Yes, that’s the lamest article title I’ve ever thought of and, worse, actually published. But 5 G’s? Would you be able to resist?!? Regardless, Google continues to allude the day when someone with a reputation publicly calls them the next evil empire to pick up Microsoft’s torch (and I happen to like Microsoft and think those people are a bit too harsh.) FYI – this article will be published in several parts so as not to inundate you with content as you work to absorb the work necessary to implement. If you want to educate yourself before the next installment, visit http://www.google.com/grants/tour/1.html for a full tour developed by Google of this program.

What the Google Grants program is, in the their own words:

“The Google Grants program supports organizations sharing our philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts.”

With Google Grants, the online search and advert juggernaut weighs in with some mighty laudable donations to non-profits. GG (not Allin) program is derivative of Google Adwords program in which key words from your search are matched to adverts from various vendors that are relevant (either directly or peripherally.) Google’s donation via GG is an in-kind donation of the potency provided by its AdWords flagship advertising program, which is a mighty gift IF you do your homework first. Recipients will receive no-less than 3 months worth of free AdWords without any given month exceeding a value of 10 greenbacks. The concept here, mind you, is not to necessarily increase donations directly, but to increase awareness and traffic to your site. So be certain your website is nice-n-tidy, prepared for unexpected guests in numbers you had not predicted previously.

Here is a sample AdWords advert (there usually on the right side of the Google search results screen):

Okay, first you need to consider your keywords. Here is where you traverse the terrain of what is hidden-in-plain sight – everything you already know about your organization broken down into one or two word concepts. I recommend doing a brain-dump with a small team to capture EVERY POSSIBLE word and combo of words that are somehow related to the work you do. Pick apart your mission statement (please say you have one, if you don’t, put that at the top of your Inbox), grab a stack of your newsletters and print pieces, even talk to donors and volunteers. Your keywords will be what drives Google’s search algorithms (I don’t know the specifics) towards your AdWords when someone goes searching for, lets say, foodbank or AIDS or recycling. By honing your adtext and keywords, you can exponentially increase the possibility of eyeballs on your site, which translate into potential volunteers and donors.

Okay, next post is about some examples of non-profs who have received these grants, tracking the performance of your AdWords advert and applying. Until then, peace…James