The Microsoft Ad Grant is a program that’s quickly emerging as a powerful way to amplify charitable causes. With a monthly allocation of $3,000, participating nonprofits can create well-written ads and bid on keywords that will connect them with new supporters.
Similar to the Google Ad Grant in many ways, this program enables nonprofits to strengthen their digital presence and drive greater results for their work. The grant amount may be smaller than Google’s sizeable $10,000 monthly grant, but Microsoft’s search engines provide access to new audiences with less competition for bottom-of-the-sales-funnel keywords, making it just as valuable.
This program is fairly new, meaning there are still a lot of questions surrounding how to leverage its features to maximize ad performance. Microsoft has paused on accepting new applications, but it’s still worthwhile to be prepared as soon as it’s up and running again.
Based on what’s already been released about the program and what we know about the Google Ad Grant, we’re here to help you perfect your Microsoft Ad Grant management strategies! In this guide, we’ll answer the following questions:
At Double the Donation, we help nonprofits amplify their funding through matching gifts. We’ve seen the tremendous impact that corporate giving programs have on nonprofits, which is why we’re excited to teach you about Microsoft’s latest charitable initiative.
While incredibly valuable, getting started with the Ads for Social Impact program and managing your campaigns takes quite a bit of work. We recommend learning all you can about the program, but we also suggest working with a dedicated professional to handle your account maintenance for you. As our recommended Microsoft Grant management agency, Getting Attention can take the guesswork out of managing your campaigns, so you can focus more on your mission.
What Is the Microsoft Ad Grant?
Microsoft Advertising offers approved nonprofits a $3,000 monthly grant that can be used to promote their web content across its digital search network. Ads are displayed across Microsoft’s search engines, including Bing, Yahoo, AOL, outlook.com, MSN, and Microsoft Edge.
Nonprofits can use this funding to bid on keywords that their prospects are searching online. They’ll pick a landing page that matches the searcher’s intent for the selected keywords, such as a donation page or matching gifts page. Then, they’ll write ad copy that encourages users to click the linked page and get involved.
Here’s an example of the World Wildlife Fund promoting its content through the Microsoft Advertising platform:
Advertisers can also build out your ads with additional features, such as ad extensions that link to additional pages. Note that the grant will only apply if your account is in Expert Mode. For now, the program is also currently only available to nonprofits located in the United States. Microsoft has also stopped accepting applications as the work on improving the program and platform to support onboarding more nonprofits.
What’s the Difference Between Microsoft Grants and Google Grants?
If your nonprofit already participates in the Google Ad Grants program, many aspects of the Microsoft Ad Grant probably sound familiar to you. However, there are some key differences that advertisers have already noticed.
Let’s walk through a few of these dissimilarities, so you can determine how your Microsoft Grant management strategy will differ from Google Grants.
Difference #1) How Ads Are Displayed
Both platforms display ads at the top of the search results for specific terms. However, the designs of the ads vary slightly.
Google displays ads prominently by featuring ‘Ad’ in bold text at the top of the listing. Microsoft makes it less apparent that particular results are ads.
While it looks slightly different across Microsoft’s search engines, they primarily include it in standard, non-bold text within the meta description. Marketers speculate that this results in a better user experience, considering that it looks more like organic results.
Difference #2) Reach
Google is marked as the world’s most popular search engine, accounting for 61.4% of search queries in the United States, according to Statista. Microsoft’s search engines account for 26.8% of search queries.
While Google clearly connects you with the most individuals possible, Microsoft still makes up a notable portion of users who you might not otherwise reach without creating content for their platforms.
In fact, 653 million unique PC users rely on Microsoft’s search engines, reaching 49 million users who don’t use Google.
Leveraging the Microsoft Ad Grant will empower you to tap into the extensive Microsoft Search Network audience.
While you might interpret a lower number of users as a drawback, there’s actually an advantage that Microsoft has over Google in this regard.
Competition on Microsoft’s advertising platform is much lower since advertisers aren’t pursuing it as heavily as Google’s platform due to the difference in the number of users. In turn, the cost of reaching people is much lower for Microsoft’s program.
Difference #3) Audience Demographics
Considering that you’ll be reaching a different subset of web users, that naturally means your audience for Microsoft Advertising will have different characteristics.
Microsoft pulled user demographics and found that their U.S.-based users tend to be:
- Educated. 48% have a college degree.
- Family-oriented. 50% are married, and 60% have children living at home.
- Wealthier. 41% have a household income in the top 25%.
- More likely to spend money. The Microsoft Search Network audience spends 32% more online than the average user.
Knowing these details can help you craft ads that are tailored to different audiences across Google and Microsoft’s advertising platforms.
Difference #4) Ad Scheduling
Across both platforms, nonprofit advertisers can target their ads and make bid adjustments with ad scheduling. They can choose the day of the week and the time of day that they want their ads to be shown. They can also schedule certain times to make bid adjustments.
However, there’s one key difference in scheduling. When you adjust your Google Ads schedule, Google will remind you what time zone your account is in. That’s because any adjustments in your ad schedule are based on your time zone rather than users’.
So, if you set your ad campaign to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, users on Eastern Time would see the ads from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a workaround, though. You’ll need to create separate campaigns and adjust each campaign’s schedules to account for different time zones.
For Microsoft Advertising, ad scheduling is a bit simpler. Scheduling is based on the user’s location. In other words, you’d only need to create one campaign to target every user during specific hours.
Difference #5) Targeting Capabilities
While Google has several targeting capabilities, Microsoft has even more robust options. You’ll notice that a lot of the targeting capabilities are the same, such as geotargeting and remarketing. However, Microsoft’s options go more in-depth.
For one, the primary difference is that you can set targeting at the Ad Group level with the Microsoft Ad Grant, whereas Google requires you to do it at the campaign level.
What’s more, you can use LinkedIn profile information with Microsoft to inform you who your audience is to better target qualified users.
Also, Microsoft enables advertisers to target specific audiences based on device type and OS, simplifying device targeting. With this, they also provide the option not to display campaign ads on desktops. This feature isn’t available on Google, giving Microsoft Advertising a leg up.
Difference #6) Restrictions
While both programs have restrictions, Google is slightly stricter than Microsoft. Both have initial eligibility requirements, but Google’s ongoing compliance requirements cause the program to vary from Microsoft’s Ads for Social Impact quite a bit.
Here are some of the differences in limitations between the two platforms:
- Impressions. Google Ads limits your impression share to 10%, meaning fewer people will see your ads. With Microsoft, there are no limitations on impressions since you’re creating ads on a paid account.
- Ongoing requirements. Google requires nonprofit advertisers to meet a series of ongoing requirements, such as maintaining a 5% click-through rate each month and not using one-word or overly generic keywords. At the moment, Microsoft only requires Microsoft Ad Grant advertisers to occasionally attest to their donor rules to maintain eligibility.
Overall, the Microsoft Ad Grant currently comes with fewer restrictions, making it more accessible to nonprofits.
What Are the Eligibility Criteria for Microsoft Ad Grants?
Like the Google Ad Grant program, Microsoft implements eligibility criteria to ensure that only organizations that will benefit from the program can participate. The idea behind this is that it will result in higher quality ads, promote reputable organizations, and reflect well on the program.
Microsoft breaks down these criteria into three categories.
1. Type of Organization
Only specific types of organizations can participate in the Microsoft Ad Grant program. Organizations must be a:
- Nonprofit or non-governmental organization with recognized legal status
- Public library that provides services without charge to all residents in a given area
- Museum that’s open to the public and conserves tangible objects for purposes of cultural preservation, education, or aesthetic enjoyment
If your organization doesn’t meet these requirements, it will automatically be rejected from the program when applying.
2. Mission
Eligible organizations must operate on a not-for-profit basis, and their mission should benefit the local community.
Examples include improving social welfare, providing relief to the needy, preserving the environment, and establishing a civil society.
3. Non-Discrimination
When it comes to corporate giving, businesses recognize that any participating organizations should share their values. In Microsoft’s case, they’re committed to providing an inclusive environment that’s free from discrimination. That’s why they also require participating nonprofits to not discriminate in their mission or policies.
Nonprofits can’t discriminate in:
- Hiring
- Compensation
- Retirement
- Training
- Programs
- Activities
- Services
Any organization that has a mission or engages in discriminatory acts in any of the areas listed above will be rejected from the program.
