Google for Nonprofits Blog

Happy 10th birthday, Google Grants!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

This week marks a milestone for the Google Grants program. What began as the brainstorm of philanthropic minded Googlers ten years ago has evolved into a full-scale program spanning across 28 countries and supporting over 14,000 nonprofits. To commemorate the program’s 10th birthday, we’d like to celebrate the nonprofits that have made it all possible.
Google Grants launched with its very first nonprofit, March of Dimes, on April 1, 2003. By the end of year one, 139 nonprofits were thriving in the beta program, and we decided to extend the opportunity to as many organizations and countries as possible.

So what have these Google Grantees been able to accomplish with their advertising grants? Let’s hear from the nonprofits themselves on how they’ve enlisted new volunteers and donors, reached new constituents, raised awareness about important issues, and so much more!

GreaterGood.org "This valuable, targeted traffic source continues to be our main source for new donors and subscribers. Approximately 70% of our 2012 web traffic came directly from Google Grants clicks, but we believe closer to 90% of our total site visitors came as a direct result of the overall program. The Google Grants program has truly been a game changer for GreaterGood.org! "

- Rian Cool, Online Campaigns Manager, GreaterGood.org

MitoAction “Mitochondrial disease is a rare disease. When we received our Google Grant in 2008, our average site traffic was about 6,000 visitors per month. We began a targeted awareness campaign using our Google Grant with hopes of reaching more families suffering from Mito. By 2012, our monthly traffic had grown more than 400%, to 26,000 visitors per month. We know from following our statistics that 35% of those visitors are directly from our Google ads, and even better, we know that more than 10% of those come back as repeat visitors who are now either volunteering, receiving support from us, or participating in our events.”

- Cristy Balcells, Executive Director, MitoAction

WOLA "Adwords has helped us double our web traffic in the last year--from 20,000 unique visitors per month in 2012 to 40,000 this year on average. Adwords helps us to get our messages to the right audience and for the right reason—to promote human rights in Latin America."

- Kristel Mucino, Communications Director, WOLA

As we blow out the candle on our 10th birthday cake this week, we’d like to thank all of our Google Grantees who are dedicated to making the world a better place. Cheers to the next 10 years!

Posted by Nikki Lopez, Google Grants team

Google Maps shows Amazon funds at work

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

(Cross posted from the Lat Long Blog)
Editor’s Note: Today’s guest author is Gabriel Ribenboim from Ritual, on behalf of Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), a nonprofit organization implementing a large-scale social and environmental program in the Amazon. FAS was the recipient of a Google Earth Outreach Grant for Google Maps Engine, which they used to develop an accountability map for their investments in conservation and poverty alleviation. We are excited to showcase the Bolsa Floresta Platform. Our work with FAS is an example of how non-profits all over the world are using comprehensive, accurate and easy-to use Google Maps, Earth and geo tools to tell their story and help their audiences visualize their cause.
Since 2011, I’ve been working with the Brazilian nonprofit organization Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) and Google to collect Street View for the Amazon. One FAS’s most significative initiatives is the administration of the Bolsa Floresta -- Brazil’s first internationally-certified incentive program for the preservation of traditional communities and environment in the Amazon rainforest. As the largest payment for environmental services program in the world, Bolsa Floresta serves over 35,000 people, 15 state-protected reserve territories and covers an area of more than 10 million hectares.
Today, I’m excited to announce FAS’ latest project with Google: the Bolsa Floresta Platform - an online tool that allows you to explore and visualize a mix of social, environmental and economical map datasets for 15 protected areas in the Amazon.

Institutional transparency is a challenge for NGOs across the world. Tools that help track the impact of our efforts and present them in an accessible way are rare and normally require a significant investment. The Bolsa Floresta platform, built on Google technologies such as Google Maps Engine, Google Drive, YouTube and Street View helped us organize this kind of dataset in a way that is easy to visualize, understand and share with little in the way of programming complexity or investment.
Now, anyone can dive into the mapping visualizations of the State of Amazonas, navigate the rivers, forest, and communities through Google Street View imagery, or even browse 3D buildings inside protected areas. Most importantly, partners, government agencies and those who live within the benefited state-protected areas, can explore all kinds of informational map layers, enhancing institutional transparency, global awareness, exchange of sustainability practices and poverty alleviation solutions and improving internal planning capabilities.
The new platform is just one of the many ways FAS is using Google’s technologies to work towards a sustainable future on behalf of the communities of Brazil’s Amazon. Explore the map now or find out more about us at fas-amazonas.org.
Posted by Gabriel Ribenboim from Ritual, on behalf of Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS)

