YouTube, the leader in online video sharing, has announced a new way for people to kill time. In a good way, that is. Perhaps best known for costing companies millions of dollars in lost productivity to “educational entertainment,” YouTube will no longer just be the go to hub for the popular funny cat and exploding diet Coke and Mentos videos.
With the launch of the YouTube Nonprofit Program, the online world of video sharing is redefining “educational entertainment.” At the end of September, YouTube announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) the new nonprofit program that makes it even easier for supporters, volunteers and donors to connect with their organizations.
Wielding the title “Broadcast Your Cause,” the YouTube Nonprofit Program is a commitment from YouTube to the 2007/2008 CGI to enable nonprofits that register to receive a free nonprofit specific channel where they can customize a home page and upload videos, public service announcements and calls to action. The channel also allows nonprofits the option to drive fundraising using the new (and free) Google Checkout for Nonprofits.
To be fair, I will point out that several hundred nonprofit organizations did utilize YouTube to tell the world about their causes prior to the new nonprofit channel. But most of this content gets lost in the clutter. The new initiative provides a unique platform that opens new doors for nonprofits to reach mass audiences without even glancing at their budgets.
At its launch, there were a dozen nonprofits with a specific YouTube nonprofit channel. About a month later, it doesn’t look like very many nonprofits are jumping at the opportunity. Need some motivation? Currently, YouTube is in the range of 200 million video views per day (with about 200,000 new videos uploaded daily). By the end of 2008, it’s looking pretty likely that YouTube could reach the 1 billion views per day milestone.
We encourage all our clients to seize opportunities like these, and it doesn’t just apply to nonprofits. We’re working on mission-driven marketing campaigns that bridge the gap between nonprofits’ causes and for-profits’ corporate philanthropic initiatives. The world of cause branding is win-win and we’re striving to bring our expertise in mission-driven marketing to companies looking to take advantage of channels like these. Stay tuned.
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