Examples of Ineligible Organizations
If you’re still questioning your eligibility for the Microsoft Ad Grant, let’s walk through examples of ineligible organizations.
Ineligible organizations may include but are not limited to:
- Nonprofits that have not obtained legal status in their respective country (e.g. U.S.-based organizations must be registered as 501(c)(3)s with the IRS).
- Professional, commerce, and trade associations
- Schools, colleges, and universities. However, philanthropic arms of educational institutions are still eligible.
- Healthcare organizations, including hospitals, healthcare networks, outpatient healthcare organizations, and more.
- Political, labor, and fraternal organizations
Note that the person completing registration on behalf of the nonprofit must be an employee or a strategic volunteer. Otherwise, the application will be rejected.
Why Should You Apply for Microsoft Ad Grants?
With the clear impact that the program can have on your mission, applying for the Microsoft Ad Grant once they start accepting applications again should be a no-brainer. If you’re still on the fence about applying, here are just a few of the advantages that participating will give you:
- Increase visibility for your most important landing pages. Place your web pages at the top of search results pages for valuable, mission-centric keywords.
- Connect with new supporters. Existing and prospective supporters are already searching for terms related to your cause online. Meet them where they are by bidding on the right keywords and creating ads that inspire them to get involved.
- Deal with lower competition. Since nonprofits operate on a paid account, ads paid for using the Microsoft Ad Grant are treated as traditional paid ads. That way, their ads won’t be automatically placed lower than others.
Chances are, your nonprofit doesn’t want to miss out on free funding. If your organization already has a website, the Microsoft Ad Grant can be a fantastic way to launch your marketing efforts forward and strengthen your digital presence.
Is It Free To Use the Microsoft Ad Grant?
Yes, any organization that’s eligible to participate will receive the Microsoft Ad Grant free of charge. However, note that the grant will be attached to a paid account, which requires a credit card to be attached.
You’ll also want to consider the time spent on applying for the grant, setting up your campaigns, and monitoring results. You might rely on an in-house staff member to do this, which means you might factor part of their salary into the maintenance costs. Alternatively, you might outsource the work to a third-party agency, which would incur fees.
How Do You Apply for the Microsoft Ad Grant?
Applying for the Microsoft Ad Grant is a straightforward process. Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility, you can breeze through the process and get your first campaign set up.
Let’s walk through the 3-step process that your nonprofit will need to follow once Microsoft starts accepting applications again. And remember, Microsoft only allows staff members and strategic volunteers to complete this process on behalf of a nonprofit. However, a third-party agency may be able to guide you through applying.
1. Apply for Microsoft for Nonprofits.
Beyond Ad Grants, Microsoft provides nonprofits with grants and discounts for a variety of their tools and services, like Microsoft 365, Office 365, and Dynamics 365. Applying to their general nonprofit program is a prerequisite for the Microsoft Ad Grant program.
At this stage, you’ll need to do the following to register for Microsoft for Nonprofits:
- Share information about your role and your nonprofit
- Agree to Microsoft’s nonprofit discount and donation policies
- Share your contact details
The first part of the application should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Then, Microsoft For Nonprofits will reach out via email within 7 business days.
Microsoft partners with TechSoup to validate nonprofits’ information, so be aware that they may share your registration data with TechSoup who may contact you for more details.
2. Fill out the Microsoft Ad Grants application.
Upon acceptance into the program, you can access the Ad Grants application within the Microsoft Nonprofit Hub. At this point, you’ll simply need to provide some additional information about your organization and role, such as:
- The URL for your nonprofit’s website
- The number of employees at your organization
- Your nonprofit’s phone number
Microsoft will send an email confirming whether you’ve been accepted within 10 business days. Be aware that this timeline can be impacted if they request additional information or documentation from your nonprofit.
3. Meet with a Microsoft representative to set up your first campaign.
Microsoft wants to set participating organizations up for success, especially since this is a new program. Before you start creating your own campaigns, they require you to meet with one of their representatives.
During your meeting, they’ll work with you to set up your first campaign to make sure your account, ads, and keywords are structured correctly.
From here, you’re free to start creating your own ad campaigns, using that initial one to guide your efforts.
How Can I Make the Most of the Microsoft Ad Grant?
While it’s still a fairly new program, there are already some tips we can draw from the resources Microsoft has shared and from what we already know about the Google Ad Grant program.
Creating a Microsoft Grant management strategy before applying will help determine whether the program will be a worthwhile investment for your cause. Let’s jump into a few core tips to guide your strategy.
Consider what goals you want to achieve.
Leveraging the Microsoft Ad Grant allows you to pursue a range of goals. Before setting up your campaigns, determine the end goal you want to achieve with each ad campaign.
For instance, many nonprofits leverage the Microsoft Ad Grant to:
- Increase fundraising efforts by promoting donation and sponsorship pages.
- Boost corporate giving participation by raising awareness for matching gifts and volunteer grants.
- Boost volunteer registrations by sharing volunteer opportunities.
- Grow event attendance by promoting conferences, webinars, and other events.
- Educate the public about your cause by promoting educational content and services pages.
Determining your objectives upfront means you can choose the right landing pages for your ads and effectively guide your users to take actions that are meaningful to your organization. Otherwise, you might experience fewer conversions.
Vary your Microsoft Ad Grant Strategy from your Google Grants strategy.
While similar in many respects to Google Ad Grants, the Microsoft Ad Grant program varies a good bit. That means you shouldn’t treat Microsoft’s program the same as Google’s.
Don’t simply replicate the same ads across both platforms. For instance, you’ll want to:
- Use more bottom-of-the-sales-funnel keywords for Microsoft. Microsoft Advertising has a higher impression share and cheaper costs-per-click (CPCs), making it more affordable to bid on these terms. Plus, competition is lower, so you’re more likely to rank for these search terms.
- Vary your ads to target different audiences on the two platforms. Remember, Microsoft users tend to be educated, wealthier, and more likely to spend money online. Google’s audience is younger and more tech-savvy. Make sure the tone of your ads speaks to these different groups.
Pay attention to the results on each advertising platform. Determine what inspires users on each platform to convert. Then, make adjustments to make the most out of each program.
In any case, you’ll want to leverage both programs if you’re able to. After all, that totals to $13,000 in free marketing money each month for your cause!
If participating in both programs is out of reach for your team, turn to a grant manager to help. They can take the guesswork out of your advertising and make sure you’re set up for success across both platforms.
How Can a Microsoft Ad Grants Manager Help?
While an incredibly powerful digital marketing resource, Microsoft Ad Grants can take a lot to manage effectively. Between applying for the program and monitoring ad performance, you’ll need to set aside extra time and resources each month to manage your account.
To harness the grant’s full potential, consider turning to a professional agency. A professional can tackle every aspect of the Microsoft Grants management process through services like:
- Eligibility verification: A professional will understand the Microsoft Ad Grant eligibility requirements through and through and will be able to confirm whether you’re eligible for the program. Note that Microsoft requires an employee or strategic volunteer to apply on behalf of your organization, though.
- Ad creation: A Microsoft Grant manager will help you develop ads that drive users to get involved in your cause. Between picking your landing pages and writing ad copy, they’ll make sure you stand out on search engines.
- Keyword research: Professionals can research keywords related to your mission and pick the ones that are most likely to connect you with prospects who are ready to give, volunteer, or whatever you’re aiming to accomplish through Microsoft Ads.
- Landing page optimizations: Your landing pages are a major part of your ads. The right agency will help you improve the landing pages associated with your ads, so you can drive more users to give, participate in your programs, or take another meaningful action.
- Ongoing campaign management: An agency will monitor your campaign performance and make adjustments as needed. That way, you can be confident that you’re targeting the best keywords with the best possible ads and landing pages.
Instead of spending your time learning the intricacies of the program, we recommend turning to a trusted professional that offers the exact services you need. That way, you can focus on pursuing your mission and trust that your search engine marketing needs are taken care of!
As our recommended agency, Getting Attention understands what it takes to make its nonprofit partners stand out on search engines. Backed by their team, you can harness the power of Microsoft Ad Grants and Google Ad Grants simultaneously.