Celebrating World Water Day 2013

Friday, March 22, 2013

Today, we hosted a Google+ hangout celebration in honor of World Water Day. This year we are focused on raising awareness for the 780 million people that do not have access to clean water -- and what we can do together to solve the water crisis. The hangout featured representatives from charity: water, Water.org, Water For People, WaterAid, People Water, Whole World Water and was moderated by YouTube star ijustine. Check out the entire hangout below to learn more about the world water crisis and how you can take action.
If you have questions or want to join the conversation, share them with us. Post your thoughts as comments on the event page for the hangout.
Posted by Alina Kim and Elliot Polokoff, Google+ Community Partnerships team

Here’s To You: Two years of Google for Nonprofits

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Two years ago this week, we launched Google for Nonprofits to support the many nonprofit organizations that are changing the world. In that time, we’ve been privileged to support amazing organizations and witness the meaningful work you do every day. Reaching our second birthday would not have been possible without this fantastic community of nonprofits.

So, yesterday we hosted a day of celebration asking our community to share what they were celebrating whether it be hitting a milestone, an act of service or just being together.

The Google for Nonprofits team celebrating two years of working with meaningful and innovative nonprofits.
We saw so many fun and inspiring examples. Check out all the photos and posts on our Google+ page and feel free to add your own picture. Just make sure to +mention us (+Google for Nonprofits), include a caption about what you’re celebrating, and include the hashtag #Heres2You.
Thank you to everyone who made these two years so special!
Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team

Make a map that will change the world with Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

For the third year, I’m excited to announce the call for 2013 Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants applications is now open. Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants provide funding to nonprofit organizations ranging between $10,000 and $20,000 on average to build a map that will help them accomplish their mission, be it around environmental issues, humanitarian causes, disaster relief prevention, or health issues. If your nonprofit has a great idea for a map that can change the world, apply for a 2013 Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant today. This year, we checked in with our 2011 Developer Grantees to learn about the impact their maps had on each nonprofit’s overall mission one year after the launch of the map. We were proud of the many achievements of the nonprofits’ work. Here are some of my favorite examples:

WWF & Eyes on the Forest mapped deforestation rates and wildlife habitat in Sumatra.

WWF & Eyes on the ForestDon’t Flush Tiger Forests The HALO Trust mapped their minefield clearance work in a Google Earth Tour

Google Earth tours

iNaturalist taps into citizen scientists who submit research-grade species observations to a global map using Android devices and iPhones

2012 Developer Grantees’2013 Google Earth Outreach Developer Grantsapply for a grantPosted by Tanya Birch, Google Earth Outreach

Five ways to use Google Apps for Nonprofits for your nonprofit

Friday, March 8, 2013

As we continue to dive into how Google for Nonprofits can work for your organization, we’ve met some great product experts who have shared insightful ways specifically for nonprofits to use Google products. Last week, we met two Google Apps experts, Asha Toulmin and Marianna Kerppola, who walked us through different uses of tools like Google Calendar, Gmail and Docs. If you couldn’t make it, here are five tips we learned to help you take advantage of Google Apps. You can also watch the full video below.

1. Use labels and filters to organize your Gmail. If you have a specific event or team you’re working with, you can create custom labels and filters and assign them to groups of emails. When you need to access information, you can simply sort by labels and filters and find all the related emails.

2. Connect with your team instantly through Gmail. Need to collaborate with someone immediately? You can use Gmail to chat, video chat or make a phone call directly to a colleague - allowing immediate interaction without ever leaving your inbox.

3. Schedule meetings easily using shared calendars. Using shared calendars in Google Calendar, you can view coworkers’ calendars and see when each team member is available. You can quickly find times that work for everyone and eliminate the back and forth that often comes with scheduling.

4. Keep everyone on the same page in meetings by attaching files. Google Calendar allows you to attach documents from your computer and your Drive directly to the meeting invitation. Make sure all your meeting invitees are looking at the same information by sharing an agenda and background resources in your meeting invite.

5. Organize your documents and access them anywhere. With Google Drive, you can upload, create and share documents in the cloud - allowing you to access them anytime, anywhere. Help your nonprofit take it a step further by organizing materials into shared folders. These automatically updated folders can be accessed both online and offline by anyone who is granted access.

