5 Must-Know Google Ads Tips to Turn Clicks into (Recurring) Donations

Guest Blog by Jessica King, Business Lead at Getting Attention

Nonprofits are always testing new ways to reach donors, understand their interests, and market to them more effectively. With the many fancy tools out there, you may feel tempted to reinvent the wheel to attract new donors to your organization but that’s not necessary.

If you’re feeling stuck with your current outreach strategy, go back to the basics. Consider your target donors’ most used platforms and construct a plan with them in mind. 

Did you know, there are 8.5 billion Google searches every day? People are always looking to find new products and even research organizations like yours. According to Getting Attention, search ads—such as Google Ads—have the highest return on investment (ROI) for nonprofits using paid advertising, making them the perfect option for securing more support at a low cost.

Here are the 5 tips to help you set up successful Google Ad campaigns and increase your conversion rates to raise more for your cause. Let’s get started!

1. Sign up for the Google Ad Grant program.

Did you know that nonprofits can create Google Ads for free with the help of the Google Ad Grant program? Through this program, Google awards eligible charitable organizations with $10,000 in monthly Google Ad credits.

To access this incredible opportunity, start by checking your eligibility. Google requires participating nonprofits to have 501(c)(3) status, run a functioning website, and have an SSL certificate.

Google states that the following organizations are not eligible for the program:

• Governmental entities
• Hospitals and healthcare organizations
• Schools and universities

Once you’ve determined that your nonprofit is eligible, follow these steps to sign up:

1. Create a Google for Nonprofits account. The Google Ad Grant falls under the wider umbrella of Google for Nonprofits, which includes a variety of free tools charitable organizations can access. During this step, Google will verify your nonprofit’s eligibility using TechSoup or Percent.
2. Prepare your website. Once you successfully create a Google for Nonprofits account, it’s time to focus on the Google Ad Grant. Before you apply, you’ll need to make sure your website is up to Google’s standards by installing Google Analytics, obtaining an SSL certificate, which means your web site is secure (your url starts with https:// ) and ensuring your mission and activities are clearly stated.
3. Apply for the Google Ad Grant. Lastly, you’ll fill out the Google Ad Grant application and submit your website for review. To submit the application, go to the Google for Nonprofits website, and click on “Products.” From there, you’ll click on “Get Started,” fill out the application and select “Activate” to submit it.

If Google doesn’t get back to you right away, don’t fret! It may take up to three business days to receive your application decision, so stay patient, and check your email regularly for any updates.

2. Bid on relevant keywords.

When creating Google Ad campaigns, you’ll choose keywords to bid on. These keywords represent what potential donors may be searching for that could lead them to click on your ad, as depicted in the image below.

Alt Text: This image shows what a search engine results page looks like with Google Ads.

It’s important to do your research and follow Google Grant keyword best practices to optimize your strategy:

• Be specific. Specificity is crucial when developing Google Ad keywords to ensure you reach your target audience. Let’s say you run an animal shelter. You may be tempted to target keywords such as “dog lovers” or “helping animals,” but people searching these terms may not be interested in your shelter’s services. Instead, use keywords that more closely represent your services such as “adopting animals in need” and “donating to support animal rescue”.
• Ensure keywords are relevant. While specificity is important, you must balance it with keyword relevancy. The keywords you choose must have a clear connection to the page you’re directing users to. For example, the keyword “volunteering with animals” would pair well with an ad that links to your volunteer registration page.
• Investigate key metrics. Once you’ve developed some keyword variations, use a tool like Moz or SEMRush to evaluate them. Pay close attention to each potential keyword’s search volume to ensure people are actually looking for the terms you choose. Additionally, look at keyword competition to select keywords that have relatively low competition, making it easier to show up in search results. 

Above all else, remember to think from the searcher’s perspective. What may they be searching for that relates to your organization? You can even change your keywords during different times of year to gear them toward specific giving occasions like GivingTuesday when potential donors may be looking for nonprofits to support.

3. Include a clear call to action.

Develop Google Ads that clearly describe what you’d like users to do. Each ad should include a clear call to action (CTA) that relates to the keyword strategy and the link you’re directing users to.

For example, most nonprofits use Google Ads to solicit donations. To successfully increase donation revenue, tell donors how and where they can donate. Charitable organizations may also use Google Ads to recruit volunteers, share events, or promote educational content, all of which would have different calls to action.

Here are examples of poor and good calls to action:

• Poor Call to Action: Click here to go to our website.
• Good Call to Action: Help animals in need find loving homes. Visit our donation page using the link below to make a contribution. Make a monthly gift to help animals in need.

Notice how the first call to action is very generic and does not explain what donors’ funds will go toward while the second is specific, mentions which page the ad leads to, and leans into emotion to develop a connection with the potential donor.

4. Link to your donation page.

In most cases, you’ll use Google Ads to increase donations. Make sure to include the link to your donation page to drive traffic straight from your ad. That way, you eliminate confusion about where donors should go next.

Since you’ll be driving traffic to your donation page, spruce it up with the following elements:

• Updated design. A Google Ad campaign targeting your donation page is the perfect opportunity to revamp arguably the most important section of your website. Ensure it reflects your branding and catches potential donors’ attention.
• Multiple giving options. Make it as easy as possible for donors to contribute by providing multiple ways to give and different giving frequencies. 
• Donor testimonials. Inspire potential donors to give with testimonials from current donors. Interview some of your top supporters and feature their responses on your donation page. Donors love hearing from other donors. This creates social proof. 

You’ll also want to ensure your overall website is up to par with current accessibility standards for a proper user experience. For example, check that there’s sufficient contrast between text and background colors, and add alt text to any images.

5. Mention additional giving opportunities.

When donors know their contributions will have a larger impact, they’re more likely to give. Create Google Ads that inform them of matching gift opportunities. Double the Donation’s matching gift program guide recommends building a dedicated matching gift page and promoting it with a Google Ad campaign.

You can also encourage those who are especially passionate about your work to become recurring donors and help sustain your mission on a regular basis. To target potential recurring donors, add recurring giving options to your donation page, and develop an iteration of your Google Ad intended to solicit donations that mentions the impact of recurring gifts.

There you have it. Google Ads offers an easy way to communicate with donors and find new one-time and recurring supporters. Make sure to experiment with your campaigns so you can nail down which copy and techniques work best for your organization. That way, you can maximize support and raise more for your mission.