I’ve worked in the digital advertising space for almost 9 years. Through nurturing many long-term relationships with clients, I have countless stories of how digital advertising has not only brought them new business but how it has also allowed them to grow their own businesses with new employees, store locations, and equipment in their field of trade. One story, in particular, stands out to me and my heart, the relationship, and work I do with a great organization – Dallas Pet’s Alive!
Dallas Pet’s Alive! is a 501.3c volunteer-run animal rescue organization in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Their mission is to promote and provide the resources, education, and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. The ultimate goal is making Dallas a no-kill city.
My journey started over 2.5 years ago when my fiancé and I were on a brewery tour at one of the many amazing breweries here in Dallas, sharing our love for craft beer. While at Community Beer Company, we saw a dog that had obviously been through a rough past. He had fresh pink skin where there used to not be any, but despite his appearance, he had a smile on his face, a wag in his tail and an “adopt me” bandana. Immediately, we wanted to know more.
We saw a table set up with people and adorable, adoptable dogs. When we approached the table, the volunteers told us about Dallas Pet’s Alive! and the fantastic work they do. Not long after that day both my fiancé and I felt we could give back to the community with both of us sharing a love for animals. Shortly after that event, we were volunteering at events, and after a few events, we became part of the marketing team with Dallas Pet’s Alive!
How do digital advertising, pet rescue and brewery tours come up in the same story and tie together? Great question! I’m sure you have heard of a company called Google. Google is extremely generous in the nonprofit world by allowing 501.3c’s to apply for in-kind advertising on Google to expand the reach and the message of non-profits to people around the world.
I talked with the marketing team and found out they were currently participating in the Google AdWords non-profit program. I was asked to manage the program which allowed me to use my career expertise and apply it to rescuing animals. The grant program is simple, yet very impactful. Here are a few guidelines for the Ads Grant program:
- $10,000 per month of in-kind advertising budget.
- $2.00 max cost per click.
- Text-based ads only, running on the Google Search network.
- Keyword targeted campaigns only.
Since taking over the management of the Google grant, I was able to boost Dallas Pet’s Alive! exposure on Google by 300%. By expanding keywords, tailoring ad copies, and creating custom campaigns for bigger events, we are now fully utilizing our daily budgets and achieving maximum reach to people searching. To date, the grant accounts for 30% of our overall monthly web traffic.
It truly has been an amazing 2.5 years so far, watching the growth of another “client”. This experience has not been anything less than completely fulfilling.
To learn more about Google for nonprofits visit here.