Have questions? Our product experts, Asha and Marianna, have answered the top questions from the Hangout with short video responses. Check out their full set of video responses on our YouTube channel.
Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team

The 2013 DoGooder Video Awards open for nominations

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

(Cross posted from the Official YouTube Blog)
Awards season is upon us. And for the fourth year, YouTube is teaming up with See3 Communications to present the DoGooder Video Awards, a celebration of the best nonprofit videos of the year. If you’re a nonprofit who made a video in 2012, you’re eligible and encouraged to submit your video.
But wait, there’s more! For the first time ever, we’re opening up the awards for submissions from individuals who are making videos to change their communities or the world. So if you’re a YouTube creator trying to save the whales one video at a time, or if you made a video on behalf of your favorite nonprofit this year, visit YouTube.com/DoGooder to nominate your video.
There are four separate categories in this year’s DoGooder Awards: the ImpactX Award for videos that drove clear real-world impact; Best Nonprofit Video; Funny for Good, recognizing effective use of comedy; and the Change Agent Award, for individuals who’ve gotten involved and produced their own cause-focused video.
We’ll award prizes like $3,500 grants, free admission to the Nonprofit Technology Conference, and special promotion on YouTube.

The deadline to enter is March 22, 2013. Official rules are available here.
Posted by Jessica Mason, YouTube for Good, recently watched “YouTubers Support Matt Damon's Strike!”

Google Apps for Nonprofits is now free for all nonprofits

Monday, February 25, 2013

Good news! As of today, any nonprofit organization that is part of Google for Nonprofits can get Google Apps for Nonprofits for free. Previously, the free version of this program was only available to nonprofits with fewer than 3,000 users. Now, whether your nonprofit is 10 people or 10,000, you are eligible to start using Gmail, Calendar, Drive and more.

Google Apps for Nonprofits allows your organization to reduce IT costs and helps your team collaborate more effectively. The suite of tools uses cloud computing to securely store and update documents, calendars and email in real-time - meaning you can access data anywhere, anytime. Google manages all of the updating and maintenance in the cloud, so you’ll never be required to install hardware or update software. And if you need help, we have a 24/7 support team available.

If your organization is ready to begin using Google Apps for Nonprofits and is already in the program, just enroll with the instructions in your acceptance email. If you’re new to Google for Nonprofits, start by joining the program. Once accepted, we’ll send you instructions on how to enroll in Google Apps for Nonprofits and other great products.

Need help getting started? Check out our step-by-step getting started guides that can help you get up and running successfully. And, don’t forget to join us tomorrow as we learn best practices for nonprofits from Google Apps experts in a Hangout on Air.
Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team

Samasource improves international operations with Google Apps for Nonprofit

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Here at Google for Nonprofits we’re always looking for ways to help your organization thrive. Whether it’s brainstorming ideas with Docs, minimizing costs through cloud based storage or managing international teams with Hangouts, we want to help make our tools work for you.

One nonprofit, Samasource, has done just that. Samasource is a social business dedicated to reducing poverty by connecting women, youth and refugees to meaningful work over the Internet. They employ thousands of workers internationally and, since 2008, they’ve delivered over $2 million in wages.

Samasource uses the suite of Google for Nonprofits products, specifically Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms and Calendars, to manage workers in multiple countries. By using Google Apps, they are able to efficiently run their operations at a low cost. See more of their story below.
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Want to learn more about how you can use Google Apps in your nonprofit? Join us Tuesday, February 26th at 10 am PT/1 pm ET on our Google+ page as we hear from Google Apps experts.
Posted by Katie Kellogg, Google for Nonprofits team

Going above and beyond with Google Apps for Nonprofits

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Last week, we walked through the tools available in the Google for Nonprofits program and heard some great stories of organizations using those products in effective and exciting ways. As part of our new series, we want to share specifically how you can use this suite of products to go above and beyond for your nonprofit.

So next up, we’re meeting two product experts who will show us how Google Apps can be used for nonprofits. They’ll share best practices with Google Calendar, Gmail and Docs, discuss real life examples and walk through how you can use Google Apps to organize a fundraiser.

Join us Tuesday, February 26th at 10 am PT/ 1pm ET on Google+. Don’t forget to RSVP on our Google+ event. If you have any questions about Google Apps for our experts, leave them as a comment in the event.
Posted by Asha Toulmin, Agency team

For Nonprofits Blog

Happy 10th birthday, Google Grants!

Google Maps shows Amazon funds at work

Celebrating World Water Day 2013

Here’s To You: Two years of Google for Nonprofits

Make a map that will change the world with Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants

Five ways to use Google Apps for Nonprofits for your nonprofit

The 2013 DoGooder Video Awards open for nominations

Google Apps for Nonprofits is now free for all nonprofits

Samasource improves international operations with Google Apps for Nonprofit

Going above and beyond with Google Apps for Nonprofits

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