British charities have spent 2012 reimagining their strategies toward fundraising and awareness programmes. Many have rebranded and rolled out new marketing campaigns as a means of attracting funds and attention. They now have one more tool at their disposal: YouTube.

YouTube launched its ‘Campaigns’ feature this week to assist nonprofits and charities in tracking fiscal contributions and progress in public relations. This may allow charities to move away from telethons as a form of marketing and integrate their digital and fundraising activities.

A recent survey of 186 charities found that nonprofit organisations do not think they are using social media to fundraise and engage in marketing effectively. Only 34 per cent of respondents say they use YouTube to do so, citing time constraints and questionable ROI as the culprits.

Many, like Cancer Research UK and Prostate Cancer UK, have rebranded and integrated fundraising into their new-look websites or Facebook channels. YouTube, however, has been neglected as it previously lacked a means of converting views into engagement.

YouTube says it developed the Campaigns tool to allow charities to more effectively integrate their online marketing strategies with real results in terms of awareness and fundraising. For charities, the draw may be the digital thermometer which tracks views against the objectives set in the campaign, forever eliminating the need for red sharpies.