⭐ How to Apply for Google for Nonprofits: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

Applying for Google for Nonprofits can feel intimidating, but don’t worry — I’ll walk you through it step by step so you know exactly what to expect 🙌. Follow along below or you can view this video we created that walks you through the same steps!

🚀 Step 1: Go to the Google for Nonprofits Website

Head to google.com/nonprofits.

  • On mobile: tap the hamburger menu (☰) at the top left, then scroll to find Sign In and Get Started.
  • On desktop: those buttons appear at the top right.

Click Get Started (the blue button).

📧 Step 2: Choose the Right Email Address

You'll be asked which email you want to use.

✔ Best practice

Use an email that ends in your church’s domain (Example: yourname@yourchurch.org).

Why?

  • It makes it easier for Goodstack (the verification partner) to confirm you're connected to the church.
  • If you use a generic email like Gmail, they may reach out to someone else at your church to confirm — and emails get missed sometimes 😬.

Even if you use a church-domain email, Goodstack may still email someone else, so let your team know you're applying!

If the email shown isn’t the one you want, click Use a different account.

🔍 Step 3: Check Whether Your Church Is Already Verified

Once you continue, you’ll arrive at a page that shows organizations tied to the email you used.

You’ll see one of these:

🟢 Your church + “Verified”

Great news! You already have Google for Nonprofits. Just click Manage Administrators and skip ahead.

🔴 Your church + “Not verified / Not eligible”

No worries — scroll down and click New Request.

🤷‍♂️ Nothing listed

Totally normal. Just click New Request.

🏛️ Step 4: Enter Your Organization Information

You'll be asked for:

📝 Use Your Legal Name Exactly as It Appears

If your official IRS or state documents include a typo, use the exact same spelling here.

You can fix your church name later in Google Ads — but Goodstack needs the legal version to match.

🧾 EIN / Registration Info

  • Choose Internal Revenue Service if using your EIN.
  • Goodstack prefers EIN numbers.
  • If using state paperwork instead, choose the appropriate agency and enter that ID.

📎 Upload Your Documentation

Examples include:

Important:

  • Upload ONE merged document if you have multiple pages.
  • If federal + state docs show different name versions, choose one to avoid confusion.

Need help merging PDFs? Adobe works — or email success@churchfuel.com.

Click Next.

🗂️ Step 5: If Your Church Appears in the Goodstack Database

If you see your church listed:

  1. Click it (it will highlight).
  2. Scroll the page—not just the dropdown menu.
  3. Hit Next.

Regardless of how you got here, next comes website + mission info.

🌐 Step 6: Provide Your Website

Open your church website in a new tab → copy the full URL → paste it into the form.

This avoids typos that can cause verification delays 😅

Goodstack will visit your website to confirm legitimacy, so accuracy matters.

Click Next.

❤️ Step 7: Enter Your Mission Statement

Copy your mission statement from your website and paste it in.

Then choose:

  • Primary Category: Religious Activities
  • Subcategory: Religious Organization

Click Next.

👤 Step 8: Enter Your Contact Information

Fill in your:

  • Name
  • Job title (optional)
  • Email

Tip: Use the email you’re logged in with — it simplifies the approval process.

You can add more admin emails later.

Click Next.

✅ Step 9: Agree & Submit

Check the agreement box → click Submit 🎉 Please read below for the IMPORTANT follow up steps :)


📬 What Happens After You Submit

1️⃣ Look for a Confirmation Email

You’ll receive an email from Goodstack within 5 minutes.

Check:

  • Inbox
  • Spam
  • All Mail

If you don’t click the confirmation button, they cannot verify you. They’ll discard the application — so don’t skip it! 🚨

2️⃣ Notify Your Team

Let everyone on staff know:

“Goodstack may email you to confirm our Google for Nonprofits application. Please respond right away — even if it lands in spam!”

If nobody responds within 30 days, your application is automatically rejected.

3️⃣ Clean Up Contact Info on Your Website - This is incredibly important and will cause your application to be denied

Take a moment to:

  • Remove old staff emails
  • Delete addresses nobody checks
  • Ensure every email on the website is monitored 👀

Goodstack may contact any email they find on your website.

📚 Need More Help?

You can always reach out to:

📧 success@churchfuel.com

You're doing great — and we’re here to help every step of the way! 🌟🙌

Still need help? Contact Us Contact Us