Last year we asked participants in the Google Grants program to submit surveys about their experience with Google Grants, AdWords and other products. Of the responses we received, we were able to glean a bit of insight into the industries that make up the non-profits in our program and would like to share those insights with you for the purposes of creating your own benchmarks and metrics in this ...Read More

Last year we asked participants in the Google Grants program to submit surveys about their experience with Google Grants, AdWords and other products. Of the responses we received, we were able to glean a bit of insight into the industries that make up the non-profits in our program and would like to share those insights with you for the purposes of creating your own benchmarks and metrics in this monthly benchmarking series.

This month we’re featuring the Arts, Culture & Humanities category of the non-profit industry. Look to future months for other NTEE non-profit categories.

Arts, Culture & Humanities
Grantees in this segment of the non-profit industry were most likely to track website traffic as their most important metric, state "reaching new constituents" as their main mission objective served via their Grant and state "raising awareness" as the main marketing objective served via their Google Grant.

With regard to the performance of their Grants AdWords account, they received an average of 19% of their total site visits from their Grants AdWords account and an average of 12,000 conversions over the last year (11/2009 - 11/2010).

An average of 7% of Arts, Culture & Humanities organizations who responded to the survey report that they currently use an agency, SEO or SEM to manage their Grants AdWords account.

Check back next month when we’ll feature benchmark information for the Education segment.

Posted by Jessica Vaughan, Google Grants Team

We know that finding the funding and resources to create compelling video can be difficult. That’s why YouTube is introducing “Good Work,” a program in partnership with the Cannes Advertising Festival.Read More

We know that finding the funding and resources to create compelling video can be difficult. That’s why YouTube is introducing “Good Work,” a program in partnership with the Cannes Advertising Festival.

Through Good Work, YouTube is matching nonprofits with the best ad professionals in the world, and asking these creative professionals to make videos for nonprofits.

The best videos, as selected by an esteemed judging panel of ad executives and NGO sector leaders, will be featured at a showcase at the Cannes Advertising Festival in June and on the YouTube homepage, providing exposure for both the video creators and the nonprofits.

Nonprofits are encouraged to participate, but you must have nonprofit status issued by your government and have a YouTube channel. To get started, just fill out the brief questionnaire below at http://www.youtube.com/goodwork.

The platform is also open to creative executives to find and select a nonprofit they want to work with, based on the information you provide. If they choose your organization, you’ll get an email from them, and you can work together to achieve your video goals.

Posted by Ramya Raghavan, YouTube Team

One of the greatest things about my job is hearing how terrific organizations are using technology to help their cause. Today I've had a chance to talk with Direct Relief International ...Read More

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog)

One of the greatest things about my job is hearing how terrific organizations are using technology to help their cause. Today I've had a chance to talk with Direct Relief International who raised more than $1 million using Google AdWords, Samasource who saved tens of thousands of dollars using Google Apps and the Natural Resource Defense Council who earned 100,000 views from one video on their YouTube channel with no paid advertising. Listening to these stories and several like them, we realized that we had an opportunity to greatly increase the number of nonprofits we could assist. With today’s launch of the Google for Nonprofits program, which provides exclusive product offerings and enhanced online resources, we’ll be able to help U.S.-based nonprofits reach more donors, improve operations and raise awareness for their cause.



If you work for a nonprofit, this program provides you with several new benefits. Instead of applying to each Google product individually, you can sign up through a one-stop shop application process. If approved, you can access our suite of product offerings designed for nonprofits: up to $10,000 a month in advertising on Google AdWords to reach more donors, free or discounted Google Apps to cut IT costs and operate more efficiently, and premium features for YouTube and our mapping technologies to raise awareness of your cause. We’ve also developed other online resources such as educational videos, case studies and better ways for you to connect with other nonprofits.

Over time, we’ve learned that many nonprofits require hands-on assistance to optimize the use of Google tools. So we’re also introducing the Google for Nonprofits Marketplace, which connects nonprofits with professional service providers who have agreed to offer their services for a free or discounted rate. These firms are already certified partners from existing Google marketplaces—like AdWords Authorized Resellers, Analytics Certified Partners, Google Apps Marketplace and the Google Earth Outreach Developer Marketplace.

We’re inspired and humbled by the amazing ways nonprofits make positive changes to our world and look forward to supporting their work. If you work for a nonprofit, apply today to see how Google can help your organization grow and expand your impact.

