It’s free for nonprofits. Got your attention?
Google has offered some of its services to nonprofit organizations free of charge since 2007. Over the past couple of years, they have opened up a much wider selection of software and services to any qualifying 501(c)(3). Here’s everything Google for Nonprofits can do to aid your efforts.
Resources for Efficiency
Google’s suite of productivity software helps nonprofits work toward their goals and direct funds toward their mission. Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive makes it easy for organizations keep in contact and collaborate with their partners and volunteers wherever they may be. Participating nonprofits have 30 GB of cloud storage and never have to worry about updating the software or purchasing new hardware specifically for Google’s apps; all of the maintenance is handled from Google’s end.
Increased Awareness
Google’s Ad Grants program helps nonprofits market their efforts more effectively. Using AdWords, Google gives you the ability to use keywords to build relevant ads that will be seen by relevant parties. In addition to the $10,000 of AdWords credit they give away monthly, Google also offers advertising on their network as an in-kind donation. Organizations can track donations, subscriptions, and volunteer registrations to see which of their advertising methods are working.
Multimedia Prowess
Google’s nonprofit support has crossed over to YouTube. Organizations can build a YouTube channel featuring their logo and branding. Videos can be enhanced with donation buttons and call-to-action overlays to make engagement easier for your audience, and can easily be shared across social media.
Global Outreach
The Google Earth Outreach program offers incredible tools for nonprofits to highlight the areas in which they work and the impact of their efforts. You can create maps of your project sites, collect and map data in the field with an Android device, and even use your data as part of a YouTube video to tell more effective visual stories. Google also offers tutorials to make all of that easier to do. Grants of the more advanced Enterprise versions of Google Earth and Maps are also available, but by application only.
A Mobile Social Presence
Mobile optimization gets a bit easier with Google for Nonprofits. Participating organizations can promote their work and collect donations through the Android app, One Today. One Today users can donate $1 per day to your cause and share it via social media, potentially expanding your pool of donors. This style of microdonations can help you engage the increasingly important millennial crowd.
Nonprofits can also use Google+ to host interactive hangouts with volunteers, donors, and staff. Google for Nonprofits even has a presence on Google+, helping nonprofits with similar goals or missions connect and interact. Simply add Google for Nonprofits to your circles and the rest is easy.
Has your organization had success with Google for Nonprofits? Who is offering similar or even better nonprofit support? Let us know in the comments!
Here’s a link to our earlier look at Google here:
Nonprofits Can Go Gaga for Google
And you can check out this informative webinar, hosted by Third Sector Today, on the topic of Google Grants presented by Eric Facas of MediaCause.org