Skip to main content

YouTube rolls out Campaigns, a 'digital thermometer' to help nonprofits increase views

YouTube rolls out Campaigns, a 'digital thermometer' to help nonprofits increase views

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

YouTube Nonprofit Campaigns
YouTube Nonprofit Campaigns

YouTube is expanding upon its Nonprofit Program today with a new tool: Campaigns. The feature is described as a way for organizations to monitor the success of clips they've uploaded to the site and set visible goals for total views or channel subscribers. To ensure maximum visibility and awareness, a "thermometer" reflecting progress toward these goals is displayed both as an overlay on videos and as a standalone tab on a nonprofit's channel. Campaigns can be applied to single videos or to a collection of clips. For a demo of how the tool works, check out the example below from the Rainforest Alliance.

It's debatable just how useful this latest addition really is; Campaigns could certainly help nonprofit initiatives gain momentum, but they could also have the unwanted effect of making less successful initiatives plainly apparent. Even so, there are other benefits that come with registering as a nonprofit with YouTube, including the ability to display a donate button, community forums, and live streams. The company says over 18,000 organizations are already taking part and that it will continue working to convert video views "into greater awareness, petitions signed, laws changed, dollars raised, and lives saved."