Inweb: “Our Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organizations is More than Just Promotion”

The digital marketing agency Inweb is part of the Netpeak Group and, in addition to participating in the group’s social projects, has its own mission: social impact and support for non-governmental organizations through internet marketing.

The team uses its strengths, knowledge, and expertise to help charitable foundations and public organizations work effectively and empower them with marketing tools. The core of the company’s social activities is helping organizations obtain grants and use budget funds within the Google Ad Grants program.

Igor Muterko, co-founder of the agency, and Mykola Danchenko, head of Nonprofit Marketing, told us about the areas and specifics of their work with the third sector, their motivation, and their long-term goals.

Inweb’s social responsibility is about helping non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in three main areas:

1. Assistance with Google Ad Grants: registration, setup, and advertising management.

This remains the core of our work, as Google provides a free advertising budget, which is important for the public sector, and we help to use it effectively. In addition, we provide pro bono search engine optimization (SEO) services, paid advertising (PPC) setup, and website and social media (SMM) audits to some organizations.

1. Free consulting on Google Ad Grants, SMM, and website content. We also advise on other issues where we have expertise.
2. Educational: We started by creating a course on Google Ad Grants on the AcademyOcean platform. This has now grown into the Nonprofit Academy by Inweb, which offers four courses: Google Ad Grants, SMM, Working with the Media, and Website Creation for NGOs. We have over 1,000 registered students.

We have also launched the Nonprofit Hub, including a Telegram channel, Instagram page, and Facebook group, where we share useful content and answer questions. As of March 2025, we have 600+ subscribers on Telegram and 550+ on Instagram, while Facebook is growing more slowly.

Igor:

We chose these areas because they are our strengths. Advertising, strategy, content, and digital solutions are what we do best. These are the areas where we can be most useful. In addition, we believe that effective assistance is not a one-time event but rather a systemic work. That is why we combine practice, consulting, and education. This allows us to reach more NGOs at different stages of their development.

We are also involved in CSR at the Netpeak Group level. We share a common mission — “from the third world to the first” — with each company contributing where it has expertise. Together, we respond to the issues that matter here and now. For example, recently, the entire group has raised funds for equipment for the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital and a fire truck for the State Emergency Service. Moreover, we continuously support the military and the services defending us.

At Inweb, we do what we do best — we help promote our internal social initiatives, such as GladPet and My City, through Google Ad Grants.

Peculiarities of Working with  NGOs

Mykola:

When talking about the differences between working with businesses and NGOs, it is worth mentioning the level of development of the public sector in Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion, many new organizations emerged, especially in the field of humanitarian aid and support for the army. They understand perfectly well how to attract resources, organize logistics, and build partnerships. But marketing often remains beyond their focus — they are only beginning to realize its importance.

Unlike international practice, where non-profit organizations have been investing in marketing for decades, this area is not yet a priority in Ukraine. Due to the war and limited resources, most organizations focus on survival. Though this is natural, this means that we not just launch advertising campaigns but also educate: We explain how marketing helps an organization’s mission, how to integrate it without excessive costs, and why it is important to talk about its activities.

Therefore, our cooperation with NGOs is not only about promotion but also about education and adapting marketing approaches to the specifics of the sector.

Igor:

Another important difference is that there are often no lengthy internal approval procedures as in large businesses or the public sector. If they see the point, decisions are made quickly, especially when it comes to volunteer support. But at the same time, this means that everything is built on trust. If there is trust, the project goes smoothly. If not, it will be difficult to move forward, even with a great plan.

It is also important to understand that many organizations simply do not have time to “launch strategic marketing” when frontlines are burning, when people are hungry, and when medicines are needed. Therefore, it is critically important for us to be able to adapt to their pace: deliver quick results, even small ones, demonstrate effectiveness — and only then can we plan something long-term.

And perhaps the main thing is emotional involvement. In business, there are briefs, deadlines, and reports. When working with NGOs, there is a greater emphasis on trust, human relationships, and understanding each other not only as professionals but also as people. And when there is this human synergy, something truly valuable emerges.

What is the Third Sector Lacking and How Can Its Needs Be Identified?

Mykola:

When we came up with the idea of launching the Telegram channel Nonprofit Hub, we already had a database of organizations we had worked with before, as well as a large database of people who had attended our webinars. We had previously had a channel dedicated to Google Ad Grants, and Igor suggested reviving it. I suggested doing something more — writing about various topics related to marketing for NGOs. Before launching the channel, we sent out a questionnaire to our audience to understand the issues they face.

The survey showed that most organizations are active on social media, but only some use advertising or content on their websites for promotion. The main challenges they suffer from are a lack of specialists, insufficient knowledge within the team, and lack of time and funding. Many also lack a clear marketing strategy. This confirmed our hypothesis that the third sector needs more than just an information channel — it needs a platform that will help them learn more about marketing tools.

Mutual Motivation and Long-Term Impact

Mykola:

Through the Nonprofit Academy, consulting, and the Nonprofit Hub social network, we create an environment for knowledge exchange. How to apply this knowledge is up to the organizations themselves. Without internal motivation, even the best knowledge is useless.

We do want all non-profit organizations to have effective websites, social networks, and know how to run ads. But we can only give them a fishing rod and teach them how to fish. The rest is up to them.

KPIs for Working with NGOs: Measuring Effectiveness

Igor:

Working with NGOs is different from working with businesses. Most websites do not have analytics, goals, or conversions set up. Often, even basic Google Analytics does not work properly or is missing altogether. Therefore, familiar metrics such as ROI or CPL do not work here.

However, there are other, equally important indicators. For example, when we see that advertising has helped raise money for specific assistance or that a campaign has brought many new visitors to the website who have left requests or subscribed to the newsletter, that is already a result.

Another important indicator is the same organizations coming back to us or recommending us to others, as well as such organization’s team starting to implement something on their own — this means that we not just “did the job” but strengthened their capacity. This is the main goal — to make them stronger, more confident, and able to promote their mission on their own.

And, of course, when our team receives feedback — warm words, reviews, or just a simple “thank you” — it is as energizing as any analytics.

Plans for the Future and Strategic Goals

Igor:

In 2025, we plan to continue what is already working and scale that up. First, we are expanding our range of services for NGOs — we want to cover more needs: from advertising and SEO to content, analytics, and strategy.

Second, we are actively looking for partners and contractors who are ready to join us in working with organizations on a pro bono basis. This is not only about helping, but also about networking and market development.

The third focus is education. We want our educational project for NGOs to become even more accessible and useful. We are working to involve government agencies in it — not for formal letters but for real support.

Another important area is CSR Marketing. We launched it to help small and medium-sized businesses find their CSR format, receive Google Ad Grants, create socially useful projects, and reap business benefits. We want to set an example and show that doing good is not only about ethics but also about strategic development.