MSI United States

• Health
• 22. 05. 2025

About

MSI United States (MSI) is a global nonprofit organization committed to providing access to high-quality reproductive healthcare and family planning services. Operating in over 30 countries, MSI delivers life-changing support to millions of women and families, particularly in underserved communities. Their work centers on informed choice, safety, and empowering individuals with the resources to take control of their reproductive health.

• Website: MSI
• Location: Washington, D.C., United States
• Cooperation period: November 2020 – Ongoing

Marketing Goals

• Improve utilization of the $10,000/month Google Ad Grant
• Increase awareness of MSI’s services and mission
• Drive meaningful on-site conversions (contact, appointments, donations)
• Ensure compliance within a regulated advertising space

Initial Situation

Our collaboration with MSI began in November 2020, after the organization had attempted to manage their Google Ad Grants account internally for several months. The account had existing campaigns, but performance was very limited: monthly grant usage hovered around $1,000, the account was not compliant with Google Ad Grants policies, conversion tracking was not configured, and many ads were being disapproved due to their sensitive focus on reproductive health.

The Impact of Google Ad Grants

We initiated our work by conducting a thorough account audit, which highlighted key compliance gaps, ineffective structure, and ad disapprovals due to policy violations. After thoroughly reviewing their website and the onboarding questionnaire, we designed a brand-new campaign structure that adhered to Google’s policies and better aligned with the organization’s mission.

Example Campaigns

• Brand
• Generic – Womens Health
• Generic – Pregnancy
• Generic – Contraception
• Generic – Women Rights
• Generic – Abortion
• Donate
• Resources

Ad Copy Proposal Preparation

Crafting ad copy for an organization operating in a highly regulated vertical required a careful, nuanced approach. We prioritized transparency, medical accuracy, and supportive language to both resonate with the target audience and ensure compliance with advertising policies.

Due to ongoing disapprovals, we implemented a rapid test-and-appeal cycle, constantly reviewing ad performance and content language. Through our consistent appeals and iterative refinement, we were able to get crucial ads approved without compromising MSI’s messaging.

Below is one of the high-performing ad variations we used:

Sample Ad:

• Headline 1: Advocating For Women’s Rights
• Headline 2: Support Reproductive Choice
• Headline 3: Millions Of Women Need Help
• Headline 4: We Fight For Women’s Rights
• Headline 5: MSI United States
• Headline 6: Help Us Empower Women
• Description line 1: Reproductive choice is a key pillar in the drive for gender equality. Help empower women!
• Description line 2: Contraception & safe abortion transforms women’s lives. Join our fight. Donate!
• Description line 3: Reproductive choice allows women and girls worldwide to break the cycle of poverty.
• Description line 4: Help vulnerable women and girls determine their future. Learn more & support MSI!
• Final URL: https://www.mariestopes.org

Conversion Tracking Implementation

Once the campaigns were up and running, the next step was setting up conversion tracking. Initially, the account lacked any conversion actions, limiting our optimization potential. We implemented advanced conversion tracking, which included conversion actions such as:

• Contact form submissions
• Newsletter sign-ups
• Session duration > 30 seconds
• Social media link clicks
• Purchases
• & many more

Advanced tracking gave us a full picture of the campaign performance and essentially allowed us to optimize toward high-value interactions.

Key Performance Highlights

After our intervention, the account saw a rapid increase in performance.

In January 2021, just two months after the establishment of our cooperation, we’ve achieved:

• Almost full $10,000 grant utilization
• Over 4,000 website visits in one month
• Steady growth in meaningful conversions

One of the most significant breakthroughs was our ability to consistently run compliant ads in a highly restricted vertical. Thanks to frequent collaboration with the client and a deep understanding of Google Ad Grants policies, we successfully managed to keep all ads active.

Additionally, we implemented automated bidding strategies, later integrating Dynamic Search Ads and Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, which also significantly expanded our reach.

We also supported content planning, encouraging the client to develop landing pages based on high-performing search terms. This strategy helped MSI improve landing page relevance and ad quality scores, further increasing performance.

Commercial Google Ads

In addition to managing MSI’s Google Ad Grants account, we also took charge of their commercial Google Ads, running both generic and location-targeted campaigns. These campaigns went live in March 2024, and by the end of April 2025, they had delivered impressive results: over 70,000 impressions, 4,500+ clicks, and nearly 2,100 meaningful conversions, including appointment bookings, contact submissions, and key engagement actions.

This dual-account strategy revealed several strategic advantages:

• Amplified MSI’s mission-driven messaging beyond the scope of the grant
• Provided a testing ground for more creative and flexible ad formats not restricted by grant limitations
• Enabled us to scale their digital reach through paid campaigns, while still fully utilizing the $10,000/month grant

By closely monitoring performance across both accounts, we observed a strong synergy between them, with commercial campaigns helping boost overall brand visibility and audience engagement for MSI’s nonprofit efforts.

Road Ahead

Our cooperation with MSI remains active to this day. Their consistent commitment to publishing new content and our close coordination allowed us to respond quickly with fresh campaigns promoting events, new services, or regional initiatives.

Following the success of the initial engagement, MSI recommended our services to their Mexican branch, which we have also successfully onboarded and are now managing their grant.

Despite the complexity of the reproductive health sector, we’ve proven that it’s possible to not only run compliant ads, but to thrive using the grant. From overcoming disapprovals to implementing data-driven strategy, our work with MSI shows what’s possible when grant management is handled with precision.

Conclusion

Through careful strategy, policy navigation, and a collaborative approach, we helped MSI United States turn their underperforming account into a high-impact acquisition channel. With full grant utilization, improved ad compliance, and advanced tracking in place, their campaigns now deliver consistent, measurable results.

If your organization works in a sensitive or regulated space and is struggling with Google Ad Grants, we can help. At AboveX Digital, we specialize in maximizing the value of every ad dollar, grant-funded or not. Schedule a consultation!