Understanding the fundamentals of nonprofit graphic design will amplify your marketing materials.

Nonprofit Graphic Design – Nonprofit Catalog

Among a sea of charitable causes, your nonprofit needs to do what it can to stand out and attract supporters. That all starts with creating eye-catching marketing materials that feature powerful nonprofit graphic designs.

From your nonprofit’s website to your direct mail outreach, graphics are entwined with your nonprofit’s overall image. Everything from your colors to your typography is associated with your cause. Let’s review the basics of effective graphic design for nonprofits, so you can capture your brand and pique supporters’ interest.

What Is Nonprofit Graphic Design?

Nonprofit graphic design refers to the visual aspects of your nonprofit’s brand. It’s a craft that involves creating visual content to communicate messages and tell your organization’s story. Graphic design includes the typography, colors, images, and any other artistic components used in your printed and digital materials.

Visuals that require design work range from your logo to the images you use across your website, and they communicate to supporters what your organization is all about.

By applying layout and visual hierarchy techniques, your nonprofit can create artwork that helps communicate your message, spruce up your marketing materials to be more digestible, and strengthen your brand identity.

Types of Graphic Design for Nonprofits

Regardless of the cause you’re furthering, creating a strong brand identity is vital to your success. Your graphics are a major contributing factor to your nonprofit’s identity and can be broken down into a few main types.

Note that each type of nonprofit graphic design requires varying levels of design expertise, which may mean you should outsource some of the heavy lifting to a professional if you don’t have a dedicated designer on staff.

Now, let’s dive into the five main categories of designs your materials will fall under.

The most common types of nonprofit graphic design include logos, digital designs, print designs, and environmental artwork.

Nonprofit Logos

Your nonprofit logo is one of your most important brand assets. From your website to your fundraising letters, your logo appears across all of your brand creatives, meaning it will be one of the first things that comes to mind when someone thinks of your nonprofit.

Kwala’s guide to nonprofit logos breaks down a few core design elements that contribute to any logo:

  • Your mission. Nonprofits should choose symbols, images, and words that are closely associated with their cause.
  • Colors. Different colors evoke different emotions and symbolize different things. For instance, green is commonly associated with the Earth and is primarily used by environmental organizations. Red can communicate urgency, love, or violence, which is why disaster relief, health, and anti-violence organizations use it in their nonprofit graphic designs.
  • Typography. Fonts also elicit different emotions. If you’re shooting for a traditional font, go with a serif font, but if you’re looking going for a modern and minimalistic design, go with a sans-serif font. To mimic real handwriting and calligraphy, use a script font, which can either look elegant or playful depending on the exact one you choose.
  • Simplicity. The most memorable nonprofit logos are simple and not overloaded with too many elements. A simple design will incorporate white space effectively and feature only the most important colors, symbols, and words related to the organization’s mission.

Take the World Wildlife Fund’s logo for example. This unique logo features a minimalistic design, a symbol of the endangered giant panda, and the organization’s acronym.

This diagram of the World Wildlife Fund's logo outlines the nonprofit graphic design elements used.

By ensuring all of these elements shine through in a logo, any nonprofit can create a memorable graphic design that perfectly encapsulates its cause.

Digital Graphic Designs

In a digital-first world, visually-compelling content is more important on social media, email, and other digital platforms than ever before.

Here are some common types of graphics that will come into play when creating digital marketing materials:

  • Your website: Effective graphic design for nonprofit websites can optimize the user experience and guide readers through your content. Choose banners and supplementary images that demonstrate your values and feature your beneficiaries and volunteers. Feature graphics like your logo, carefully choose your color scheme to match your brand, and use colors and headings strategically to highlight important content and establish a visual hierarchy.
  • Email newsletter: Newsletters heavily rely on striking the perfect balance between content and graphics. Avoid walls of text by using images, headers, and graphics to break up the text and make your organization’s newsletter easy to digest.
  • Videos: Great for featuring on social media and embedding into your website, videos enable supporters to hear directly from your nonprofit’s leadership, staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries. This is a fantastic way to humanize your nonprofit’s work, but creating videos requires some level of experience with video, audio, and graphic editing.
  • Infographics: These types of nonprofit graphics break down complex information and put it in a digestible format. Most commonly, they feature statistics related to the cause that help supporters visualize your impact.

