Overview
Since 2022, A-Train Marketing has successfully managed the Google Ad Grant account for Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), navigating shifts in organizational priorities from volunteer recruitment and chapter growth to emergency response and disaster relief.
The Problem
Most recently, we partnered with SHP to pivot their digital strategy toward donations and deepen insight into the full donor journey, resulting in hundreds of attributable donations and a growing base of loyal supporters and recurring contributions.
SHP had long benefitted from Google’s nonprofit grant program, which offers up to $10,000/month worth of in-kind search advertising. However, as their organizational needs shifted toward sustainable donation growth, new challenges emerged.
While our team had effectively optimized their campaigns to support chapter sign-ups, volunteer engagement, and natural disaster relief, donation-focused performance required a more sophisticated approach. SHP needed a partner who could:
- Strategically evolve campaigns to prioritize donation conversions.
- Help close the gap between ad clicks and donation value tracking.
- Integrate their new donation platform (Fundraise Up) with Google Analytics and Google Ads to improve attribution and reporting.
Though standard donation tracking was already in place, there was no way to clearly connect specific campaigns or keywords to donation revenue. This limited SHP’s ability to evaluate ROI and scale high-performing efforts.
Google Ad Grant Management Meets Donation Attribution
A-Train’s approach combined deep grant platform expertise with strategic technical integration:
- Multi-Year Campaign Evolution
From volunteer recruitment to disaster response, we continually adjusted campaign themes, ad groups, and keyword targeting to align with SHP’s changing priorities—all while ensuring Google Ad Grant compliance and account health. - Donation-Focused Campaign Pivot
We strategically restructured SHP’s campaigns to emphasize high-intent donor keywords (e.g., “donate beds,” “charities for kids”) and increased budget efficiency to maximize return on in-kind media spend. - Fundraise Up Integration
We partnered with SHP to integrate their new donation platform, Fundraise Up, into Google Analytics and Google Ads. This allowed us to track donation value, optimize campaigns based on revenue, and clearly connect the dots between digital advertising and real-world impact.
Donation Revenue Directly Tied to One Month of Google Ad Grant Traffic
The Results
A Platform for Growth
Thanks to our ongoing partnership and evolving strategy, SHP now has:
- A fully optimized Google Ad Grant account aligned with real-world fundraising goals.
- End-to-end visibility into the donation journey, from ad click to confirmed gift.
- Actionable insights to guide campaign strategy and budget allocation moving forward.
With donation attribution now fully in place and Google Ad Grant performance at an all-time high, SHP is better positioned than ever to achieve its mission: “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor in Our Town.”
447 Donations Attributed to Google Ads Campaigns
$14.54 Average Cost Per Donation
Total Donor Purchases Increased 12% Month-Over-Month
Paid Search Generated the Highest Engagement Session Time (1:10) and 92% Engagement Rate
