Japan has a growing and increasingly impactful nonprofit community—a 1998 NPO law invigorated the sector, and gave rise to the incorporation of more than 49,000 new organizations. Nonprofits like these are doing critical work for people in need, including recovery efforts for the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, and we want to do more to support them. That’s why today, we’re excited to collaborate with TechSoup Global to bring Google for Nonprofits to Japan.
Specified Nonprofit Corporations, Public Interest Corporations, and Social Welfare Corporations can now apply to join the program, which provides access to a suite of free products and tools, including:
- Ad Grants provides a $10,000 grant for nonprofits to raise awareness and target new audiences online.
- YouTube for Nonprofits and Google Earth Outreach provide rich opportunities for nonprofits to create interactive content and visualize their impact.
- Google Apps provides a range of enterprise tools -- from email to Google Docs -- that reduce technology costs and encourage collaboration.
We’re big believers in the Internet’s ability to help nonprofit organizations find new donors and volunteers, as well as become more efficient in their work. Japanese NPO Katariba, for example, is an volunteer-led organization that provides career education and counseling for high-school students.
Photo from NPO法人カタリバ | NPO Katariba, an organization using Google for Nonprofits.
Before joining Google for Nonprofits, Katariba’s volunteer recruitment process was labor intensive for staff, and outreach required a large portion of their PR budget. Now, Katariba saves time and money by using their $10,000 per month Ad Grant to reach people who are already searching for “NPO job” or “education volunteer” on Google. Since joining the program, the organization has seen 35,000 new site visitors.
We’re inspired by Katariba’s story and the amazing ways so many more nonprofits are using technology to aid their cause. We’re looking forward to supporting the work of more nonprofits in Japan.
Posted by Naveen Viswanatha, Product Manager, Google for Nonprofits