Google Ads for Not for Profits: Boosting Fundraising & Awareness

For not-for-profits (NFPs), fundraising and community engagement are critical to success. Google Ads for not for profits provides a unique opportunity to reach people actively searching to support causes.

Through programs like Google Ad Grants, eligible Australian charities can access up to USD $10,000 per month (roughly AUD $15,000) in free advertising credits — making it easier to attract donors, volunteers, and supporters online.

Beyond free grants, paid Google Ads campaigns allow charities to target specific donor-intent keywords, promote urgent appeals, and maximise their fundraising potential. Ads put your cause in front of people who are ready to act, making every click an opportunity to generate real-world impact.

How Google Ads for Not-for-Profits can help fundraising

Reach the right audience

With Google Ads, not-for-profits can connect with people already motivated to help:

Target keywords such as “donate to bushfire relief” or “sponsor a child in Australia”.
Use geo-targeting to reach supporters locally, regionally, or nationally.
Employ Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to capture relevant searches beyond your initial keyword list.

Experiment with different campaign types

To maximise the impact of your Google Ads campaigns, it’s important to test a variety of campaign types, rather than relying solely on search ads. Different formats help you reach new audiences, re-engage previous supporters, and drive more donations or volunteer sign-ups.

Search Campaigns

Search campaigns target people actively searching for terms related to your cause. They are ideal for urgent appeals, recurring giving programmes, and event sign-ups. Testing variations in ad copy, keywords, and bidding strategies can reveal what resonates most with potential supporters.

Display Campaigns

Display campaigns allow you to show visual ads across Google’s network of websites. They’re particularly effective for raising awareness, promoting success stories, or retargeting visitors who have previously interacted with your website. Even if donations don’t happen immediately, these campaigns keep your cause top-of-mind.

YouTube / Video Campaigns

Video campaigns on YouTube offer a highly engaging way to share your story, showcase impact, or highlight events. For NFPs, video ads can:

Inspire emotional connections by telling real stories.
Demonstrate tangible results of donations or volunteer work.
Reach broader audiences, including people who may not actively search for your cause.

Performance Max Campaigns

Performance Max combines multiple Google Ads channels, including search, display, YouTube, and Gmail, into a single automated campaign. Using machine learning, it optimises delivery to achieve your goals, such as donations or event registrations. For NFPs, Performance Max campaigns can complement traditional campaigns by expanding reach and capturing opportunities that might otherwise be missed.

Convert visitors with optimised landing pages

Driving clicks is only the first step. Every ad should lead to a dedicated landing page that encourages conversion:

Clear and persuasive call-to-action (CTA) like “Donate Today” or “Sign Up to Volunteer.”
Mobile-friendly, fast-loading pages that instil trust.
Impact-focused messaging to show the tangible difference a donation or action makes.

Track success and improve performance

Conversion tracking is essential for measuring results. With the right setup, Google Ads can:

Optimise campaigns using smart bidding strategies to maximise donations or sign-ups.
Identify which keywords, ad copy, or campaigns perform best.
Help refine future campaigns and improve ROI over time.

Optimise your ads for maximum impact

Maintaining a strong Google Ads for not for profits account requires ongoing management:

Use multiple ad groups per campaign, with at least two ads per group.
Include ad extensions like sitelinks, callouts, and logos to enhance visibility.
Regularly review search term reports, refine keywords, and refresh ad copy.

Google Ads campaign ideas for Not-for-Profit fundraising

Urgent appeals

Promote time-sensitive campaigns, such as disaster relief, emergency humanitarian efforts, or seasonal giving drives. Ads can highlight immediate needs, encourage quick donations, and include strong calls-to-action like “Help Now” or “Donate Today to Make an Immediate Impact.”

Recurring giving programmes

Encourage monthly or ongoing donations with messaging that emphasises long-term impact. Highlight how small, regular contributions can add up over time to make a big difference, such as “Just $10 a month provides clean water for a family every week.”

Events & peer-to-peer fundraising

Advertise galas, fun runs, charity auctions, or online challenges to recruit participants and donors. Google Ads can complement social media and email campaigns to reach a wider audience and drive registration or donations for each event.

Awareness campaigns

Raise awareness of your cause by promoting informative content, success stories, or educational resources. These campaigns don’t need to be focused on immediate donations; instead, they aim to build trust, nurture engagement, and guide supporters along the donation or volunteering journey. For example, you might run ads highlighting “How your support helped save endangered wildlife” or share guides on “Ways to volunteer locally this month.” By educating your audience and providing value, you create a stronger connection that increases the likelihood of future support, whether through donations, volunteering, or event participation.

Google Ad Grants for Australian Non-profits

Before diving into the requirements, it’s helpful to understand what Google Ad Grants are. Google Ad Grants is a program specifically designed to help eligible not-for-profit organisations promote their missions online.

It provides up to USD $10,000 per month in free Google Ads advertising, allowing charities to appear in Google Search results for mission-relevant terms. This means your organisation can reach people actively searching for causes like yours, drive traffic to your donation or volunteer pages, and raise awareness — all without spending a cent.

Ad Grantees build and manage their own accounts; however some restrictions to apply, something to keep in mind when participating in the programme:

A maximum cost-per-click limit of USD $2.00 (although using Google’s automated bidding strategies can bypass this limitation).
Ad grants are restricted to the Search Network only (missing out on Display, Youtube and other campaigns).
Any unused budget for the month does not roll over to the next month.

In Australia, this program can be a game-changer for charities looking to maximise their digital reach. While the grants provide significant free ad credit, there are important eligibility and compliance requirements that organisations must meet to access and maintain the program:

Registered Charitable Status – Your organisation must be registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) or hold other recognised charitable status under Australian law. This ensures that only legitimate charities benefit from the program.
Compliance with Google Policies – Google requires that all grant accounts adhere to its policies, including:
- Maintaining at least a 5% account-level click-through rate (CTR) each month.
- Using structured campaigns with multiple ad groups and ad variations.
- Avoiding overly generic or single-word keywords that aren’t relevant to your cause.
Optimised and Secure Landing Pages – Ads must direct users to pages that are relevant, secure (HTTPS), and optimised for conversions. Whether the goal is donations, event sign-ups, or volunteer registrations, the landing page should provide a clear call-to-action and make it easy for supporters to take the next step.

By meeting these requirements, Australian NFPs can maintain access to Google Ad Grants and ensure their campaigns continue to drive meaningful engagement, donations, and volunteer participation.

Our final thoughts

Google Ads can be a powerful platform for not-for-profit organisations to increase awareness, drive donations, and recruit volunteers. By targeting the right audiences, linking ads to optimised landing pages, tracking conversions, and continuously refining campaigns, NFPs can maximise their fundraising efforts online.

Whether through free Ad Grants or paid campaigns, a strategic Google Ads approach can turn clicks into meaningful contributions — helping your charity or non-profit make a lasting difference.

And if you need help with your Google Ads campaigns, our specialists at Dux Digital can set up, manage, and optimise your ads to drive donations, recruit volunteers, and increase engagement for your not-for-profit. Get in touch today, we’d love to help.