Pretty much everything takes place on the internet these days: shopping, socializing, and even (you guessed it!) supporting charities. That’s why digital marketing for nonprofits is non-negotiable nowadays.
At Getting Attention, we work with nonprofits to amplify their missions through the Google Ad Grant, which is a form of nonprofit marketing. We have a pretty solid grasp of what effective digital marketing for nonprofits can do for causes like yours, which is why we’re here to help!
To help you establish your digital presence, we’ll walk through everything you need to know. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or brand new to the game, there’s something for everyone. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Taking a smart approach to nonprofit digital marketing will empower you to expand your online presence and drive more support for your cause. Let’s start things off with the essentials.
What is digital marketing for nonprofits?
Nonprofit digital marketing refers to all the online outreach strategies organizations use to promote their causes to current and prospective supporters. It involves any processes and tools used to attract donors, engage volunteers, and drive mission awareness online.
Common digital marketing channels nonprofits use include websites, social media, texting, and email. Nonprofits typically employ multiple outlets to promote their causes to as many individuals as possible, which is a strategy known as multichannel marketing.
To properly allocate their budgets to the most effective channels, a nonprofit’s marketing team will typically create a document known as a marketing plan. Within this document, they’ll outline the organization’s goals, branding standards, key performance indicators, core messaging, and tone.
Why is digital marketing important for nonprofits?
As nonprofit marketers, we all know that establishing an online presence is vital to our success, but why exactly is that so important? How does promoting your cause online help push your mission forward?
Let’s explore the common benefits you can expect from a strong digital marketing strategy for your nonprofit.
Increase brand awareness.
Your current and prospective donors are already online every day, scrolling through social media, reading emails, and browsing Google. Establishing your online presence allows you to connect with these individuals and meet them where they are.
Nonprofit digital marketing is one of the easiest ways to fit into supporters’ everyday lives. Imagine this: someone’s scrolling through Facebook. Among the posts from family and friends, they see where one of their friends shared your nonprofit’s post about a new project you launched. They’re curious, click a link in the post, and explore your organization’s website to learn more. After reading about the program, they feel inspired to help make your project a success, and they sign up to volunteer.
That’s the power of nonprofit digital marketing! Plus, beyond spreading awareness of your nonprofit’s work, you can raise awareness of specific causes that deserve more attention from the public. Online awareness campaigns inform your audience of key issues you’re trying to solve and invite them to join in the fight by taking action. You can expand your audience almost effortlessly, especially thanks to the power of social sharing.
Break down geographical barriers.
One major benefit of digital marketing for nonprofits is that it allows you to connect with supporters across the globe.
People are more accessible than ever before! You can easily post on social media, and it’ll instantly populate on supporters’ feeds. No need to wait for direct mail to reach them.
In comparison, traditional marketing is restricted by geography, and it’s costly and labor-intensive to launch a global marketing campaign. Digital platforms empower you to avoid those restrictions altogether!
Raise fundraising revenue.
Online donations are the most popular donation type. In fact, 63% of donors prefer to contribute to their favorite causes online. When you proactively promote your work online, you can raise even more to support your mission.
For starters, your website allows you to accept online donations in the first place. You can drive users here across all of your digital outreach.
Then, channels like email allow you to promote your fundraising opportunities to engage existing donors. By using segmentation, you can deliver opportunities that specific groups are likely to be interested in based on their past giving history.
Social media allows you to cast a wide net and connect with new donor prospects. This is especially true when current donors share your posts and encourage their like-minded friends to donate!
And with platforms like Google Ads, you can tap into the billions using Google every day and choose keywords that target donors who are ready to give.
Recruit more volunteers.
Volunteers are some of your most loyal supporters. They’re the ones working on the ground to make your mission possible, and online marketing for nonprofits can play a vital role in boosting volunteer recruitment. Promote volunteer opportunities in your email newsletters, on social media, and via text.
Not to mention, the digital space opens up more volunteer opportunities than ever before. You can get creative and even have them do something as simple as partake in a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
Promote your services.
Connecting with beneficiaries is an important part of your success. Effective digital marketing for nonprofits allows you to connect with your beneficiaries and make sure they’re aware of your services. It also allows you to explain the work you’re doing to supporters.
Start by creating a page on your website that explains your services. Then, you can use different channels to promote this page and get your services in front of the right audiences.
For example, let’s say you want to boost adoptions for your animal shelter or promote your vaccination services. Google Ads are a great opportunity for amplifying this. You can choose relevant keywords like “adopt a cat” or “animal vaccination services.” Then, use geotargeting to promote your services to users in your area.
Make the most of your marketing budget.
If your organization is like most, you’re likely operating on a limited budget. It’s no secret that nonprofits are usually challenged to do more with less. The great part of leaning into digital marketing is that it has fairly low overhead costs, especially when you tap into grants for nonprofits like the Google Ad Grant.
Not to mention, some nonprofit digital marketing outlets have an incredible return on investment (ROI).
Our guide to Google Ad Grant impact shows that nonprofits see an average ROI of $4.78 for every dollar they spend on paid search ads. View-through revenue (AKA revenue from donors who saw but didn’t click on an ad) accounts for 35% of all giving sourced from digital ads.
With incredible numbers like that, it’s not hard to see why so many nonprofits invest in digital marketing!
Common Types of Digital Marketing for Nonprofits
Now that you understand why digital outreach is vital to any modern organization’s success, you’re ready to dive into common channels.
We recommend taking a multichannel approach to nonprofit digital marketing, meaning that you should choose multiple outlets to promote your cause. While it’s tempting to choose all available outlets, it’s best to experiment and figure out what works best. That way, you won’t spread your efforts too thin.
Crafting meaningful outreach for each platform’s audience will allow you to grow your online presence more effectively. As you read about the different channels you can use, think carefully about which outlets will help you achieve your mission’s goals!
Search Ads
Of all the digital marketing methods, search advertising is certainly one of the most effective ones! Using Google Ads, you can amplify your website’s content for mission-centric keywords.
With this form of paid advertising, you choose the keywords you want to rank for and develop ads that promote specific content on your website. Then, Google will place your ads in strategic locations on the search results pages for the terms you bid on. Note that Google rotates through ads from different organizations, especially for competitive terms.
You have complete control over your ads, including everything from your ad copy to what landing pages you’ll promote. With a thoughtful Google Ads management strategy, you can:
- Target people who are actively searching for your cause. Target keywords directly related to your mission, like “donate to ocean conservation” or “save the ocean.” That way, anyone who’s searching for your mission online will come across your website.
- Share any content that will push your mission forward. You can educate people about your cause, share your volunteer registration form, boost donation opportunities, or amplify anything that’s important to your cause.
- Connect with prospects in your service area. Use geotargeting to ensure your ads only appear for users in certain locations. That way, your content is only served to users who will find it useful.
Here are examples of ads found on the Google search results page for the search term “save the ocean”:
Best of all, you can leverage this nonprofit digital marketing method for free with the Google Ad Grant. When you apply for Google Grants and are approved, you’ll receive $10,000 in free funding every month to spend on paid ads. Most types of nonprofits, such as churches, for example, can apply for the Google Ad Grant. However, there are some nonprofits that are not eligible, such as schools and hospitals.
Although, there’s a considerable learning curve that comes with the program. An agency (like Getting Attention) can step in to help out. Our experts will work with you to understand your nonprofit’s digital marketing goals. Then, we’ll craft a strategy that launches your nonprofit toward those objectives. From applying to the program to crafting your ads, we’ve got you covered!
Online Greeting Cards
If you’re looking for a creative way to market your cause, online greeting cards might be just what you need. They provide an engaging way to spread the message about your mission and all the good work you’re doing. Plus, they get supporters in on the action.
You have a couple of options for leveraging digital cards as an online marketing tool. For one, you can offer them for free and encourage supporters to send as many as they want to their loved ones. Alternatively, you can sell them to supporters, which can incentivize them to give. Both are great options to inspire supporters to start a conversation about your cause.
Either way, you’ll need to brand them to your cause. Here are a few easy ways to do that:
- Add your logo to the design. No matter what the occasion is, add the logo to the corner of each greeting card to connect it to your organization.
- Use images related to your mission. For example, an animal shelter might create Valentine’s Day cards that feature pets up for adoption. If you work for a homeless prevention organization, you might design holiday fundraising cards that explain the card’s proceeds will provide housing during the cold holiday season.
- Customize the message that will be sent with each eCard. Each card will have a message attached to it, providing the perfect chance to explain your mission and call readers to action. Encourage recipients to visit your site, donate, or take some other action.
With fun and eye-catching designs, eCards are more likely to be shared and talked about than traditional marketing materials. Plus, you can offer designs for every occasion. To spark some inspiration, you can offer birthday, holiday, thank-you, and tribute eCards.
Donors can share their favorite designs and express their passion for your cause to their loved ones. If your eCard fundraising platform enables multiple sending options, your supporters can send the cards via email, social media, or text, making it the perfect addition to your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy.
Email Marketing for Nonprofits
When you first think about digital marketing for nonprofits, your mind might immediately go to email. Email is the bread and butter of most nonprofits’ online marketing strategies, because you can send customized outreach and send outreach directly to supporters’ inboxes.
Just like search ads, email accounts for an incredible amount of online revenue, clocking in at 15% of all nonprofit revenue.
As you add email to your nonprofit’s digital marketing repertoire, keep these tips in mind:
- Create a compelling subject line. When someone’s scrolling through their inbox, your subject line will be what either reels them in or prompts them to delete the email without even opening it. Take time to craft a subject line that piques recipients’ interest and explains the content of your email.
- Think through your design. Whenever someone opens your email, make sure it’s clearly associated with your cause and is organized effectively. Start by branding each email to your organization with elements like your logo, official fonts, and brand colors. Then, organize the email’s content using visual hierarchy techniques to draw readers’ eyes to important content.
- Feature compelling content. Kwala’s guide to email newsletters explains that “the beauty of a nonprofit newsletter is that you can customize it to fit your organization.” Test out different types of content, like beneficiary stories, announcements about upcoming events, relevant news articles, and milestone updates.
However you approach your strategy, email is a must when it comes to digital marketing for nonprofits. These suggestions are only just a glimpse into email best practices.
Nonprofit Website Marketing
Digital marketing for nonprofits revolves around one core asset: your website.
A well-designed website will be a primary resource for anyone engaging with your cause online. It’s where supporters will get directly involved in your work by donating, signing up to volunteer, registering for an event, and reading educational materials about your cause.
With all that rides on an effective website, you’ll want to take plenty of time optimizing it to provide a valuable user experience. Whether you’re designing yours from scratch or overhauling your existing design, keep these tips in mind to craft a persuasive site:
- Secure your website with HTTPS. Securing your site is a must for any website that collects private information. It’s also one of the Google Ad Grant website requirements. You want your donors and other supporters to trust you with their sensitive information, like payment details. Acquiring an HTTPS certificate will allow your site to encrypt any data transferred on your site. Explore our linked website requirements guide above to learn the exact steps for acquiring an HTTPS certificate.
