Social Media Fundraising 2012 – Part III: Google Grants

As I mentioned earlier this week, Fundly was proud to assemble three of the leading experts in online fundraising to be a part of our panel for a webinar on Thursday, January 12, 2012. If you missed this outstanding discussion or just want a recap, keep reading. This is the third and final posting on the webinar, but you can also visit Slideshare.com to review the PowerPoint or connect to GoToMeeting.com for the recorded webinar. This is definitely one hour that will change how you look at your social media playbook.

Eric Facas, Founder and CEO of Mediacause.org and former member of Google’s ad service team, gave an exciting presentation addressing the question, “What is the best way to find new supporters once the right content and engagement funnels are set up?” His answer: Google Grants. I had never heard of this resource before and apparently most non-profits haven’t either as only about one third of one percent of charities access this free tool.

By typing in Google.com/grants, you can apply for an in-kind donation valued at $10,000 per month for three months in advertising funds to post your organization’s information on specific web searches that include your keywords. For example, if you run a homeless shelter and someone types in “homelessness,”

your ad will pop up next to the links that coincide with your topic. Facas commented that no one searches for a non-profit to donate to but they do search for information on issues that concern or interest them. What better way to connect with potential donors with a like mind than when they are researching your cause?
Facas continued to advise that the long tail is a big opportunity that non-profits tend to overlook. Think about as many keywords as you can to build on your campaign. The more keywords you have linked to your advertisement, the more chances you have at connecting with donors searching for topics related to your cause. It’s just like fishing with a bigger net.

Finally, Facas suggests that organizations should improve their CTR (Click through rate) and their quality score measure once their ad is up. If you can prove to Google that you can spend your $10,000 a month, then they up your budget to $40,000. The more clicks your ad gets, the more attention your non-profit gets… up to $480,000 of free advertising a year! Facas also recommends that you test your ads and check up on them to make sure they are getting the clicks you need. If something doesn’t work, create a new one. Also, try to ask a question in your heading which garners more responses.

As a leader in social media fundraising, Fundly is proud to bring you all of the most vital tools and information to partner with your organization to achieve your fundraising goals. We would also like to thank our three wonderful panelists for taking time and energy to share their expertise with non-profit leaders. Together we can make the world a better place!