In the nonprofit world, your donors want to feel inspired by the work your agency does.
They don’t just want to read that you made a home wheelchair-accessible for your client; they want to watch you build the ramp and see your client getting through the front door.
They don’t want to hear how much a family was touched by your new program; they want to see tears of joy on the faces of parents and their children.
Videos are the best way to bring your organization’s work to life. And videos carry an emotional impact that no other medium can deliver.
Here are five basic rules to telling your best stories through videos:
1) The hero of your story is the donor. It’s not your agency. It’s the donor who makes everything happen, and that fact must be in your video to empower more donors to take action.
2) At your event, the audience will not remember the details of your programs one minute after you talk about them. The only thing they will remember is how you made them feel at that moment. Start with what emotions you want to generate, and build your video’s story around that goal.
3) Show the story, don’t just tell it. It’s best to limit the talking heads on the screen. Instead of having stakeholders talk to the camera about the great work you do, show it in action.
4) Tell the story coherently. Think back to a great movie you saw. What likely made it stand out was a good story with a catchy beginning, middle, and end. Your video should have the same structure.
5) Call to action. Tell your audiences what you want them to do after watching your video. Be specific and clear. Should they make a donation on your website? Sign an online petition? Call your organization to volunteer?
The bottom line is: video production is the most effective way for communicating your nonprofit’s message directly to your supporters and motivating them to take action. If done right, your video will always be ready to help move your mission forward.