- Optimize your design for mobile users. Use a mobile-responsive content management system (CMS) for nonprofits. That way, your content will automatically resize for mobile users. You’ll also want to quicken your site speed by compressing images and removing extraneous HTML. A slow site speed is annoying for any user, especially those on mobile devices.
- Design for accessibility. You want every prospect to be able to interact with your website, so make sure your site adheres to the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You’ll need to take steps like adding alternative text to all your images and ensuring your site’s colors have a sufficient contrast ratio.
Once you’ve perfected your design, you can start to drive more traffic to your website by promoting it via search ads, email, social media, and any other nonprofit digital marketing outlet.
Social Media Marketing for Nonprofits
Social media is prominent for so many reasons. For one, it unlocks two-way communication, allowing you to interact directly with supporters in ways you can’t with other outlets. For example, you can like supporters’ posts about your cause and respond to comments on your page.
It’s also an incredible way to leverage social sharing and visual storytelling, thanks to its multimedia features. For example, a visual-centric social media platform is a great place to share a flyer with information about an upcoming fundraiser because it will capture the attention of social media users as they scroll. You can even tap into nonprofit digital marketing strategies like influencer marketing (which isn’t solely for for-profit businesses or social-media-obsessed teenagers).
A Breakdown of Different Social Media Channels
Facebook pioneered the way for nonprofits, acting as the first real social media outlet organizations could leverage. Now, nonprofits are using Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to connect with their audiences. Any of those can be a valuable addition to your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy.
As you get started, keep these pros and cons in mind for each platform:
- Facebook has more than 2.96 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular platform. It’s great for long-form content, storytelling, and impactful multimedia like videos and photos. Content on this platform tends to be longer-lasting than other platforms, and Facebook offers some unique digital fundraising features, like Birthday Fundraisers as well as Facebook Ads. However, organic reach has dropped substantially compared to what it used to be.
- Instagram has more than 1.3 billion monthly active users. Much like Facebook, it offers fundraising features like donate stickers for Stories and “support” buttons on profiles. You can post interactive Stories and lean into visual storytelling. Be aware that there are a lot of features users can leverage like Stories, Reels, and paid ads, which can be overwhelming if you’re not particularly tech-savvy.
- Twitter is great for short-form content and shareability thanks to its retweet functionality. Plus, hashtags and trends make it easy for users to find trending topics. The downside is that tweets age out quickly. Thousands of tweets are published each minute, flooding people’s timelines with content.
- TikTok is perfect for reaching younger audiences and inciting large-scale movements. It’s great for visual storytelling, trends, and shareability. However, this platform often requires a unique approach for nonprofits that want to incite change and maintain a professional image.
Choosing the right social media platforms will help launch your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy forward. For the best results, consider the types of messages you share across each, and adapt your outreach to fit each platform’s audience.
Video Marketing for Nonprofits
As humans, we’re naturally drawn to captivating visuals. In fact, we process images much quicker than text. Not to mention, 91% of individuals prefer visual content to written content.
From TikTok’s meteoric launch in popularity to video publication tools on traditional social media, video storytelling has quickly become commonplace in digital marketing for nonprofits. As you test out this strategy, keep these tips in mind:
- Share inspiring stories. Video allows you to put a face to your cause. By sharing testimonials from beneficiaries or volunteers, you can give supporters a peek into how your organization impacts lives.
- Make the most of the first few seconds. Your videos need to capture viewers’ attention right off the bat. Billions of videos are published every day, so there’s a lot of competition for your supporters’ time. Create some sort of hook, question, or teaser to reel people in from the start.
- Have a clear call-to-action (CTA). As with any nonprofit digital marketing strategy, you’ll need to provide clear next steps for supporters. Remember, your videos might be entertaining pieces of content that showcase your cause, but they must ultimately serve a bigger purpose. Display your CTA toward the end of the video, prompting your audience to donate, volunteer, or support your cause somehow.
The best part is that video marketing doesn’t have to break the bank. It can be as simple as picking up your smartphone and recording. Then, you can use video tools like Promo, Biteable, or Canva to craft beautiful videos for your nonprofit digital marketing.
Content Marketing for Nonprofits
Content creation and blogging are valuable nonprofit digital marketing assets for any organization. Well-written content empowers you to educate your audience about your mission, leverage SEO to bring in new leads, and tap into free PR when people share your content online.
Creating digital content for your cause can help you drive more value through your marketing. Here are some tips to get started:
- Source ideas from volunteers, donors, and staff members. These individuals are closest to your cause and might have great ideas for what your audience would be interested in reading.
- Vary your content types. For instance, your team might create detailed blog posts, informative ebooks, eye-catching infographics, or case studies showcasing success stories.
- Consider your content’s design. How you present the content is almost as important as the content itself! Be conservative with fonts and colors to make content readable. You’ll also want to make your work scannable when possible by using headings, bulleted lists, and visual hierarchy techniques.
Informative and inspiring content can be a smart addition to your outreach. However, content creation can be time-consuming. Think carefully about how it plays into your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy, so you don’t overexert your team!
Crafting A Nonprofit Digital Marketing Strategy
Take the time to craft your nonprofit digital marketing strategy carefully. From defining your exact goals to choosing the platforms you’ll use, there’s a lot you’ll need to do.
Remember, digital marketing for nonprofits is all about learning to do more with less. Being smart with your approach will allow you to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Let’s walk through a few tips and tricks to keep in mind as you get started.
1. Set your digital marketing goals.
As with any endeavor, your nonprofit needs clear goals before investing time and money into its digital marketing strategy. What do you want to accomplish, and what will success look like after you’ve implemented your strategy?
Instead of choosing an arbitrary goal, choose one with concrete metrics attached. A good rule of thumb is to avoid non-definite adjectives like “more.” Consider these examples:
Goal #1: Increase social media engagement to acquire more volunteers.
Goal #2: Grow your nonprofit’s Instagram following by 500 people, and use that following to acquire 75 new volunteers by the end of the year.
Notice how there are clear metrics attached to the second goal, making it much clearer what success will look like.
To create goals that push your mission forward, we recommend using the SMART method, which stands for:
- Specific: Be specific about the channels and methods you’ll use. While the first goal is arbitrary, the second goal is more specific in that it explicitly says your team will grow its Instagram following and use that following to source new volunteers.
- Measurable: Ensure there are clear metrics attached to your goal for measuring success. In our example, metrics for success would include 300 new Instagram followers and 75 new volunteers.
- Attainable: Don’t be too ambitious with your goal. Otherwise, you risk demotivating your team if they don’t reach it. Look at past performance as a starting point for your goal, and go from there!
- Relevant: How will your goal support your mission and create additional value for your work? In the examples above, you’ll grow your volunteer list, increasing the power behind your programs.
- Time-Based: Set an end date for your goal, whether that’s by the end of the year or by the end of a specific campaign. This will create a sense of urgency for your team.
By following this framework, you’ll create effective goals that lay a solid foundation for your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy. Then, you’ll have a much clearer picture of the types of messages you’ll need to use to achieve these goals.
2. Craft the messages you want to share.
What key information do you want your audiences to know, remember, and share about your organization? Defining your key messages before pushing campaigns live is important for a few reasons:
- Key messages keep your entire organization aligned. No matter who’s creating marketing collateral, they’ll be on the same page about what they need to say and how to say it.
- Key messages help target different audiences. Your nonprofit interacts with different groups of people. You likely communicate with donors, volunteers, beneficiaries, and your general community. You can craft key messages for each audience to make sure you’re targeting the right audiences effectively.
When it comes to digital marketing for nonprofits, everyone on your team needs to know how to convey your organization consistently. Crafting key messages is how you’ll accomplish that.
An Example of A Key Message
So that you can see how this step looks in action, let’s walk through a quick example. Let’s say you’re leading the charge on digital marketing for a youth homeless shelter.
Key message: We protect the welfare of youth in our community through housing, hot meals, warm showers, mentoring, mental healthcare, and college admissions support.
- For volunteers: You can work on the ground floor to hand out hot meals and collect resources from the community.
- For donors: You can help us protect the welfare of our community’s youth by donating to housing, hot meals, water costs, mental health services, or college admissions support.
- For youth mentors: You can provide mentoring to at-risk youth, giving them a familiar face as they overcome life’s obstacles.
Each of these key messages has the same purpose and underlying tone. They’re simply tailored to motivate each group.
3. Choose the right nonprofit digital marketing outlets.
With your key messages and marketing ideas ready to go, it’s time to choose the outlets that will best support your mission.
Remember, a multichannel approach is the smartest way to maximize your reach. Choose the outlets that make the most sense for your message and goals. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you do that:
- Think through the audience for each platform. For example, TikTok is great for inspiring younger audiences, while email will help you capture the attention of slightly older audience members.
- Tailor your message to each platform. It’s not enough to toss up the same message on every platform and call it a day either. This general approach won’t get you very far. Maybe you’ll use Facebook to share video content, a blog post to share a testimonial, email to send regular updates, and text messages to solicit donations.
Overall, think through which nonprofit digital marketing platforms you’ll use to reach the primary audience for your key messages. If you’re investing in paid advertising, give your team plenty of time to get set up. Then, strategize how you’ll adjust your key messages to suit each channel, whether paid or organic.
4. Start promoting your cause.
It’s time to push your messages live! Regardless of which channels and strategies you choose, spend plenty of time planning before moving forward. Here are some questions to ask as you prepare:
- When will you send your nonprofit’s digital marketing messages?
- Who will be responsible for carrying out these activities?
- How much do we plan to spend on digital marketing for our nonprofit?
- How does this support our organization’s overarching goals?
Pushing your messages live is a major turning point for your strategy. It’s when all your hard work comes to fruition and you start earning support.
As you start publishing your messages, remember to engage with supporters. After all, the ability to interact is the beauty of online marketing for nonprofits!
5. Track results by measuring KPIs.
As you gain momentum, it’s time to start analyzing results. Note that it might take time to gain traction, especially if you’re brand new to digital marketing for nonprofits.
Routine reporting will help you track performance and make adjustments to reach your goals. While there’s an abundance of metrics you can track, here are some common ones to kickstart your brainstorming:
- Engagement KPIs: likes, time on page, open rate, bounce rate, comments, and video views
- Brand Awareness KPIs: website traffic, keyword rankings, social shares, tags and mentions, referral traffic, and impressions
- Conversion KPIs: online donations, online volunteer sign-ups, digital event registrations, cost of acquisition, number of quality leads, and number of new social media followers
We recommend establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) from the very start, so you can make sure you have proper tracking in place. Think back to the very first step as you choose your KPIs, ensuring the metrics you choose correlate with your goals.
