Why Google’s Ad Grant Was the Miracle Our Church Needed
Google Ad Grants IS Real: No, it's not a scam. Google provides up to $10,000 per month of free ads for eligible churches.
Low-Hanging Fruit: The Google Ad Grant is the lowest hanging fruit for your church's marketing.
The Learning Curve Is Steep: If you're interested in DIY-ing this, there's a lot to learn (but there are free resources out there).
This is the story of how my church went from 3 visitors a month to 13 visitors a week.
My name is Thomas, and my company ReachRight has been helping churches reach people the right way for years. We've served over 600 churches worldwide, doubling or sometimes even tripling their attendance.
And it all started with my crazy story. Once I discovered the secret to transforming church attendance, I knew it was my passion to share it with as many people as I could. After all, we've all been called to go and make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:19).
So let me share my story with you, and give you everything you need to know about getting visitors to your door.
Let's jump in.
The Struggle
In 2014, I was leading a church in Madison, Wisconsin. It was a great church with a great community, but we were struggling. Finances were tight, the staff was overworked, and members were slipping away bit by bit.
We knew we needed to get more people to our church and raise more money so that we could support our staff and hire new people, but we had no idea how to get there.
We all wanted to serve God's mission and believed in faith that we were planted there for a reason, but things were getting harder and harder.
Tell me if this sounds familiar.
For most churches across the nation, the #1 thing they are looking for is more visitors. Not because more people means more fame or more money, but because that's what churches have been called to do. Reach people, whether they are Christians or non-Christians.
The Call
In Matthew, Jesus gave his disciples the Great Commission.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Christians have been reaching the nations ever since. And church has always been a huge part of that. Not only to disciple the believers already in their community but to bring the gospel to that community.
If you serve in ministry, you know how much it requires to serve.
It often looks like long hours for little pay. It can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining. But we keep serving because we believe in the call on our lives.
And that was why I was there leading that small church in Wisconsin over 10 years ago. But I can't say it was easy.
I was struggling to keep my church afloat.
At that point, we only had about 30 to 40 people every Sunday, and we never really saw any guests. We averaged maybe one family a month that visited.
But the Lord had a plan for us.
See, there was a guy who went to our church who had a day job owning a Google Adwords business. Basically, he helped businesses spend their advertising budgets wisely on Google to hopefully accomplish some successful marketing.
At that point in time, Google was huge (as it still is today). It was already the largest search engine at the time, and people used it for all kinds of things all the time. And so ads on Google were very successful. They helped companies reach their target audiences with efficiency and effectiveness.
And the more I talked with this guy about this "Google Adwords" thing and how it was helping businesses, the more I began to see a plan take shape. What if churches were advertised just like corporations on Google?
See, it's all about the search engine.
If someone wants to try out a new coffee shop, they type "coffee shops near me" into Google, and are likely only to look through the top few options. The same is true for churches. If someone or a family wants to visit a new church, they'll type something like "churches near me" into Google and find one that looks interesting.
What if I could get my church to the top of that page on Google? Well, something like that takes time and money, and unfortunately, our church didn't have much of either.
While the idea was cool, it wasn't like our church had a marketing budget like a local business. We were doing well enough for ourselves, but we couldn't afford a service like the one that guy in my church provided.
Until I discovered the "secret", and everything changed.
The Blessing
Through all of this Google Adwords research, I came upon something called the Google Ad Grant. This magical grant was designed to help non-profits advertise themselves on Google without spending a single penny.
With this grant, organizations could get themselves seen by potential donors on Google without having to spend money on ads like businesses do. And thank God for the philanthropic work of Google.
Because through the Google Ad Grant, churches like mine (and yours) could qualify right alongside other non-profits. Which means exactly what you think it means...
I could get my church to appear on Google without having to spend any money!
And it just kept getting better and better.
What is the Google Ad Grant?
So what exactly is this magical thing?