These are just a few common nonprofit graphic designs you’ll use across your digital outreach. Whether you’re launching a fundraiser or sharing updates on a project, your artwork can play a part in connecting with supporters in the competitive online space.

Print Designs

The internet might dominate today’s world, but print marketing is still awfully important for pushing your cause forward.

A few common print materials that incorporate nonprofit graphic design include:

  • Brochures: Give rundowns of your programs, services, and major fundraising campaigns through colorful brochures with compelling images, readable fonts, and well-organized copy.
  • Letters and postcards: Instead of sticking to plain black ink on white paper, get creative with your solicitation letters and postcards. Spruce them up by including your logo in your letterhead and on the envelope, artistic graphics representing your mission, colors emphasizing key information, and a perforated return envelope that’s pre-addressed.
  • Merchandise: From t-shirts to mugs, nonprofit graphic design elements are infused into your branded merchandise. Make sure merchandise captures your organization’s identity with elements like your name, logo, colors, and graphics that communicate your mission.
  • Annual reports: Transform a dry summary of your nonprofit’s year into an eye-catching masterpiece. Use charts, photos, and striking colors to show donors what their support helped you accomplish this year.
  • Fundraising flyers: Filled with colorful typography, varying font sizes, and eye-catching images, a powerfully-designed flyer like the one below can inspire someone to attend your event or donate to your fundraising campaign.
Here's an example a fundraising flyer with effective nonprofit graphic design.

Our nonprofit marketing guide explains that well-designed print materials can help you connect with supporters who aren’t active online. Plus, it comes across as more personal since it takes a bit more effort than publishing a social media post.

Think of it this way: a well-designed fundraising letter among stacks of bills and junk mail is much more likely to mean something to recipients.

Environmental Designs

Nonprofit graphic design even plays into creating a unique and inviting environment at your organization’s office and events. Combine interior design and graphic design best practices to create an immersive environment that captures your brand with elements like:

  • Donor walls: Show appreciation to your sponsors, major donors, and partners by featuring a donor wall. Be creative with your design by moving past generic metal plaques, though. You’ll need to choose a layout that complements the architecture of your space. The donor wall should also be branded with typography, colors, shapes, and other images that communicate your mission. Enhance your office and help donors visualize their impact all at once.
  • Banners: Lightweight banners are easily transportable, so you can reuse them at your office, fundraising events, and industry events. Your banner should be simple, featuring only your logo, tagline, and basic imagery.
  • Murals: Whether at your office or somewhere around town, a well-painted mural will raise awareness for your organization’s cause while also beautifying the community. Beyond the artwork itself, be sure to include your logo and contact information like your nonprofit’s URL or social media handle.

Spruce up your office, events, and community with these types of designs. No matter what environmental designs you create for your nonprofit, make sure to focus on tasteful artwork that blends into your environment.

Additional Resources

Nonprofit Catalog – Read up on more nonprofit essentials by exploring our Nonprofit Catalog.

The Ultimate Nonprofit Board Report Template and Tips – Need some help formatting your board reports? Check out this guide that gives a rundown of effective nonprofit graphic design for board reports.

12 Best Nonprofit Graphic Design Tools to Amplify Your Cause – Build your arsenal of nonprofit graphic design tools with this ultimate list. You’ll find some great resources to launch your design efforts forward!

Bikeathons are a fun, creative way to raise money for your nonprofit.

Bikeathon — Nonprofit Catalog

Hosting an a-thon style fundraiser is an engaging way to raise money for your nonprofit. In an a-thon fundraiser, participants collect donations based on their ability to do an activity as much or as long as possible. A bikeathon is a creative and scalable type of a-thon fundraiser that can attract a wide audience, plus it works for many types of organizations.

What Is a Bikeathon?

Also called a cycling fundraiser or cycle event, a bikeathon is a peer-to-peer fundraising event where participants ask friends and family to pledge donations based on how far they can cycle. As a peer-to-peer event, bikeathons involve individuals fundraising on an organization’s behalf. 

During a bikeathon fundraiser, participants share individual fundraising pages where friends and family can pledge their financial support. For example, supporters might pledge $1 per mile or lap around a track. The further the cyclist rides, the more money they raise for the cause they’re supporting, offering a fun athletic challenge. 

