Exa Newletter, Summer 09 Edition











Google Grants

Google Grants is a sponsorship program specifically made available to non-profits. Free credits for Google AdWords are awarded to organisations large and small that have a philosophy of community service.

Google AdWords credit from Google Grants are used for ads here Google AdWords, also known as pay-per-click advertising, are listings that appear in Google searches above organic search results and down the right-hand side of the page. These ads are placed via keyword bids. In contrast to organic search results which are made possible by search engine optimisation techniques applied to the company’s website, Google AdWords is a search engine marketing technique separate to the website itself. Google Grants are in-kind awards of these otherwise paid search listings to help increase traffic to the websites of non-profits.

To be eligible, organisations must meet the requirements specified by Google.
At a minimum, applicants must be non-profits with limited advertising budgets whose mission it is to make a difference in the world, such as in the areas of science, education, health, the environment, and the arts. 100% of the proceeds generated must support organisational programs. No revenue generating ads are permitted on recipients’ websites.

Awarded on a quarterly basis, recipients are assigned a Google Grants Specialist to assist with the process of setting up pay-per-click
campaigns and receive a minimum of three months worth of free pay-per-click advertising with a total value of $30,000. Google will
allow grant recipients to raise their spending cap to $40,000 per month if they pay 5% of the cost.

To date, Google has donated over 30 million dollars to non-profit organisations worldwide through the Google Grants program.
Recipients of Google Grants have reported great success with significant increases in website traffic and raised awareness of
their campaigns. As quoted on the Google Grants web page, success stories include the following:

  • Room to Read: attracted one sponsor who clicked on its AdWords ad and donated enough funds to support the education
    of 25 girls for the next 10 years;
  • UNICEF: experienced a 43% increase in sales made via its e-Commerce site over the previous year; and
  • CoachArt: increased its volunteers by 60 to 70%.

The cost of Google AdWords can be high, particularly when bidding for competitive industry keywords and search terms
which can cost up to $50 per click! It would be wise for any non-profit organisation to investigate this opportunity and
supplement their SEO strategy for organic listings with pay-per-click. Applications are accepted all year-round.
Go to http://www.google.com.au/grants/

Exa also provides sponsorship to non-profits that meet its criteria. For some organisations this
has amounted to 50% of their total investment in an Exa web solution. A few of the non-profits
that Exa has served include: World Vision, Peter Mac Cancer Foundation, YMCA, United Nations,
The Epilepsy Foundation, Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group and Mumbai Street
Children Empowerment Network. Contact Us to find out how your charity can benefit from
our support.