Additional Resources
If you’re looking to venture into the world of search engine marketing, the Microsoft Ad Grant is the ultimate addition to your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy. Considering that it’s a fairly new program, you can get a jump start on the program and start showing up for mission-related keywords that drive traffic to your site.
With a thought-out management strategy, you’ll be well-equipped to drive real value for your cause. Start enhancing your volunteer recruitment efforts, raise more awareness for corporate giving, or accomplish whatever your nonprofit wants with the Microsoft Ad Grant!
Remember, a professional agency will help you make the most of the program and make sure you represent your organization in the best way possible online.
In the meantime, continue learning about Microsoft Grants and other strategies that will enrich your digital marketing plans with these educational resources:
Keela Chooses Double the Donation for Advanced Matching Gifts Integration
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and Keela are excited to announce a new integration between Keela’s online donation forms and Double the Donation. The new integration and partnership will empower nonprofits of all sizes to seize their opportunity to raise more from matching gifts, engage with their donor base, and benefit from advanced tracking.
With an activated integration, donors can search their company name on the donation page and discover their match eligibility details on the confirmation page. Nonprofit organizations can then see where their supporters work and stay up-to-date with matching gift submission progress. Together, the two solutions create value for nonprofits looking to increase their matching gift revenue.
“We’re thrilled to provide eager nonprofit clients with the integrated solution they’ve been asking for between Keela and Double the Donation,” says Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “Nonprofits were confident about the value this integration would bring them, and we can’t help but agree!”
Read on to find out more about how this integration helps nonprofits raise more from matching gifts.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
Getting started with the Double the Donation and Keela integration only takes a few minutes and a couple of steps. When a nonprofit organization is ready to start their integration, they can activate using their unique Double the Donation API keys.
Once these keys are placed and verified in Keela, orgs can easily add Double the Donation tools to any desired forms to maximize matching gift potential.
Toggle on the Double the Donation feature to add Double the Donation functionality to donation forms.
After this step is complete, the fundraising begins! Donors will then be able to navigate their giving experience with matching gifts in mind, thanks to the Double the Donation auto-complete search tool and matching gift plugin present on Keela donation forms and confirmation pages.
Donors can learn more about matching gifts, discover their eligibility, and take next steps to getting their gift matched – whether that be via a direct link to their matching gifts experience or an opportunity to automatically submit their match from the confirmation page.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
Keela and Double the Donation are proud to provide a solution that makes matching as easy as 1-2-3: activate, search, match!
Check out these additional features:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Keela and Double the Donation.
About Keela: Keela is a fundraising-focused software company on the cutting edge of innovation in the sector. Our mission is to serve and support every organization that is empowering positive change. Our uniquely powerful solution bridges the gap between fundraising and communications that exists in other solutions. This allows nonprofits to improve donor relations through a targeted, multi-channel approach. Keela is officially certified as a B-Corp. This means we’re always prioritizing people over profit and never forgetting our commitment to the communities in which we operate.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts.
How to Collect, Manage, and Use Your Nonprofit’s Donor Data
/in Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerBetween donations, events, and volunteer participation, you collect donor data constantly. The rise of fundraising technology and nonprofit digital marketing has only made data more accessible, and that can be a great thing for professional fundraisers!
Your donor data is incredibly valuable. It provides you with insight into who your donors are, what motivates them to support your cause, and how you can keep your cause top of mind.
In this quick guide, we’ll share the fundamentals of managing your nonprofit’s donor data, so you don’t let yours go to waste!
What Is Donor Data?
Donor data refers to the information that nonprofits collect about their individual donors. The most common types of supporter data organizations store include:
To organize this information, nonprofits typically store data in a donor database or a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Nonprofits can integrate external tools (such as online donation forms and event management software), so new donor details will automatically be added to supporters’ profiles within the main database.
Why Is Donor Data Important?
Data fuels today’s fundraising efforts. As we mentioned, you collect data at every turn. When you leverage this data thoughtfully, your nonprofit can experience these benefits:
Between highlighting the right engagement opportunities and communicating impact, your organization stands to gain a lot from effective donor data management practices. Of course, to properly manage donor data, you first need to collect the right details.
What Donor Data Should We Collect?
The more information you have about your donors, the better prepared your organization will be to tailor your fundraising efforts and communication strategies to meet individual needs and preferences. This ultimately fosters deeper donor engagement and maximizes philanthropic support for your cause!
Understanding giving histories, communication preferences, interests, and more enables your organization to craft targeted appeals that foster long-term donor loyalty. While we briefly touched on common types of supporter data nonprofits gather, it’s worth a closer look. There is a range of data you should collect to set your team up for success.
Some of the highlights include:
Storing this kind of information will empower you to separate your community into meaningful segments and deliver targeted fundraising appeals to each group.
Knowing who your supporters are depends on your ability to collect and synthesize the right data. Doing so will ultimately empower you to experience the benefits we mentioned earlier.
How to Effectively Manage Donor Data
You know why you should collect details and have all the right information about supporters. Now, how can you leverage that data to drive deeper relationships?
Let’s take a look at three recommendations for maintaining a clean CRM and ensuring your donor relationships thrive.
Use Data Appends to Build Stronger Profiles.
You won’t know everything about your supporters. But did you know you can use reliable data sources to enhance your donor profiles and append missing or outdated data elements in your database?
When you leverage a trustworthy data append service, you can pull details like these to inform your strategy:
Then, backed with these fresh new donor insights, your team will be empowered to…
Luckily, the appending process is fairly straightforward. Your team will send a file with donor data for each constituent to your appends provider. Then, the appending company matches the information you supply to a larger, external database with updated information. Some providers will even conduct manual checks to make sure the appended data is accurate!
Use Your Donor Data to Personalize Communication.
Donor relationships are built on establishing personal connections. Show individuals that you care about them individually by using donor data to:
Your donor data can take your nonprofit marketing up a notch. Today’s CRMs allow you to store pretty much any information you want, so you can form meaningful segments and deliver the right messages to the right groups.
Protect Donor Data By Taking Security Precautions.
When someone gives to your organization, they’re entrusting you with their personal information. Failing to take proper security precautions can result in a violation of that trust. If your donor data falls into the wrong hands, you might even lose some of your donors altogether.
To avoid this, here are a few security steps any nonprofit should take when handling donor data:
Increased reliance on technology can be a benefit and a challenge all at once for nonprofits. While you can gather more information than you ever thought possible, unauthorized users can exploit system vulnerabilities to steal that information. Make sure to take every precaution you can to protect your donor data, and it’ll pay off!
Other Resources to Explore
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more nonprofit management essentials by exploring other expert resources.
Prospect Research: The Ultimate Guide for Nonprofits – Prospect research is the process of gathering information about your donors and prospects. Explore our prospect research guide to learn more.
What is a Data Append and Why Does it Matter for Nonprofits?
/in About Double the Donation, Learning Center, Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerToday’s marketers rely on customer data to make informed decisions to inspire interest, increase engagement, and ultimately sell their products and services.
In the nonprofit space, nonprofit marketing and fundraising professionals stand to gain from strategically collecting, maintaining, and leveraging the donor data stored in their organization’s CRMs. But your supporters move, get new email addresses, and their information changes over time. That means your data can quickly become outdated, which is where data appending swoops in to save the day.
Updating and gathering data manually can be a taxing process, but data appending uses automation to streamline the work for you. We’ll clear up confusion surrounding the process to help you transform your CRM into an effective tool your nonprofit’s fundraising and marketing efforts can rely on.
What Is A Data Append?
A data append is the process of adding missing or updating existing data points in an organization’s database. The process involves comparing the information in the nonprofit’s current database to that stored in a larger, more comprehensive data source. Data append services use external data sources to fill gaps in data, including:
All kinds of organizations use data appends, including for-profit businesses, charitable nonprofits, and political campaigns. For example, have you ever gotten a text message promoting a candidate in an upcoming election even though you can’t recall sharing your phone number with any political causes? Chances are they got your information—your name, phone number, and political party registration—from a data append.
For nonprofits, specifically, data appends allow them to maintain clean donor data and gain more comprehensive insights into their supporters when they have limited information. Ultimately, accurate data can help your organization learn more about your supporters, leading to better tailored fundraising and donor cultivation strategies.