Note that you’ll need to implement tracking tools to monitor most metrics. For example, social media comes with built-in tools, email requires the use of email marketing tools, and Google Ads requires you to use Google Analytics. Some analytics resources are free (like Google Analytics with a Google for Nonprofits account) while you’ll need to pay for others.
Ultimately, monitoring your metrics will allow you to make the necessary adjustments and ensure your nonprofit’s digital marketing is as impactful as possible. If your email open rates are dwindling, tweak your subject lines. If your Google Ads have a low CTR, experiment with better ad copy.
Wrapping Up
Thanks to digital marketing for nonprofits, you have the power to connect with more prospects than ever before. There’s no need to wait for direct mail to reach them anymore when you can send digital communications that instantly arrive in their inboxes or on their social media feeds.
By curating a strong nonprofit digital marketing strategy, you can inspire more supporters than ever before – no matter if they’re in your community or across the globe!
From video marketing to search ads, there are so many ways you can connect with today’s supporters. And if you want to add Google Ads to your marketing arsenal, we’re here to help. Getting Attention’s experts will work with you to understand your nonprofit’s online marketing goals and create a Google Grants management strategy that makes sense for you. Reach out to get started.
While you wait for your free consultation, continue exploring the world of digital marketing for nonprofits with these resources:
Digital Marketing for Nonprofits Made Easy: A Helpful Guide
/in Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Marketing /by Jessica KingPretty much everything takes place on the internet these days: shopping, socializing, and even (you guessed it!) supporting charities. That’s why digital marketing for nonprofits is non-negotiable nowadays.
At Getting Attention, we work with nonprofits to amplify their missions through the Google Ad Grant, which is a form of nonprofit marketing. We have a pretty solid grasp of what effective digital marketing for nonprofits can do for causes like yours, which is why we’re here to help!
To help you establish your digital presence, we’ll walk through everything you need to know. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or brand new to the game, there’s something for everyone. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Taking a smart approach to nonprofit digital marketing will empower you to expand your online presence and drive more support for your cause. Let’s start things off with the essentials.
What is digital marketing for nonprofits?
Nonprofit digital marketing refers to all the online outreach strategies organizations use to promote their causes to current and prospective supporters. It involves any processes and tools used to attract donors, engage volunteers, and drive mission awareness online.
Common digital marketing channels nonprofits use include websites, social media, texting, and email. Nonprofits typically employ multiple outlets to promote their causes to as many individuals as possible, which is a strategy known as multichannel marketing.
To properly allocate their budgets to the most effective channels, a nonprofit’s marketing team will typically create a document known as a marketing plan. Within this document, they’ll outline the organization’s goals, branding standards, key performance indicators, core messaging, and tone.
Why is digital marketing important for nonprofits?
As nonprofit marketers, we all know that establishing an online presence is vital to our success, but why exactly is that so important? How does promoting your cause online help push your mission forward?
Let’s explore the common benefits you can expect from a strong digital marketing strategy for your nonprofit.
Increase brand awareness.
Your current and prospective donors are already online every day, scrolling through social media, reading emails, and browsing Google. Establishing your online presence allows you to connect with these individuals and meet them where they are.
Nonprofit digital marketing is one of the easiest ways to fit into supporters’ everyday lives. Imagine this: someone’s scrolling through Facebook. Among the posts from family and friends, they see where one of their friends shared your nonprofit’s post about a new project you launched. They’re curious, click a link in the post, and explore your organization’s website to learn more. After reading about the program, they feel inspired to help make your project a success, and they sign up to volunteer.
That’s the power of nonprofit digital marketing! Plus, beyond spreading awareness of your nonprofit’s work, you can raise awareness of specific causes that deserve more attention from the public. Online awareness campaigns inform your audience of key issues you’re trying to solve and invite them to join in the fight by taking action. You can expand your audience almost effortlessly, especially thanks to the power of social sharing.
Break down geographical barriers.
One major benefit of digital marketing for nonprofits is that it allows you to connect with supporters across the globe.
People are more accessible than ever before! You can easily post on social media, and it’ll instantly populate on supporters’ feeds. No need to wait for direct mail to reach them.
In comparison, traditional marketing is restricted by geography, and it’s costly and labor-intensive to launch a global marketing campaign. Digital platforms empower you to avoid those restrictions altogether!
Raise fundraising revenue.
Online donations are the most popular donation type. In fact, 63% of donors prefer to contribute to their favorite causes online. When you proactively promote your work online, you can raise even more to support your mission.
For starters, your website allows you to accept online donations in the first place. You can drive users here across all of your digital outreach.
Then, channels like email allow you to promote your fundraising opportunities to engage existing donors. By using segmentation, you can deliver opportunities that specific groups are likely to be interested in based on their past giving history.
Social media allows you to cast a wide net and connect with new donor prospects. This is especially true when current donors share your posts and encourage their like-minded friends to donate!
And with platforms like Google Ads, you can tap into the billions using Google every day and choose keywords that target donors who are ready to give.
Recruit more volunteers.
Volunteers are some of your most loyal supporters. They’re the ones working on the ground to make your mission possible, and online marketing for nonprofits can play a vital role in boosting volunteer recruitment. Promote volunteer opportunities in your email newsletters, on social media, and via text.
Not to mention, the digital space opens up more volunteer opportunities than ever before. You can get creative and even have them do something as simple as partake in a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
Promote your services.
Connecting with beneficiaries is an important part of your success. Effective digital marketing for nonprofits allows you to connect with your beneficiaries and make sure they’re aware of your services. It also allows you to explain the work you’re doing to supporters.
Start by creating a page on your website that explains your services. Then, you can use different channels to promote this page and get your services in front of the right audiences.
For example, let’s say you want to boost adoptions for your animal shelter or promote your vaccination services. Google Ads are a great opportunity for amplifying this. You can choose relevant keywords like “adopt a cat” or “animal vaccination services.” Then, use geotargeting to promote your services to users in your area.
Make the most of your marketing budget.
If your organization is like most, you’re likely operating on a limited budget. It’s no secret that nonprofits are usually challenged to do more with less. The great part of leaning into digital marketing is that it has fairly low overhead costs, especially when you tap into grants for nonprofits like the Google Ad Grant.
Not to mention, some nonprofit digital marketing outlets have an incredible return on investment (ROI).
With incredible numbers like that, it’s not hard to see why so many nonprofits invest in digital marketing!
Common Types of Digital Marketing for Nonprofits
Now that you understand why digital outreach is vital to any modern organization’s success, you’re ready to dive into common channels.
We recommend taking a multichannel approach to nonprofit digital marketing, meaning that you should choose multiple outlets to promote your cause. While it’s tempting to choose all available outlets, it’s best to experiment and figure out what works best. That way, you won’t spread your efforts too thin.
Crafting meaningful outreach for each platform’s audience will allow you to grow your online presence more effectively. As you read about the different channels you can use, think carefully about which outlets will help you achieve your mission’s goals!
Search Ads
Of all the digital marketing methods, search advertising is certainly one of the most effective ones! Using Google Ads, you can amplify your website’s content for mission-centric keywords.
With this form of paid advertising, you choose the keywords you want to rank for and develop ads that promote specific content on your website. Then, Google will place your ads in strategic locations on the search results pages for the terms you bid on. Note that Google rotates through ads from different organizations, especially for competitive terms.
You have complete control over your ads, including everything from your ad copy to what landing pages you’ll promote. With a thoughtful Google Ads management strategy, you can:
Here are examples of ads found on the Google search results page for the search term “save the ocean”:
Best of all, you can leverage this nonprofit digital marketing method for free with the Google Ad Grant. When you apply for Google Grants and are approved, you’ll receive $10,000 in free funding every month to spend on paid ads. Most types of nonprofits, such as churches, for example, can apply for the Google Ad Grant. However, there are some nonprofits that are not eligible, such as schools and hospitals.
Although, there’s a considerable learning curve that comes with the program. An agency (like Getting Attention) can step in to help out. Our experts will work with you to understand your nonprofit’s digital marketing goals. Then, we’ll craft a strategy that launches your nonprofit toward those objectives. From applying to the program to crafting your ads, we’ve got you covered!
Online Greeting Cards
If you’re looking for a creative way to market your cause, online greeting cards might be just what you need. They provide an engaging way to spread the message about your mission and all the good work you’re doing. Plus, they get supporters in on the action.
You have a couple of options for leveraging digital cards as an online marketing tool. For one, you can offer them for free and encourage supporters to send as many as they want to their loved ones. Alternatively, you can sell them to supporters, which can incentivize them to give. Both are great options to inspire supporters to start a conversation about your cause.
Either way, you’ll need to brand them to your cause. Here are a few easy ways to do that:
With fun and eye-catching designs, eCards are more likely to be shared and talked about than traditional marketing materials. Plus, you can offer designs for every occasion. To spark some inspiration, you can offer birthday, holiday, thank-you, and tribute eCards.
Donors can share their favorite designs and express their passion for your cause to their loved ones. If your eCard fundraising platform enables multiple sending options, your supporters can send the cards via email, social media, or text, making it the perfect addition to your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy.
Email Marketing for Nonprofits
When you first think about digital marketing for nonprofits, your mind might immediately go to email. Email is the bread and butter of most nonprofits’ online marketing strategies, because you can send customized outreach and send outreach directly to supporters’ inboxes.
As you add email to your nonprofit’s digital marketing repertoire, keep these tips in mind:
However you approach your strategy, email is a must when it comes to digital marketing for nonprofits. These suggestions are only just a glimpse into email best practices.
Nonprofit Website Marketing
Digital marketing for nonprofits revolves around one core asset: your website.
A well-designed website will be a primary resource for anyone engaging with your cause online. It’s where supporters will get directly involved in your work by donating, signing up to volunteer, registering for an event, and reading educational materials about your cause.
With all that rides on an effective website, you’ll want to take plenty of time optimizing it to provide a valuable user experience. Whether you’re designing yours from scratch or overhauling your existing design, keep these tips in mind to craft a persuasive site:
Once you’ve perfected your design, you can start to drive more traffic to your website by promoting it via search ads, email, social media, and any other nonprofit digital marketing outlet.
Social Media Marketing for Nonprofits
Social media is prominent for so many reasons. For one, it unlocks two-way communication, allowing you to interact directly with supporters in ways you can’t with other outlets. For example, you can like supporters’ posts about your cause and respond to comments on your page.
It’s also an incredible way to leverage social sharing and visual storytelling, thanks to its multimedia features. For example, a visual-centric social media platform is a great place to share a flyer with information about an upcoming fundraiser because it will capture the attention of social media users as they scroll. You can even tap into nonprofit digital marketing strategies like influencer marketing (which isn’t solely for for-profit businesses or social-media-obsessed teenagers).
