YouTube has introduced its newest tool, Campaigns, for non-profits, which helps create online initiatives aimed at raising awareness and increasing the number of views or subscribers, and track the progress of the initiative. The new feature was launched as part of the YouTube Nonprofit Program, and helps see in a “thermometer mode” how many people have viewed the campaign (in percents).

Photo: A snapshot from the video posted to the Rainforest Alliance’s YouTube channel, www.youtube-global.blogspot.com

The information on the progress and the goal is displayed as a growing green bar in the overlay on the videos, along with a share button and a link to the initiative. The audience also can get addition information on the progress of the Campaign from the special tab on the channel—days left to reach the desired number of views, the number of shares along with the information from the overlay. Go to the Rainforest Alliance’s YouTube channel to see how it works.

The new feature follows the launch of a bunch of tools, which help non-profits reach broader audience for a good cause. These include the Donate button (viewers can choose the amount of the donation right on the page with the video), Stream video feature, which allows to broadcast events and conferences live, as well as Call-to-action overlays, which encourage audience to contribute to the cause by participating.

“With more than 18,000 organizations in the YouTube Nonprofit Program we are always looking for ways to help nonprofits turn video views into greater awareness, petitions signed, laws changed, dollars raised, and lives saved,” commented David D, Software Engineer, on the official YouTube blog.

Photo: A snapshot from the video posted to the Rainforest Alliance’s YouTube channel, www.youtube-global.blogspot.com