Credit: Zoe Amira/YouTube

Clever YouTubers have created a charity avenue for those who can’t donate.

As protests against racial discrimination and police brutality flare across the United States and the world, the entire internet is being encouraged to donate to charities and organizations that support the Black Lives Matter movement. Unfortunately, whether due to pre-existing situations or the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are in positions where they cannot donate money without endangering their own livelihoods. One YouTuber, 20-year-old Zoe Amira, got an idea to spread awareness and raise some money for a cause she believes in.

Amira created an hour-long video on YouTube entitled “how to financially help BLM with NO MONEY/leaving your house (Invest in the future for FREE).” The video features art and music created by various black artists. The secret weapon of this video, however, is its advertisements. The video is peppered with numerous ad breaks, and according to the video’s description, all revenue produced by these breaks will be donated to organizations that support the protest efforts. These organizations include BlackLivesMatter.com, ACLU, the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and George Floyd’s Family Gofundme.

“I think it’s opening the door for people-powered fundraising, and that’s what’s really exciting about it,” Amira told CNN.”It’s a low barrier to entry — you don’t need much to support something you believe in.”

Amira’s video has become an overnight sensation on social media, accruing 7,305,109 views and over 758,000 likes as of writing. In the wake of her video’s success, multiple other videos have popped up on YouTube with the same goal and methodology. Amira has not received a revenue update from her Google account, so she is not yet sure how much money her efforts have yielded. According to an estimate from a friend of her’s with experience in YouTube advertising, though, one million views could equate to anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000.

If you’re interested in watching the video, remember to disable your adblocker on the page so the ads can load. Also, don’t mute the video, apparently that makes your view not count.