In March 2020, Google searches for food pantries were the highest they have been in five years. With many Americans at risk of food insecurity for the first time, alongside millions who were already vulnerable, finding assistance is critical. The majority of pantries are volunteer-run with a limited digital presence, making resources difficult to find online. 

Prior to FoodFinder, most information on emergency food relief was found in huge lists of food pantry addresses, and transportation remained a huge barrier to receiving these services. Jack used Google Maps to create a way to help users understand what’s nearby, by displaying users’ current location and food assistance providers in their area. 

FoodFinder prioritizes showing the closest, most relevant programs, including temporary resources set up for COVID-19 relief. The team uses Google Maps Platform to provide a familiar, easy-to-use interface that quickly provides information like eligibility and hours of operation. By using a map instead of a list, users are able to see the locations of food assistance providers, the density of resources and the supply of emergency food. Starting this year, FoodFinder plans to use their dataset to inform policymakers about where to concentrate food insecurity efforts based on supply and demand. 

In addition to Google Maps, FoodFinder uses Ad Grants to raise awareness, helping their organization rise to the top of the search results. By focusing on keyword phrases such as “food pantries near me,” FoodFinder can reach people seeking food for themselves or family before they get overwhelmed by too many sources of information. With COVID-19 creating more issues in food security, FoodFinder went from helping 700 people per day to 3,000 people per day, and site traffic increased by eight times. From the start of March, Ad Grants helped FoodFinder reach over 25,000 people, a quarter of their total users nationwide.

With help from Google for Nonprofits, FoodFinder has collected and verified the information of 50,000 free food programs across America. As a result, they’ve connected more than 300,000 people to food relief, and Jack credits Google as key to his app’s success. “FoodFinder is truly a Google-enabled nonprofit,” he says.

Nonprofits around the world have told us that they need access to digital tools to continue operations, maintain productivity, and raise awareness. Last month we expanded Google for Nonprofits to an additional six countries, and today we’re adding ten more across the globe: Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Pakistan, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta, Cyprus, Iceland and Ecuador. 

Google for Nonprofits is now available in 67 countries, receiving over 1,000 new applications each week from organizations around the world. After last month’s expansion, we chatted with a few nonprofits to see how they’re using Google for Nonprofits. 

Turing School 

Based in Lithuania, Turing School focuses on building digital skills for students in grades 5-12. They teach computer science and entrepreneurship-related courses, and they had been relying on the paid version of G Suite Basic for the past three years. Now that Google for Nonprofits is available in Lithuania, they migrated to G Suite for Nonprofits, saving money that they can now put toward their educational programs. 

For the Turing School, G Suite for Nonprofits has increased flexibility and efficiency for their organization. Google Calendar and Google Meet have made working remotely much easier. They collaborate on Google Docs, which reduces the number of emails between their staff and volunteers. Additionally, they’ve organized their Google Drive for everyone on the team,  including a separate shared drive for teachers to update information on student attendance, teaching curriculums and useful resources.

VOST

In Portugal, VOST is an association for digital volunteers in emergency situations.. As an organization with no revenue stream, VOST couldn’t invest funds in premium collaboration and productivity tools. For Jorge Gomes, the National Coordinator,  gaining access to Google tools through Google for Nonprofits “is a large upgrade in the way we manage our internal and external communication, as well as how we develop our projects.” With these advanced technological capabilities, they can now work more efficiently to provide resources and information during emergencies, including support for health professionals during COVID-19. 

Chatzigakis Foundation

Athens-based Chatzigakis Foundation creates social and philanthropic programs with an emphasis on Greek culture, history and education. Prior to gaining access to Google for Nonprofits, Chatzigakis Foundation didn’t have a dedicated budget for marketing. Their team is now excited using Ad Grants ($10,000 worth of text-based advertising at no cost) to reinforce visibility, increase website traffic, and attract volunteers and donors. They also plan to introduce more tools, like shared drives and Google Meet, into their organization now that they have access to G Suite for Nonprofits.  

Elisavet Chatzigaki, General Secretary, told us that “Google for Nonprofits constitutes a new window of opportunity to communicate our mission and programs to a wider segment of the population. We plan on expanding our member community and fundraising efforts in this constantly evolving world that still faces everlasting hardships.”

Nonprofits continue to face unique challenges. Our goal is to provide access to Google tools and technology quickly and effectively, so that these organizations can focus their efforts and resources directly towards achieving their goals. 

Founded in 2011, Canada Learning Code hosts in-person technology education classes for people across Canada, focusing on women, girls, people with disabilities, Indigenous youth and newcomers to Canada. So far, they’ve reached 35 communities and over 650,000 people. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, they had to quickly transition their education programs to an online method while simultaneously adapting to virtual ways of working. I recently spoke to the team at Canada Learning Code about how they used technology to serve the needs of their communities during COVID-19. Here’s what they told us.

How did your organization react when in-person programming was no longer feasible due to COVID-19? 

Our programs were not designed to exist online pre COVID-19, so we had to learn by doing. Our main focus was to uphold a safe and inclusive learning environment and to stay true to our values. We built a task force with people from several teams to brainstorm, create, and test these new digital experiences. To make sure classes are interactive, we reduced the size to 15-20 and developed shorter workshops around topics like HTML coding. We also applied different teaching styles based on the age of the learner to keep our virtual experiences engaging for everyone. 

What role did technology play in this transition? 

As a charity with a presence across the country, it’s essential that our teams have tools to stay in constant communication with each other. Prior to COVID-19, we were already using digital tools like Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, to maximize our productivity. Since G Suite was already part of our day-to-day operations, we’ve been able to quickly transition to remote work and adapt to the circumstances. 

This accessibility is critical for Canada Learning Code, as it helps us to continue reaching communities in rural and remote areas. Since Google for Nonprofits provides these tools for free, we are able to bring down our costs significantly. For organizations like us, lowering operational costs helps us to invest and make more of an impact every year. 

What tools do you use to reach audiences online?

We’ve used a lot of digital tools to build our programs over the years. Since June 2014, Google Ad Grants has provided free online advertising, resulting in an additional 5.92 million impressions and over 200,000 more clicks to our website. This would have cost us over $315,000 in five years. By using Google Ad Grants, we’ve allocated this money to developing and updating our content for our learning experiences. Working with a Google Account Strategist has helped us better target potential learners and volunteers throughout the years, and our click-through rate has increased. 

How will this change Canada Learning Code in the future?

In the long term, we’re thinking about continuing online learning, in addition to our in-person programs. Our ambitious goal is to deliver 10 million learning experiences by 2027 with a focus on digital literacy. With support from Google, we can focus on our mission and empower individuals to be creators—and not just consumers—of technology.

Every day, I work with incredible women. I feel fortunate because it hasn’t always been this way. I’ve been the only woman in meetings before, and I’ve definitely felt like the odd woman out. When I started working with Google for Nonprofits, I was excited to discover a community of women who deserve as much attention as the nonprofits they power. For International Women’s Day coming up on March 8, I asked three of them to share their stories, inspiration and advice.

Kimberlin Bolton, Executive Director, re:imagine/ATL

Rochelle Byrne, Executive Director, A Greener Future

Dr. Annise Mabry, CEO, Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation