In this digital age, video has become an important tool for sharing your brand’s story and mission. Once complicated and expensive, video production is now a viable option for any organization or nonprofit. Here are a few great reasons why your nonprofit should be using video:
- Videos provide authentic and compelling visuals to tell your story
- Video provides a sense of “being there” to the viewer
- Well-crafted online videos can engage your audiences both intellectually and emotionally
- The combination of storytelling, imagery and personal appeals is effective in moving people to act
- Video can expand audience reach through online distribution and is likely to be passed on by viewers, encouraging growth and reach
With the right combination of images, dialogue, and music, nonprofits can use video as a uniquely powerful medium to capture the imagination and pull the heartstrings. Nonprofits should be leveraging video to communicate with their supporters.
Here are 5 nonprofit video ideas (with examples to match) that I would recommend viewing as a way to inspire you to create your ideas for video marketing.
1. Share your story
Falling Whistles is a nonprofit organization that is campaigning for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They use the whistle as a symbol of protest and ask individuals to be whistleblowers for peace. All proceeds from the sale of whistles are invested in the Congolese visionaries to build a global coalition for peace.
Falling Whistles created a video to powerfully tell the story of how their nonprofit was founded and to make the connection to the symbolism behind the organization’s name. They grab viewer’s attention on an emotional level and invite them to join the movement. Videos are a great option to give insight into what your organization is all about.
2. Spread awareness of a problem that must be addressed
Girl Effect is a nonprofit organization that is working to reach 250 million girls living in poverty across the world by 2030, giving them the tools and access to the critical assets they need to achieve their full potential. In their video The Clock is Ticking, Girl Effect presents the problem that their organization is addressing, focusing on educating their audience on the issues of poverty throughout the world and the opportunity for supporters to make an impact. After addressing the problem, the Girl Effect then introduces their organization as a opportunity for solution and invites viewers to visit the website to learn more. This video has been very effective in raising awareness of an issue, with 1.95 million views on YouTube.
3. Motivate action
In a compelling compilation of text, sound, and visuals, Love146 pulls on the heartstrings at an emotional level and moves supporters to take action against child trafficking and exploitation. Narrated by the organization’s president and co-founder, the well-produced video compels people to help bring an end to the problem. Their video rallies support by showing people that they can each make a difference.
When creating a video to inspire action, ask yourself this question—from the place they are watching the video, can they easily make the action we are asking them to take? If you can’t draw a clear line from the viewer to the action, your video may not work.
4. Create catalysts
Dressember, a collaborative movement using fashion to support the abolition of modern day slavery, put together a compelling video in which several women come together and invite viewers to help advocate for the inherent freedom and femininity of all women. This nonprofit video gives insight into the organization’s campaign and its mission but also inspires supporters to become a catalyst for global change. Their mission has inspired an international movement, with 32 countries represented and the efforts of 2,600 participants who $462,000 for the fight against human trafficking in 2014 alone.
5. Share the impact your nonprofit has made
One of the most powerful nonprofit video campaigns your organization can create is one that features the people or communities impacted by your work. LoveYourBrain, a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life for people affected by brain injury, shared their impact in their LYB YOGA FC video. Several beneficiaries share testimonials of how a specific program has improved their well-being, helping viewers understand the full impact of the organization. The video also inspires action by sharing their goals for the year and showing supporters how their involvement is helping the organization.
With the increase in digital resources available to nonprofits, it’s time to be taking advantage of these tools. Whether you highlight the people impacted by your nonprofit or share your story and mission, you should be leveraging this compelling medium to further your organization’s reach and meet your goals.