Benefits of Bikeathons

Bikeathons offer a unique and engaging way for supporters to raise money for your organization. They stand out among other fundraising events for several reasons:

  • Nonprofits of all sizes can bring in a lot of revenue, as anyone from avid cyclists to families with children can participate. 
  • Bikeathons attract participants of different ages and skill levels—all they need is their own bike or access to one for the day. 
  • Many organizations do walkathons, so doing a different type of a-thon style fundraiser makes yours stand out. 
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great way to bring in new donors. Friends and family members of your bikeathon participants that see their fundraising pages and pledge their support may be introduced to your organization for the first time. 

As participants promote their pages, they’ll also share information about your mission and potentially bring in new supporters. So, a bikeathon can help spread awareness as well as raising funds.

Bikeathons are a creative way to raise money for your nonprofit.

5 Steps to Host a Bikeathon Fundraiser

Hosting a bikeathon fundraiser can be broken down into five simple steps:

  1. Set a fundraising goal. What would you like to achieve with your fundraiser? How much money are you seeking to raise? Your goal should be specific and measurable. Looking at the outcomes of past events can be a helpful way to determine what might be achievable for your organization. 
  2. Plan the logistics. Planning should be done well in advance, ensuring you have time to complete all of your planned tasks. Consider the date and time of your event, staff and volunteer responsibilities, your race course, and marketing materials. 
  3. Register event participants. Promote your fundraiser and make signing up easy for supporters who want to bike in the cycle event.
  4. Launch the peer-to-peer campaign. Share fundraising page resources with your participants. Consider leveraging peer-to-peer fundraising software to set up individual donation pages and simplify campaign management. 
  5. Thank participants, donors, and volunteers. Build lasting relationships by sending thank-you letters and staying in contact after the event. 

During your bikeathon, you’ll have to manage a lot of moving parts. But if you plan strategically, your organization can successfully raise funds and bring your community together for a good cause.

Additional Resources

T-shirt fundraisers are a simple and effective fundraising option for nonprofits.

T-shirt Fundraiser – Nonprofit Catalog

Have you ever seen a professional sports team full of players all wearing different jerseys? Of course not — that would be confusing for both the athletes and spectators. Sports teams and even sports fans are recognized by their jerseys. 

The same principle applies to fundraising — people recognize your supporters by your branded merchandise. Mugs, blankets, hats, and other branded materials identify who is a part of your support team. For this reason, t-shirt fundraising is one of the most popular merchandise fundraising campaigns.

If you are ready to try out a new fundraising idea while increasing your brand awareness, t-shirt fundraising is a go-to. In this article, we will walk you through the t-shirt fundraising basics to help you get started. 

What is a t-shirt fundraiser?

A t-shirt fundraiser is a type of campaign where a nonprofit sells branded t-shirts to supporters to raise funds for its mission. Your t-shirt should capture your nonprofit brand and mission with an attractive design. 

A t-shirt fundraiser can stand on its own, or you can pair it with another fundraising opportunity, such as a 5K or peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Encourage 5K participants and supporters to purchase a t-shirt to show off their team spirit. If your fun run is in the summer, consider purchasing lightweight, short-sleeve t-shirts. 

Peer-to-peer fundraisers can use social media and link to their own web pages to sell your spiffy t-shirts. Recruit volunteers ahead of time to gather more t-shirt interest and make your campaign a success. 

Steps to plan a t-shirt fundraiser

Running a t-shirt fundraiser can be a breeze if you follow a few general guidelines. If you’ve decided it’s time to launch a t-shirt fundraiser, it won’t take too long to get up and running. Use these steps to start your fundraiser: 

1. Create a t-shirt design

You can develop a design internally or ask your supporters to send in their ideas. If you’re designing a t-shirt from scratch, start by brainstorming simple ways to illustrate your cause. Incorporate harmonious colors and consider your supporter’s preferences. What type of t-shirt would they be proud to wear?

When you have settled on a basic design, choose a typeface that coordinates well. Avoid cursive or script fonts which tend to decrease legibility. Instead, use bold type and a large font size to identify the name of your fundraiser. Then, place your nonprofit name in a smaller font size below or next to it.

Next, you can gather input on how to perfect your design. Try out different iterations to see which one suits your fundraiser best. You can even turn it into a contest by having supporters vote on their favorite design.  

Whichever illustration you go with, make sure your design prominently features your nonprofit’s brand elements, such as your logo. That way, your artistically-depicted cause becomes associated with your nonprofit brand. 