Why Is Data Appending Important?
At its core, data appending enhances your data quality by filling in gaps and correcting inaccuracies. With this information, you can strengthen your donor management and make the most of each dollar spent on your data append.
There are all sorts of situations nonprofits might find themselves in where a data append is the right answer, including:
But beyond simply cleaning up your donor database, you stand to benefit a lot from the appending process. Backed by accurate and complete data from the append, you can:
Ultimately, data appending can enhance your understanding of supporters, which will shine through in your outreach. With your append, you get the data you need to drive greater fundraising outcomes and forge stronger supporter relationships.
How Data Appending Works
At the surface level, data appending seems like a simple process, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure accuracy and completeness. For the most part, your provider will take care of all the nitty-gritty details, such as gathering the data, ensuring it’s accurate, and formatting it to easily fit into your CRM.
Here, we offer a look behind the scenes of what your provider will do to make sure the data will be usable for your nonprofit:
On your nonprofit’s end, the process is much simpler. From the nonprofit perspective, all you need to do is send your constituent information to a provider. You can streamline the process by taking the time to clean your database beforehand by removing duplicate information, unnecessary data, and donor profiles you don’t need (such as the information of deceased and long-since lapsed donors).
But if you just want to send your data append provider your database information in its current state, you can do that, too. Whatever the state of your database, your service provider will take it from there!
Types of Data You Can Append
As a nonprofit marketer, you’re likely flooded with new data points at every turn. With all the constituent data you collect through volunteer registrations, event sign-ups, and donations, it can be challenging to filter it down to the most helpful details.
When it comes to data appending, we already know the burning question on everyone’s mind: What information is actually worth appending?
Before getting an append, ensure you know which information will actually propel your marketing and fundraising efforts forward. While the append service will be happy to take you as a client, purchasing data you don’t need is far from the best use of your nonprofit’s resources.
Of course, what is the right data depends on your nonprofit’s unique situation. To help you get an idea of what you should request, here’s an overview of the most common types of data nonprofits need from appends:
As the graphic shows, there are a wide number of specific data points you can get from an append, but all of these can be sorted into roughly three categories.
Contact Information
Like we’ve touched on, your constituents move, change their phone numbers, and get new email addresses all the time. Having accurate contact information allows you to successfully deliver appeals and stay in contact without interruption.
Leverage data appending to verify contact information, including:
Communication is the foundation of nearly all nonprofit’s fundraising efforts, making this one of the most helpful types of data appends. If your email bounce rates have skyrocketed or you get sent straight to voicemail, a data append can verify whether you have the right contact details for constituents.
Employer Data
We can’t emphasize the importance of corporate philanthropy enough. Between matching gifts and volunteer grants, your nonprofit has a lot to gain from promoting these opportunities to supporters.
However, to promote these opportunities to the right supporters who actually qualify, you need accurate employer data for constituents. That’s where an employer append comes in handy. NXUnite’s guide to data appending explains that knowing employment details empowers your team to:
Between driving donor engagement and establishing meaningful corporate partnerships, employer appending has quite a few benefits worth looking into. We recommend pulling this information if you’re looking to tap into the world of corporate giving or need help identifying major giving prospects.
Demographics
A supporter’s demographics can give you insight into their backgrounds, values, and philanthropic priorities. This type of data append allows you to extract important background details like:
Whether you want to send a birthday gift or verify contacts have a certain political affiliation, demographic data appends allow you to deliver highly personalized outreach that speaks to supporters’ interests.
Other Resources to Explore
Appends provide nonprofits with the data they need to strengthen their support relationships, build lasting connections, and make strategic marketing decisions. Supplement and update your database with the information you need to stay current with your supporters’ busy lives.
The right append for your nonprofit depends on your engagement strategy and current data-gathering practices. Curious to learn more about data appending? Check out these breakdowns on specific append types:
Double the Donation and Fundmetric Answer the Call for Advanced Matching Gifts Integration
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation is proud to unveil a new partnership with the fundraising AI ecosystem Fundmetric to provide integrated matching gifts functionality to schools, universities, and nonprofits. Fundmetric and Double the Donation’s integration combines the power of the world’s leading matching gift automation platform with the modern flow Fundmetric’s fundraising environment.
If organizations’ donors have trouble navigating the world of matching gifts, or maybe don’t even know about matching gifts in the first place, this could mean thousands upon thousands of dollars of lost revenue for the nonprofits these donors support. Fundmetric and Double the Donation disrupt the status quo by introducing donors to their matching gift potentials.
“Schools and nonprofits miss out on billions of dollars each year in matching gift revenue, and we’re here to change that,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “We’re proud to offer our mutual clients an answer to their request for functionality that shakes up the matching gifts process for the better.”
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts
The activation process for organizations looking to activate their integration between Fundmetric and Double the Donation is quick and easy. All a verified user has to do is retrieve their public and private API keys from their Double the Donation account, plug them into their Fundmetric integration settings, and add Double the Donation’s tools anywhere they’d like within their desired Fundmetric donation forms.
Enter your public and private API keys to activate the integration.
Once this is complete, donors will be able to discover their match eligibility during their giving flow and take their next actions directly from the confirmation page.
Donors can discover details on their chosen company’s matching gift program.
Actionable analytics and real-time data flow into the organizations’ connected accounts so they can continue their matching gift strategy with personalized follow ups and more.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
Double the Donation and Fundmetric set out to complete an integration that utilized smart data, helped orgs get set up easily, and took donor impact to the next level. See more value from the integration with the following features:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Fundmetric and Double the Donation.
About Fundmetric: Fundmetric is an AI data ecosystem that connects siloed data, enabling teams to maximize lifetime giving and increase predictability of revenue. Build your highest-converting lists and cultivate constituent interests using behavioral data and machine learning. Fundmetric’s flexible infrastructure leverages the ability to execute optimized campaigns and capture the attention of your donors in a noisy world. To learn more about Fundmetric visit https://www.fundmetric.com/ and request a demo at https://www.fundmetric.com/demoform.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more about Double the Donation, visit https://doublethedonation.com and request a demo at https://doublethedonation.com/get-a-demo/
Double the Donation and Givecloud Debut Matching Gifts Integration for Nonprofits
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation is proud to announce our new integration in partnership with Givecloud, making the matching gift process easier for nonprofits and donors alike.
The integrated solution offers an answer to nonprofits asking for a solution to streamline their matching gifts strategy for their online donors, closing the awareness gap that normally prevents nonprofit organizations from seeing matching gift success.
“Far too many donors are unaware of their matching gift potential when they make a gift to a nonprofit organization,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “Our integration with Givecloud will help donors deepen their impact by enabling them to pursue a match with confidence.”
Read on to learn more about the new integrated solution!
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
The activation process for mutual users of 360MatchPro by Double the Donation and Givecloud is simple. All nonprofit organizations need to do is retrieve their API keys from their 360MatchPro account, plug them into their Givecloud settings page, and start raising more from matching gifts right away!
Simply enter your public and private API keys to activate your integration.
For donors who give on a Givecloud Fundraising Form, they’ll be presented with the opportunity to search their company name directly after making a payment. Then, they’ll receive automated emails from 360MatchPro prompting them to take their next steps and drive their match to completion.
Allow your donors to search their employer to find their eligibility.
The process is seamless from start to finish, making matching gifts as easy as making the initial donation. From here, nonprofits can track and manage their matching gifts strategy from their 360MatchPro platform.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with 360MatchPro!
The integration between Givecloud forms and 360MatchPro and Double the Donation unlock the door for nonprofit organizations to claim more matching gift revenue made available to them by their donors’ employers. Check out these additional features:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Givecloud and 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.
About Givecloud: Nonprofits use Givecloud’s innovative Trustraising™ platform to create digital fundraising experiences that excite donors and increase donations, advocacy and loyalty so they can spend more time and money on their mission and less on administration. Established nonprofits can easily integrate Givecloud with their existing donor management systems.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The 360MatchPro platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. 360MatchPro integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more about Double the Donation, visit https://doublethedonation.com and request a demo at https://360matchpro.com/demo-request/.
Haku Integrates with Double the Donation for Advanced Matching Gifts Functionality
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and Haku have joined in collaboration to bring the power of matching gifts to nonprofit organizations by implementing integration between Haku donation forms and Double the Donation.
