Photo courtesy of gideon_wright
With an interest in working in the non-profit sector, Emily Tran came to intern with the Case Foundation to learn more about the inner workings of a nonprofit organization. She’s currently a junior at the George Washington University concentrating in marketing and minoring in communications.
My experience at the Case Foundation has given me an opportunity to explore various platforms of the nonprofit sector. Through my internship, I realized that nonprofits are always looking for ways to gain more awareness for their cause. When thinking about how nonprofits can increase their number of supporters, I combined my interest in nonprofits with my love for viral videos.
There is no question that YouTube has changed the way people around the world connect with one another. Video sites have offered a platform for many nonprofits to spread awareness about their organization. Viral videos especially allow communities to form and become a part of an amazing phenomenon. With opportunities like YouTube’s Nonprofit Program and the DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, more nonprofits are making videos to spread their message.
According to a TED Talk by Kevin Allocca I found, a major factor into reaching wider audiences and viral videos are through tastemakers and an active community. The tastemakers are the ones with a large following and those who can share the video to dramatically increase video views. For example, Oprah—a definitive tastemaker—shared the Kony 2012 video and it gained about 1 million views in that day (of which I am guessing Oprah can take some credit). Once the video begins trending, as it did with Kony 2012, the active community is formed. The people in this community are the ones who are sharing and commenting about the video and helping to keep it circulating throughout the web’s many networks. The community in this particular case was able to maintain, and even grow the momentum generated by this video into a worldwide phenomenon.
Perhaps more importantly, Kony 2012 also helped to highlight the shift in NextGen involvement with nonprofits. With more than 100 million views earned in six days, Kony 2012 was dubbed the most successful viral video in nonprofit video history – with much of the support documented as coming from younger individuals. The organization was able to take advantage of social media and viewers’ desires to forge together in a cause greater than them and ultimately help others.
While not conclusive, I believe that the younger generation’s tendency to integrate and use social media and technology into their lives has already, and will continue to change the way organizations engage with them. The way to spread awareness has changed from articles and papers to infographics and videos. The best way for organizations to gain participation from young changemakers, is through what gets their attention—and video can definitely be one of those ways.