A Breakdown of Different Social Media Channels
Facebook pioneered the way for nonprofits, acting as the first real social media outlet organizations could leverage. Now, nonprofits are using Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to connect with their audiences. Any of those can be a valuable addition to your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy.
As you get started, keep these pros and cons in mind for each platform:
Choosing the right social media platforms will help launch your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy forward. For the best results, consider the types of messages you share across each, and adapt your outreach to fit each platform’s audience.
Video Marketing for Nonprofits
As humans, we’re naturally drawn to captivating visuals. In fact, we process images much quicker than text. Not to mention, 91% of individuals prefer visual content to written content.
From TikTok’s meteoric launch in popularity to video publication tools on traditional social media, video storytelling has quickly become commonplace in digital marketing for nonprofits. As you test out this strategy, keep these tips in mind:
The best part is that video marketing doesn’t have to break the bank. It can be as simple as picking up your smartphone and recording. Then, you can use video tools like Promo, Biteable, or Canva to craft beautiful videos for your nonprofit digital marketing.
Content Marketing for Nonprofits
Content creation and blogging are valuable nonprofit digital marketing assets for any organization. Well-written content empowers you to educate your audience about your mission, leverage SEO to bring in new leads, and tap into free PR when people share your content online.
Creating digital content for your cause can help you drive more value through your marketing. Here are some tips to get started:
Informative and inspiring content can be a smart addition to your outreach. However, content creation can be time-consuming. Think carefully about how it plays into your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy, so you don’t overexert your team!
Crafting A Nonprofit Digital Marketing Strategy
Take the time to craft your nonprofit digital marketing strategy carefully. From defining your exact goals to choosing the platforms you’ll use, there’s a lot you’ll need to do.
Remember, digital marketing for nonprofits is all about learning to do more with less. Being smart with your approach will allow you to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Let’s walk through a few tips and tricks to keep in mind as you get started.
1. Set your digital marketing goals.
As with any endeavor, your nonprofit needs clear goals before investing time and money into its digital marketing strategy. What do you want to accomplish, and what will success look like after you’ve implemented your strategy?
Instead of choosing an arbitrary goal, choose one with concrete metrics attached. A good rule of thumb is to avoid non-definite adjectives like “more.” Consider these examples:
Notice how there are clear metrics attached to the second goal, making it much clearer what success will look like.
To create goals that push your mission forward, we recommend using the SMART method, which stands for:
By following this framework, you’ll create effective goals that lay a solid foundation for your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy. Then, you’ll have a much clearer picture of the types of messages you’ll need to use to achieve these goals.
2. Craft the messages you want to share.
What key information do you want your audiences to know, remember, and share about your organization? Defining your key messages before pushing campaigns live is important for a few reasons:
When it comes to digital marketing for nonprofits, everyone on your team needs to know how to convey your organization consistently. Crafting key messages is how you’ll accomplish that.
An Example of A Key Message
So that you can see how this step looks in action, let’s walk through a quick example. Let’s say you’re leading the charge on digital marketing for a youth homeless shelter.
Key message: We protect the welfare of youth in our community through housing, hot meals, warm showers, mentoring, mental healthcare, and college admissions support.
Each of these key messages has the same purpose and underlying tone. They’re simply tailored to motivate each group.
3. Choose the right nonprofit digital marketing outlets.
With your key messages and marketing ideas ready to go, it’s time to choose the outlets that will best support your mission.
Remember, a multichannel approach is the smartest way to maximize your reach. Choose the outlets that make the most sense for your message and goals. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you do that:
Overall, think through which nonprofit digital marketing platforms you’ll use to reach the primary audience for your key messages. If you’re investing in paid advertising, give your team plenty of time to get set up. Then, strategize how you’ll adjust your key messages to suit each channel, whether paid or organic.
4. Start promoting your cause.
It’s time to push your messages live! Regardless of which channels and strategies you choose, spend plenty of time planning before moving forward. Here are some questions to ask as you prepare:
Pushing your messages live is a major turning point for your strategy. It’s when all your hard work comes to fruition and you start earning support.
As you start publishing your messages, remember to engage with supporters. After all, the ability to interact is the beauty of online marketing for nonprofits!
5. Track results by measuring KPIs.
As you gain momentum, it’s time to start analyzing results. Note that it might take time to gain traction, especially if you’re brand new to digital marketing for nonprofits.
Routine reporting will help you track performance and make adjustments to reach your goals. While there’s an abundance of metrics you can track, here are some common ones to kickstart your brainstorming:
We recommend establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) from the very start, so you can make sure you have proper tracking in place. Think back to the very first step as you choose your KPIs, ensuring the metrics you choose correlate with your goals.
Note that you’ll need to implement tracking tools to monitor most metrics. For example, social media comes with built-in tools, email requires the use of email marketing tools, and Google Ads requires you to use Google Analytics. Some analytics resources are free (like Google Analytics with a Google for Nonprofits account) while you’ll need to pay for others.
Ultimately, monitoring your metrics will allow you to make the necessary adjustments and ensure your nonprofit’s digital marketing is as impactful as possible. If your email open rates are dwindling, tweak your subject lines. If your Google Ads have a low CTR, experiment with better ad copy.
Wrapping Up
Thanks to digital marketing for nonprofits, you have the power to connect with more prospects than ever before. There’s no need to wait for direct mail to reach them anymore when you can send digital communications that instantly arrive in their inboxes or on their social media feeds.
By curating a strong nonprofit digital marketing strategy, you can inspire more supporters than ever before – no matter if they’re in your community or across the globe!
From video marketing to search ads, there are so many ways you can connect with today’s supporters. And if you want to add Google Ads to your marketing arsenal, we’re here to help. Getting Attention’s experts will work with you to understand your nonprofit’s online marketing goals and create a Google Grants management strategy that makes sense for you. Reach out to get started.
While you wait for your free consultation, continue exploring the world of digital marketing for nonprofits with these resources:
A Quick Guide to Compiling Donor Prospect Profiles
/in Nonprofit Fundraising /by Jessica KingWhen it comes to finding new donors for your nonprofit, identifying prospects is just the first step. In order to transform a prospect into a dedicated, engaged donor, you have to cultivate them, getting to know them as an individual and laying the foundation for a lasting relationship.
Cultivation can be challenging, especially when you’re working with multiple prospects at different stages in the relationship-building process. How do you make every interaction as productive and personalized as possible? How do you remember everything you learn about individual prospects?
Here’s your answer: donor prospect profiles. According to DonorSearch, prospect profiles “contain all of the relevant data gathered during the prospect screening process…as well as any other details that a prospect researcher deems important for gift officers to know during the cultivation process.” Essentially, donor prospect profiles serve as your organization’s ultimate source of truth for every prospective donor you’re working with.
In this quick guide, we’ll take a closer look at the process of compiling donor prospect profiles to use for a successful cultivation process. Let’s jump in!
Why You Should Compile Donor Prospect Profiles
Donors don’t want to be viewed simply as ATMs for your nonprofit, especially if they’re just hearing about your organization and its cause for the first time. In order to make a strong connection with a prospect, you have to demonstrate that you’ve done your homework to get to know them as individuals.
On top of helping you build genuine relationships, donor prospect profiles make your cultivation work easier. For example, relying on profiles for contact information and communication preferences can help you build outreach processes that your prospects will respond well to. Likewise, using what you’ve discovered about a prospect’s philanthropic giving history, you can make more informed donation and engagement requests.
Plus, as you get in the habit of actively recording and organizing information about prospects, you’ll develop a greater understanding of your nonprofit’s community. Having a better grasp on your community’s needs, motivations, and preferences will empower you to tailor your marketing efforts and other operations to your knowledge about the people who make furthering your mission possible.
What to Include in Prospect Profiles
During the prospecting phase, you’ll gather lots of information about prospective donors. Let’s walk through what information you should include in your prospect profiles and how to organize it.
There are seven focus areas you should organize your information under:
1. Introductory Details
This section of a profile should serve as a quick view of the current status of a prospect. Think of it as the section you should look at if you don’t have time to look at anything else. It should include the prospect’s:
This section, primarily the “Summary of Past Interactions,” “Giving Status,” and “Next Moves” categories, should be updated often to reflect your most recent work with the individual.
2. Basic Details
This part of a prospect profile focuses on contact information, like:
Since this section contains information that will likely change over time, make sure to practice good data hygiene by keeping everything accurate and up-to-date. You may even consider having your data appended to ensure you have the most useful contact information available.
3. Personal History
The personal history section will include capacity and affinity details gathered from the prospect research process and can guide you in your relationship-building activities with prospects. Here’s what it should include:
This information can also be helpful as you look for additional ways to involve prospects in your work beyond just donating. For example, if you learn that one of your prospect’s hobbies is graphic design, you might ask them to help you fine-tune your nonprofit’s visual brand. Or, if you learn that they attended a school that you partner with, you might invite them to volunteer with your organization at that school.
4. Familial Information
Depending on your organization’s mission and focus, it may be useful to include a familial information section in your prospect profiles that lays out:
Philanthropic work is often something that prospects enjoy engaging in with their loved ones. Knowing a thing or two about their families can help you spot relevant opportunities to involve them in your work, further strengthening your relationship with your prospect.
5. Professional Affiliations
This section will help you discover more about a prospect’s giving capacity and uncover valuable connections. In it, include these details:
As you assemble this information, be sure to look into whether the prospect is eligible for corporate philanthropy opportunities, like matching gifts.
Re:Charity’s matching gifts guide explains that matching gifts are a form of corporate philanthropy in which employers financially match donations their employees make to nonprofits. Educate your prospect and donors about matching gift opportunities and help them use a matching gifts database to check their eligibility.
6. Organizational Connections
The organizational connections section should focus on your prospect’s history with your nonprofit. It will include the following information:
If a prospect is brand new to your nonprofit, this section may be blank, and that’s okay! Be sure to fill it out as they get more involved with your work.
7. Philanthropic Ties
This final section will lay out the prospect’s involvement with other charitable organizations. Pay attention to whether the prospect has been involved with causes similar to yours—this can be a great indicator that they’ll be excited to support your organization!
Here’s what you should include in this section:
Remember, many donors are willing to support multiple nonprofits at the same time, especially if they’re passionate about a specific cause. So, don’t be afraid to reach out to donors who are currently involved with other organizations—they will likely be interested in getting involved with yours, too!
When to Compile Prospect Profiles
Clearly, prospect profiles provide a wealth of information about potential donors that you can use in a variety of ways—whether you’re meeting with them for the first time, designing a donation appeal, or figuring out how to thank them for a contribution in a meaningful way.
But what situations call for the creation of donor prospect profiles? You should create profiles when:
Compiling donor prospect profiles before launching a big project or when you want to strengthen an existing program will help you approach the process with more information to support every step you take.
Also, think of donor prospect profiles as living documents that you should update and return to often. Ensuring that all of the information you have on individual prospects is accurate and actionable will make it easier for you and your team to rely on profiles as a resource that will help you make progress with cultivating new donors.
