RiseWorks Data
The reference dataset for mission storytelling.
RiseWorks tracks how mission stories actually perform — nearly 5,000 nonprofit YouTube channels across 18 US metros — so every organization can see what works and why.
Competitive intelligence
See where your city ranks.
RiseWorks tracks nonprofit YouTube channels across 18 US metros. Find your metro, see who leads, and learn what sets the top channels apart.
4,982 nonprofit channels · refreshed 2026-06-14
Live · refreshed 2026-06-14
The opportunity gap
Nonprofits vs. for-profit brands on YouTube
Matched against a for-profit control group, nonprofit channels trail on reach and output. The room to grow is real, and it is measurable.
Median subscribers
55× widerMedian views / video
17× widerMedian uploads / week
11× widerThe gap narrows as channels grow
| Subscriber tier | Nonprofit views/video | For-profit views/video | Nonprofit engagement | For-profit engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1K | 303 | 252 | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 1K–20K | 2K | 3K | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| 20K–150K | 14K | 24K | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| 150K+ | 54K | 244K | 2.4% | 2.4% |
Median performance of 4,043 nonprofit channels against a control group of 903 for-profit channels, by subscriber tier.
State of nonprofit YouTube
What the benchmark reveals about the sector
of the 3K tracked nonprofit channels have gone quiet — no upload in the last 90 days.
15× more subscribers for nonprofits that post weekly versus a few times a year.
RiseWorks benchmark · observed across 4,982 channels
Upload cadence
post Shorts
Short-form video is now the default format across the sector.
post weekly or more
A small, consistent group sets the pace for everyone else.
caption under 20% of videos
Captions stay the sector's biggest untapped accessibility win.
Bigger channels earn more engagement
| Subscriber tier | Channels | Median engagement | Median views/video |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1K | 1,972 | 1.2% | 233 |
| 1K–20K | 758 | 1.2% | 799 |
| 20K–150K | 197 | 1.4% | 2K |
| 150K+ | 63 | 1.9% | 8K |
Engagement vs. audience size
Each dot is a channel · bubble size = total views · log scale on subscribers. Dots high and to the left are small channels punching above their weight.
How big are nonprofit channels?
Distribution of the cohort by subscriber count. Most sit under 1,000.
Explore by metro
15 metro areas, ranked
Open any city for full rankings, engagement, and the channels setting the pace in that market.
| New York City | 255 | 11.3M | 1K | 71% | 1.3% |
| Washington DC | 243 | 8.4M | 2K | 78% | 1.5% |
| Chicago | 233 | 2M | 281 | 55% | 1.4% |
| Los Angeles | 218 | 2.1M | 376 | 59% | 1.7% |
| Denver | 217 | 1.4M | 169 | 57% | 1.5% |
| Miami | 214 | 772K | 147 | 46% | 1.5% |
| Seattle | 196 | 1.2M | 149 | 51% | 1.3% |
| Detroit | 189 | 369K | 108 | 44% | 1.5% |
| San Francisco | 186 | 11.5M | 318 | 59% | 1.6% |
| Minneapolis | 182 | 524K | 279 | 50% | 1.5% |
| Atlanta | 178 | 4.8M | 217 | 59% | 2.0% |
| Philadelphia | 173 | 392K | 232 | 53% | 1.3% |
| Houston | 135 | 542K | 233 | 52% | 1.5% |
| Dallas | 133 | 763K | 481 | 59% | 1.3% |
| Boston | 130 | 4.3M | 590 | 63% | 1.4% |
Viral hits
The videos breaking through right now
The best-performing recent uploads across the benchmark, ranked by views.
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute's Built to Beat Cancer Campaign
Northside Hospital IncAtlanta
Leading Orthopedics Care at Rady Children's Health
Rady Childrens Hospital-san DiegoNational Top 200
Language Challenge | Swedish | Hult London
Hult International Business School IncBoston
Apple III Fail
Computer History MuseumSan Francisco
2026 .ORG Impact Awards: Call for Entries – Win $50K for Your Mission
Public Interest RegistryWashington DC
Spring 2026 CFP Board Public Awareness Campaign - It's Gotta Be a CFP® (Dive :30 16x9)
Certified Financial Planner Board Of Standards IncWashington DCNational leaderboard
America’s top nonprofit channels on YouTube
Ranked by subscriber count across the national benchmark.
By cause
Which missions show up on YouTube
Every tracked channel mapped to its primary cause, by channel count, reach, and engagement.
AI spotlight
Channels worth watching
Channels our analysis flags for the quality of their storytelling, not just their size.
IJ's channel is a standout performer with a 4.99% engagement rate — roughly 2-5x the nonprofit benchmark — and an average of 597 comments per video, signaling a genuinely activated audience, not passive subscribers. Their best recent video ('He Criticized the Mayor. They Arrested Him. He WON.') pulled 1.63M views against a 122K average, a 13.4x breakout that reflects strong title craft and mission-aligned storytelling. Uploading at 12.3 videos/month with 37 uploads in the last 90 days, this is one of the most consistently active nonprofit channels in the civil rights space.
Despite a massive legacy audience of 966K subscribers yielding a low 0.6% view-to-subscriber ratio, MIT's active viewers are deeply invested, driving an exceptional 4.15% engagement rate. The channel maintains strong consistency with 32 uploads in the last 90 days, focusing on high-production educational explainers like their 'Atomic clocks' video rather than dry institutional promos.
Battleship Texas Foundation punches well above its weight with a 89.4% views-to-subscriber ratio and a 6.02% engagement rate — roughly 3-6x the nonprofit YouTube benchmark. The channel averages 137 comments per video and 47,128 views per video across 92 uploads, with the December 2022 restoration update alone pulling 358,365 views (7.6x the channel average). Uploading at 4 videos/month with 12 uploads in the last 90 days, this is a consistently active channel with a loyal audience deeply invested in the ship's restoration journey.
