Promote Your Cause with Google Earth

If you have ever worked in the field — directly with your constituents, in the area you are trying to help — you know that it's one thing to simply read about a cause; it's another thing to experience it firsthand.

Yet while it's not always possible to see every problem with your own eyes, Google has taken a step in allowing nonprofits to give others a birds-eye view of their causes through its recently launched Google Earth Outreach, a free program allows nonprofits to harness Google Earth's powerful, interactive mapping software to engage supporters and draw attention to their causes.

You can read more about the project in TechSoup's article Reach Out with Google Earth Outreach, which provides examples of nonprofits already using Google Earth Outreach and explains how others can get involved.

One nonprofit already using the program is Appalachian Voices, which uses Google's aerial maps to show the impact of coal mining on the Appalachian mountains (see image, below). Google Earth Outreach has also been used to illuminate genocide in Darfur.

Would you consider using the program for your nonprofit? Tell us in our Community forums.