2. Decide how you’ll distribute your shirts

You can distribute your t-shirt either online or in person. There are benefits to either distribution process. Online distribution can simplify t-shirt pick-up — just be sure supporters can track their incoming orders. If a supporter’s t-shirt does not come in on time, consider stashing extra shirts at the fundraising event. 

In-person t-shirt distribution can show off your design a bit more. Supporters may be able to determine their size preferences as well. However, in-person pick-up may be inconvenient for some. In this case, a combination of both online and in-person distribution would be ideal. 

3. Choose a t-shirt fundraising platform

T-shirt fundraising platforms are resources to kickstart your online fundraising campaigns. Platforms like Bonfire or Custom Ink have pre-made graphics and templates you can apply to your t-shirt designs. They also include case studies you can browse to see which previous campaigns were successful.

Neither platform requires inventory and both utilize built-in promotional features. Bonfire ships order straight to buyers while CustomInk offers a hybrid shipping option. Browse each website to discover which option is best for you 

4. Promote your t-shirt fundraiser

Now it’s time to reveal your beautiful t-shirt design to the world! Use several different channels to get the word out and reach different audiences. For instance, if you’re using your t-shirt fundraiser to increase school funding, parents may prefer to access your t-shirts via email and students would be more likely to snag a t-shirt from a social media page.

Here’s a full list of communication channels to leverage:

  • Email
  • Social media
  • Your website
  • Flyers
  • Direct mail

Promote your branded t-shirts with photos of supporters wearing your shirt. Pictures of volunteers, families, and students sporting your branded gear will increase your nonprofit awareness and get people interested. Fun t-shirt flyers are an effective offline marketing material that can be eye-catching. Hang up flyers at local businesses or distribute them at an upcoming nonprofit event. 

5. Track your fundraising progress

Keep a detailed list of t-shirts sold and funds raised. Let your audience know how much they have donated at the halfway point and how much more you need to reach your goal. If you’re a few t-shirts away, encourage supporters to share your fundraiser on their social media story to hit your goal. 

T-shirt fundraising platforms have sales tracking systems built into their interface. Some platforms also count the number of site visits and donations. Refresh your chosen platform often to stay updated on your progress. 

6. Thank your donors

As your t-shirt fundraiser wraps up, thank supporters for their efforts. Email or handwrite your thank-you messages to generous donors. Remind them why you are grateful to have them on your team. Whenever possible, share how their donation directly impacted your mission. 

Additional Resources

Learn why the Microsoft Ad Grant is a powerful resource for nonprofits.

The Basics of Microsoft Ad Grants – Nonprofit Catalog

In a world driven by digital marketing, nonprofits have to do what they can to stand out online. The Microsoft Ad Grant unlocks the power of search engine marketing for any sized nonprofit! All you have to do is target the keywords your supporters are searching for online and then write compelling ads that speak to those individuals.

What Is The Microsoft Ad Grant?

Known officially as Microsoft Ads for Social Impact, this program provides approved organizations with $3,000 each month to spend on advertising across Microsoft’s digital search and native advertising network. Participating organizations can boost their web content across Bing, Yahoo, AOL, outlook.com, MSN, and Microsoft Edge.

By strategically choosing keywords and boosting the right landing pages, your nonprofit can increase site conversions and fulfill all sorts of organizational goals, like:

  • Increasing funding through more donations, ticket sales, and sponsorships
  • Boosting awareness for your cause by sharing educational content
  • Creating change in your community by amplifying advocacy opportunities
  • Growing your volunteer base by promoting volunteer opportunities

Similar to Google Grants, all you have to do is meet the eligibility requirements, apply, and create ads that resonate with prospective supporters.

Note that for now, Microsoft Ad Grants are only available to U.S.-based nonprofits.

Eligibility Requirements For Microsoft Ad Grants

As with any corporate giving program, Microsoft only wants reputable organizations to participate. After all, anyone who participates will be associated with the Ads for Social Impact program, so if unsavory content is promoted, users will view Microsoft as responsible for allowing the ad to run.

Luckily, the criteria are pretty easy to meet for most organizations. Here’s what’s required to receive the Microsoft Ad Grant:

  • Recognized legal status. Your organization must be a nonprofit or non-governmental organization with recognized legal status. This means U.S. organizations must be registered as 501(c)(3) organizations with the IRS. Public libraries and museums are also eligible.
  • A not-for-profit mission. Your organization should operate on a not-for-profit basis and pursue a mission that benefits the local community.
  • No discriminatory policies. You cannot have a policy or mission of discrimination based on race, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or any other area.
  • Adequate website content. The goal of the program is to boost mission-based web content. Applicants must have a functional website that provides adequate details about the nonprofit.
Make sure you meet these eligibility requirements for Microsoft Ad Grants before applying.

