Promised grant approval or donations
Nobody outside Google controls grant approval, and no one can promise a gift. Walk away from anyone who does.
Hiring help with Google Ads
Nonprofit PPC: What to Ask Before You Hand Over the Account
Most nonprofits come to paid search through one door: a free monthly advertising credit from Google, a volunteer who tried to set it up and a dashboard nobody checks. Nonprofit PPC can bring donors, volunteers, event guests and the people you serve, but only when someone treats the account as real work. This page is for the executive director, development lead or board member choosing a Google Ads manager: the questions to ask, the answers worth trusting and the promises that should make you walk away.
Before you interview anyone
Know What Nonprofit PPC Has to Do for You
Paid search for a charity is really three accounts hiding in one. Donors search around a cause, a disaster, a giving season or a specific campaign. Volunteers search for ways to help close to home. Clients, the people your organization serves, search when they are in a hard moment and need a food pantry, a shelter, legal aid, counseling or a program for their child. Each group uses different words, lands on a different page and counts as a different kind of success.
If you qualify for Google Ad Grants, the program that provides eligible nonprofits with a monthly in-kind credit for search ads, it adds a second layer. The grant has its own rules about account structure, keyword quality, tracking, activity and ad format, and Google changes them from time to time. Eligibility excludes some kinds of organizations, and some requirements differ by country. Check the current rules on Google for Nonprofits and in the grant policy pages before you plan anything around it. A manager who quotes thresholds from memory rather than the current policy page is guessing.
A grant account and a paid ads account are not the same thing. Grant ads run only on Google search results and are limited by program rules, while a paid account can use more formats, tighter targeting and larger bids when a campaign deserves it. Pay per click for a charity is rarely one thing. Many organizations run the grant for broad awareness and information searches, then pay for a small account focused on the moments that drive donations or sign-ups. A good manager will explain which one a goal belongs in.
The landing pages matter as much as the ads. A donation page should load quickly on a phone, explain where the gift goes in plain words, show your registration or tax-exempt details where your state expects them and keep the form short. A volunteer page should tell people what the role involves and when. A client page should state clearly who you serve, where, and how to reach a person, without asking for private details. PPC for nonprofits that sends every click to the home page wastes the best part of the grant or the budget.
Finally, decide who owns the result. The account, the conversion tracking and the data should belong to your organization. Hiring someone for Google Ads management at a nonprofit should feel more like adding a skilled staff member than renting a black box.
Interview guide
What to Ask, and How to Read the Answer
Print this table, bring it to the first call and write the answers down. A thoughtful manager will not mind. A defensive one is telling you something.
| Question | What a good answer sounds like | What should worry you |
|---|---|---|
| Who will own the Google Ads account and the data? | Your organization owns it, with you as the admin and the manager added as a user you can remove | The agency owns the account, or will only share reports and not logins |
| How do you handle Google Ad Grants rules? | Names the program rules as something to check against current policy, explains tracking, keyword and account activity requirements, and offers to review the account before changing it | Promises the full grant will be spent, or says the rules never change |
| What will you track as success? | Donations, volunteer sign-ups, event registrations, program inquiries and calls, each as separate goals | Reports only on clicks and impressions |
| How do you separate donors, volunteers and clients? | Separate campaigns, separate landing pages and separate budgets, with different tone and different calls to action | One campaign with every keyword |
| What do you need from us? | Access, a working donation page, approvals for ad language, someone who answers inquiries and a regular contact | Nothing, and no questions about your site |
| How do you treat sensitive services, such as health, housing or legal help? | Reads the current advertising policies, avoids outcome promises and handles privacy carefully | Has never heard of the policies, or writes dramatic claims |
| How do you talk about results? | Describes tracked outcomes and how they will be measured, and says plainly that results depend on your cause, season and site | Promises donations, a return or a number of volunteers |
| How are you paid? | A flat monthly fee, listed in writing, with ad spend billed separately to your own card or credit | A share of donations, a hidden markup or a contract that is hard to leave |
Nonprofit questions
Questions Nonprofit Leaders Ask About Google Ads
How much does nonprofit PPC management cost with GetPhound?