Your priority when you discover a new potential donor should be getting to know as much about them as you can and building out a full prospect profile for them. This profile can serve as a key reference and guide every interaction you have with a prospect along the way to their first major donation. Use these tips to get started with creating donor prospect profiles today!
Demystifying the Google Ad Grants Website Policy: A Guide
/in Google Ad Grants /by Jessica KingIn a word, the Google Ad Grant is transformational. The program has completely altered the way nonprofits market their causes. By breaking down geographical barriers, any organization that meets the Google Ad Grant requirements can reach more donors than ever before without blowing its marketing budget.
Pretty incredible, right? However, if you’ve taken a look at the Google Ad Grants website policy, you’ve likely grown a little confused. You may ask, “What does a ‘high-quality website’ look like?” Or you might wonder, “What can I do to make Google approve my nonprofit’s website for the program?”
We’re here to answer all your questions! We’ll dig into the Google Ad Grants website policy, so you can bring your website up to code and get your application approved the first time. We’ll even provide a convenient checklist for your team to use! Here’s what we’ll cover:
Before we begin, know that Google doesn’t aspire to limit participation. The Google Ad Grants team wants nonprofits to succeed with their digital marketing. That’s why they offer the program! They simply want participants to deliver high-quality content that inspires users to take action, rather than letting advertisers market any and all content on their websites.
If you want an extra pair of eyes to review your website’s quality, our Google Ad Grant experts are here to help! The team at Getting Attention works one-on-one with nonprofits to apply for and make the most of the program. That includes checking your eligibility and strengthening your landing pages.
Why Does Google Require High-Quality Websites?
You’ll use the Google Ad Grant to drive traffic to content on your website. Because of this, Google requires you to meet a series of website-specific requirements to be deemed eligible for the program.
Applying for the Google Ad Grant is really a two-part process. The first part involves having your website checked. That way, you don’t waste time setting up your Ad Grants account when your website actually needs a lot of work to be considered high-quality.
With the Google Ad Grants website requirements, Google strives to deliver a positive experience to its users. Poorly-written content and outdated designs might reflect poorly on Google if they allow advertisers to promote low-quality content. Plus, if your website seems outdated and unprofessional, visitors will feel less inclined to donate, volunteer, or take any other action.
Let’s not strictly talk about how poor websites can negatively impact the program and your ad performance. Instead, let’s take a look at the brighter side of following the Google Ad Grants website policy!
A high-quality website will help you:
Users who come across your site from a Google Ad will respond more positively to a fresh, inviting website that features helpful content. Ultimately, adhering to the website policy will empower you to make the most of your $10,000 each month. Plus, following the Google Ad Grant rules will also help bring you up to code with 501(c)(3) website requirements.
Breaking Down the Google Ad Grants Website Policy
Enough simply talking about why you need to follow the website requirements! Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the Google Ad Grants website policy. That way, you can see if your site measures up and make the necessary adjustments if it doesn’t.
If you need help confirming your eligibility after exploring the sections below, reach out to our Google Ad Grant experts! We’re more than happy to confirm whether your website is high-quality and work with Google to get you approved for the program.
Requirement 1) Domain Ownership
Owning your nonprofit’s website domain is the most basic website requirement that Google requires nonprofits to meet.
A domain name is a series of letters and numbers that someone will type into the search address bar to find your website. What it means to “own your domain” is that you need to purchase the domain on which your website is hosted and that you will drive traffic to via Google Ads. Your URL should look something along the lines of nonprofitname.org rather than nonprofitname.wix.org or nonprofitname.squarespace.com.
To register a domain for your nonprofit, you’ll need to find a domain name registrar like GoDaddy or Google Domains, determine that your desired domain name is available, and then purchase that domain name from your provider.
Requirement 2) Website Security
As another basic Google Ad Grant website requirement, Google requires applicants to have secure sockets layers (SSL) certification.
What this does is encrypt any data that’s transferred on your site. So, let’s say someone’s donating. When filling out your donation form, their name, address, payment details, and any other sensitive information will automatically be encrypted.
Installing an SSL certificate is usually free or low-cost, and it’s a great way to build trust with visitors. As explained in our Google Ad Grants application guide, you can quickly verify whether a site has an SSL certificate by looking at the URL. “If the web address begins with https instead of http, that indicates that it’s SSL-certified. Google Chrome will even mark sites that don’t have an SSL certificate in the address bar as ‘Not Secure.’”
To obtain an SSL certificate, you’ll need to follow a few steps:
Beyond building trust with users, Google also uses SSL certification as a ranking factor. The search engine amplifies websites with SSL certificates, so having one means you can boost your organic traffic.
After installing your SSL certificate, take security up a notch by limiting your plugins, links, and embedded objects to only what is secure and trustworthy.
Requirement 3) Unique, Substantial, and Promotable Content
The Google Ad Grants website policy explains that your nonprofit website must have “substantial content.” It also states, “Your site’s content must be unique to your organization.” In other words, you need to create your own content and a lot of it!
To start, single-page websites (AKA websites with just a homepage) aren’t acceptable. You’ll need to create plenty of pages related to your work, and these pages should be considered “promotable.”
What this means is that your pages or posts should each cover a single, well-defined topic related to your organization’s work. Some examples include ‘About’ pages that explain your work, donation forms, volunteer registration pages, and educational articles connected to your mission. This will give you content to promote with your Google Ads.
Whether you’re creating new content or enhancing existing content, here are some steps to get started to help you adhere to the Google Ad Grants website policy:
Not only will these tips help you adhere to the Google Ad Grants website policy, but they can help boost your organic rankings too! Creating plenty of content that meets users’ needs will transform your nonprofit’s website into an SEO-friendly site.
Requirement 4) Mission-Related Content
The Google Ad Grants website policy requires nonprofits to have “a robust and clear description of [its] organization, mission, and activities.”
That means you’ll need to feature content about your mission and the work you’re doing to achieve that mission. It’s a smart idea to include some of your credentials as well. This will ultimately position your website as trustworthy and build trust with users.
Here’s some mission-related content we suggest you publish on your website:
Featuring sufficient mission-specific details will help you adhere to the Google Ad Grants website policy and prove to visitors that your organization is reliable. The suggestions above are a great start!
Requirement 5) Positive User Experience
The Google Ad Grants website policy lists a few different rules that directly impact the user experience (UX) of your site.
A positive user experience is what will ultimately lead to conversions when marketing your cause, whether you’re trying to boost donations, volunteer registrations, or something else. Here’s a breakdown of the Google Ad Grant website requirements that specifically impact UX:
In the example below, notice how The Humane League features a concise navigation bar with its most important pages. There are also clear donation CTAs in the navigation bar and in prominent locations across the site, like their homepage.
Prioritizing your site’s UX means that when people click on your Google Ads, they’re more likely to have a positive time exploring your site. In turn, they’re more likely to follow through and take the next step to support your work.
Requirement 6) Quick Site Speed
To qualify for the Google Ad Grant, you’ll need to quicken your site’s speed so that it loads quickly. And while quick load times also enhance the user experience, we thought it was best to cover this Google Ad Grant requirement in a bit more depth.
So what exactly is a quick site speed? Well, Google doesn’t define the exact number of seconds in which your site needs to load. However, you can use statistics to estimate whether your site is considered “quick.”
To test your site speed, use free tools like PageSpeed Insights. It’ll check your website, then displays a list of recommendations on what to fix (but not necessarily how to fix it).
If your website speed seems a bit high, we recommend you avoid overloading your pages with massive images and auto-playing videos. These can slow down your pages. You’ll also want to compress your images, reducing their file sizes. At any point, your Google Grants manager can step in to provide advice for tackling load-speed issues.
Requirement 7) Limited Ads and Commercial Activity
Long story short, you need to make your mission the primary purpose of your site. The Google Ad Grants program is very clear about not permitting commercial activity unless it directly supports your work.
Here are a few key points to make sure your site follows the Google Ad Grants website policy:
If you’re disapproved based on the commercial policy, reassess how you promote your services. If your organization comes across as a for-profit entity, you have some work to do on your site. It should be clear that you offer real services and support to your community.
Requirement 8) Google Analytics
While not listed under the Google Ad Grants website policy, installing Google Analytics on your website is one of the program’s requirements.
Google Analytics is a free program that tracks users’ interactions with your website. Google requires participants to install Google Analytics as a way to track ad and website performance. It provides helpful insights like:
Installing Google Analytics takes a few steps to set up. If you need help, talk to our Google Ad Grant experts here at Getting Attention about getting started.
A Checklist of the Google Ad Grants Website Policy Requirements
That’s a lot of information to take in! But now that you understand the Google Ad Grants website policy, you can walk through your organization’s site and see if it meets those standards.
We’ve condensed the requirements down into a convenient checklist that your team can use as you prepare your site for your application. Click below to download your free copy and make sure your site is on par with the program’s website requirements!
If you’re not sure whether your website measures up to these requirements, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! We can walk through your website, provide recommendations, and work with Google to get your organization approved for the Ad Grants program.
In the meantime, download the complete checklist and start improving your website, so you can get approved for the program!
Website Not Up to Code? Reach Out!
We make it our mission to help nonprofits get the most out of the Google Ad Grant. That starts with applying for the program and acquiring the grant!
If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible after exploring our checklist, reach out for a free consultation. We’ll work with you to confirm your nonprofit’s eligibility and bring your website up to code with the Google Ad Grants website policy. After all, your nonprofit’s website is one of the most crucial parts of your Google Ad Grants strategy (and digital marketing strategy altogether)!
While waiting to meet with our team, explore these resources to dive further into the wonderful world of Google Ad Grants:
4 Marketing Tips to Help Your Small Business Stand Out
/in Nonprofit Marketing /by ContributorIt can be difficult for small businesses with limited resources and reach to stand out from the competition. That’s why developing a robust marketing plan is essential to building your brand, growing your business, and ensuring that your services are made available to as many customers as possible.
Whether you own a pet store, dance studio, or flower shop, these four tips will help you market your mission and raise meaningful support for your small business.
1. Invest in marketing software
Chances are you already use software to complete transactions, manage payroll, and store customer data. By adding marketing software to your tech stack, you can optimize campaigns, tap into your target markets, and convert more leads into sales.
To ensure a positive return on investment, Gingr recommends a marketing solution that allows you to:
With software dedicated to supporting your marketing strategy, you can spend less time worrying about outreach and more time building meaningful relationships with your customers.
2. Get to know your audience
Identifying a target audience helps your small business focus its marketing efforts and dollars on the people who are most likely to invest in your products or services. Employ these strategies to ensure that your marketing materials appeal to the unique needs and interests of your ideal customers:
Now that you have a target audience in mind, you can make informed decisions about which marketing channels, messaging, and branding to use to solicit their support. Carefully consider the kind of advertisements that would most appeal to this niche, and create marketing materials that reflect your customers’ interests.