The Google Ad Grant is a special program offered by Google to help non-profits, including churches, reach more people online. It provides eligible organizations with up to $10,000 per month in free Google Ads. These ads appear on Google search results pages when people search for keywords related to the church's mission.
SIMPLE EMBED BLOCK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zOyUmDFxnw
The grant funds are specifically for search ads, which show as text-based links at the top of search results. Churches can use these ads to promote events, share services, or attract new visitors.
To qualify, churches must be a registered non-profit, meet Google’s requirements, and apply for the program. We’ll break all that down later on.
How Does Your Church Benefit?
The Google Ad Grant funds can greatly help churches expand their reach and impact. With these funds, organizations can create ad campaigns tailored to specific goals, such as inviting people to services, promoting outreach programs, or raising awareness about their mission.
By appearing on Google search results pages, churches can connect with people searching for topics like “churches near me” or “community worship services.” These ads help churches engage new audiences, attract volunteers, and increase donations.
For churches, the grant can be a powerful tool for evangelism. It allows them to advertise services, share messages of hope, and invite people into their community. Non-profits can use it to showcase their work and gain support for their causes.
In short, the Google Ad Grant is a cost-effective way for churches to increase visibility, grow their audience, and make a bigger difference.
And so there I was in 2014, applying my church for the Google Ad Grant, hoping it'll make a difference.
But Does it Really Work?
I know what you're thinking.
"This sounds good and all, in fact, it sounds sort of too good to be true, but there must be a catch. I mean, does this thing really work?"
It most certainly does. And I have all the evidence to prove it.
My Church’s Story
So my church ended up qualifying for the Google Ad Grant and began to use it. We didn't have anyone on our team experienced in this area, so I took it upon myself to test the program out and see if it could help. At first, I wasn't even able to spend all $10,000 a month, it was just so much advertising money.
The impact started small, but it didn't stay that way for long.
What started as one family visiting a month became two to three families visiting a month. Then it became four to five families visiting a month. We went from averaging 3 visitors to averaging 13 visitors.
After a few years, our small church was more of a medium-sized church.
Do you remember when I said we had about 30 to 40 people every Sunday? Well, eventually we were having 150 people consistently show up for our services.
We outranked some of the largest churches in our area on Google and our new-member classes were always full.
We were able to pay our staff well, hire more people, and best of all keep spreading the gospel to our community. People were showing up to our special events, our holiday services crowded the building, and pastoral burnout was feeling more and more like a thing of the past.
We couldn't believe what the Google Ad Grant had done. See it wasn't our church that was the problem. We had a group of faithful and humble people earnestly serving God's kingdom. Our church had a strong mission and we stuck to it. None of that ever changed.
What changed was that we started to take advantage of the tools at our disposal so that we could reach more people and focus on the things that really mattered.
Other Churches Stories:
Since founding ReachRight with the goal of bringing this powerful tool to help others, we've seen tons of churches grow.
While we've helped churches with their websites, their social media, and their search engine optimization, the Google Ad Grant has always been at the center. It is what fuels churches to be able to reach the kinds of people they're trying to reach.
In total, we've helped churches:
- Get over 1.3M clicks on their websites
- Spend over $5.13M in free Google ads.
- Obtain 33.36M total views.
One of our clients, Turning Point Church, had a 1,562% increase in organic traffic in 4 months. They have spent about $17.6k of free ads from Google, and have grown to a size of around 500 people total.
Vineyard Church has seen a 240% increase in weekly clicks in 4 months and a 3,625% increase in weekly visits to their website.
The average church we work with sees about 1400 free website visits per month. Even if only a small percentage of them turn into church visitors, that would mean hundreds of guests to your church over the first year.
We have helped a church that was seeing only 5 new people a month to start seeing 30 people in only the first three weeks of taking advantage of the Grant! Because of our help, another church saves over $300 a month now!
And if you want to get a solid estimate of how many first-time visitors you’ll receive when you start using the Google Grant for marketing, you can check out our special visitor calculator here.