Our management fee starts at $895 a month for one platform, $1,595 for two and $2,295 for three, with no setup fee or contract. Ad spend is separate. For a grant account we would first review what already exists, then scope the work on a short call, because the effort depends on how much is already set up.
Is Google Ad Grants really free money for ads?
It is a credit for search advertising, not cash, and it comes with rules about eligibility, account quality and ongoing activity. It can be valuable for an organization with a clear message and a website that works. It does not replace a plan, and it does not manage itself. Check the current program rules before you rely on it.
Can a nonprofit use both Ad Grants and paid ads?
Yes. Many organizations run a grant account for awareness and information searches and a separate paid account for time-sensitive campaigns like year-end giving or an event. The two accounts have different rules and should be tracked separately so you can see what each one produces.
What should our Google Ads goals be?
Pick goals you can count: a completed donation, a volunteer application, an event registration or an inquiry from someone who needs your help. Clicks and impressions are only stepping stones. A manager should help you set up tracking for the real actions before any budget is spent.
Is it okay to advertise for people who need our services?
Often yes, but sensitive topics have special rules. Health, housing, legal, financial and crisis services may have extra advertising policies and privacy concerns. Read the current Google policy pages, avoid claims about results and make sure the person who answers inquiries is trained for emotional calls.
How do we measure donations from ads?
Install conversion tracking on the donation thank-you page so Google records completed gifts, and where your donation platform allows it, record the amount. If gifts happen on a third-party page, ask us and your platform about the limits. We never ask for donor personal information, and neither should anyone you hire.
Should we pay a percentage of donations to our ad manager?
We advise against it. Percentage-of-donation pay can conflict with fundraising ethics and with the rules in some states about professional fundraisers and solicitors. A flat monthly fee for management is simpler and easier to explain to your board and your donors.
When is the best time to run donor ads?
Giving season, with Giving Tuesday and the end of the year, is the obvious one, but competition is highest then and preparation matters. Many organizations also run campaigns around spring appeals, annual events and local emergencies. We plan the calendar with you and test early rather than starting in the last week.
How long before the account shows results?
The first weeks are for tracking, structure and learning which searches matter, and for fixing anything on the website that stops a visitor from giving, signing up or asking for help. A grant account may take longer to settle because of its rules. We do not promise donations, volunteers or a date. We promise clear reporting on what was tracked.
Red flags
Promises and Habits That Should End the Conversation
Charging a percentage of donations
Pay tied to contributions can raise state charity and solicitation issues. Ask your attorney if it is ever suggested.
Keeping the account in their name
If they leave, your history and your data should stay with you. Insist on admin access from the start.
Spending the full grant on broad keywords
Spending the whole credit is not a goal. Broad, vague terms can lower account quality and bring people who never act.
No conversion tracking
If gifts, sign-ups and inquiries are not counted, the report can only describe activity, not results.
One-size ad copy for every audience
A donor, a volunteer and a client need different words. A single ad speaks well to none of them.
Big claims about mission outcomes
Ads that promise program results can break rules and erode donor trust.
Long lock-in contracts
You should be able to leave with your data, month to month, if the work is not helping.
First ninety days
What Good Onboarding Looks Like
Audit what exists
The manager reviews any current Ad Grants or paid account, including conversion tracking, structure, policy warnings and activity, and tells you what is fine and what is not.
Set the goals and the page
Together you agree on the goals, the donation page or sign-up form each one goes to, and the person who will respond to inquiries.
Build campaigns by audience
Donors, volunteers and clients are separated, with ad language you approve. Sensitive services get a policy check.
Launch small and watch
The first month is spent reading search terms, adding negative keywords and fixing the tracking, not scaling.
Report in plain language
Each month the board or staff receives a short summary: what was tracked, what changed, what was learned and what comes next.
Plan the calendar
Giving season, events and program launches are scheduled well ahead so the account is ready before the busy weeks arrive.
Nearby trades
PPC Guides You Might Want Next
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Get in Touch
Talk to Us Before You Hire Anyone
Bring your mission, your donation page and any Ad Grants account you already have. Call 610-825-4363 or email hello@getphound.com and we will tell you honestly what would help and what would not.