Best of all, unlike traditional grants, you don’t have to compete for the funds. Any eligible organization will receive the full $3,000 dollars.

Tips For Making the Most of Microsoft Ad Grants

Search engine marketing is usually an expensive strategy. Microsoft puts it into reach for nonprofits that couldn’t normally afford the extra spending. However, the Microsoft Ad Grant is only as powerful as you make it! Let’s dive into a few tips for squeezing the most out of your Microsoft Ad Grant budget.

Use it in conjunction with Google Grants.

If you’re interested in Microsoft Ad Grants, there’s a good chance you already leverage or have at least heard about Google Ad Grants. If not, get ready for another great marketing opportunity!

Google offers a similar program where they offer nonprofits $10,000 in ad spending. Both Microsoft and Google’s programs have their perks. While Google has the obvious benefit of a larger budget, Microsoft’s platforms have fewer advertisers and therefore lower competition.

Luckily, you don’t have to choose to participate in one or the other. In fact, you have a lot to gain from using them both and creating complementary strategies. You might:

  • Target lower-volume, bottom-of-the-sales funnel keywords with Microsoft. Microsoft’s advertising platform has a higher impression share and cheaper costs per clicks (CPCs) than Google, making it easier to target specific buying terms.
  • Speak to different audiences with your ads. Users in the Microsoft Search Network tend to be older, big spenders, in committed relationships, and wealthy. Google’s users tend to be younger and more tech-savvy. Knowing this, you can take different angles with your ads to speak to these audiences.

Tapping into both programs will allow you to reach an astounding 93% of internet users based on each platform’s current search engine market share. Know that tackling both programs will take a lot of time, though. You might need to turn to a nonprofit search engine marketing agency to leverage both.

Use ad extensions.

Construct stronger ads by building them out with ad extensions. The more robust your ads are, the more they’ll stand out from other advertisements.

Microsoft gives you plenty of options to choose from, including:

  • Callout extensions: Use these to add snippets of non-clickable text that highlight information about your organization and its services. Each account, campaign, or ad group can be associated with 2 to 20 callout extensions.
  • Sitelink extensions: Link to additional pages on your website to provide other ways for users to engage with your organization.
  • Action extensions: Create CTA buttons for your ads. These clickable buttons will appear next to your ad’s description, and you can choose from 62 different options like “Donate,” “Subscribe,” and “Learn more.”

In Getting Attention’s guide to Microsoft Ad Grants, they provide an excellent example of these extensions in action. Take a look at how The Salvation Army built out an ad using ad extensions:

This screenshot shows how you can use extensions to build out ads using the Microsoft Ad Grant.

Set clear goals for your campaigns.

Like we mentioned, nonprofits can achieve a wide range of goals through the Microsoft Ad Grants program.

If you want to boost your volunteer numbers, create campaigns centered around volunteer recruitment where you boost your volunteer registration and information pages.

To increase funding, promote your donation form, specific campaign pages, or your how-to-give page.

If you want to increase event attendance, promote webpages with information about your webinars, 5Ks, conferences, and other events.

To increase advocacy participation, share your online petitions and advocacy event pages.

With clear goals for your campaigns, you can choose the right keywords, pick the correct landing pages, and compose compelling ad copy that will drive more users to convert. The sky is the limit!

Additional Resources

Nonprofit Catalog – Read up on more nonprofit essentials by exploring our Nonprofit Catalog.

The Microsoft Ad Grant: An Essential Nonprofit Tool – Dive further into the program with our ultimate guide to Microsoft Ad Grants.

Nonprofit Marketing Ideas: Promote Your Cause Effectively – Learn how opportunities like Microsoft Ad Grants can take your marketing to the next level.

Annual Appeal Basics and Getting Started — Nonprofit Catalog

Nonprofits have a variety of impactful initiatives throughout the year that they prioritize in their fundraising calendar. Annual appeals, which can bring in some of the largest donations in a calendar year and often fund the core of a nonprofit’s activities, are one of those top priorities. Read on to learn what an annual appeal is, what you need to get started, and how to write an annual appeal.

What is an Annual Appeal? 