How Can My Church Get the Grant?
At this point, we're hoping your interest has been piqued.
And we're not here trying to sell you any product or trick you into anything. We genuinely believe in the Google Ad Grant and its results. This is not some advertisement. We just want to help.
But does your church qualify? How do you even go about all of this?
Well, let me break it down.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for a Google for Nonprofits account, your organization must meet these key criteria:
- Nonprofit Status: Your organization must be registered as a nonprofit in your country and hold valid charitable status.
- Eligible Activities: Your organization cannot be a government entity, hospital, school, academic institution, or engage in discriminatory practices, lobbying, or political campaigns.
- Location Eligibility: Google for Nonprofits is offered in various countries. Check if your country qualifies.
- Website Requirement: Your nonprofit must have an active website that clearly represents its mission and operations.
Once your organization meets these requirements, you can apply for a Google for Nonprofits account through their website. This account provides access to free tools such as Gmail, Google Ads, and YouTube.
Curious if you qualify? Use our free eligibility checker to find out quickly! For detailed information, visit the full eligibility requirements page.
How to Apply
To access the Google Ad Grant, your organization first needs a Google for Nonprofits account. Here’s the step-by-step process:
- Verification Process:
- Submit documentation proving your nonprofit status (e.g., 501(c)(3) IRS Determination Letter, group exemption letter, or state verification documents).
- Google and its partner GoodStack will review your submission. This can take 2-14 days.
- Account Approval:
- Once verified, you’ll receive access to the Google for Nonprofits account.
- This account includes tools like Google Workspace for Nonprofits and YouTube for Nonprofits, in addition to the Ad Grant application.
- Grant Application:
- Submit your application, including your organization’s mission statement, website URL, and agreement to the grant terms.
- Google typically reviews applications within 3-5 days.
And that’s it! You’re now ready to start leveraging Google’s nonprofit resources to amplify your mission.
Staying Compliant
Congratulations! Your organization now has access to the Google Ad Grant. To maintain ongoing access, it’s crucial to follow Google’s compliance guidelines. Here are the main rules:
- Ad Campaign Structure:
- Each campaign must have at least 2 ad groups.
- Ad groups should contain ads with similar targets and themes, managed under a unified campaign budget and goal.
- Keyword Restrictions:
- Avoid single-word keywords unless they are brand names, approved medical terms, or specific exceptions.
- Steer clear of generic or vague keywords (e.g., “free videos” or “news”). Instead, focus on precise terms like “nonprofit volunteer opportunities.”
- Keywords with a quality score of 1 or 2 are not allowed. Regularly review your keywords to ensure high quality and relevance.
- Performance Metrics:
- Maintain a monthly click-through rate (CTR) of at least 5%.
- Falling below this threshold for two consecutive months could result in account suspension. Continuously monitor and refine your ads to improve engagement.
- Geo-Targeting:
- Tailor your ads to specific geographic areas relevant to your audience. For instance, local nonprofits should avoid displaying ads internationally.
- Conversion Tracking:
- Track at least one meaningful conversion per month. Proper tracking ensures accurate performance data and compliance.
- Annual Program Survey:
- Google will send an annual survey to gather feedback about your experience. Completing this survey is mandatory to remain in the program.
For more details, refer to Google’s compliance guide. Staying compliant ensures your organization can continue benefiting from the Google Ad Grant month after month.
Get Started Today
With the Google Ad Grant, your church can experience the same growth my church saw all those years ago. Time and time again, I have seen this powerful resource help churches overcome the struggle and step into the fullness of what they were called to.
This didn't cover everything you need to know about the grant, but I hope it gave you a taste of just how powerful it can be. Our website, ReachRight, has tons of free articles and podcasts covering all of the ins-and-outs of getting and managing the Google Ad Grant.
My team and I really appreciate the Lead Pastor giving us another opportunity to tell pastors about the Google Ad Grant and what it can do for churches.
Praying a blessing over your church and your marketing endeavors! God bless!
