YouTube for Nonprofits: Build Visibility, Trust, and Engagement
TechSoup Connect Austin
Carolyn M. Appleton
May 6, 2025
Claire Dannenbaum
for Pew
Research
Center, “5 facts about Americans and YouTube” (2025)
What’s so great about YouTube?
Why bother?
Sharing three facts from this noteworthy research:
➢ More U.S. adults use YouTube than any other online platform we’ve asked about As of 2024, 85% of adults say they use YouTube.
➢ Across age groups, majorities of adults use YouTube. More than nine inten adults under 50 say they use the site, as do 86% of adults ages 50 to 64. Even among adults 65 and older who are generally less likely than younger people to use various online platforms 65% use the video sharing platform.
➢ Around a third of U.S. adults say they regularly get news from YouTube.
Mohammad Farhan Aslam on LinkedIn,
“The Rise of Authenticity: Why Relatable Content is Winning on Social Media in 2025” (February 2025)
What’s so great about YouTube?
Why bother?
“In 2025, audiences no longer trust picture perfect brands. Instead, they crave brands that feel human. So, what does this shift mean for your social media strategy?
The answer lies in authenticity. Gone are the days when highly polished, overly produced content was the gold standard. Today, audiences are drawn to brands that feel real, relatable, and genuine.”
Carolyn suspects YouTube Shorts are one way to show “authenticity.”
Voronoi | Visual Capitalist
Start off right and make your work easier later, by completing all the settings you can.
YouTube Studio App for Video “On the Go”
CarolynisshownattheTexas StateCapitol,whereshe madelotsof “Shorts”with theappduringherthreehour visit.
Add your website URL and your social media links to your YouTube profile.
Carolyn’s Suggestions
There is a new non-video menu item, “Posts,” where you can write and share information on YouTube in non video format.
If you upgrade to Google Workspace, you can record your Google Meet conversations and “go live” on YouTube (separately or at the same time).
I suggest with Google Slides, once you are finished creating a presentation, you download it as a PowerPoint, then convert it to an MPEG 4 Video (MP4) “Save as.” Once you do this, you will know how long the video will be, and what “background” music you can add.
Now, let’s do this “live” and create a video from a PowerPoint slide deck …
Moving to Carolyn’s Laptop …
For those watching this as a video on Carolyn’s YouTube Channel, a link to the actual laptop demonstration will be posted online via TechSoup Connect.