An annual appeal is a message your nonprofit sends to its supporters, often toward the end of the calendar year, updating them on your organization’s accomplishments and asking for their financial support. These messages can be sent via email or direct mail. 

Annual appeals are critical to the healthy functioning of a nonprofit. In fact, 25% of annual gifts are received in December, meaning that a quarter of all gifts that a nonprofit receives in a calendar year are driven in part by annual appeals.

According to the 2021 M+R Benchmark Study, 25% of nonprofit donations were received in the month of December in 2021.

Annual appeals not only bring in end-of-year donations but also allow for opportunities to engage and retain donors. Donors are interested in what your nonprofit is doing, and, more importantly, how you’re using their donations.

Annual appeals are essential across the fundraising sector, as colleges and universities can send annual appeals to solicit donations as well. Alumni and other supporters of colleges and universities are equally interested in learning what initiatives their alma mater is taking on, and annual appeals present the perfect opportunity to maximize university fundraising efforts.

What Resources Do You Need to Write an Annual Appeal? 

Once you decide to capitalize on the benefits of an annual appeal, there are a few things you’ll need to actually write your annual appeal. These resources include:

  • A nonprofit CRM: Utilize your donor data to personalize your messages with supporters’ names and giving histories. Make your donors feel special by letting them know you remember their contributions.
  • A photobank: Make sure to include images from your organization’s events throughout the year. Remember, donors want to see for themselves what your nonprofit has been doing and where their donations will go.
  • A word processor and grammar checker software: While some fundraising appeals can be hand-written, opt to write your annual appeal electronically to ensure that your process is efficient and your message is professional.
  • Email marketing platform: An email platform can help you automate your annual appeal while facilitating personalization through donor segmentation. Plus, you’ll be able to see information about open rates, which will help you gather data on the success of your appeal.
  • Direct mail marketing provider: If you choose to send a hard copy of your annual appeal via direct mail, work with a direct mail marketing provider to help you design, print, and send off the appeal letters to your supporters.

How to Write an Annual Appeal Letter

There’s no exact formula for writing an annual appeal that will work for every organization. But there are a few best practices to keep in mind to ensure the success of your annual appeal:

Writing an annual appeal requires you to know your audience, develop your story, provide an easy way to give, and express gratitude.
  1. Know your audience. Create different versions of your annual appeal to send to different audiences. For example, you might highlight background information about your nonprofit in a letter to a new supporter. On the other hand, you can provide more detailed updates in your letter to longtime donors.
  2. Develop your story. Your appeal should highlight the great work you’ve done throughout the year. Choose a specific example of the work you’ve done to include in your annual appeal. Make sure it has a compelling protagonist, includes direct quotes and images, and weaves in your fundraising metrics and outcomes.
  3. Provide an easy way to give. Include a link to your online donation page, provide a QR code, or offer a pre-addressed envelope. If your donors want to give, make it as easy as possible for them to do so.
  4. Express gratitude. Donor recognition is integral to donor retention, meaning donors who feel appreciated are much more likely to give again. So don’t forget to say, “Thank you!”

The most important thing to remember when writing your annual appeal is that there’s a reason your donors have supported you in the past. Stay true to your mission and show appreciation for the donations that make your mission possible.

Additional Resources

Walk-a-thon – Nonprofit Catalog Copy

Walk-a-thon fundraisers are a great way to promote supporter engagement and boost morale. They provide a fun way for individuals to stay active, build community, and support their school or organization. 

Walk-a-thons are popular school, nonprofit, and sports team fundraisers because they allow a large group of individuals to come together and walk to support their favorite cause. Host a walk-a-thon fundraiser to promote healthy lifestyles and raise money for your organization at the same time. 

What is a walk-a-thon?

If you’ve ever participated in a fun run, then you might be familiar with a walk-a-thon. A walk-a-thon fundraiser is a fundraising event where participants walk a designated route. Participants collect pledges from friends and family, attend the event, then collect donations for their organization based on how far they walked. 

Ahead of the event, donors pledge to donate a certain amount of money for each mile or specified unit of distance that the participant walks. During the event, each participant tracks their walking distance, and afterwards, your organization earns donations based on the distance that they recorded. 

How to organize a walk-a-thon

With the right tools and resources, planning your event can be stress free and easy! Follow these simple steps to host your next walk-a-thon fundraiser: 

1. Gather participants for the walk-a-thon

Once you’ve decided to host a walk-a-thon, the first step is to choose a date and location to host the event. Then, to gather interested participants from your community of supporters, use these tips:

  • Market your fundraiser across multiple communication platforms.
  • Use a fundraising platform so each participant can set up their own campaign page and send it to their friends and families.

