Google Workspace for nonprofits: features and preferential pricing

Free professional tools for nonprofits

Google Workspace for Nonprofits offers eligible nonprofits free access to the full Google Workspace suite. Professional Gmail with your domain name, 100 TB of shared storage, Google Meet for remote meetings and all the collaboration tools (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive). For nonprofits running on tight budgets, it is an opportunity to equip themselves with professional tools at no cost.

How to get Google Workspace for Nonprofits

Registration is done in three steps. Register your nonprofit on Google for Nonprofits (google.com/nonprofits). Google verifies your organization’s eligibility directly during the registration process. Once validated, you activate Google Workspace for Nonprofits from your Google for Nonprofits dashboard.

Validation typically takes 2 to 14 business days. Nonprofit associations (in France, associations loi 1901), public-interest foundations and registered NGOs are eligible. Government organizations and educational institutions have dedicated programs (Google for Education, Google for Government).

What’s included

Professional Gmail with your domain name (contact@your-nonprofit.org) replaces personal Gmail addresses. Google Drive offers 100 TB of shared storage for the entire organization. Google Meet allows video meetings of up to 150 participants, ideal for general assemblies and volunteer meetings.

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides enable real-time collaboration on the nonprofit’s documents: minutes, budgets, presentations. Google Calendar coordinates events and duty shifts. Google Chat makes communication easier between board members and volunteers.

The admin console manages user accounts, permissions and security. You control who has access to what and can revoke access for members who leave the nonprofit.

Benefits beyond Google Workspace

The Google for Nonprofits program also gives access to Google Ad Grants ($10,000 per month of free Google Ads advertising), the YouTube Nonprofit Program (donation collection features) and Google Maps Platform (credits for map integration).

Google Ad Grants is particularly attractive for nonprofits looking to increase their online visibility. $10,000 of free monthly advertising on Google Search helps reach potential donors and volunteers.

When to upgrade to the paid version

The free version covers the needs of the majority of nonprofits. The paid version (at a reduced rate for nonprofits) adds advanced features: Google Vault for archiving and compliance, DLP for protecting sensitive data, data regions for storage in Europe and priority technical support.

Important note: Google Workspace for Nonprofits is subscribed directly through Google, not through a reseller. Nonprofit discounts on paid plans (75% off Business Standard, 72% off Business Plus) are also managed directly by Google. However, technical setup, data migration, and team training are steps where external support saves time and avoids mistakes.

LCMH helps nonprofits with configuration, data migration, and onboarding for Google Workspace for Nonprofits — even though licences are subscribed directly through Google.

For security features, read our article on data protection in Google Workspace.

Sources

1. Google, Google for Nonprofits. google.com/nonprofits
2. Google, Google Workspace for Nonprofits. google.com/nonprofits/offerings/workspace