Google for Non-Profits Newsletter - July, 2009

[Jay Boren]

Google for Non-Profits Newsletter - July, 2009

We hope you enjoy this month's update from the Google for Non-Profits team.  A reminder that you can find and search all of the old newsletters and other emails sent to this list at the Google group site.  Also, please be sure to join the googlefornonprofits-discuss group.  This group offers an email forum for members to ask and answer questions about Google tools for non-profits.

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Google Maps and Sites integration

Upcoming online marketing seminars

Google on Twitter Update

Activism on YouTube
Google Docs templates and you 
Optimizing AdWords for campaigns

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Google Maps and Sites Integration

Embedding maps in Google Sites just got a lot easier. You can now insert a Google Map with a custom placemark to easily show users the location of your office, your service areas, volunteering locations, food bank sites, event locations or any other locations you want your users to see.  Check out the Google Apps Blog to learn more about this exciting new integration.

Another great new feature for any website is a Google Maps directions gadget.  You can easily embed a Google map gadget in any site with the "To" field pre-filled with an address of your choice to make it easy for anyone to find their way to your location, no matter where they are coming from.  Learn more about the directions gadget here.

For those interested in learning more about Google Earth and Google Maps, the differences between the two and how to make the most of these free products, be sure to read "A Nonprofit's Introduction to Google's Online Mapping Tools." 

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Upcoming online marketing seminars

Seminars for Success, offering hands-on training for Google products such as AdWords, Analytics and Website Optimizer are being offered around the United States in the next several months.  The first Seminars for Success Summit will take place in Burlington, VT from August 11-14 and will cover AdWords, Analytics and Website Optimizer.  Please visit this site to learn more and to find an upcoming seminar near you.

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Google on Twitter Update

Back in the April newsletter we told you about the official Google Twitter account, as well as a few product-specific accounts to follow.  In the three months since there has been a growing number of teams at Google making use of Twitter's real-time updates to let their followers know about product updates, cool case studies and innovative uses for Google tools.   Some great examples include, @earthoutreach with information about Earth and Maps tools for non-profits and @googleatwork with solutions for IT and workplace productivity.  Visit the official Google blog for a complete listing of Google accounts on Twitter.

Overwhelmed by Twittermania? Check out our blog directory here to find the ones that most interest you. Then subscribe to them via RSS in Google Reader.

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Activism on YouTube 

YouTube offers powerful ways to share your great work with the world and some exciting new features make it even easier to engage with your audience.  If you don't already have an account through the YouTube for non-profits program, you can apply here.  

YouTube's social features, like annotations, can make a big difference in driving interest and engagement with your videos.  More and more non-profits are using these features with great success.  See examples and learn more here.  

The Citizen Tube blog is a great site to keep tabs on.  Here, you will find new and innovative examples of people using the YouTube platform to make change, raise the volume on an important issues and create connections between people and organizations.  Also check out this blog post from the official Google blog about Digital Activism on YouTube, featuring more examples of people and organizations using YouTube to make a difference.

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Google Docs templates and you

Ever since Google launched the public template gallery for Google Docs last year, we've received a lot of positive feedback on how people are using these templates for everything from fax cover letters to mailing labels to calendar templates.  What we also heard is that people wanted a way to submit their own templates to the gallery for others to use.  Now, you can submit templates you've created and browse those that others have submitted in the Template Gallery.  Click here to learn more about the template gallery and its many uses.  

Another great feature is Docs templates for your domain.  If you are using Google Apps for your domain, which is free for qualifying non-profits, you can now create your own private template gallery shared only within your organization.  Now all of your online calendars, schedules, labels and reports can be written using templates that people in your organization create (or those in the public template gallery).  Learn more about this feature and how to use it here.  Not on Google Apps yet? Sign up for the free Standard Edition and apply here for your non-profit upgrade.    

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Optimizing AdWords for campaigns

Is your organization planning an event or campaign this summer and trying to recruit attendees and participants?  Use your Google Grant to help spread the word.  Check out this blog post from our Ann Arbor AdWords team about how you can optimize your AdWords account to draw people out for summer campaigns.  

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That's it for this month's newsletter. As always, please send any suggestions for the newsletter or Google for Non-Profits site our way.

Have a great week!

Jay from the Google for Non-Profits team