3. Leverage multichannel marketing
If you want to effectively promote your small business, consider adopting a multichannel approach to marketing. Multichannel marketing uses several different touchpoints to reach your target audience on their preferred platforms and attract the attention of as many supporters as possible.
Your organization’s website should be central to your outreach efforts. Create web pages dedicated to the various aspects of your business, such as an “About Us” page that summarizes your vision and an e-commerce store that offers integrated payment processing. Then, link back to these resources across your other communication channels, which may include:
One channel isn’t enough to market your small business. By maximizing your reach, you’ll remain at the top of your current and potential customers’ minds.
4. Launch a referral program
A referral program encourages current customers to refer their friends, family members, and peers to your business in exchange for a reward. These programs are relatively low-cost and effective, as 64% of marketers agree that word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. After all, people trust the opinions of family and friends when buying a new product or considering a new service more than they would trust paid advertising.
When designing a referral program, you should:
If managed properly, a referral program should engage existing customers while broadening your supporter base. Be sure to promote your referral program on your business’s website and checkout page so your customers can easily learn about this opportunity.
Work with your entire team to ensure that these marketing strategies align with your larger goals, budget, and vision. Whether you’re looking to market an upcoming event or raise brand awareness in the community, investing in a robust marketing plan will help your small business succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Author: Casey Dorman
Hi, I’m Casey! I’m the Sales Manager at Gingr software. Originally from Indianapolis, I now live in Colorado with my wife and dog, Dexter. Our hobbies include hiking, skiing, and visiting local breweries.
Digital Fundraising for Nonprofits: 6 Key Strategies
/in Google Ad Grants, Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Fundraising, Nonprofit Tools /by Jessica KingNonprofits need strong digital fundraising and marketing strategies to create healthy revenue streams that keep their organizations going. But, with so many nonprofits competing for visibility online, standing out can be a challenge.
To help launch your fundraising strategy, this guide will explore:
Getting started, let’s first look at exactly why your nonprofit should go digital.
Digital Fundraising Benefits
Almost every nonprofit has some online presence, but not every organization has a dedicated digital fundraising strategy planned out. After all, any nonprofit can decide to occasionally send a few emails or make a couple of social media posts.
However, with a cohesive strategy, your nonprofit can better reap the benefits of digital fundraising, which include:
Traditional fundraising still has its place, especially when it comes to direct mail and in-person events. When you combine these methods with your digital fundraising strategy, you can grow your nonprofit’s donor base, build relationships with your current supporters, and earn more donations both at home and from donors abroad.
Digital Fundraising Ideas
1. The Google Ad Grants Program
Your nonprofit can guarantee a desirable spot on search engine results pages (SERP) by applying for the Google Ad Grants program. This program awards nonprofits up to $10,000 in free ad credits that they can spend to secure prime advertising space on the SERP every month. To get started, all you need to do is:
If you need help applying for the Google Ad Grants program or managing your account once approved, we recommend working with a Google-certified Google Ad consultant, like us!
For more insight into what it’s like to work with a Google Ad Grant agency, check out this video from our team at Getting Attention:
2. Search Engine Optimization
Boost your fundraising website’s visibility by updating it according to search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. SEO is the process of improving your website’s content to align with Google’s search algorithm’s ranking factors. Doing so improves the chances that your content will rank highly on search engine results pages (SERP).
In other words, SEO ensures that your digital fundraiser’s website ranks highly on Google, earning your campaigns more exposure.
If you aren’t tech-savvy and don’t have much room in your marketing budget, don’t worry. Updating your website to align with SEO best practices is free, and there are many resources to help you get started. According to Google, these elements determine your SERP ranking:
SEO shouldn’t be your go-to strategy for one-off campaigns. Instead, it’s a long-term investment in improving the overall quantity and quality of traffic to your website. In particular, nonprofits that sell products or services (like curriculum or certifications) tend to do well with SEO as they are selling their products for the foreseeable future, and making a sale doesn’t require the relationship-building that fundraising does.
3. Peer-to-Peer Campaigns
Rather than doing all of your fundraising yourself, get your supporters to help out with a peer-to-peer fundraiser. In a peer-to-peer campaign, supporters fundraise on your behalf to their friends and family, often leveraging social media, email, and other digital platforms to promote your cause.
To get started, you’ll need peer-to-peer software. Peer-to-peer fundraising software provides participants with their own landing pages that they can customize however they want to promote your nonprofit. This might involve sharing their stories, posting photographs, or sharing research from your nonprofit.
Supporters who donate through these pages are both giving to their specific friend or family member and donating to your nonprofit at the same time. You can also allow participants to join a fundraising team and assign roles with special privileges, such as team captain.
4. Virtual Events
Hosting remote or hybrid fundraising events is easier than ever due to the affordability and user-friendliness of digital event management solutions. Consider expanding your audience and fundraising potential by adding a remote component to these traditionally in-person fundraising ideas:
A simple way to add a remote element to your event is to gather attendees on a video call. Video conferencing software is widely available, so all your attendees can easily make accounts and participate. Also, some platforms even have nonprofit discounts, helping save your nonprofit valuable operating costs.
5. Texting Campaign
Text messaging is fast and convenient for both your nonprofit and your supporters. With a texting campaign, you can:
If you want to get started with a texting campaign but are missing supporters’ phone numbers, consider conducting a phone number append. Appending services look at your donor data to identify missing and outdated data and use their extensive databases to replace it with up-to-date information.
6. Crowdfunding Campaign
Every donation counts, but if you have a major project that needs a significant amount of start-up funding, try sourcing donations from an entire crowd of supporters at once through a crowdfunding campaign.
If you’re familiar with Kickstarter projects or GoFundMe, you already know what crowdfunding is. Essentially, your nonprofit has a target fundraising goal and a set amount of time to reach it through individual donations.
Successful crowdfunding campaigns offer donors a variety of perks. For example, you might create giving tiers and provide unique bonuses to supporters who give at each level. Check out the Sarasota Orchestra’s donor recognition levels for an example of donation levels based on giving amounts:
7. eCard Fundraisers
Take advantage of upcoming holidays by selling eCards. eCards are digital greeting cards your supporters can buy and send to their friends and family. By doing so, they can share a fun card with someone they care about, support a cause that’s close to their heart, and even show off their generosity a little.
For an example of eCard fundraising, check out these eCards from the nonprofit One Tail at a Time:
Along with the cute designs, each eCard is connected to a specific aspect of One Tail at a Time’s mission. This means supporters who buy an eCard have additional control over how their gift is used.
You can sell eCards all year round for birthdays, get-well wishes, and friendly check-ins. However, holidays, such as the packed end-of-the-year season, are likely when you’ll see the most sales.
8. Matching Gift Campaign
Matching gifts are a type of corporate giving wherein businesses donate when their employees give to nonprofit organizations. This means if a match-eligible donor gives $100 to your nonprofit, they can complete a matching gift request form for their employer, who will then match their gift for a total of $200, netting your nonprofit an extra $100 for free!
However, many donors are unaware of matching gifts, let alone if they’re eligible. You can earn more matching gift revenue by launching a digital fundraiser that:
This might seem like a lot of steps, but fortunately, matching gift software is constantly improving to make the process as easy as possible for donors. Try looking for matching gift software that has auto-submission capabilities. This new technology allows some donors to submit their matching gift requests with just the click of a button—no repetitive forms needed!
9. GivingTuesday Campaign
GivingTuesday is one of the biggest fundraising days of the year and is the perfect event to plan a digital fundraising campaign around. You can maximize your fundraising potential this GivingTuesday by:
GivingTuesday is only a single day, but it requires a lot of planning. Start prepping for GivingTuesday at least several months in advance so your communications are ready to go and your donors are primed to participate.
10. Email Marketing
Email is a tried and true nonprofit marketing tool. Through email, you can bolster your digital fundraising efforts by getting in touch with supporters about all kinds of topics. For example, a few types of emails you might send supporters include:
You can improve your email fundraising strategy by implementing several best practices, including:
Just like with phone numbers, if you’re missing email addresses or getting too many bounced emails, try conducting an email append. The only difference between an email append and a phone number append is that you’ll get email addresses rather than phone numbers!
11. Influencer Marketing
The bigger your online presence, the more successful your digital fundraising will be. So why not connect with someone who already has a big platform like a social media influencer?
Influencers range in audience sizes, audience receptiveness to nonprofit causes, and the likelihood of working with a nonprofit. Let’s take a quick look at the different types of influencers:
While you may not be able to connect with the influencers scoring cameos in big-budget films, you likely don’t need to. Rather than just looking at audience size, examine their content and audience. Connecting with an influencer whose audience is likely to support your cause is far more valuable than one with an uninterested large audience.
Digital Fundraising Best Practices
Use online fundraising software
It’s only fitting to manage your digital fundraising campaigns online. Digital fundraising software can help your nonprofit:
No matter your nonprofit’s size or focus, a well-rounded fundraising software solution can streamline your operations. Your nonprofit should choose fundraising software that automatically syncs any donor-specific information with your CRM so your information is always up-to-date.
Getting started with a fundraising software solution is simple. First, research and demo the different options on the market, and choose which is best for your organization. Then, work with your onboarding specialist to learn how to use the software and tailor it to your specific fundraising needs. Once you’re comfortable with the system, remember to consistently flag any additional problems you run into so you can best leverage the software.
Keep your data organized.
Any strong digital fundraising strategy is data-driven. But, to properly leverage your data, you need to keep it organized so you can access it when needed. You can clean your CRM by:
With accurate and organized data, your nonprofit can pinpoint which areas of your digital fundraising strategy need further attention and which efforts were successful.
Segment your audience.
When it comes to digital fundraising, you might assume you only have one audience: donors. However, donors rarely think of themselves strictly as donors, and instead, they consist of a wide group of people with differing motivations for giving.
You can better connect with your audience by dividing them into segments based on relevant characteristics. For example, you might divide your audience into general categories of:
Additionally, you can divide these groups by age, interests, location, or any other trait you think will help with your digital marketing. Then, for each segment, craft unique marketing messages that address their specific motivations, needs, and questions.
Digital Fundraising Trends
Marketing trends change over time, which means fundraising trends, change too! While your nonprofit should focus on finding a strategy that works for your specific organization, keeping an eye on trends can help you identify opportunities and spot challenges before they come up.
A few trends we’re currently seeing in the fundraising world include:
Stay up to date with what’s happening in fundraising by connecting with other nonprofit professionals, monitoring your data, and reading nonprofit news sources like the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
More Digital Fundraising Resources
Ultimately, your online fundraising success depends on how you leverage digital platforms, such as fundraising management tools and peer-to-peer software. To launch your new digital fundraising tactics, establish attainable, data-driven, and specific goals with your team. Then, pick the software solutions and strategies that allow you to achieve these objectives. Throughout the process, ensure you’re maintaining constant digital communication with your prospects to cultivate deep relationships with them, even through a screen.
