Mission

The world over, large development projects are causing community destruction, life disruption, and widespread poverty. Gender-based violence in armed conflict situations is causing suffering in places as diverse as Macedonia, Mexico, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, children make up the majority of combatants in a war that has claimed over five million lives. These are just a few examples of the issues WITNESS addresses in collaboration with partners.

In 1992, musician and human rights advocate Peter Gabriel, Human Rights First, and the Reebok Human Rights Foundation co-founded WITNESS, an organization that uses video and storytelling to open the world’s eyes to these and other human rights violations, spurring public engagement and policy change.

What they wanted to do

WITNESS operates at the nexus of human rights and technology, helping millions of ordinary citizens around the world speak the truth to those in power through tools such as video cameras and the Internet. Internally, WITNESS also relies on technology. “We have to increase the visibility and global impact of campaigns, and operate efficiently to maximize the impact and value of every donation,” says Marianna Moneymaker, online outreach and production at WITNESS.

Since its founding 20 years ago, WITNESS has partnered with more than 300 human rights groups in 80-plus countries, trained over 3,000 human rights defenders, developed widely used training materials and tools for video creation and safety, created the first dedicated online platform for human rights media (the HUB), and included video in over 100 campaigns.

How did they do it?

At WITNESS, the tools provided at no charge through Google for Nonprofits are powering a staff of 30 that, literally, works miracles. For years, WITNESS has used Google Apps to maintain an exceptional level of productivity. Some staff travel more than they are in the office, and they rely on Google Gmail and Google Calendar to stay updated and coordinated. Google Docs allows collaboration on everything from blog posts to media lists. Forms on Google Docs help gather content for upcoming projects or gauge reactions from supporters.

Among other awareness initiatives, WITNESS has created a branded YouTube channel with millions of views and thousands of subscribers. They created an extensive new channel on YouTube dedicated to Human Rights, with partner Storyful.

They've also brought attention to campaigns through search-engine marketing using Google AdWords. And they've gained insights into donors and tracked the website’s effectiveness using Google Analytics. People can visually pinpoint efforts such as justice for elders on www.elderjustice.org using Google Maps. Google+ and Hangouts help engage audiences with specific topics. A series of Hangouts are planned to celebrate the organization’s 20th anniversary.

Google for Nonprofits has helped us distribute compelling content while also streamlining our day-to-day business operations, all at no charge. Matisse Bustos Hawkes, Communications Manager, WITNESS

Did it work?

For WITNESS, the benefits of Google for Nonprofits are evident. Notes Matisse Bustos Hawkes, communications manager at WITNESS, running a nonprofit is no small feat in today’s tumultuous world and economic climate, especially for an organization whose messages are not always easy to hear. “Google for Nonprofits has helped us distribute compelling content while also streamlining our day-to-day business operations, all at no charge,” says Bustos Hawkes. “That kind of contribution really can’t be underestimated.”

WITNESS photos on this website provided by WITNESS.