Googling for non-profits

Since its inception over ten years ago, Google has had a fairly active non-profit initiative.  Of course, with its huge profits, it has been a major contributor to many causes.

But Google has also leveraged its own web-services.  In fact, the firm recently launched a new site for non-profits.

On its face, it looks like a run-down of its free services, such as Gmail, Analytics, Docs and so on.

However, on a closer look, there are some interesting offerings:

• YouTube:  You can have a channel on the non-profit section, which can help with fundraisings (there is free premium exposure).
• Checkout:  This allows for processing donations (and there are no fees).
• Google Grants:  Essentially, you can get free advertising from Google's popular Adwords platform.