The next COTS YouTube video could be the next "Kony 2012."
Well, probably not. But that's OK, said John Records, executive director of the Petaluma homeless assistance program.
He's just hoping to educate more people about what COTS does and encourage them to volunteer or donate.
COTS, the Committee on the Shelterless, has been chosen as one of 20 nonprofit groups nationwide for the inaugural class of "YouTube Next Cause," a program that helps charities use the online video service to get the word out about their services.
At a one-day summit in San Francisco next month, Records and two other COTS representatives will be trained in YouTube fundamentals, promotion and community engagement and will receive one-on-one advice sessions to increase their YouTube presence.
Last year, COTS provided shelter to nearly 2,000 people, including 150 children. Nearly 130,000 meals were served and 800,000 pounds of food was distributed to hungry families and seniors.
It might be nice if COTS' videos went viral like the professionally produced "Kony 2012," a video targeting the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony, a bush fighter wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
YouTube has an audience of 800 million people and 4 billion views a day. As of Thursday, the Kony video had nearly 80 million YouTube views.
Records has his sights set a little more realistically.
"We're always trying to find ways to tell our story that are creative," he said. "The ability to tell stories and engage our supporters is a wonderful opportunity for us. It comes at a good time, because we're facing real huge budget challenges."
Forty-six percent of COTS' funding comes from the government or cities and 40 percent comes from individuals and foundations. Funds from all sources have declined in the past few years.
COTS representatives will be trained by YouTube's video experts on how to build an online audience and turn video views into action - either donations or volunteering.
YouTube spokeswoman Jessica Mason said the Next Cause program is similar to Next Creator, Next Trainer and Next Chef initiatives the company previously sponsored, picking out top video creators and helping them improve their YouTube presence.
The company already gives nonprofit organizations access to special YouTube tools that help them market their programs and seek donations. This was the next step, she said.
"A video, more so than any other online medium we have, really packs a powerful punch," she said. "You can get a lot of emotion on a video that you can't tell through writing about something."
She said COTS and its videos stood out from the thousands of others submitted because the organization, while small, is passionate about conveying its mission.
"They are beautiful story-telling videos," she said. "That showed a lot of commitment and thought."
Records shot much of the video submitted with COTS' application with his iPhone. Schooled as an engineer, Records admits to being a bit of a technophile in his off time.
"One of the things nice about YouTube is that it's lowered expectations. People are not expecting George Lucas," he said. "It's enough to have a good story. It doesn't have to be perfect."
Other groups chosen for the April 2 training include those combating animal abuse, poverty and working to increase access to health care for children.
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297
or lori.carter
@pressdemocrat.com.
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