What if your nonprofit could reach people who are already searching for the exact problem you solve… without spending a dollar on ads?

In this episode, Matt Stockman sits down with digital marketing strategist Matt Mundt to break down one of the most underutilized tools available to nonprofits today: the Google Ad Grant.

Eligible nonprofits can access up to $10,000 per month in free Google search advertising. Yet most organizations either don’t know about it, don’t understand it, or never fully leverage it.

This conversation provides a practical, strategic starting point to help you change that.

What You’ll Learn

• What the Google Ad Grant is and how it works
• Who benefits most from using it
• Why most nonprofits fail to maximize the opportunity
• How to use content to attract the right audience
• Common mistakes that can limit your results or get your account penalized
• Simple first steps to get started (even if you feel overwhelmed)

Key Takeaways

The Google Ad Grant works best when you:

• Meet people at the point of need
• Provide helpful, relevant content
• Build trust before asking for support

2. Content is the engine that makes this work

Nonprofits with more website content perform significantly better.

Strong examples include:

• Blog posts answering real questions
• Devotionals or educational resources
• Embedded podcast or video content

The goal is simple:

 Serve the visitor well enough that they stay, engage, and explore.

3. Relevance determines performance

Google is constantly evaluating:

• What people search
• Whether your content matches that intent
• How long users stay on your site

If your content doesn’t match the search, your ads will be shown less frequently.

4. Start simple, then optimize

You don’t need to master everything upfront.

A strong starting point:

• Create a brand campaign (your nonprofit name)
• Add a few mission-related keywords
• Link to helpful, relevant content

Then improve over time as you learn what works.

5. Avoid these common mistakes

• Driving ads directly to a donation page
• Promoting short-term events
• Using irrelevant or misleading keywords
• Ignoring account rules and compliance requirements

These limit effectiveness and can even get your account suspended.

6. Think like your audience, not your organization

The most effective campaigns start with one question:

What is someone typing into Google right before they need what we do?

When you answer that well, you move from:

• Awareness → Engagement → Relationship → Support

7. This is a long-term growth strategy

Google Ads are not a quick win. They require:

• A learning period
• Ongoing refinement
• Consistent content development

But when done well, they create a steady stream of highly relevant traffic.

Action Steps

If you’re just getting started:

1. Apply for or activate your Google Ad Grant
2. Set up a basic brand campaign
3. Identify 3–5 questions your audience is already asking
4. Create simple content that answers those questions
5. Begin testing and refining

Resources

• Learn more about Matt Mundt: mattmundt.com
• Register for the Launchpad Workshop: nonprofitlaunchplan.com