed in Ad Grants, as long as you clearly specify how it helps your social mission (for example, if they donate a % of the sales to your organization).

Many organizations sell physical products, but it can be even more interesting to sell digital products (ebooks, digital magazines, online courses, games, apps, etc.). They have several important advantages over physical products: You can sell worldwide easily, no storage or shipping costs, large sales margin...

Idea 2: Promote Events

If you organize paid events, you can promote them with Ad Grants and thus get more ticket sales (= more funds for your organization).

You can also promote free events that can help you raise funds or simply introduce your organization to more people (who may become donors later).

You can even promote fundraising events organized by your supporters and help them attract more people.

There are a lot of Google searches for local events and activities, so there are often plenty of opportunities to promote events with Ad Grants.

Idea 3: Use Unique Keywords

We have already seen at the beginning of the article why the obvious keywords (such as “donation environmental nonprofit”) usually won’t bring great results.

But if we are a bit creative, we can use many other keywords to connect with potential donors.

For example, people who are searching on Google for a template to create their will (to convince them to donate to your organization in their will).

Idea 4: Use Sitelink Ad Extensions

With Google Ads we can use different ad extensions. One of them are sitelink extensions, that allow us to promote pages not directly related to what the user was searching for.

Therefore, we can use these site extensions to promote different fundraising initiatives of your organization (donations, memberships, products, events, etc.) to users who were searching for other topics.

Idea 5: Optimize Landing Pages

A complementary option to the previous one is to change your landing pages to promote your fundraising initiatives.

For example, in an informative article about polar bears (that you promote in searches such as “polar bear facts”), you can include an eye-catching block that invites them to donate to your organization to help protect polar bears or buy a polar bear merchandising. 

You can also use informative landing pages to attract subscribers to your newsletter (and/or followers on social media). These new followers can become donors in the long term with the right email marketing strategy.

In summary, we can say that Google Ad Grants opens up many possibilities for fundraising (and for many other purposes). But you have to be creative and know all the possibilities offered by Google Ads to get the most out of it.

------------

Written by Miguel Ángel García, Google Ad Grants expert and founder of Nonprofit.top.

You can request a free audit of your Ad Grants account to find out if you could improve your results.

Start Fundraising

I am a...

Looking for...

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Tags
Fundraising
Nonprofit Fundraising
Nonprofit Tips
Nonprofits
Miguel Angel García del Valle

Written by Miguel Ángel García, Google Ad Grants expert and founder of Nonprofit.top.

Updates

Fundraising Gala Themes

Read Article

Discover the ultimate guide to 2025 fundraising gala themes for nonprofits. Learn how themed events boost donor engagement, increase giving, and create unforgettable experiences using immersive design, technology, and mission-driven storytelling.

Updates

Comprehensive Guide to Silent Auction Bid Sheet Template Google Docs

Read Article

Planning a silent auction can be overwhelming—but the right tools make all the difference. This comprehensive guide walks you through everything you need to know about using a silent auction bid sheet template in Google Docs. Learn how to set up your sheets for clarity and success, what essential information to include, and how to keep your bidders engaged and your event running smoothly. Whether you're hosting a school fundraiser, nonprofit gala, or community event, this guide covers the key features of an effective bid sheet, common mistakes to avoid, and pro tips to help you get the most out of your auction. You’ll also find downloadable templates and advice on how to customize them to match your brand or theme. Save time, stay organized, and boost your bids with a streamlined approach that works in 2025 and beyond. Perfect for first-time planners and seasoned organizers alike

Updates

How to Use a Charity Auction Tax Deduction Correctly!

Read Article

Learn how to correctly claim tax deductions for charity auctions—whether you’re bidding, donating items, or offering services. Understand IRS rules, required documentation, fair market value, and how to maximize your charitable contribution benefits.

Latest Articles