For more digital fundraising resources, explore these guides:
How to make the case for Ad Grant management to your board
/in About Getting Attention, Nonprofit Communications /by Jessica KingCapital Campaigns 101: How to Train Your Entire Team
/in Nonprofit Communications /by Jessica KingCapital campaigns transform organizations – often from top to bottom. And it’s all too easy to get so swept up in the work of fundraising that no one develops a plan for training the staff and volunteers.
But these are all-hands-on-deck undertakings! Everyone at your organization will need to understand the campaign and why it’s so important for your mission. Many members of your team will need to take on important tasks for the first time, like prospect research, managing complex outreach projects, asking for major gifts, and securing new sponsorships.
Training is critical for the success of a capital campaign, and it ensures your staff and volunteers will learn valuable skills to carry forward into the future.
In this post, you’ll learn who needs to be trained, when they need to be trained, and what they need to learn.
Understanding the Larger Context of Capital Campaigns
Capital campaigns are unlike other, more frequent fundraising campaigns you might conduct for your nonprofit. Their unique characteristics will impact the scope and shape of your training process.
Remember these three ideas as you develop a training plan for your capital campaign:
The Standard Campaign Training Process
Most campaigns incorporate two basic training tracks into their planning process. They conduct training about the campaign for their board, and they conduct solicitation training for those people who will be asking for gifts.
Training Your Board
Your board should be trained early in the campaign process so they understand how a campaign works and what their roles and responsibilities will be. Board training sessions are often 2-3 hours long and can be conducted in person or virtually.
Board members should be trained to articulate the case for support in their own words. They should understand the phases and timing of the campaign. And they should be clear about the roles of the board as a whole and what will be expected of them as individuals serving on the board.
Training Your Fundraisers
Solicitation training should be a regular and ongoing part of any campaign. You might conduct an extensive training series with all the people who will be soliciting gifts during the campaign’s quiet phase, most likely including board members. But you should combine that with shorter brush-up sessions for solicitors before they ask for gifts.
Both of these trainings are important. But that’s not all the training you should do—look to other parts of your organization to ensure everyone is on the same page and ready to support the campaign as needed.
Training Your Organization’s Leaders
In addition to board training and solicitation training, you should train the executive team so that they understand how a campaign functions and can plan for the ways in which the campaign will affect their aspect of the organization.
The CFO, for example, should understand that campaign gifts are often pledged over several years and many of them are complex gifts that may involve securities, real property, and planned gifts. The CFO should know that during the campaign, they will have to find a way to reconcile the books and the campaign accounting. Making adjustments will be easier if the CFO understands how campaigns work, so early training is essential.
Training Your Program Staff
Often overlooked in campaigns is the training of the program staff. Those people often have front-line contact with the public, so it’s very important that they know that the organization is in a campaign and what it is about.
Program staff should know what the campaign is raising money for. They should understand how the results of the campaign will make a difference in the way the organization carries out its services.
Program staff should know what to say if someone asks them about the campaign. The receptionist, for example, shouldn’t be caught off guard if someone walks in and asks how they might make a campaign gift. And people who carry out the work should be able to talk comfortably about the coming improvements. Those small conversations with people in the course of daily service add up and create a sense of enthusiasm and excitement.
But if the program staff isn’t informed they might feel poorly prepared to answer questions and left out of the brewing campaign excitement.
Key Takeaways
As you begin your campaign, outline a training program that covers the entire organization. By all means, make sure your board and solicitors are well-trained—but don’t stop there. Develop a plan that will prepare your executive and program staff for the campaign too.
When everyone understands the campaign’s purpose, its impact, and how their role fits into its success, you’ll set your organization up for a successful campaign that will energize the community and transform how you work.
Capital Campaign Readiness Assessment
Is your organization ready for a capital campaign? This simple assessment tool will help you find out. You’ll assess six key areas of your organization. Take this free assessment now and find out if you’re truly ready for a campaign.
About the Authors
Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, and Andrea Kihlstedt are co-founders of the Capital Campaign Toolkit, a virtual support system for nonprofit leaders running successful campaigns. The Toolkit provides all the tools, templates, and guidance you need — without breaking the bank.
Marketing a Virtual Nonprofit Event: 3 Essential Tips
/in Nonprofit Communications /by ContributorVirtual nonprofit events can be a fundamental part of your organization’s fundraising strategy. With a strong virtual event, your nonprofit can easily grow its reach, build relationships with supporters, and boost donor acquisition and retention.
With these benefits in mind, it’s clear that your nonprofit needs to add virtual fundraising to its development toolkit. While less traditional than in-person events, virtual fundraisers can be equally effective at engaging donors and encouraging them to give from anywhere. However, your nonprofit will have to be intentional to keep supporters excited and engaged.
This is where a robust marketing strategy comes into play. Your virtual event needs to be marketed effectively to get as many people as possible to participate and increase awareness for your cause. Use these essential marketing tips to plan and promote your next virtual event:
By incorporating these essential strategies, your nonprofit can maximize its virtual fundraising. Let’s begin.
1. Recruit ambassadors to help spread the word.
Whether you’re hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or a virtual auction, you’ll need the support of your most-connected supporters to get the word out. By encouraging supporters to tap into their personal networks and share your fundraising campaign, you’ll be able to reach new audiences.
Think of it as creating a fundraising army, whose built-in social and professional networks allow you to engage and funnel new volunteers, donors, and activists to your cause. But for it to be successful, you need to choose the right ambassadors for your cause.
Good places to look for ambassadors include:
Once you find the right ambassadors, the next step is to set them up for success! Outline clear goals, provide the right marketing assets, and let your ambassadors loose. Watch as their new network brings new attendees and donations to your virtual event.
2. Segment your email lists.
Understanding your donors is the key to unlocking your virtual event marketing potential. It allows you to engage better with different audiences and grow at scale (while still being personalized). By targeting your marketing messages to specific donor segments, you can boost engagement and registrations for your online fundraising event.
How you decide to segment your donors depends on the needs of your organization. Let’s take a look at a few ways that you can create email segments to reach donors more effectively:
You can even target the way your donors have engaged with your events. For example:
After figuring out how you’re going to segment your donors, the next step is to create marketing messages tailored to their particular motivators. For example, donors who haven’t yet attended virtual events should be clearly shown how your virtual event will work.
If your nonprofit has a number of supporters who you don’t have email addresses from, consider investing in an email append service. Email appending services use identifying information about your supporters, such as their name and phone number, to find their current email addresses. Using an append is a quick way to fill in missing or incomplete information in your donor database and improve your ability to get in touch with supporters.
3. Promote your event across multiple channels.
While email is a highly effective tool, your nonprofit should also spread the word about your virtual event across other popular channels. According to the OneCause guide to virtual fundraising, a multi-channel marketing approach gives your event the highest chance of reaching diverse audiences, including people that haven’t heard about your organization before.
To raise awareness for your event, consider using marketing channels such as:
A tactful multi-channel strategy is key to attaining maximum engagement with your event. But don’t try to do it all at once! Choose 2-3 tactics that work best for your team and your mission and focus your attention there.
In order to cultivate better relationships with your supporters, your organization should be consistent in its outreach, communications, and engagement. A strong marketing strategy for your virtual event will give you what you need to grab and maintain donors’ attention from a distance. Use these essential strategies to maximize support and push your organization closer to achieving its fundraising goals. Good luck!
Microsoft Ad Grants: The Complete Guide for Nonprofits
/in Nonprofit Communications /by Erin TolandMicrosoft Advertising empowers nonprofits to enhance their digital marketing presence with its Ad Grant program. Similar to Google Grants, Microsoft Ad Grants offer approved organizations a monthly grant to advertise their web content across Microsoft’s network.
With $3,000 in their advertising budget from Microsoft’s Ad Grant, participating nonprofits can create ads that target mission-relevant keywords their supporters are searching for online.
While Microsoft is currently pausing its pilot program, the ad grant is still an exciting new opportunity for nonprofits to get in touch with new supporters.
To help you create a foolproof Microsoft Grant management strategy, we’ll explore these core topics:
Here at Getting Attention, we specialize in Google Ad Grant and Microsoft Grant management. As Microsoft gets ready to launch the next phase of its grant program, we’re staying on top of each development to help interested nonprofits make the most of this marketing opportunity.
If you’re ready to learn more, let’s dive in!
What are Microsoft Ad Grants?
Through the Microsoft Ad Grant program, approved nonprofits are given $3,000 a month to spend on ads on Microsoft’s digital search and native advertising platforms, including Bing, Yahoo!, AOL, outlook.com, MSN, and Microsoft Edge.
To participate, nonprofits must complete Microsoft’s application process. Any organization that’s approved can then create ads that target mission-centric keywords and drive users to get involved in their cause. For example, take a look at this ad:
This ad from BrightFocus Foundation appears on the top of Yahoo! search results for the keyword “alzheimer’s research.” Searchers interested in learning more about Alzheimer’s will then be driven to BrightFocus’s website where they can learn about the foundation’s commitment to Alzheimer’s research and potentially decide to make a donation.
This is just one example of how the Microsoft Ad Grant empowers nonprofits to drive meaningful conversions. You can also use the ad to urge supporters to take actions like:
While only available to U.S.-based nonprofits, Microsoft is planning to extend the program to other areas like Australia, Canada, France, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in the future.
How Do Microsoft Grants Differ from Google Grants?
While similar to Google Grants, there are key differences between Google’s program and Microsoft Ad Grants. Your end goal for each organization’s ad grant may be the same (e.g. you want to increase donations, secure more sponsors, or boost event registrations). However, the two programs can help you achieve these goals in different ways.
Before getting started, make sure you understand these core differences between the two programs:
Budget and competition
The Microsoft Ad Grant is $3,000 per month, while the Google Ad Grant is $10,000.
Unlike the Google Ad Grant program, Microsoft provides real money rather than ad credits through its corporate giving program. Of course, the funds still must be spent on Microsoft ads as the monthly grant allocation is applied to the nonprofit’s existing paid account.
While the grant amount is notably lower, competition for Microsoft’s search engines is also much lower, which makes $3,000 valuable for nonprofits that craft their campaigns carefully.
How ads are displayed
Google marks ads with bold text that says “Ad” alongside the title, while Microsoft marks ads with non-bold text in the meta description.
Audience
Users within Google and Microsoft’s search networks tend to vary slightly. For starters, Microsoft can help you connect with 44 million searchers who
While Google Search’s popularity is undisputed, Microsoft can help you connect with 44 million searchers who aren’t on Google. Beyond this, there are a few key differences between the two networks.
