In a step to make online donating easier for both givers and their favorite nonprofits, Google has announced the addition of a DONATE button to their Google for Nonprofits slate of management tools. Capitalizing on the giving culture found during the holiday season, when nearly 30% of all donations are given, Google has introduced this new tool to facilitate the influx of searches performed via Google by charity-minded internet visitors.
Why the Google Donate Button?
Google has been for years, and continues to be, the most popular search engine, with 72% of searches performed on its site. For nonprofits wanting to expand their online presence, it simply can’t be overlooked. Additionally, this could be viewed as a strategy to improve the company’s reputation; Google is one of the internet giants facing scrutiny based on issues that fake Russian accounts used to impede the presidential election, and is therefore taking this opportunity to focus on tools for nonprofit organizations, refocusing news in a positive manner during this charitable season.
A History of Nonprofit Support
Google has a history of supporting charitable organizations, especially those focusing on development of technological tools and innovations. Since 2015, Google has been donating 1% of their profits to assisting innovative charities to succeed, providing them with funding, tools, and even volunteer help from skilled Google employees. The Google team is especially concerned with gaps in education, skills and the labor market, and is focused on alleviating these challenges.
In October, Google announced a commitment to give $1 billion in Google.org grants over five years to nonprofits around the world, and 1 million hours that Googlers can volunteer to nonprofit, and it has proven its commitment to education by providing educational materials to over 70 million teachers & students through its Google for Education program.
How Google for Nonprofit's Donate Button Works
Along with other nonprofit tools like:
- G Suite for Nonprofits,
- Google Ad Grants,
- YouTube Nonprofit Program,
- Google One Today,
- Google Earth Outreach
Google has shown its commitment to providing a multi-tool solution for online marketing for nonprofits. To be eligible for the Google for Nonprofits program, charitable organizations must be recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with the I.R.S., and be based in one of 50 countries. This program excludes government and health care, and academic organizations, which the latter has access to programs specific to their goals, like Google for Education.
Each participating nonprofit has its own donations portal, which Google for Nonprofits has created with Network for Good, an enterprise which helps to collect and distribute the donations to nonprofit participants. For those companies who create a DonateNow Lite account with Network for Good, there are expanded options for managing the online donation account. For visitors searching Google for a nonprofit, the DONATE option will pop up as a clickable button, allowing givers to fill out an online form for providing a monetary donation.
Let Digital Impact Agency help Your Nonprofit’s Messaging through Google
Google provides these useful tools, culminating in the Donate button, to help nonprofits increase their donations and supporter audience, using Google’s powerful online reach and authority. We at Digital Impact Agency have years of experience working with nonprofits, and have a team dedicated to improving brand awareness, donor and advocate engagement and expanding your organization’s reach through inbound marketing, along with analytics to help you watch your organization succeed!
