Google for Nonprofits Blog: #OurImpact: Nuru International works to end poverty

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#OurImpact: Nuru International works to end poverty

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In celebrating the way nonprofits have made an impact, we’d like to spotlight another nonprofit in our program that’s changing lives in Africa. Nuru International is a social venture committed to ending extreme poverty in remote, rural areas by offering locally-led training in agriculture, personal finance, healthcare, water sanitation and education. Beginning in Kuria, Kenya in September 2008, Nuru uses Google for Nonprofits products to help them show their impact and function as a virtual organization.
Courtesy of Nuru International
Nuru demonstrates how they equip people with tools and knowledge to lead their communities out of extreme poverty to their donors through videos and their YouTube channel. Kim Do, Nuru’s Marketing and Mobilization Director says “YouTube gives us the ability to seamlessly deliver our latest video updates in a meaningful, dynamic way as our donors are on the go.” Beyond using Google tools to raise awareness, the organization also uses Google Apps to help eliminate overhead costs so that funds raised are equipping people with tools and knowledge to lead their communities out of poverty. “We are a virtual organization with employees communicating across twelve time zones,” says Do. “Our strategic decision to forgo a central office in the US enables us to invest a greater percentage of our funding in our work in Kuria, Kenya. The array of tools that Google provides-specifically Gmail, Gchat, Calendar, Google Docs and Sites -- is integral to our work and success as a virtual organization. We love the ‘real-time’ nature of Google Docs and have used them to create dynamic campaigns, administrate internal staff surveys, maintain a shared communications calendar, create directories of social media and fundraising sites and do so much more.”

If you’d like to learn more about Nuru and how they make their impact, check out our full case study on Nuru International. And if using YouTube and Google Apps is a good fit for your organization, you can continue learning with our video tutorials and get started guides.