Nonprofits Not Nonprofit Enough

Google Inc. has just introduced a new suite of applications, Google for Nonprofits. The suite will include significant discounts and advantages for a wide range of Google products, from grants for advertising on AdWords to free licenses for Google Earth Pro. However, the corporate giant has also introduced a new list of restrictions for eligible charitable groups and institutions:

“Among those not able to apply for the program are websites where people donate cars to charity; child care centers, unless the “entire” purpose is to serve a disadvantaged community; hospitals; websites “that result in a poor experience for the viewer”; and—most troublesome—”places or institutions of worship (e.g., churches, ministries, temples, synagogues).”

Christianity Today ’s Chuck Colson responds:

“Presumably, Google made its office tools available to nonprofits at a discount because nonprofits provide beneficial services to society, and visibly supporting charity is good public relations and good business. But is Google now saying that those societal benefits count for less than the easily offended sensibilities of a small minority of its potential customers?”

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