Posted by Alfred Spector, VP of Research and Special Initiatives

Many of the non-profits in the Google Grants program are taking part in the relief efforts for the disaster in Japan.

We'd like to call attention to some of them so that you can get involved, offer support and learn more about the effects of the disaster. Please also take a look at the ...Read More

Many of the non-profits in the Google Grants program are taking part in the relief efforts for the disaster in Japan.

We'd like to call attention to some of them so that you can get involved, offer support and learn more about the effects of the disaster. Please also take a look at the Google Crisis Response site for resources, maps, news and a People Finder for those missing during this crisis.

• Direct Relief International has committed $600K in cash and $15M in medical inventory to the relief efforts in Japan as well as partnering with Japanese American Citizens League to create the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund to support relief and recovery efforts. Read more or donate to help.

• Save the Children is establishing a base of operations in Sendai to help vulnerable children and their families. Read more or donate to help.

• The Red Cross has dispatched disaster management specialists to partner with local Japanese Red Cross efforts as well as an initial contribution of $10M to assist with relief efforts. Read more or donate to help.

• Mercy Corps has sent emergency supplies to families evacuated from the area of Kesennuma. Read more or donate to help.

If you're a grant recipient providing relief to those affected by the disaster in Japan and have questions about managing your AdWords account to scale with traffic increases, please contact our team so we can make sure you reach those in need and those who can help.

Last month, the Google Earth Outreach team co-hosted a training with the Institute at the Golden Gate at historic Fort Baker’s national park lodge, Cavallo Point Lodge, in Sausalito, California. The Institute gathered over eighty representatives from environmental nonprofits and government organizations for the two-day workshop, designed for technology specialists, environmental leaders, and public-interest advocates interested in becoming effective trainers for Google’s mapping technology and its range of applications.Read More

Last month, the Google Earth Outreach team co-hosted a training with the Institute at the Golden Gate at historic Fort Baker’s national park lodge, Cavallo Point Lodge, in Sausalito, California. The Institute gathered over eighty representatives from environmental nonprofits and government organizations for the two-day workshop, designed for technology specialists, environmental leaders, and public-interest advocates interested in becoming effective trainers for Google’s mapping technology and its range of applications.

The participants’ focus areas encompassed a wide variety of environmental issues, including public access to parks, clean energy, and tracking of invasive species. Despite their various fields, they were all there for the same reason: the rising and constant demand for mapping visualizations in their work and interest in Google’s easy-to-use and intuitive mapping tools.

Google Earth Outreach team member Sean Askay leads a workshop session on advanced KML programming.

With a workshop curriculum designed to address a variety of issues, the Google Earth Outreach team, along with Googlers from the Developer Relations, Fusion Tables, and Google Earth for Educators teams, led hands-on sessions to build participants’ technical skills in Google Earth, Maps, Fusion Tables & APIs. When they weren’t basking in the glow of their laptop screens, the workshop participants were able to take advantage of the workshop’s scenic location by the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge at the historic Fort Baker’s LEED Gold Certified Cavallo Point Lodge in the Golden Gate National Parks. Despite the heavy storms that persisted over the two days, the clouds parted for two hours on the first morning just in time for a mobile data collection field exercise with Open Data Kit. Participants with Android mobile devices were able to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine as well as the view and collect some sample field data. Back in the workshop room, participants uploaded their field data to a Google Fusion Table that displayed everyone’s results on a map.

Michael Norelli of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy collects a data point on an Android phone.

In addition to this fun field exercise, participants appreciated the sessions where they were able to get their hands dirty with the tools, have 1:1 time with the Google team, and learn about real world examples of organizations using mapping applications. There was a lot of of excitement about the power of Fusion Tables as a dataset visualization tool. At the end of the two days, there was a general feeling of excitement and enthusiasm among the participants to take the workshop teachings back to their organization, and kick-start or finish mapping projects and train others.

The Institute at the Golden Gate will continue the momentum of this workshop by equipping more environmentalists with Google technology and promoting the work of the Google Earth Outreach team. The Institute plans to use Google technology to create visualizations and a narrated tour of its latest initiative Park Prescriptions - highlighting programs across the nation that connect public lands as a resource for health.

With Google technology, environmentalists and change-makers have open access to an array of tools to help visualize and raise awareness about their work. You don’t have to travel to a training to start learning. Simply check out Google Earth Outreach’s online tutorials to start now.

