The nonprofits in our portfolio know their communities better than anyone. They know what families are searching for and what solutions they can offer. The challenge is making sure those families, along with new partners and supporters, can find them.

That was the motivation behind our latest Beyond Dollars Impact Day, a virtual gathering open to every Constellation Fund grantee. The day centered on Google Ad Grants, a program that gives nonprofits up to $10,000 per month in free advertising so their websites can appear at the top of Google search results.

Beyond Dollars Impact Day with the Ovative Group

Why Search Ranking Matters

For one grantee, the value of that visibility is easy to see: “Showing up in search results is incredibly important, but something that isn’t top-of-mind for many nonprofits,” they said. “When you search “business loans,” the first Google result pages might be full of websites promoting predatory loans instead of low-interest ones. We have the antidotes to social problems. It’s important we’re visible in Google search. SEO and paid search help us do that.”

The opportunity is significant, but so is the work behind it. Many nonprofits don’t have the time or technical expertise to set up and maintain a Google Ad Grant account.

Digital Marketing Expertise on Call

That’s where Beyond Dollars, the Constellation Fund’s capacity-building program, comes in. We partnered with Ovative Group, an independent digital media firm, to lead this project. They are a committed Beyond Dollars volunteer through their Champions of Change social impact program, and have built great relationships with many of our grantees over the years. 

As a longtime Google Premier Partner, Ovative knows Google paid search inside and out. During Impact Day, Jason Giltner, Senior Manager of Champions of Change at Ovative, thoughtfully explained how the grant works and how the partnership will run. Ovative’s offer to our grantees was substantial — to launch ads and manage them on an ongoing basis at no cost, so the ads keep working long after the first day.

A Partnership Built to Last

For Jason Giltner at Ovative, this program reflects what Beyond Dollars does best. “Beyond Dollars makes it simple for corporate teams to deliver real impact to community organizations,” he said. “The Constellation Fund team does the hard work of evaluation and coordination and allows our teams to slot in efficiently in ways that are both meaningful and impactful. We love Beyond Dollars and the wonderful connections we’ve made through it.”

That is the heart of Beyond Dollars. Grantees don’t need to become advertising experts — they just need the right connections. By pairing the most impactful nonprofits with corporate partners that are dedicated to social impact, we make a meaningful difference in our community.