2/13/10

YouTube 'brings sexy back' to charity work

YouTube's Video Volunteers page pairs deserving but underfunded charities with creative video producers willing to help them.

"The nonprofits aren't that sexy -- but we're trying to bring sexy back a little bit to the nonprofits," said YouTube spokesman Aaron Zamost.

The Video Volunteers page lets nonprofits post descriptions of projects for which they need videos produced. Video artists, in turn, can scroll the offerings and pick a cause they'd like to help.

Since October, the site has featured a particular issue each month. February's issue is health. The best videos get featured on YouTube's main page, giving massive exposure to both the charity and the video artist.

"We would love to think users just do it out of the kindness of their own hearts," said Ramya Raghavan, the nonprofits and activism manager at YouTube, who said she thinks that's usually the case. "But I think the incentive piece does help a lot."

Watch sample 1-minute video

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