Google Ad Grants guide: how do associations receive €9,000 in grants per month?

Google Ad Grants is a programme developed by the American firm as part of its Google for Nonprofits offering. If you meet all the conditions set by Google, you will likely be able to use up to 10,000 US dollars each month to promote your association's activities.

This comprehensive article will first paint a picture of the association sector in France, before gradually guiding you through a Google Ad Grants guide.

Understand how to create or redesign the ideal responsive website for your association

With the growth of various social networks and the shifts in practice that follow, it is important for any organisation to develop its digital identity. Users now consult reviews extensively before making a purchase. Moreover, building a solid network multiplies professional opportunities by a factor of 13. It is therefore essential to maintain a polished LinkedIn profile in order to position yourself as a genuine expert and inspire trust.

Associations in France in 2018: an overview

In France, according to an article published in late October 2018 on Associathèque discussing the key figures and history of the association sector, there are approximately 1.5 million associations.
Their combined budget amounts to a total of 113 billion euros, representing 3.3% of GDP. Between 2011 and 2017, this budget grew by an average of 1.6% per year.

Associations and salaried employment

In total, associations employ 1,785,500 people, working full-time or part-time.

According to an INSEE study on associations, 12% of associations employed at least one member of staff in 2013. Between 2011 and 2017, the wage bill for associations increased by 2.4% over the period, while the overall wage bill in France increased by 11.1%.
Associations can rely on 22 million active volunteers. Each year, the volume of volunteering has grown by 4.9%. Volunteers play a very significant role. They are estimated to represent 680,000 full-time equivalent jobs in terms of work volume.

How are associations funded in France?

Public funding

Over the period from 2011 to 2017, the share of public funding for associations fell sharply — by nearly 14%. It dropped from 51% to 44%.
In detail, it is public grants that have been most affected. They fell from 25% to 20% of associations' financial resources between 2011 and 2017, while public procurement remained stable over the period at 24% of resources.

Private funding

The share of private funding rose from 51% in 2011 to 56% of financial resources in 2017.
More specifically, 42% of associations' budgets comes from user contributions. Donations and sponsorship account for 5%.

Our Google Ad Grants guide

Google has set up a programme of aid and financial support for associations and NGOs. This is Google Ad Grants — and its higher-tier version, Google Grants Pro. The tech giant's aim is quite clear: to help these organisations increase their visibility.

Through Google Grants/Ad Grants, it is possible to benefit from a free monthly advertising budget of 10,000 US dollars (40,000 US$ for Grants Pro). Associations can use the Google Adwords platform free of charge up to this limit of $10,000 / $40,000 USD.

In this Google Ad Grants guide, we will cover only the standard tier, without discussing Google Grants Pro.

Prerequisites: we recommend that you have finalised your landing pages, ads, and keyword lists before starting this process. You should also have considered whether your site can handle the traffic — are you confident that your website can receive 5,000 visitors at once?

Important: never enter your bank card details once inside Google Adwords.

Google Ad Grants guide: what are the eligibility criteria?

To be eligible, associations and NGOs must meet a specific set of criteria:

• Be located in one of the eligible countries, of which France is one.
• Have completed and submitted an application to Solidatech, which handles eligibility checks for the Google for Nonprofits programme in France. Solidatech is the French TechSoup programme.
• Have non-profit status, under the terms of the law of 1 July 1901. Foundations operating under Article 8 of the law of 23 July 1987 are also eligible.
• Own an operational website of very high quality AND with rich, substantial content.

Google Ad Grants guide: how to apply in detail?

1. As we have mentioned, the first step is to go to the Solidatech website (https://www.solidatech.fr/user/register) and create an account.
2. You will be asked for a great deal of information — fill in everything!
3. Once this step is complete, you will receive a token. This token guarantees to Google that you are a legitimate association. Keep the token details in front of you, note them down, or take a screenshot.
4. Go to the Google for Nonprofits page.
5. Log in to your Google for Nonprofits account or create a unique one. Important: do not use a personal account.
6. Once logged in, click "Get started", located at the top right.
7. You will reach a registration request page (https://www.google.com/nonprofits/account/u/0/signup?hl=fr&locality=us).
8. Fill in the required information.
9. Keep the token provided by Solidatech.
10. Create an Adwords account.
11. Select "US dollar" as your currency — even if you are based in France! It is essential that this parameter is set this way.
12. Create your first campaign (otherwise your application will not be processed).
13. Set the global parameters: budget ($329 USD/day), language, location, bidding strategy (= I set my bids manually for clicks), then the default bid (maximum of $2 USD — you may choose a lower amount but are not permitted to choose a higher one).
14. Add keywords and fill in your ads (landing pages, ad copy, etc.).
15. Submit your account for review. Google may review your account for several days. You will only need one review.
16. You will receive an email when your account has been approved.
17. Your daily "budget" is credited with $329 each day. When someone clicks on your ad, the amount of your budget decreases by the CPC value.

Do not rely solely on Google Ad Grants!

We will close this article with a few words of caution: receiving $10,000 in free advertising each month could improve the performance metrics you are targeting. Consequently, your website will require a series of very high-quality content pieces in order to generate conversions. You will therefore need to master the Adwords platform to achieve your goals. To amplify the effect, we strongly recommend establishing a genuine inbound marketing strategy. Do not neglect your SEO efforts, nor those on brand content, your buyer persona definition, or the thinking that will lead to deploying a comprehensive editorial strategy.