According to research on Microsoft’s network, people in their U.S. search network tend to be:
What this means for nonprofits is that Microsoft’s users are likely to have more generous spending habits than Google’s users, making them more likely to give to charity. By understanding who is using Microsoft’s search platforms, your nonprofit can better tailor its ads to the audience present.
Restrictions
Google restricts Ad Grant accounts by placing their ads below paid ads and requires them to meet ongoing eligibility requirements.
In contrast, Microsoft has few restrictions and no limitations on impression share since ad credits given to nonprofits are on the same level as paid ads. This makes it easier for nonprofit advertisers to reach more users and target terms for-profit businesses and large organizations might also create ads for.
Targeting features
Microsoft allows advertisers to target specific audiences with granular targeting strategies. For instance, you can target users based on device type and opt not to display campaign ads on desktops.
How to Apply for the Microsoft Ad Grant Program
Currently, the Microsoft Ad Grant is not accepting new applications.
However, during their pilot program, to get started with Microsoft Ad Grants, nonprofits would undergo a vetting process before being given access to the program and an arsenal of other Microsoft products. The process is simple and will look familiar to people who have previously applied for the Google Grant.
To apply for the program, you’ll need to follow these basic steps:
1. Meet the eligibility criteria.
Microsoft limits which organizations are eligible for the program to ensure that everyone who participates will actually benefit from the program.
The initial pilot program was only available to U.S. organizations. However, Microsoft is looking to open up the program to Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom in the future.
Beyond location, here are the criteria participating organizations must meet:
One of the main benefits of Microsoft’s program is its lack of restrictions when compared to Google Ad Grants. Once organizations meet these initial eligibility requirements, there’s little more they need to do to stay compliant with the program.
2. Apply for Microsoft for Nonprofits.
Once your organization’s eligibility is determined, you could sign up for Microsoft for Nonprofits. Note that the individual completing the registration form must be an employee or strategic volunteer at the nonprofit.
In the form, you provide details about your role and organization, agree to the nonprofit discount and donation policies, and verify your contact information.
Completing this step should only take around 10 minutes. Plus, while Microsoft states their registration review may take up to seven days, Microsoft For Nonprofits typically gets back to applicants via email within about 24 hours.
3. Complete the Microsoft Ad Grants application.
During the Microsoft Ad Grant pilot program, once an organization was approved for the Microsoft for Nonprofits program, they’d gain access to a variety of free and discounted Microsoft products and programs, including the Ad Grants application.
The previous application process for Microsoft Ad Grants was incredibly straightforward. Your organization would just need to visit the Microsoft Nonprofit Hub to access the application. Then, the person completing the form would fill out additional information about your organization and their role at your nonprofit.
After submitting your application, you would receive an email confirming acceptance into the program within 10 business days. This timeframe could vary based on your nonprofit’s responsiveness to requests for additional documentation.
4. Set up your first campaign with a Microsoft representative.
In its ad grant pilot program, Microsoft has a few ground rules for getting started to make sure nonprofits start off on the right foot. Instead of leaving you to fend for yourself, they required nonprofits to set up a time with one of their representatives to get started.
They took a hands-on approach to working with nonprofits for their first campaigns, ensuring ads and keywords were set up correctly. From here, nonprofits were free to start creating ads on their own, using their initial campaign as a reference point.
Tips for Effective Microsoft Grant Management
While the program is fairly new, there are some emerging best practices you can follow to make the most of the program once it launches its next phasee. Some of these will take a bit of practice to leverage effectively, but you’ll soon start to see better results for your campaigns.
Leverage action-based conversion extensions.
Similar to ad extensions for Google Ads, Microsoft Ads allows you to expand your ads with extensions. You can combine ad extensions, giving readers multiple options to choose from.
For instance, callout extensions allow you to add a snippet of text that highlights key points about your organization. Sitelink extensions enable you to link to additional pages on your site, giving readers more ways to engage with your cause.
Another valuable extension is Action Extensions. Action Extensions act as CTAs for your ads. Essentially, they tell the readers exactly what next steps to take to get involved and further their supporter journey.
Any Action Extensions you use will be clickable and appear next to your ad’s description. You can choose from a list of 62 different options, including (but not limited to):
Using extensions can drastically increase your CTR and conversion rates. They tell readers exactly what to do next once they’re inspired by your ad!
Set up Universal Event Tracking.
Universal Event Tracking (UET) is a powerful tool that monitors what your visitors do on your website. You simply create your UET tag, place it on your website, and let Microsoft Advertising do the rest to track visitors’ behavior.
By setting up UET, you can unlock features that help you better understand your audience and what drives them to interact with your cause. In turn, you can level up your ads and make them more targeted. For instance, you can enable:
UET unlocks additional tools for your ads that you won’t want to overlook. While they may seem complicated at first glance, you can always turn to a Microsoft Grants professional to manage your account and leverage these features for you!
Create separate strategies for Microsoft Grants and Google Grants.
While similar, Microsoft Ad Grants and Google Grants do have their differences. It can be tempting to target the same keywords and replicate the same ads. However, you’ll likely see better results by varying the campaigns you create on the two platforms.
Optimizing a Google Grant account looks a bit different from optimizing a Microsoft Ad Grant account. Here are a couple of ways you can vary your campaigns:
Both programs are incredibly valuable, and your organization should take advantage of free funding. Create strategies that play to each advertising platform’s strengths, and you’ll drive more value through your ads!
How to Work with a Microsoft Grants Expert
There’s no doubt that Microsoft Ad Grants are an incredible asset to your nonprofit’s marketing strategy. However, many nonprofits simply don’t have the time to spare for conducting keyword research, crafting well-written ads, or monitoring campaign success.
That’s why when the Microsoft Ad Grant starts back up again, we recommend outsourcing the work to a dedicated Microsoft Grant agency, like Getting Attention. Our team of digital marketing professionals can guide you through everything from your application to ongoing account maintenance, reducing the labor required by your team.
Some of our core services include:
If you need support in areas not mentioned on our website, we’re happy to chat about our experience with any additional services you may need. Reach out to learn how Getting Attention’s Microsoft Ad Grant services can help take your digital marketing to the next level!
Additional Resources
The Microsoft Ads for Social Impact program is a powerful opportunity for any organization that’s looking to strengthen its digital marketing strategy. Once it begins taking applications again, your nonprofit should consider getting in line to get approved.
In the meantime, if you want to continue your research or are curious about how to market your mission more effectively online through other methods, check out these additional resources:
3 Methods for Measuring Your Nonprofit’s Investment Success
/in Nonprofit Tools /by Jessica KingIs your nonprofit’s investment strategy paying off? Understanding your investment portfolio’s performance is critical to establishing a healthy budget, determining future fundraising strategies, and providing a meaningful snapshot to stakeholders.
When evaluating your nonprofit investment performance, it’s essential to consider the following factors:
By combining these methods, you’ll be able to take a holistic view of your investment approach and make the best possible decisions for the success of your organization and community at large. Let’s dive in!
1. Return on Investment (ROI)
According to NPOInfo, return on investment (ROI) represents the total revenue your organization gains over the total investment cost, including the principal amount and ongoing fees.
When looking at your nonprofit’s investment success, return on investment is the most important measurement to consider. For nonprofits, we recommend looking at your ROI through two different lenses: ROI over a period of time and ROI compared to the market.
ROI Over a Period of Time
ROI over a period of time considers both capital gains and dividends and can be used to analyze the overall performance of a nonprofit’s investment portfolio.
To calculate ROI over a period of time, simply divide your investment return (current value minus investment cost) by the cost of your initial investment.
ROI = (Investment Return / Investment Cost) × 100%
For example, if you invested $100,000 in a mutual fund and it gained 10% over the course of a year, your ROI would be 10%.
ROI Compared to the Market
ROI compared to the market is a way to measure how well your investments performed compared to a benchmark index. In this sense, it focuses on the difference between the return you earned and the return you could have earned by investing in a low-cost, passive benchmark index.
For example, if the S&P 500 gained 10% over a year, and your investment earned 13%, your ROI compared to the market would be 3%.
Additionally, as inflation rates rise, you should compare your ROI against current rates. If inflation is at 9%, but your investment account returns 8%, your fund is actively losing its value, and you should reconsider your investment strategy.
2. Risk
In addition to ROI, you should consider the riskiness of your investments when evaluating your investment performance. A successful high-risk investment strategy can quickly become a very unsuccessful one.
While measuring the risk of your investment strategy is a complex process, for nonprofits, we recommend you begin by evaluating it in two forms: volatility and drawdowns.
Volatility
Volatility is a calculation of how much your investments fluctuate in value over time. Measuring volatility can help your organization understand the predictability of an investment fund’s growth. For example, a fund that gained 10% one year, lost 12% the following year, and gained 16% in a third year would be considered an unpredictable and thus volatile investment.
Volatility is particularly important to consider with short-term, time-bound investments where you can’t wait for the value to swing upward before removing the funds. However, in general, the higher the volatility, the higher the risk.
Drawdowns
A drawdown tells you how much an investment or fund has lost in value over a specific period of time. Drawdowns are important to consider in your performance analysis because they provide historical insight into how much your investments can lose. Much like volatility, the higher the drawdown, the higher the risk.
Generally, a diversified portfolio, alongside ongoing fundraising activities, such as events, donations, and matching gifts, will help your nonprofit reduce the potential risk in your investment portfolio and perform better long-term. For example, if you have a portfolio diversified across multiple asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and cash, your overall investment is less likely to suffer if one of those assets performs poorly.
3. Liquidity
As an investment performance metric, liquidity tells you how easily you can convert your investment into cash and access your money in an emergency. While not all your funds will be liquid, nonprofits should aim to have an easily-accessible reserve fund of nine to twelve months of their operating budget in a conservative and diversified portfolio.
Endowment funds, for instance, often carry restrictions that regulate the amount your organization can withdraw each year and where that money can go. Similarly, if you have a portfolio that is composed of only stocks, you may have a difficult time quickly converting your investments into cash in the case of an emergency. On the other hand, if you have a portfolio composed of cash and bonds, you will likely have an easier time converting your investments into cash.
To measure liquidity, consider the percentage of your investment portfolio that is composed of cash and cash equivalents. For example, if you have a portfolio consisting of 50% cash and 50% stocks, your portfolio would be considered 50% liquid.
The Bottom Line
By measuring return on investment, risk, and liquidity, you will be able to get a clearer picture of how your nonprofit’s investments are performing.
However, for many nonprofits with limited resources, this information can often be challenging to find, share, and act on. To improve transparency and accessibility as well as increase your investing success, it’s important to consider the investment tools you use. Infinite Giving’s guide to nonprofit reserve funds recommends that you ask the following questions of providers when considering where to invest your funds:
With the right investment tools and measurement strategies, you can better engage key stakeholders and donors, make financially sound investment decisions, generate more income for your organization, and make a greater impact in your community.