Set a deadline for registering to participate, but make sure you give supporters enough time to decide and encourage their friends to join.

2. Participants collect pledges

Using your fundraising platform, participants will start sharing their individual campaign pages to collect pledges. Be sure to provide your participants with support and advice about how to ask for donations and the best places to share their campaign pages. With an intuitive fundraising platform, you can easily keep a record of pledges for each participant.

3. Host your walk-a-thon event and raise money

On the day of the event, make sure to arrive ahead of time so you can properly set up before the attendees start showing up. Once the walk-a-thon kicks off, join the fun! Don’t forget to communicate with your participants and volunteers and thank them for their support. 

Now that you have all the information, you’re ready to host a walk-a-thon! 

Additional Resources

Learn all about how the Google Ad Grant can strengthen your marketing efforts.

Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits – Nonprofit Catalog

When backed by Google Ad Grants, your nonprofit organization has the power to strengthen its digital marketing, supercharge its fundraising efforts, and connect with more prospects than ever. Make sure you understand the basics with this quick guide.

Let’s dive in!

What Are Google Ad Grants?

The Google Ad Grants program provides free advertising credits to participating charitable organizations.

You’ve likely seen Google Ads from nonprofits before. A search engine results page (SERP) with these ads looks like this:

This screenshot depicts Google Ad Grants on a search engine results page.

Here are some other key details about the Google Ad Grants program:

  • Eligible nonprofits receive a monthly allocation of $10,000 in Google Ad credits they can use to promote web content. 
  • Participants conduct keyword research to understand what their prospects are searching online. 
  • Your nonprofit can then craft ads that target these individuals and use ad credits to bid on those mission-critical search terms.

Through this program, Google’s goal is to empower nonprofits to supercharge their search engine marketing (SEM) efforts. With a more effective SEM and digital marketing strategy, your nonprofit can help more donors find and support your cause, drive more attendance to local events, enhance your social media efforts, and even help you compete with larger peer organizations.

Use Cases For Google Ad Grants

While you may think that the benefits of using Google Ad Grants are limited to increasing web traffic, one of the best parts about leveraging Google Ad Grants is that you can push your mission forward in several ways. 

Some ways nonprofits use the program to achieve their goals include:

  • Promoting donation forms, sponsorship pages, and other fundraising activities to increase revenue
  • Sharing event landing pages and registration forms to boost event attendance
  • Advertising volunteer information pages and registration forms, strengthening your volunteer program
  • Promoting educational content and service pages to help supporters learn more about your cause
  • Sharing advocacy activities like online petitions and advocacy events to create change in your community

How to Apply For The Google Ad Grant

Before applying, it’s important to check that your organization is eligible for the program. Keep in mind that the Google Ad Grants program excludes any organizations that are governmental entities, healthcare organizations, or educational institutions.

Google’s eligibility rules state that applicants must:

  • Hold current and valid charity status within your country
  • Be registered with TechSoup and Google for Nonprofits
  • Have a functional, high-quality website with sufficient content

After confirming your eligibility status, you can confidently move forward with applying for the program. The process is pretty straightforward, but if you’re unsure about your next steps a Google Ad Grants agency can step in and help you complete the process.

Step 1: Register with TechSoup.

TechSoup partners with corporations to provide free or discounted software, hardware, and services to nonprofits. They confirm nonprofits’ legitimacy so that companies like Google can trust that they’re providing resources to trustworthy organizations.

To register with TechSoup, you’ll need to visit the TechSoup registration page and provide some identifying information about your organization. If you’re approved, they’ll reach out with a validation token within 30 days that you’ll need to provide to Google in order to move forward.

Step 2: Create a Google for Nonprofits account.

Once your organization is verified by TechSoup, you’ll need to visit the Google for Nonprofits registration website. Once you register through this website, you’ll be granted access to the Google Grants application. 

To successfully apply for Google for Nonprofits, follow these steps:

  1. Agree to Google’s non-discrimination statements.
  2. Share the validation token from TechSoup.
  3. Fill out subsequent forms with contact and organization information.
  4. Submit your application and await your acceptance!

