How we took Alumniyat Foundation from nonprofit setup to a live Google Ad Grant account
We learned the process by doing it for our own nonprofit first — Google for Nonprofits, Workspace, professional email, Ad Grants, conversion tracking, campaigns, and ongoing management.
The organization
Alumniyat Foundation
Alumniyat Foundation is a nonprofit focused on poetry, arts, education, and cultural programs. Like most small nonprofits, it started with a mission and a website — and none of the Google infrastructure that makes an organization visible to the people searching for what it offers.
The challenge
Everything had to be built, in order
Alumniyat needed to establish its nonprofit digital infrastructure end to end:
- Enroll in Google for Nonprofits
- Configure professional nonprofit email
- Gain access to Google Ad Grants
- Prepare its website for Google's review
- Create mission-related campaigns
- Configure meaningful conversion tracking
- Continuously maintain Ad Grant compliance
Timeline
From filing to live campaigns
January 14, 2026
Nonprofit incorporation
Alumniyat Foundation's California nonprofit incorporation filing was completed — the legal starting point for everything that followed.
February 17, 2026
Google for Nonprofits application submitted
With documentation prepared and the website ready, we submitted the Google for Nonprofits application through Google's nonprofit verification process.
February 18, 2026
Google for Nonprofits approved
Our records show approval messages arriving the next morning. This unusually fast approval was Alumniyat's experience and is not a typical-time guarantee — review times depend entirely on Google, its verification partner, and each organization's documentation.
By March 2026
Ad Grant account active, campaigns launching
The Google Ad Grants account was active and mission campaigns were being built and launched — with conversion tracking configured before optimization began.
The work
What we implemented
Google for Nonprofits
Enrollment and nonprofit verification — the gateway to every Google nonprofit benefit.
Google Workspace
An organization-controlled Google environment with professional email at the foundation's own domain.
Domain & DNS configuration
Domain verification and mail-related DNS records, configured without disrupting anything already running.
Google Ad Grants
Activation and account configuration under the organization's own ownership.
Campaign strategy
Mission-based Search campaigns built around real programs — not campaigns created merely to spend grant credit.
Conversion tracking
Tracking real actions — signups and meaningful engagement — instead of treating visits alone as success.
Compliance monitoring
Ongoing monitoring of account health, CTR, keyword quality, policy issues, conversions, and bidding requirements.
Results
The account today
~10%
30-day click-through rate at the recorded point in time — double the 5% Google requires
16
ads serving across mission-related campaigns at the recorded point in time
24/7
automated monitoring system watching account health and compliance
Performance changes over time. These figures represent Alumniyat's account at the point measured and are not a promise of results for other organizations.
Lessons
What we learned
- 1Google for Nonprofits approval is only the beginning — nothing activates itself.
- 2A website needs to be suitable for both Google's review and human visitors.
- 3Conversion tracking should be designed before serious campaign optimization.
- 4Search terms and negative keywords need ongoing review — relevance drifts.
- 5The nonprofit should always own the accounts.
- 6Never create campaigns simply to try to consume the entire $10,000 monthly allocation.
- 7Maintaining the account matters as much as obtaining the grant.
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