Ad Grants Accounts Must Enrol for the Google for Nonprofits programme

Today we received emails for all our Ad Grants accounts informing us that Google have updated their eligibility guidelines. Therefore, Google Ad Grants have now become part of a larger programme called Google for Nonprofits.

As a result, anyone with an Ad Grants account must enrol in the Google for Nonprofits programme in order for their Grants account to stay active. This also includes Grantspro accounts and since Google has suspended Grantspro applications it is especially important to enrol for Google for Nonprofits before the deadline.

Once you have signed up for the Google for Nonprofits programme, you will be able to continue using your current Ad Grants or Grantspro account and will not need to create a new one.

Google have set a deadline of the 31^st of March 2017 for Grant accounts to enrol so time is of the essence!

Google for Nonprofits Programme

The Google for Nonprofits programme began in 2011 and launched in the UK in 2013. Google states that “Google for Nonprofits offers organisations like yours free access to Google tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Ad Grants, YouTube for Nonprofits and more. These tools can help you reach new donors and volunteers, work more efficiently and tell your nonprofit’s story”. If you want to learn about the benefits of the Google for Nonprofits programme, read more in their help centre.

Eligibility

Before you enrol in the Google for Nonprofits programme, you must first check you are eligible. Below are the eligibility requirements for the United Kingdom:

England and Wales

• Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales; and/or
• Registered with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as a charity for tax relief

Northern Ireland

• Registered with HM Revenue & Customs as a charity for tax relief

Scotland

• Registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR); and/or
• Registered with HM Revenue & Customs as a charity for tax relief

Jersey

• Member of the Association of Jersey Charities

Guernsey

• Member of the Association of Guernsey Charities

Isle of Man

• Registered with the Index of Registered Isle of Man Charities

Falkland Islands

• Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales; and/or
• In the list of charities prepared by the Attorney General, approved by the Governor, and published in the Gazette under the Taxes Ordinance 1997

It should be noted that governmental entities and organisations, hospitals and medical groups, schools, childcare centres, academic institutions and universities are not eligible to apply for Google for Nonprofits, but philanthropic arms of educational institutions are eligible.

Validation Token

You must then ensure that your organisation is registered with tt-exchange (TechSoup Global’s regional arm). You can only register with tt-exchange if you are a UK registered charity. Registering involves signing up for the tt-exchange programme and getting validated. Once you are validated you will receive a unique code called a validation token which then allows you to enrol for the Google for Nonprofits programme.

Next you need to enrol in the Google for Nonprofits programme using your TechSoup validation token. Google has said that enrolment may take up to 20 business days so it’s important to apply as soon as possible to avoid your Ad Grants account being suspended!

Linking Your AdWords Account

Once you have a Google for Nonprofits account, you can then link your current Ad Grants account by following these steps:

1. Sign in to your Google for Nonprofits account
2. Click Sign up now
3. Under “Google Ad Grants”, click Enrol
4. Enter your AdWords Customer ID (CID), which is the same as your current Ad Grants Account
5. Enter the referral code adgrants2017 and complete the rest of the form
6. Click Enrol

What it means for our clients

If you are one of our clients, then we will be in touch shortly to discuss this recent development and to decide what steps you would like to take. We can enrol for the Google for Nonprofits programme on your behalf and ensure that your Ad Grants or Grantspro account remains active so we can continue to make the most of your AdWords account.

Our initial thoughts

We think either Google has decided to merge the Google Ad Grants programme into the Google for Nonprofits to leverage the Ad Grants to promote the Google for Nonprofits programme, or to give themselves the opportunity to review any current Grant accounts to ensure that only appropriate charities are using the Google Ad Grants programme.

Regardless of why Google has taken this step, it is important for anyone with an Ad Grants account, and especially a Grantspro account, to enrol for the Google for Nonprofits programme before the 31^st March deadline in order to keep taking advantage of free Google AdWords advertising.