YouTube makes it easier for non-profits to raise funds
The platform has rolled out tools non-profits can use to ask for donations.
YouTube has launched a handful of fundraising tools non-profits can use to collect donations from their kind-hearted followers. You'll now be able to catch glimpses of the beta version of the "YouTube Giving" suite on select non-profit channels, including Hope for Paws, an LA organization known for rescuing homeless and abused animals. Hope for Paws is using the new Fundraisers tool, in particular, which embeds a fundraising campaign with a visible Donate button right next to creators' videos and live broadcasts.
YouTube says all non-profits have to do is set up the campaign, and it'll take care of the logistics and payment processing. For the beta period, it will even cover 100 percent of all donations' transaction fees -- unfortunately, it didn't say how much those fees will cost in the future.
The platform has also introduced a way for several groups to raise funds together, rolling out the beta version of a tool called Community Fundraisers to a limited number of creators and qualified non-profits. It works like the basic Fundraisers tool, except it can show the same campaign on all participants' accounts. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is already using the feature in partnership with 12 gaming creators to raise funds for cancer research.
In the coming weeks, YouTube is also rolling out Campaign Matching, which displays matching pledges from creators and brands within the fundraising panel. Also the platform is introducing Super Chat for Good, a variant of Super Chats that gives all paying commenters' donations to the creator's organization of choice.
While it's true that e-begging is rampant on YouTube and other online destinations, these tools will be limited to qualifying US-registered 501(c)(3) non-profits. It's unclear if they'll ever open up to organizations in other countries, but the point is that this suite of features can ensure that your money will go to the non-profits themselves and not to some unethical creator's pockets.