The Anti-Recidivism Coalition is taking a highly creative swing with a scripted comedy series ('formerly incarcerated office') that humanizes the reentry experience. This unique format is resonating well, boasting a strong 36% view-to-subscriber ratio and a healthy 2.19% engagement rate. However, the channel's 0% caption coverage is a critical accessibility gap that holds back its production score.
Outlier Media demonstrates how a small subscriber base (168) can achieve strong reach through excellent, news-driven titling. Their average views per video (238) represent an impressive 141% of their total audience, and recent uploads like their body cam footage report spiked to nearly 1,000 views. However, their 0% caption coverage is a significant accessibility gap.
Despite a massive 26.1M subscriber base, National Geographic's view-to-subscriber ratio sits at a surprisingly low 0.5%, indicating a largely inactive audience. However, their content consistency (50 uploads in 90 days) and premium storytelling maintain a solid 1.77% engagement rate. While their production budget is unattainable for most, their compelling titling and packaging remain strong benchmarks.
Museum of Science posts at a remarkable 16.7 videos/month pace with 50 uploads in the last 90 days, and their NASA Artemis II video hit 355,519 views — nearly 10x their 36,410 average — signaling genuine breakout potential. Engagement rate of 2.57% sits well above the 0.5–2% nonprofit benchmark, and 96% caption coverage reflects serious accessibility investment. The view-to-subscriber ratio of 4.6% is technically below the 30% benchmark, but with 300M total views across 2,279 videos, this is a high-volume channel with consistent audience pull rather than a dead one.
Schmidt Ocean Institute posts at an impressive 16.7 videos/month with 50 uploads in the last 90 days, and their engagement rate of 8.34% is roughly 4-8x the nonprofit benchmark — a strong signal of genuine audience investment. However, the avg views/subscriber ratio sits at just 1.1% (well below the 30% benchmark), suggesting a large but relatively passive subscriber base, though the octopus new-species Short breaking 34,400 views (5.4x avg) shows real breakout potential when content hits. Caption coverage at only 12% across 1,954 videos is a significant accessibility gap for a science comm…
Hidden gems
Smaller channels earning outsized engagement for their size.
The Anti-Recidivism Coalition is taking a highly creative swing with a scripted comedy series ('formerly incarcerated office') that humanizes the reentry experience. This unique format is resonating well, boasting a strong 36% view-to-subscriber ratio and a healthy 2.19% engagement rate. However, the channel's 0% caption coverage is a critical accessibility gap that holds back its production score.
Sharing Excess drives an exceptional 4.2% engagement rate and 84% view-to-sub ratio through mission-centric Shorts. While their food rescue videos resonate strongly, 0% caption coverage limits accessibility.
Longwood Gardens demonstrates a strong, consistent content strategy with 17 uploads in the last 90 days, anchored by their educational 'Science Series.' While their 12% view-to-subscriber ratio is moderate, they achieve an exceptional 3.5% engagement rate, signaling strong resonance with their core audience. However, their low 20% caption coverage is a significant accessibility gap that holds back their overall production quality.
Trout Unlimited's channel punches above its 10,500-subscriber weight with a 3.15% engagement rate — well above the 0.5–2% nonprofit benchmark — and a 32.5% avg views-to-subscriber ratio that signals a genuinely active audience. Their top video 'Dam Removal: California's Little Arthur Creek' hit 86,624 views (25x the channel average), and recent uploads like 'Improving Fish Passage on California's Paynes Creek' (6,449 views) show consistent mission-aligned storytelling. However, caption coverage at just 4% across 534 videos is a significant accessibility gap for a channel with this much cont…
The channel demonstrates strong mission storytelling, with recent exhibition-focused videos like 'Stories of Survival' pulling in over 1,000 views, which is 2.7x the channel average. While the engagement rate is healthy at 2.21% and upload consistency is steady with 6 videos in the last 90 days, the channel's native caption coverage is critically low at 2%, representing a major accessibility gap.
First Liberty Institute punches well above its subscriber weight: 7,500 subs but 4.8M total views yields a 135% avg-views-to-subscriber ratio, far exceeding the 30% benchmark for strong resonance. Their 3.04% engagement rate is above the nonprofit norm of 0.5–2%, and the best recent video 'Faith Can Return in Public' hit 118,191 views — 11.7x their avg — suggesting genuine viral traction on mission-critical content. With 50 uploads in 90 days (~16.7/month), they maintain an aggressive, consistent publishing cadence that few nonprofits match.
Sempervirens Fund demonstrates excellent audience resonance with a 96.5% view-to-subscriber ratio and a solid 1.6% engagement rate. Their consistent upload cadence of 6 videos per month and series-based content drive breakout viewership, though the 8% caption coverage is a notable accessibility gap.
The University of Rochester maintains a healthy and consistent upload schedule of roughly 6 videos per month, achieving a solid 1.6% engagement rate. While average viewership is modest relative to their 20.9K subscribers (7.1% ratio), standout science content like 'Creating Unsinkable Metal' demonstrates their ability to reach broader audiences by translating complex research into compelling visual stories.
Editorial scoring from RiseWorks’ channel analysis, refreshed with the dataset.
En Español
Reaching Spanish-speaking communities
Nonprofits investing in Spanish-language video, ranked by how much of it they publish.
From dashboard to API
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Top-line sector averages and metro rankings, updated weekly.
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Downloadable PDF snapshots with channel-level breakdowns and trend commentary.
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