The new integration allows nonprofits to interact with their donors directly after a gift is made, presenting them with information about their company’s matching gift program and encouraging them to take their next steps toward matching gift request submission.
“Double the Donation has been the leader in matching gifts automation software for years now, and we’ve found that the most effective way to get more from matching gifts is by meeting donors where they are,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “Our integration with haku allows nonprofits to engage with new donors and raise awareness about matching gifts in an exciting way.”
The integration is now available for all mutual clients of Haku and Double the Donation to activate on their various donation forms.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts
The activation process is incredibly easy thanks to the native integration between Double the Donation and haku. Organizations who have a Double the Donation account can enter their haku account and enter their API keys into whichever donation form builder they’d like and toggle the integration to active.
Once this step is complete, orgs are ready to go with their matching gift outreach! Directly after the giving process, donors will be able to easily find if they are match eligible through the auto-complete search field on the Double the Donation matching gifts plugin.
From here, donors can immediately take their next steps toward getting their gift matched, and the nonprofit is apprised of updates along the way in real time!
Looking to learn more? Check out our in-depth integration guide to get started!
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
haku and Double the Donation’s integrated solution aims to provide nonprofits with an easy-to-use and intuitive solution to their matching gift outreach needs. Some more features allow organizations to:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Haku and Double the Donation.
About haku: haku is a technology platform enabling non-profits to more effectively and efficiently grow their impact. Through our innovative all-in-one platform and unwavering customer service, non-profits have an easy, effective, and customizable way to engage supporters through a myriad of fundraising channels with haku.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more about Double the Donation, visit https://doublethedonation.com/get-a-demo/
Nonprofit Basics: Charity eCards
/in Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerNonprofits are challenged to capture and maintain their supporters’ attention every day. If your standard development efforts aren’t measuring up to expectations, it might be time to rethink your online fundraising strategies. Try creating charity eCards to reinvigorate your supporters and provide an interactive way to support your work.
From environmental organizations to churches, any cause can get in on the action and create charity eCards. They’re a fantastic way to raise extra revenue and spread awareness for your mission without requiring too much extra work for your team.
If this sounds like an exciting opportunity, we’re here to help. Before diving into crafting your nonprofit eCards, let’s review the fundamentals!
What Are Charity eCards?
Charity eCards are digital greeting cards that supporters can send to loved ones to celebrate special occasions and spread awareness for an organization. Some nonprofits even create virtual greeting cards for staff to show appreciation for committed supporters and corporate partners.
Perfect for any organization, they’re a low-cost, eco-friendly way for donors to make a difference without having to spend a lot of money. They also serve as a powerful source of peer referrals. Whenever someone purchases a nonprofit eCard, they can create a personalized message to go along with it. This allows them to express their love for the cause and encourage their loved ones to look into the nonprofit, too. All you need to power these campaigns is an online greeting card website.
Types of Charity eCards
What makes nonprofit eCards so valuable is their versatility. Whether you’re creating a few for a cause awareness campaign or offering a year-round collection, there are countless ways you can incorporate them into your work.
Let’s take a look at a few ideas and examples that’ll supercharge your approach to nonprofit eCards!
Cause Awareness Campaign eCards
Environmental organizations can celebrate Earth Day. Mental health organizations can boost awareness during Suicide Prevention Week and World Mental Health Day. Homeless prevention organizations can amplify their work during Poverty in America Awareness Month or Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Do some research and see if there’s a day, week, or month connected to your work.
Even if there’s not one associated with your mission, you can launch an awareness campaign to gain support and credibility. This is a great way to position your organization as a pioneer in the space.
Either way, there are two approaches you can take when offering these nonprofit eCards:
To spark inspiration, we’ve pulled an example from Peace Winds. For World Refugee Day, the organization offered a collection of Father’s Day cards that highlighted refugees’ situations. Since the two holidays fall near each other each year, supporters could select an eCard to send to a father figure in their life while also spreading awareness for the cause.
Invitations
When planning your next event, create virtual invitations your supporters can send to their loved ones. Invitations can help boost registrations, whether it’s a massively-attended 5K or a small volunteer appreciation event. Especially when sent by a loved one or someone at the organization, invitations can add a personal touch to your event promotion.
You’ll want to offer this type of nonprofit eCard for free. Include key details like the date, time, and location of your nonprofit’s event, either in the message that populates with each eCard or on the card itself. Make it incredibly apparent the event is associated with your nonprofit by using your nonprofit’s branding, such as your logo, colors, and fonts.
For this example, we’ve grabbed a church service invitation from Vineyard Vines. At any point during the year, church members can grab their favorites and send them to invite someone to the next service personally. The church keeps its strategy fresh by creating new nonprofit eCards for special services, like Easter.
Birthday and Holiday eCards for Nonprofits
Spread some birthday and holiday cheer with personalized eCards for your cause. Birthdays and holidays happen year-round, so you can create digital greeting cards for every occasion. Best of all, people already send personalized cards during these special days, making them the perfect fundraising opportunity. After all, who wouldn’t want to send a card that’s also associated with a cause the recipient cares about?
Beyond birthdays, some holidays that lend themselves well to cards include:
This strategy works especially well for holidays associated with gifts. Instead of finding the perfect gift to celebrate a birthday or holiday, the sender can simply donate in the recipient’s name. Then, they’ll select a nonprofit eCard, letting them know. Either create generic cards for holidays or tailor them to your cause.
Let’s look at a Valentine’s Day charity eCard example from One Tail At A Time. As an animal rescue organization that supports under-resourced animal shelters and pet families, they connected the holiday to their furry friends. As part of their Puppygram campaign, they created a series of charity eCards that featured One Tail’s rescue animals. Supporters could purchase each card for $25.
Supporters could also donate $500 to have a “puppygram” delivered directly to someone. With this option, the organization would show up with a couple of rescue pups directly to someone. To take the puppy cuddles up a notch, a donor could give $1,000 to have a whole litter of pups show up. What an innovative way to spread cause awareness and love on Valentine’s Day!
Appreciation Charity eCards
Thank-you cards are a time-tested tradition for expressing gratitude for someone’s generosity and growing relationships. There are a few approaches you can take with this type of nonprofit eCard:
As explained in eCardWidget’s guide to employee engagement, getting creative with your appreciation tactics allows you to form interpersonal connections and celebrate major milestones. It doesn’t matter if they’re donating, volunteering, or working hard every day as a staff member. Everyone deserves some recognition, no matter how they support your mission!
To get your creativity flowing, let’s look at an example from Youth For Understanding. This card was part of a collection that was launched for a specific appreciation campaign but offers a generic design you can emulate.
While each example we’ve explored has been tailored to each organization, this design is a great example of a generic charity eCard you can offer. It suits every occasion, no matter who’s sending it. Whether you send these greeting cards internally or let supporters get in on the action, a thank-you card is a must for your nonprofit eCard collection.
How to Create Spectacular Nonprofit eCards
Even if you’re not an expert graphic designer, you can create charity eCards that generate more awareness and donations for your cause. So long as you use an intuitive eCard service, you’ll have access to every design tool you’ll need, whether you want to work off a template or start from scratch.
Here are a few ways to make engaging eCards that excite your team and supporters:
Other Resources to Explore
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more nonprofit management essentials by exploring other expert resources.
Donation eCard Examples that Share the Joy of Giving – Explore other charity eCard examples from real organizations and start brainstorming how you’ll use your cards to boost your fundraising revenue.
Birthday Fundraisers: How to Secure Year-Round Support – Birthday eCards are a great way to bring in donations. Get guidance for your birthday eCards and dive into some other tried-and-true birthday fundraisers with this guide.
Microsoft Ad Grants: A Q&A Guide for Nonprofit Marketers
/in Marketing Strategies /by Adam WeingerThe Microsoft Ad Grant is a program that’s quickly emerging as a powerful way to amplify charitable causes. With a monthly allocation of $3,000, participating nonprofits can create well-written ads and bid on keywords that will connect them with new supporters.
Similar to the Google Ad Grant in many ways, this program enables nonprofits to strengthen their digital presence and drive greater results for their work. The grant amount may be smaller than Google’s sizeable $10,000 monthly grant, but Microsoft’s search engines provide access to new audiences with less competition for bottom-of-the-sales-funnel keywords, making it just as valuable.