Beyond Ad Grants, Google for Nonprofits gives you access to a range of other tools, like Google WorkSpace and The YouTube Nonprofit Program. The approval process may take a few days, but you shouldn’t have any problems if you’re registered with TechSoup.

Step 3: Submit Your Google Ad Grants application.

Once you receive an email that you’ve been approved for Google for Nonprofits, you can move forward with applying for Google Ad Grants! Complete these steps to access and fill in the application:

  1. Log into your Google for Nonprofits account. You can find this by clicking “Products” and then “Get Started” under Google Ad Grants.
  2. Click the eligibility form link. You’ll be prompted to fill out an assessment with basic information about your nonprofit, such as its official name, website URL, and goals with the program.
  3. Return to the Google for Nonprofits homepage. Click the checkbox to verify that you completed the form. Then, select “Activate” to submit your application for review.
  4. Accept the program invitation. Within a few business days, you should receive an email invitation from the Google Ad Grants team. Accept the invitation and the billing profile that’s sent in a separate email.

From here, you can create your first campaign and start using Google Ads to spread awareness for your mission!

The best part is that the grant automatically renews each month, so you’ll never have to apply for the grant again. Once your organization is accepted, just make sure you comply with the program’s ongoing regulations to retain access.

How Are Google Ad Grant Accounts Structured?

After being accepted into the program, you’ll need to structure your account in a specific way so that your ads will appear on Google Search.

Here’s how Getting Attention’s guide to optimizing a Google Grant account breaks down the required account structure:

  • Campaigns. These are your account’s largest building blocks. You’ll create a few campaigns that stick to broad themes related to your cause. For example, if you run an animal shelter, you might have separate campaigns for adoptions, volunteering, and donations.
  • Ad groups. Each campaign contains ad groups, which you can think of as clusters of ads within your campaigns. To reach prospective and existing supporters, you’ll assign keywords that are related to your cause. Keep in mind that Google requires you to have at least two ad groups for every campaign.
  • Ads. This is the smallest element of your account. You’ll create ad copy, choose landing pages, and use ad extensions to create compelling ads that appear on search results pages. Google requires you to have at least two ads per ad group, and the platform will automatically rotate between these ads. After your campaign kicks off, you can analyze performance data to see which ads perform better, make inferences about why, and tweak underperforming ads.
This diagram illustrates the required Google Ad Grant account structure.

While Google does require you to follow this account structure, it is meant to make your ads more effective. Following this structure will allow you to collect sufficient performance data to make sure your ads are set up to succeed!

How to Get Started with Google Ad Grants

With this understanding of how to structure your account, you have most of the essentials needed to start launching Google Ad campaigns. But how can you ensure you’re taking full advantage of the program?

Here are a few tips to consider when you’re getting up and running:

  • Work with a Google Ad Grants agency. Applying for and managing your Google Ad Grants account can be overwhelming, and you might feel unsure about how to make the most of the program. Working with a Google Ad Grants agency will pair you with experts who can take on projects like the application process, keyword research, campaign management, and maintaining compliance with guidelines for you.
  • Experiment with campaigns. While Google doesn’t have any strict requirements for the number of campaigns you have, don’t feel limited to just one. It’s best to run three to five campaigns at all times to capitalize on different areas of promotion (like donation solicitation versus volunteer recruitment).
  • Use all ad credits. Because Google doesn’t roll ad credits over to the next month, anything left unused will just be lost. To fully leverage the benefits of the program, it’s essential to use the total $10,000 in ad credits. An agency can help you find valuable ways to use every last dollar.
  • Try responsive search ads. These kinds of ads use Google’s algorithm to create an ad the viewer is more likely to click on. To get started, you’ll create a variety of headlines and descriptions for each ad. Then, Google will present an ad with a headline-description combination that best matches the user’s search intent to motivate them to click through.

There are many other strategies your organization can employ to make its Google Ads more effective and, ultimately, reach more supporters. As you get more comfortable with the program, consider experimenting with more innovative or advanced strategies to see what resonates with your donors.

Additional Resources

Nonprofit Catalog – Read up on more nonprofit essentials by exploring our Nonprofit Catalog.

Demystifying the Google Ad Grant Requirements for Websites – Learn more about how to improve your website’s quality to satisfy Google’s Ad Grant requirements.

The Complete Guide to Google Ad Grant Agencies: 5 Options – The Google Ad Grant can be a lot to manage, especially when you’re limited on time. Learn how an agency can step in and optimize your nonprofit’s account.