Producing an entire video that explains your nonprofit’s cause and asks for donations can be intimidating. How complex, time consuming and expensive could a project like this be?
Truth is, a two- or three-minute piece of nonprofit video content that you can use at presentations, post to your website’s homepage and add to your email campaigns really can connect people to your cause—and your nonprofit’s story.
What’s more, that short charity campaign video you add to your social media streams can work to increase donations.
Fundraising video production doesn’t have to be difficult and is often affordable. Follow these awareness video ideas for your nonprofit organization videos.
What Is an Awareness Campaign?
An awareness campaign educates the public about your organization and its specific cause. Awareness campaigns are usually on-going messages built to accomplish this by:
- Telling the story of your nonprofit organization.
- Explaining your issue or cause to potential supporters.
- Engaging people who share your organization’s beliefs and values.
A nonprofit organization likely will use different types of content to raise awareness for its cause, such as pamphlets; social, educational and fundraising events; community services projects; press releases; online blog articles; public service announcements; and nonprofit organization videos.
For instance, working with the HEADstrong Foundation on its Lax Stache Madness interactive online fundraiser, we collaborated on a fundraising video production that helped yield a record year that surpassed the organization’s fundraising goals and supported families across the country.
You’ll want to work with a nonprofit video production company that knows the elements of compelling storytelling and how they work together, how to use different storytelling tools to draw in your target audience, whether your audience is made up of supporters or those who need your services, and how to identify stories that need to be told about your organization and use them in different applications.
For example, a group of health-related organizations and companies in Philadelphia partnered to tell the story of the dangers of asthma for people who live in the city and what they can do to make their homes healthier. The result is a short video that creates awareness about the Asthma and Allergy Friendly Certification Program.
What’s Your Content Checklist?
Beneficial starting points for nonprofit video content include:
Tell people who you are. The video we produced for HEADstrong shares the organization’s mission and vision.
What’s Your Story, and Why Does It Matter?
For nonprofit organizations, the ability to tell your story well matters in effective fundraising video production.
Spread awareness and inspire action. Tell people about your next event or campaign, and invite them to participate in, donate to or spread the word about your cause.
Share your impact. Show the results your nonprofit has accomplished based on your mission or cause and create anticipation for future success stories.
Personalize your mission. Give your cause a face and a name. Feature staff members, beneficiaries, volunteers and board members and their involvement with your nonprofit, or feature those who are most affected. An example of this is the work that we do in collaboration with Project Scleroderma to raise global awareness of the disease, encourage support of research, and create a platform for patients to voice their stories and champion their cause.
Ready to Use Video to Create Awareness for Your Nonprofit?
Since 2007, we’ve helped our nonprofit clients accomplish their marketing goals with nonprofit video production that illuminates their unique audiences and inspires them to action. Get started today by contacting a video strategist!