This program is fairly new, meaning there are still a lot of questions surrounding how to leverage its features to maximize ad performance. Microsoft has paused on accepting new applications, but it’s still worthwhile to be prepared as soon as it’s up and running again.
Based on what’s already been released about the program and what we know about the Google Ad Grant, we’re here to help you perfect your Microsoft Ad Grant management strategies! In this guide, we’ll answer the following questions:
At Double the Donation, we help nonprofits amplify their funding through matching gifts. We’ve seen the tremendous impact that corporate giving programs have on nonprofits, which is why we’re excited to teach you about Microsoft’s latest charitable initiative.
While incredibly valuable, getting started with the Ads for Social Impact program and managing your campaigns takes quite a bit of work. We recommend learning all you can about the program, but we also suggest working with a dedicated professional to handle your account maintenance for you. As our recommended Microsoft Grant management agency, Getting Attention can take the guesswork out of managing your campaigns, so you can focus more on your mission.
What Is the Microsoft Ad Grant?
Microsoft Advertising offers approved nonprofits a $3,000 monthly grant that can be used to promote their web content across its digital search network. Ads are displayed across Microsoft’s search engines, including Bing, Yahoo, AOL, outlook.com, MSN, and Microsoft Edge.
Nonprofits can use this funding to bid on keywords that their prospects are searching online. They’ll pick a landing page that matches the searcher’s intent for the selected keywords, such as a donation page or matching gifts page. Then, they’ll write ad copy that encourages users to click the linked page and get involved.
Here’s an example of the World Wildlife Fund promoting its content through the Microsoft Advertising platform:
Advertisers can also build out your ads with additional features, such as ad extensions that link to additional pages. Note that the grant will only apply if your account is in Expert Mode. For now, the program is also currently only available to nonprofits located in the United States. Microsoft has also stopped accepting applications as the work on improving the program and platform to support onboarding more nonprofits.
What’s the Difference Between Microsoft Grants and Google Grants?
If your nonprofit already participates in the Google Ad Grants program, many aspects of the Microsoft Ad Grant probably sound familiar to you. However, there are some key differences that advertisers have already noticed.
Let’s walk through a few of these dissimilarities, so you can determine how your Microsoft Grant management strategy will differ from Google Grants.
Difference #1) How Ads Are Displayed
Both platforms display ads at the top of the search results for specific terms. However, the designs of the ads vary slightly.
Google displays ads prominently by featuring ‘Ad’ in bold text at the top of the listing. Microsoft makes it less apparent that particular results are ads.
While it looks slightly different across Microsoft’s search engines, they primarily include it in standard, non-bold text within the meta description. Marketers speculate that this results in a better user experience, considering that it looks more like organic results.
Difference #2) Reach
Google is marked as the world’s most popular search engine, accounting for 61.4% of search queries in the United States, according to Statista. Microsoft’s search engines account for 26.8% of search queries.
While Google clearly connects you with the most individuals possible, Microsoft still makes up a notable portion of users who you might not otherwise reach without creating content for their platforms.
Leveraging the Microsoft Ad Grant will empower you to tap into the extensive Microsoft Search Network audience.
While you might interpret a lower number of users as a drawback, there’s actually an advantage that Microsoft has over Google in this regard.
Competition on Microsoft’s advertising platform is much lower since advertisers aren’t pursuing it as heavily as Google’s platform due to the difference in the number of users. In turn, the cost of reaching people is much lower for Microsoft’s program.
Difference #3) Audience Demographics
Considering that you’ll be reaching a different subset of web users, that naturally means your audience for Microsoft Advertising will have different characteristics.
Microsoft pulled user demographics and found that their U.S.-based users tend to be:
Knowing these details can help you craft ads that are tailored to different audiences across Google and Microsoft’s advertising platforms.
Difference #4) Ad Scheduling
Across both platforms, nonprofit advertisers can target their ads and make bid adjustments with ad scheduling. They can choose the day of the week and the time of day that they want their ads to be shown. They can also schedule certain times to make bid adjustments.
However, there’s one key difference in scheduling. When you adjust your Google Ads schedule, Google will remind you what time zone your account is in. That’s because any adjustments in your ad schedule are based on your time zone rather than users’.
So, if you set your ad campaign to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time, users on Eastern Time would see the ads from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a workaround, though. You’ll need to create separate campaigns and adjust each campaign’s schedules to account for different time zones.
For Microsoft Advertising, ad scheduling is a bit simpler. Scheduling is based on the user’s location. In other words, you’d only need to create one campaign to target every user during specific hours.
Difference #5) Targeting Capabilities
While Google has several targeting capabilities, Microsoft has even more robust options. You’ll notice that a lot of the targeting capabilities are the same, such as geotargeting and remarketing. However, Microsoft’s options go more in-depth.
For one, the primary difference is that you can set targeting at the Ad Group level with the Microsoft Ad Grant, whereas Google requires you to do it at the campaign level.
What’s more, you can use LinkedIn profile information with Microsoft to inform you who your audience is to better target qualified users.
Also, Microsoft enables advertisers to target specific audiences based on device type and OS, simplifying device targeting. With this, they also provide the option not to display campaign ads on desktops. This feature isn’t available on Google, giving Microsoft Advertising a leg up.
Difference #6) Restrictions
While both programs have restrictions, Google is slightly stricter than Microsoft. Both have initial eligibility requirements, but Google’s ongoing compliance requirements cause the program to vary from Microsoft’s Ads for Social Impact quite a bit.
Here are some of the differences in limitations between the two platforms:
Overall, the Microsoft Ad Grant currently comes with fewer restrictions, making it more accessible to nonprofits.
What Are the Eligibility Criteria for Microsoft Ad Grants?
Like the Google Ad Grant program, Microsoft implements eligibility criteria to ensure that only organizations that will benefit from the program can participate. The idea behind this is that it will result in higher quality ads, promote reputable organizations, and reflect well on the program.
Microsoft breaks down these criteria into three categories.
1. Type of Organization
Only specific types of organizations can participate in the Microsoft Ad Grant program. Organizations must be a:
If your organization doesn’t meet these requirements, it will automatically be rejected from the program when applying.
2. Mission
Eligible organizations must operate on a not-for-profit basis, and their mission should benefit the local community.
Examples include improving social welfare, providing relief to the needy, preserving the environment, and establishing a civil society.
3. Non-Discrimination
When it comes to corporate giving, businesses recognize that any participating organizations should share their values. In Microsoft’s case, they’re committed to providing an inclusive environment that’s free from discrimination. That’s why they also require participating nonprofits to not discriminate in their mission or policies.
Nonprofits can’t discriminate in:
Any organization that has a mission or engages in discriminatory acts in any of the areas listed above will be rejected from the program.
Examples of Ineligible Organizations
If you’re still questioning your eligibility for the Microsoft Ad Grant, let’s walk through examples of ineligible organizations.
Ineligible organizations may include but are not limited to:
Note that the person completing registration on behalf of the nonprofit must be an employee or a strategic volunteer. Otherwise, the application will be rejected.
Why Should You Apply for Microsoft Ad Grants?
With the clear impact that the program can have on your mission, applying for the Microsoft Ad Grant once they start accepting applications again should be a no-brainer. If you’re still on the fence about applying, here are just a few of the advantages that participating will give you:
Chances are, your nonprofit doesn’t want to miss out on free funding. If your organization already has a website, the Microsoft Ad Grant can be a fantastic way to launch your marketing efforts forward and strengthen your digital presence.
Is It Free To Use the Microsoft Ad Grant?
Yes, any organization that’s eligible to participate will receive the Microsoft Ad Grant free of charge. However, note that the grant will be attached to a paid account, which requires a credit card to be attached.
You’ll also want to consider the time spent on applying for the grant, setting up your campaigns, and monitoring results. You might rely on an in-house staff member to do this, which means you might factor part of their salary into the maintenance costs. Alternatively, you might outsource the work to a third-party agency, which would incur fees.
How Do You Apply for the Microsoft Ad Grant?
Applying for the Microsoft Ad Grant is a straightforward process. Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility, you can breeze through the process and get your first campaign set up.