The Institute at the Golden Gate convenes and collaborates with organizations across sectors to broker relationships that drive positive environmental change. To learn more about hosting your own environmental conference or event at Fort Baker, click here.

Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Google Earth Outreach Team; and Melissa Tsang, Institute at the Golden Gate

Recently, the DMA and Mobile Commerce Daily hosted a Nonprofit Mobile Day in Washington, DC. If you missed out on the events, you can find the presentations here that include examples of how organizations are leveraging mobile for fundraising and marketing. Here is a list of the presentations you will find ...Read More

Recently, the DMA and Mobile Commerce Daily hosted a Nonprofit Mobile Day in Washington, DC. If you missed out on the events, you can find the presentations here that include examples of how organizations are leveraging mobile for fundraising and marketing. Here is a list of the presentations you will find:

• American Cancer Society: How Mobile Plays a Key Role in Donor Outreach
• The Definitive Mobile 101 Primer
• Mobile Giving or Mobile Marketing – or Both?
• World Childhood Foundation USA: Managing Donations from SMS and a Mobile Web Site
• How to Create Effective Mobile Advertising Campaigns That Engage Donors and Prospects
• American Red Cross: How the Most Successful Mobile Fundraiser Changed Charitable Giving Forever
• Sesame Workshop: Tapping Mobile's Strengths to Leverage Content

Since our last mobile blog post with Google Grants Mobile Ads Strategies, have you launched your mobile strategy? Here are a few refreshers and tips:

1. Break out a mobile specific campaign so you can write targeted ad text. A user searching on mobile is on the go and ready to take immediate action.
2. Utilize Ad Sitelinks to show different links and bring users to different pages of your site such as “Donate Here,” “Learn More Here,” “About Us,” or “Sign up to Volunteer.”
3. Add your phone extension so users can click to call and be connected immediately to your non-profit.
4. If you have local chapters add location extensions in Ad extensions to show users where they can find your nonprofit in the area.
5. If you have a mobile app, promote the app with click to download.
6. Check your landing pages on a mobile device to see if users can navigate your site. Consider building a mobile site or mobile app in the future.
7. Measure performance of mobile campaigns in AdWords by segmenting traffic by device or use Analytics to gain insights on all mobile traffic to your site.

See more possibilities on mobile for Google Search at this video.

Posted by Lisa Fong, AdWords Team

Welcome to the Google for Nonprofits Blog! Check back often for news, updates and tips from Google Apps, Google Grants, Google Earth Outreach, YouTube for Nonprofits and more. For more information on how Google tools can help expand the impact of your organization, check out ...Read More

Welcome to the Google for Nonprofits Blog! Check back often for news, updates and tips from Google Apps, Google Grants, Google Earth Outreach, YouTube for Nonprofits and more. For more information on how Google tools can help expand the impact of your organization, check out the Google for Nonprofits website.

Posted by Janelle Kuhlman, Google Grants Team

Read More

Cross Posted On The Inside AdWords Blog

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new ad rotation setting in AdWords that will allow you to optimize for conversions. Previously, you had two options:

• Optimize for clicks: Ads that are expected to provide more clicks are shown more often
• Rotate: Ads are shown more evenly

Now, with a third option, you can choose to show ads that are expected to provide more conversions more often.

We’ve always encouraged you to test multiple ads in each ad group, and we’ve offered our help by showing ads with the highest clickthrough rates more often. However, some of you have told us that the ad with the highest clickthrough rate isn’t always the ad with the highest conversion rate and that you’d like to be able to optimize for conversions rather than clicks. We are now allowing you to do just that!

To use the new setting, you’ll need to have Conversion Tracking in your account, as we use the data from that tool to determine which ad is the most likely to receive conversions. When we don’t have enough data to make a decision, we’ll show the ad that is the most likely to receive clicks. If you have Conversion Tracking, the Optimize for conversions option will be available in the Ad delivery: Ad rotation, frequency capping section under Advanced settings on the Settings tab of any campaign. Once enabled, it will apply to all ads that appear on Google and our search and display partners’ sites.

By providing another way to define the “best-performing” ad, we hope to make it easier for you to experiment with your ads and learn which ones are the most successful in helping you reach your advertising goals. For more information on ad rotation settings, please visit the AdWords Help Center.

Posted by Lisa Shieh, AdWords Team