ReferenceGoogle Ads disapproval
Solicitation of funds
Google allows ads that solicit donations only for a politician, a political party or a tax-exempt charity. The destination must state that donations are tax-exempt, or show a charity or tax exemption number. Declare the status on the page or donation form, or point the ad at a page that does not ask for funds, then save for review.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- The Status column on the Ads & assets page, as Disapproved under this policy.
- What stops
- The ad stops serving.
- How serious
- Low on its own. Google warns at least 7 days before any account suspension.
What it means
The policy covers ads that ask for money or donations. Only three kinds of organization may solicit through ads: a politician, a political party and a tax-exempt charity. Google may also limit or stop ads from a business that poses an unreasonable risk to user safety or experience, even when it meets the other policies.
In the US, an organization with 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status from the IRS counts as tax-exempt automatically. It should still state that status on the destination or on the donation page.
What actually triggers it
A business or group that is not one of the three
An organization that is not a politician, a political party or a tax-exempt charity cannot solicit donations through ads. The policy names those three and no others.
A charity whose destination does not say so
A tax-exempt charity is disapproved when its destination does not state that donations are tax-exempt, or give a charity or tax exemption number.
An ad whose final URL leads to a donation page
The ad's final URL can point to a page that asks for funds, even when the rest of the site does not. Google's fix is to point the ad at a part of the site that does not violate the policy.
Fix it in this order
- Check whether the organization is a politician, a political party or a tax-exempt charity. If it is none of these, the ad cannot solicit funds.
- If it is a tax-exempt charity, declare the status on the destination or the linked donation page, or show the charity or tax exemption number. The page labels this option Declare your tax exempt status.
- Or change the ad's final URL to a part of the site that does not ask for funds. Then, in Campaigns, open Ads, hover over the ad, select Edit, make the change and select Save.
When to appeal
Appeal from the account if you believe the decision is an error. If the review finds the ads compliant, they can run again.
If you cannot or do not want to fix the violation, remove the ad.
Often confused with
Financial products and services disclosures
Those disclosures are about the costs of a financial product. A donation ad needs its tax-exempt status, not a fee schedule.