Let’s walk through the 3-step process that your nonprofit will need to follow once Microsoft starts accepting applications again. And remember, Microsoft only allows staff members and strategic volunteers to complete this process on behalf of a nonprofit. However, a third-party agency may be able to guide you through applying.
1. Apply for Microsoft for Nonprofits.
Beyond Ad Grants, Microsoft provides nonprofits with grants and discounts for a variety of their tools and services, like Microsoft 365, Office 365, and Dynamics 365. Applying to their general nonprofit program is a prerequisite for the Microsoft Ad Grant program.
At this stage, you’ll need to do the following to register for Microsoft for Nonprofits:
The first part of the application should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Then, Microsoft For Nonprofits will reach out via email within 7 business days.
Microsoft partners with TechSoup to validate nonprofits’ information, so be aware that they may share your registration data with TechSoup who may contact you for more details.
2. Fill out the Microsoft Ad Grants application.
Upon acceptance into the program, you can access the Ad Grants application within the Microsoft Nonprofit Hub. At this point, you’ll simply need to provide some additional information about your organization and role, such as:
Microsoft will send an email confirming whether you’ve been accepted within 10 business days. Be aware that this timeline can be impacted if they request additional information or documentation from your nonprofit.
3. Meet with a Microsoft representative to set up your first campaign.
Microsoft wants to set participating organizations up for success, especially since this is a new program. Before you start creating your own campaigns, they require you to meet with one of their representatives.
During your meeting, they’ll work with you to set up your first campaign to make sure your account, ads, and keywords are structured correctly.
From here, you’re free to start creating your own ad campaigns, using that initial one to guide your efforts.
How Can I Make the Most of the Microsoft Ad Grant?
While it’s still a fairly new program, there are already some tips we can draw from the resources Microsoft has shared and from what we already know about the Google Ad Grant program.
Creating a Microsoft Grant management strategy before applying will help determine whether the program will be a worthwhile investment for your cause. Let’s jump into a few core tips to guide your strategy.
Consider what goals you want to achieve.
Leveraging the Microsoft Ad Grant allows you to pursue a range of goals. Before setting up your campaigns, determine the end goal you want to achieve with each ad campaign.
For instance, many nonprofits leverage the Microsoft Ad Grant to:
Determining your objectives upfront means you can choose the right landing pages for your ads and effectively guide your users to take actions that are meaningful to your organization. Otherwise, you might experience fewer conversions.
Vary your Microsoft Ad Grant Strategy from your Google Grants strategy.
While similar in many respects to Google Ad Grants, the Microsoft Ad Grant program varies a good bit. That means you shouldn’t treat Microsoft’s program the same as Google’s.
Don’t simply replicate the same ads across both platforms. For instance, you’ll want to:
Pay attention to the results on each advertising platform. Determine what inspires users on each platform to convert. Then, make adjustments to make the most out of each program.
In any case, you’ll want to leverage both programs if you’re able to. After all, that totals to $13,000 in free marketing money each month for your cause!
If participating in both programs is out of reach for your team, turn to a grant manager to help. They can take the guesswork out of your advertising and make sure you’re set up for success across both platforms.
How Can a Microsoft Ad Grants Manager Help?
While an incredibly powerful digital marketing resource, Microsoft Ad Grants can take a lot to manage effectively. Between applying for the program and monitoring ad performance, you’ll need to set aside extra time and resources each month to manage your account.
To harness the grant’s full potential, consider turning to a professional agency. A professional can tackle every aspect of the Microsoft Grants management process through services like:
Instead of spending your time learning the intricacies of the program, we recommend turning to a trusted professional that offers the exact services you need. That way, you can focus on pursuing your mission and trust that your search engine marketing needs are taken care of!
As our recommended agency, Getting Attention understands what it takes to make its nonprofit partners stand out on search engines. Backed by their team, you can harness the power of Microsoft Ad Grants and Google Ad Grants simultaneously.
Additional Resources
If you’re looking to venture into the world of search engine marketing, the Microsoft Ad Grant is the ultimate addition to your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy. Considering that it’s a fairly new program, you can get a jump start on the program and start showing up for mission-related keywords that drive traffic to your site.
With a thought-out management strategy, you’ll be well-equipped to drive real value for your cause. Start enhancing your volunteer recruitment efforts, raise more awareness for corporate giving, or accomplish whatever your nonprofit wants with the Microsoft Ad Grant!
Remember, a professional agency will help you make the most of the program and make sure you represent your organization in the best way possible online.
In the meantime, continue learning about Microsoft Grants and other strategies that will enrich your digital marketing plans with these educational resources:
The Benefits of Acquiring and Retaining Young Donors
/in Learning Center, Marketing Strategies, Learning Center /by Adam Weinger15 Free & Low-Cost Nonprofit Webinars To Amplify Your Work
/in Learning Center /by Adam WeingerTop Nonprofit Webinars for Fundraising Professionals
As a nonprofit professional, you know how important it is to stay on top of changing trends, connect with others in your field, and keep your skills sharp. Fortunately, there are a variety of free training courses, events, and lectures designed just for nonprofit fundraising and development team members. These webinars cover a wide range of topics to help you access strategies and and expert-insights that will grow your success.
To get the convenience of attending an event from home without missing out on learning from a variety of professionals, consider attending a nonprofit webinar. Nonprofit webinars and panels are online meetings that allow attendees to connect with one another and learn from influential nonprofit experts from around the world.
Nonprofit webinars are hosted practically every day — you just have to know where to look for them! Some of these events are free and open to the public, while others have limited seats or members-only tickets. Whether you’re looking to learn more about leveraging corporate giving or marketing your nonprofit, there’s training out there for everything.
To help you find the nonprofit webinar that fits your needs, this article will dive into 15 of the top nonprofit webinars and panels currently hosting events. Let’s dive in!
Featured Nonprofit Fundraising Webinar Providers
1. Double the Donation
Overview
Here at Double the Donation, we strive to help nonprofits leverage corporate giving through powerful matching gift and corporate volunteer tools. With more than $4-$7 billion in matching gifts going unclaimed every year and the volunteer grant participation rate sitting at only 3%, we believe that proper education backed by the right software can help you tap into missed funding opportunities. To help your nonprofit take advantage of corporate giving, we regularly host webinars for nonprofits, and even have some industry leaders join us like those from American Cancer Society, Save the Children, Boys Town, World Central Kitchen, and more.
Join one of our online events to learn effective fundraising and corporate giving strategies for:
Our rich educational sessions are designed to propel your mission forward and start a deeper conversation about corporate giving.
Check Out Some Expert Insights from Our Recent Sessions!
Check our nonprofit webinar schedule to see a complete calendar of upcoming events and register for an upcoming event. If you missed one of our webinars or just can’t wait for the next one, no worries! You can also access past fundraising strategy webinars and workshops on demand.
Or if you’re interested in more in-depth insights, consider Double the Donation’s complete Matching Gift Academy for a low, one-time cost!
2. NXUnite
Overview
If you’re looking for panels with a diverse set of nonprofit professionals that can offer insight into a variety of topics, look no further than NXUnite’s webinar and panel series. NXUnite partners with a wide range of leading nonprofit experts and influencers, allowing their webinars to go into depth on numerous topics, including:
NXUnite has webinars scheduled throughout the entire year, all of which are free and open for anyone to attend. Their easy registration process requires attendees to submit just their email to receive an access link, making it possible to sign up in seconds.
Plus, if you’re a nonprofit professional ready to share your perspective, NXUnite even allows you to apply to become a panelist. This ensures their webinars will always be staffed by diverse professional voices who can offer their unique perspectives.
Explore
Interested in attending a webinar hosted by NXUnite? Check out their collection of upcoming webinars and panels to register, view recorded webinars, and even sign up to be a future panelist.
3. Nonprofit Tech for Good
Overview
Nonprofit Tech for Good delivers valuable news and resources related to digital marketing, fundraising, and technology. As part of their offerings, they’ve ventured into the world of nonprofit webinars.
They have an expansive and evergrowing schedule of webinars lined up, coving topics like:
Their free and low-cost webinars are available to nonprofit professionals worldwide, making them an accessible resource for improving your digital fundraising and communications.
