Videos for your Nonprofit Organization

In the nonprofit sector, marketing goals and metrics that indicate success are tied to public awareness and fundraising. With thousands of different organizations for prospective donors to choose from, it’s critical to keep developing creative marketing ideas for your nonprofit organizations. These will help you stand out from the crowd and rally the most support for your cause.

One of the best ways to reach your awareness and fundraising goals is to leverage nonprofit video marketing as a primary channel. This year, people will spend on average 100 minutes/day watching video content – and video marketing generates more engagement than any other content on social media. Plus, one study found that 57% of online donors will make a gift after watching an inspirational fundraising video. Video marketing helps your viewers feel that they’re part of your mission, and visualize how their involvement can directly make a difference.  Even though video has proven to be the best way to reach new audiences, gain exposure, and increase donations, most marketers that work for nonprofits have minimal budgets which makes building a scalable video strategy challenging.

However, with 90% of people saying videos are important in their decision-making process, some nonprofits are set to blaze the trail by finding creative ways to produce video content with limited resources and/or budgets.

Impact of videos on nonprofits

Video is everywhere and it’s not going away anytime soon. Here are some numbers to prove it:

•       According to Google, six out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than television.

•       Hubspot estimates that 78 percent of people watch videos online every week, and 55 percent watch videos every day.

•       A Facebook executive went so far as to predict that their platform will be all video — and no text — in the next couple of years.

•       Mobile video viewing doubles every year.

Importance of video for your nonprofit

Video can be particularly powerful for nonprofits. A Google study found that 57 percent of people who watch a video go on to make a donation.

But it’s not enough to simply upload some footage from an event or post a text-based video on your YouTube channel and hope people will watch. The secrets to creating strong videos for nonprofits include sharing engaging stories about your impact, letting the people you serve tell their own stories, turning your impact report into an engaging narrative, and using the right platforms to share the videos you create.

FIVE KINDS OF VIDEOS EVERY NONPROFIT NEEDS

So you’re ready to get serious about video, but don’t know where to start? We get asked all the time what types of videos a nonprofit should have. We used to say, “Just start anywhere and build your library of videos over time.” But after working with dozens of nonprofits for close to a decade, we now believe there are 5 videos every nonprofit needs to establish a baseline of credibility. Moreover, these five are listed in order of importance, with #1 being the most important.

1. Organizational Video - Every nonprofit, foundation or corporate philanthropy needs an organizational video

(sometimes called a brand film) that lays out your organization’s case for support.

Length: 2-3 mins

Style: Live action w/ motion graphics

Audiences: All

Production Value: High (professional)

Frequency: Yearly (or every 2 years)

Tone: Authoritative, compelling

Purpose: Translate your case for support into a brief video with a call to action. This is your core video asset, and you’ll share it with everyone

Distribution: Upload to Youtube, embed on your website (home page), share with your email list, and post on social media channels

Additional uses: Create 30-second and 15-second versions for online advertising and sharing via Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

2. Story Video

There are a few important questions that every potential supporter asks a nonprofit. Two of the big ones are, “what is your impact?” and “why should I care?” This film is meant to answer those questions by telling the story of one of your beneficiaries or clients. There should be no doubt in viewers’ minds that the work you’re doing is changing lives and that your organization is worthy of support. Length: 2-6+ mins

Style: Live action

Audiences: All

Production Value: High (professional)

Frequency: 1 or 2 stories each year

Tone: Emotional journey (lows and highs); end with a crescendo

Purpose: Demonstrate your impact with emotion

Distribution: Upload to Youtube, embed on your website (home page or results page), blog post, share with your email list, post on social media channels

Additional uses: Create 30-second and 15-second versions for online advertising and posting via

Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

3. Explainer Video

While Organizational and Story Videos are for all of your audiences, your explainer film will be for those who want to dive deeper into the specifics of your work. These films are often more cerebral and feature motion graphics or animation.

Length: 2-3 mins

Type: Animation or live action with motion graphics

Audiences: Those with a deep interest in your work and knowledge about the social sector

Production Value: High (professional)

Frequency: Every 2 years

Tone: Educational

Purpose: Clarify what you do and how you do it; make audiences think, “Wow, they’ve thought of everything. They are really smart.”

Distribution: Upload to Youtube, embed on your website (work page), share with your email list, post on social media channels

Additional Uses: Still frames from this video can be used in your print collateral, on your website, or on social media to explain how work.

4. Campaign Video

Your organization should have some kind of campaign going on almost all the time. Whether it’s a fundraising campaign, a recruitment campaign for volunteers, or an advocacy campaign to advance your mission, your campaign needs a video to compel people to take action.

Length: 2-3 mins

Type: Live action with motion graphics

Audiences: Activists and small donors

Production Value: High/Med

Frequency: 2-3 each year

Tone: Compelling

Purpose: An old coworker of mine said a campaign isn’t a campaign unless a) it has a specific goal, b) to meet a specific need, c) in a specific timeframe, d) with a compelling sweetener (i.e. a match) to create urgency. This video is to compel action.

Distribution: Upload to Youtube, embed on your website (your donate page), share with your email list, post on social media channels

Additional Uses: Create 30-second and 15-second versions for online advertising and posting via Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

5. Update Video

Your audiences need to a) be reminded that you exist, b) be amazed by your work, and c) be compelled by your impact. By regularly sharing “homemade,” low-production quality update videos from the “frontlines,” you build a relationship with your audiences that will connect them to your mission and organization.

Length: 10 seconds – 1 min

Type: Live action

Audiences: All

Production Value: Low (shot on an iPhone or prosumer camera)

Frequency: Monthly

Tone: Current, unpolished, and authentic

Purpose: Keep your organization and build a human-like relationship

Distribution: Share with your email list, post on social media channels

TOPICS OF VIDEO MARKETING

1.      Explainer Videos – Share Your Mission

2.      “Meet The Team” Videos – Share Your Values

3.      “Behind The Scenes” Videos – Pull Back The Curtain For The Audience

4.      Testimonial Videos – Show Your Nonprofit’s Impact

5.      Interview Videos – Build Trust and Authority

6.      Personalized Video Emails – Take The Time To Inspire Action