College of Business Students Drive Real Impact Through Google Nonprofit Marketing Immersion Program

Experiential learning at Purdue University Northwest’s College of Business is intentionally embedded within the curriculum. In her Paid Digital Marketing Strategy course, Amita Bhadauria, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Marketing, incorporates the Google Nonprofit Marketing Immersion (NMI) program to give students a structured, real-world experience managing live advertising campaigns for nonprofit organizations.

By designing the course around active client engagement, performance analysis, and strategic decision-making, Bhadauria ensures students move beyond simulations and into measurable impact. Her approach blends technical skill development with an emphasis on social responsibility, preparing students to apply digital marketing expertise in meaningful ways.

Luke Hoffman

In the Fall 2025 semester, a team of students partnered with Leon’s Triathlon, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans through community athletic events. Through Google Ad Grants, which provide eligible nonprofits with up to $10,000 per month in advertising credits, the students developed and optimized live Google Ads campaigns designed to increase awareness and drive participation.

For Luke Hoffman, a Marketing and Management major graduating in 2026, the experience was transformative.

“I would say the impact was beyond positive on myself,” Hoffman said. “Having the opportunity to communicate with clients and with an actual business or a nonprofit was super cool to me.”

Hoffman’s team worked directly with Leon’s Triathlon, a volunteer-driven organization that had not previously leveraged Google Ads.

“They were a one-person business, the rest of it was volunteers,” Hoffman explained. “They had never gone online before to get with Google Ads. So it was a really cool experience to be the first group to help them get online and get on Google with the ads.”

Over the course of four weeks, the team generated tens of thousands of impressions and significant engagement. Lynn Signorelli, a Marketing major graduating in 2026, managed a campaign focused on triathlon signups and saw measurable results from her strategy.

“The campaign that I’m most proud of was signups for the triathlon,” Signorelli said. “That campaign reached around 10,000 clicks and over 25,000 impressions, and we reached a click-through rate of around 35%.”

Lynn Signorelli

For students, the numbers represented more than performance metrics, they reflected real visibility for a cause that mattered to their client and the surrounding community.

Sanskriti Pathania, who is graduating in 2026 with a dual degree in Marketing and Business Information Analytics, emphasized how the experience reshaped her understanding of marketing strategy.

“Marketing is definitely different depending on what you’re trying to do,” Pathania said. “We had a lot of different campaigns running. Some were tailored toward website traffic and some toward ticket sales.”

She also highlighted the importance of engagement metrics in evaluating impact.

“Out of all the campaign results, the one I’m most proud of is our click-through rate. Getting impressions is one thing, but having people fully follow up and actually want to see more about the website was really exciting.”

Sanskriti Pathania

Throughout the process, students used AI-powered tools within Google Ads to streamline campaign creation and optimization. Hoffman noted how the technology enhanced efficiency without replacing strategic thinking.

“The AI integration really helped us speed-run through our process,” he said. “It allowed it to be seamless and easy to get ads out there.”

Signorelli echoed the value of combining technology with real-world application.

“The impact that the program had on me as a College of Business student was that it integrated real-world experience,” she said. “It wasn’t just a simulation. I got to work with a real-life nonprofit organization.”

Programs like Google Nonprofit Marketing Immersion reflect the College of Business’s commitment to experiential learning and social responsibility. By connecting students with nonprofit organizations in need of digital marketing expertise, the program allows future business professionals to see firsthand how their skills can support community impact.

For Hoffman, Signorelli, and Pathania, the experience delivered more than certifications and campaign metrics. It reinforced a powerful lesson: business knowledge, when applied thoughtfully, can serve a greater purpose.