Explore
Check out their schedule of nonprofit webinars for upcoming events. Even if you can’t attend one of the events live, you can still register. Then, they’ll email you a link to the recording within 48 hours of the end of the webinar. You can also browse Nonprofit Tech for Good’s archive of webinars to watch past recordings.
4. Moz
Overview
Moz’s SEO learning center contains a variety of resources for all organizations interested in improving their SEO. Their webinars focus on different aspects of SEO, and visitors searching through their archives can organize content by difficulty to find resources that match their technical expertise level.
All Moz webinars cover topics related to SEO, including:
Moz also features a variety of articles and video lessons on SEO, allowing visitors to learn in whatever style works best for them.
Explore
Browse Moz’s webinar archive by filtering by content category, type, and difficulty level to find the most relevant information on SEO.
5. Firespring
Overview
Firespring partners with a range of other organizations in the digital marketing space to present webinars on marketing strategy, culture building, and social impact. These webinars promise tips to help nonprofits elevate their brands and fulfill their missions by covering topics such as:
Participants who register for a webinar can sometimes also opt-in to receive additional educational resources from Nonprofit Hub and the organization sponsoring the webinar.
Explore
Firespring only allows live access to upcoming webinars. Sign up for a webinar in advance to attend the live session.
6. TechSoup
Overview
TechSoup hosts nonprofit webinars and online events that can see over 1,000 attendees per session. These events are hosted by professionals from organizations related to faith-based fundraising, digital privacy, grant management, and more.
Sign up for a TechSoup webinar to learn more about topics like:
To attend a TechSoup webinar for nonprofits, you must create an account with their website. Be sure to do so ahead of time to make the registration process as easy as possible.
Explore
TechSoup records all of their webinars, and their archive of on-demand nonprofit webinars can be viewed on the same page as their upcoming events. To view a past recording, visitors can simply click on the webinar that interests them and begin watching.
7. Auctria
Overview
Auctria hosts webinars for nonprofit professionals about auctions, fundraising best practices, and how to make the best use of their fundraising website. These webinars are also often hosted in parts, allowing attendees to learn about extensive topics in more manageable sections over the course of several days.
Auctria covers auction-related topics, such as:
Auctia webinars are hosted by their staff and other qualified guests with years of experience hosting nonprofit auctions.
Explore
View past Auctria webinars on their website. You can even scroll through each presentation’s slides while viewing the recording, allowing visitors to follow along easily or look through a webinar’s notes.
8. Candid
Overview
Candid provides educational resources to mission-driven organizations to empower nonprofits to tackle the social sector’s critical challenges. As part of this, they offer plenty of live and on-demand webinars and training.
Delve into topics related to:
Open to anyone looking to enhance their nonprofit management skills, these virtual training opportunities are a prime opportunity to learn from experts and peers in the field.
Explore
Candid is always adding new webinars for nonprofits to their site. Visit Candid Learning, where you can filter training opportunities by topic and location. Be sure to select “online” if you’re exclusively looking for nonprofit webinars. While you’re there, you can also explore their impressive catalog of on-demand training.
9. Nonprofit Quarterly
Overview
Nonprofit Quarterly hosts a nonprofit webinar series that addresses hard-hitting topics related to ongoing conversations in the nonprofit sector, such as equity, advocacy, and combatting disinformation. These monthly webinars are hosted by different panelists, providing a diverse range of speakers on each topic.
Attend a Nonprofit Quarterly webinar to learn more about subjects like:
Nonprofit Quarterly’s most recent webinar series, Remaking the Economy, focuses heavily on injustice, equality, and wealth distribution. If your nonprofit deals with causes related to these topics, consider attending a Nonprofit Quarterly webinar.
Explore
All of Nonprofit Quarterly’s webinars are hosted on their website, dating back to their earliest on-demand webinar from 2012.
10. VolunteerMatch
Overview
VolunteerMatch is a virtual job board for volunteer opportunities, enabling nonprofits to recruit qualified and passionate volunteers. To help volunteer managers drive lasting relationships with supporters, VolunteerMatch hosts an online Learning Center, rich with resources on finding, training, and managing volunteers. As part of their Learning Center, you’ll find plenty of nonprofit webinars designed to meet you where you are, no matter your experience level.
Explore volunteer-centric topics like:
If you’re ready to build a robust volunteer program, look no further than VolunteerMatch’s webinars for nonprofits!
Explore
Visit VolunteerMatch’s Resource Center, which is jam-packed with plenty of resources! You’ll find a calendar of events featuring their webinars for nonprofits. Best of all, there are agendas for each event, so you can attend the events that are most relevant to you. Note that they don’t record their webinars, so you’ll need to do your best to attend them live.
11. DipJar
Overview
DipJar hosts its nonprofit webinars in partnership with NXUnite, combining the resources of both organizations to present high-quality webinars on assorted topics. These panels are held semi-infrequently, so be sure to check in on DipJar and NXUnite’s websites to see when the next webinar is planned.
DipJar’s webinars cover key nonprofit topics such as:
With plenty of past resources on their site, you’re sure to find helpful resources while you wait for the next live event!
Explore
To attend a DipJar webinar, sign up through NXUnite. In the meantime, browse DipJar’s past nonprofit webinars and review slides from previous presentations for free on their website.
12. Achieve
Overview
Achieve offers nonprofit webinars hosted by a variety of experts in the nonprofit sector. By subscribing to Achieve’s mailing list, you can stay up to date with the most recent news about upcoming events and webinars.
With Achieve’s webinars you can learn about topics like:
Achieve’s webinars are hosted monthly, so be sure to subscribe to their mailing list to stay informed when the next one is scheduled.
Explore
Achieve’s past nonprofit webinars are hosted on their website for easy viewing, and visitors can even download the slides for each presentation without needing to give their contact information.
13. Nonprofit Marketing Guide
Overview
Nonprofit Marketing Guide is an online hub of tips, training, and resources that helps nonprofit marketers level up their skills. Every month, their team presents lecture-style nonprofit webinars and interactive, hands-on workshops. Designed with the busy nonprofit communicator in mind, these nonprofit webinars are a fantastic way to learn new tricks and see real-world examples of effective marketing.
Hear from industry experts on topics like:
Whether you’re a brand new marketeer or a seasoned professional, you’re sure to find marketing ideas that will level up your communications strategies.
Explore
Browse Nonprofit Marketing Guide’s nonprofit webinars and workshops to see upcoming topics. Register for upcoming events and see which topics will be covered and open for registration later on. You can either pay for each event individually or purchase an all-access pass for $200. Note that some workshops are pass-holder exclusive.
14. Tech Impact
Overview
Tech Impact offers technology services to nonprofits, empowering them to leverage technology and advance social impact. As part of this, they offer the occasional tech-centric webinar for nonprofits. That way, organizations can strengthen their technology strategies to enhance team collaboration, fundraise more efficiently, and track data.
By attending, you’ll gain advice on topics like:
If you’re looking to enhance your technology skills to further your mission, Tech Impact is a solid place to start!
Explore
Visit Tech Impact’s schedule to see when they’re hosting upcoming webinars for nonprofits like yours. These sessions are typically free with an account, so you can become a tech wiz even if you’re operating on a budget!
15. Eventbrite
Overview
Eventbrite is an event management platform where users can browse and create events. Thanks to its livestreaming features, industry leaders can host webinars for other nonprofit professionals, empowering them to learn about different sector-specific subjects. On its platform, you’ll find an incredible range of nonprofit webinars and other online events that can transform every aspect of your nonprofit management.
Level up your nonprofit skills on both general and niche topics like:
Hear from a range of professionals across the industry and the globe! With plenty of webinars for nonprofits happening every day, you’re sure to find training opportunities that pertain to you.
Explore
Browse Eventbrite’s endless list of nonprofit webinars to find upcoming events. Make sure to filter for online events, rather than selecting a specific location. You can also narrow down the results by date, price, and category, so you can find exactly what you want.
Get Started Attending Nonprofit Webinars
Whether you’re looking to learn the basics of starting a nonprofit or receive targeted fundraising advice for corporate giving, there’s a nonprofit webinar out there for you!
It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new to the space or a seasoned professional. You should never stop learning. By exploring this list of nonprofit webinars and training opportunities, you’re off to a great start. But don’t stop there! After you sign up for your next online event, keep learning with these other educational resources while waiting for the big day: