“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
– Winston Churchill
This is a common theme when it comes to nonprofit programs. In a time of disease, hunger, and hopelessness, nonprofit efforts are an attempt at helping the less fortunate. Nonprofits can be dedicated to animals, minorities, environmental issues, and even awareness.
Nonprofits are a helping hand to those they are dedicated to. With such a noble cause, nonprofits end up struggling with garnering donations and attention. Many programs have failed because they lack support.
You can’t have a successful nonprofit without the support, this may come from companies, neighbors, and even churches. No matter where the support comes from, they have to be there for a nonprofit to work.
With that in mind, understanding how to gain people’s attention and favor is an important task. This can be accomplished through rallies, newspaper ads, web pages, and many more. Digital marketing for nonprofits is an important adaptation that helps nonprofits stay relevant.
Through this marketing, they can get attention and donations to help push through with their cause. It may involve social media, advertisements, or even a shoutout from an influencer.
In the digital age, digital marketing is a fantastic opportunity to reach people. There are many ways to reach people today, an example is utilizing Google’s nonprofit programs.
Google’s Nonprofit Programs
Google is a giant when it comes to the digital world, whether it be as a search engine or an entire monopoly of smaller digital companies. Who would be a better teammate than this behemoth of a company?
Google isn’t just a giant company that leads the world in innovations and connections. They also dabble in other areas such as nonprofits. Google has programs that can make or break a nonprofit.
You might be wondering, but we’re only a small organization that wants to help. Why would Google even bat an eye? It’s because they have an entire sector dedicated to nonprofits and the causes they are dedicated to.
Google Ad Grants
An example is the Google ad grants. If you have any experience with marketing you know advertisements aren’t free. Most people need to pay money to get into a newspaper or have their cause get a shoutout on the radio.
Google provides ad grants that let organizations compete for highly sought-after Google advertisements. This is free real estate for noble charities. This allows the nonprofits to spend their money on the cause itself and not worry about promoting it.
You can learn more about what is Google for nonprofits and the minor details of each tool that we will be discussing in this article. Google is a giant company that can be a powerful ally and they gracefully help many nonprofits around the globe.
Other Tools Provided by Google
Google can help in many ways such as the mentioned ad grants and many more. Speaking of increased exposure, Google can also help you when it comes to YouTube. YouTube is under Google and there are special features when you get acknowledged by these companies.
You can get a donation button conveniently beside videos or live streams with short descriptions of the cause your nonprofit is all about. Videos are a great way to capture people’s attention and YouTube is the perfect platform for such a thing.
Other than advertising, Google does way more for nonprofits such as access to G-Suite. Google doesn’t just give you a shout-out and leave everything else up to you, with G-Suite they help you run the nonprofit along with the exposure.
G-Suite gives you access to
- Google Calendar
- Gmail
- Google Drive
You have probably heard of these programs and how they help run a business, group, or even school. Google lets nonprofits delegate tasks, schedule deadlines, and even contact each other with ease.
G-Suite, depending on the access, can give up to an entire Terabyte of yearly storage and allow video conferencing for 150 users. Whether you need a convenient email to inform your teammates of changes or a way to quickly have emergency meetings, Google has you covered.
These are all great tools that show how helpful Google is for nonprofits. However, owning a tool is different from using it. Here are ways to engage with people using the different tools that Google has to offer you.
How to Use These Tools Effectively
We’ve already mentioned a handful of programs that can make a nonprofit gain the attention, donations, and overall support needed. A tool is only as useful as how the user maximizes it.
Google provides many great tools that allow a nonprofit to flourish but they need to be managed properly.
1. Advertisements
As mentioned, Google can give you the floor for you to deliver your message. In the end, it’s all up to your campaign to deliver this message efficiently and effectively.
Even if you get an entire crowd in front of you but your campaign isn’t intriguing, then it will all be a waste. As a nonprofit, your job is to bring awareness, care, and even donations to your cause, whatever that may be.
Sitting down as a group and deciding on how to have your message hit the hearts of the people may go a long way. In terms of making videos, YouTube also offers Creator Academy lessons aimed at nonprofits.
Google lets you have the platform and the knowledge to reach the people you need.
2. Project Management
Many nonprofits attempt to do many things, such as projects that involve rehabilitation. Whether you’re going to help animals out, build homes, or even replant trees you need to manage the different tasks.
You can maximize the tools in G-Suite to effectively delegate tasks and make sure that deadlines are met.
Gmail, for example, allows a steady flow of communication for everyone involved in the nonprofit. And this can allow for important updates despite being physically far away from each other.
Google Calendar can schedule meetings and set reminders for important dates. Making sure that no task is left unaccomplished because it was forgotten. It can also directly link the important people to a video conference for the needed discussions.
Overall, G-Suite is an amazing coworker when it comes to project management and you should maximize every feature that it has. You may not be a business but that doesn’t mean you can’t run as efficiently as one.
3. Execution
This tip may only apply to certain nonprofits but Google helps in the execution of the “big day”. Whether it be the unveiling of a project or the actual execution of an event, Google can ensure things go smoothly.
Google is great for nonprofit support even if an important event is underway. There are certain features like Google Maps or Google Earth that provide an easy location to certain places.
Certain nonprofits involve traveling to foreign countries or a jungle. In this case, Google Earth is a best friend allowing for images that will help in navigation.
Google Maps can even provide a custom map such as a donor map that tracks the location of your supporters (with consent). With these tools, you can make sure that your nonprofit never gets lost.
Key Takeaways
Nonprofits are a great way to help out different causes and spread love. Supporting one is far from easy and managing one is even harder. A nonprofit is all about the support of those who are concerned.
This support can only come about if you can reach the right kinds of people with the right approach. Maximizing the many tools that Google has for nonprofits can make sure you can accomplish this.
They may not do all of the work for you but they sure do make it easier. If you plan on helping out a good cause then you might want a good teammate in your corner.
