I am a strong believer in the power of video to tell the story of nonprofits. I’ve seen donors be profoundly moved, affected, and inspired to give by videos for all different kinds of causes. Whether on a website or shown at the kitchen table of a major donor, video is one of the most important tools any fundraiser has in telling the story of why this organization and why now.
But what I’ve found is that few smaller groups are willing to invest in making videos and those that do, often don’t get it right. So, I asked local multimedia maven Dana Romanoff, who makes some of the most beautiful donor films I’ve ever seen, to give our Front Range Source readers some ideas for how video is best used and how a smaller nonprofit can afford it.
Leslie: Dana thanks so much for sharing your experience with Front Range Source! So, how did you get into doing video for nonprofits?
I was a photojournalist working on a holiday giving section of a local newspaper and we decided to use video to bring stories to life. I did was a short, ninety-second interview with a homeless man and his wife and it really touched people. Because it was on-line, it was much more widely seen than only appearing in the daily paper. More people learned about the organization, and they received more holiday donations as a result. That’s when I really began to see the power of videos for nonprofits.
Leslie: What makes video more powerful than other mediums?
Video can become so widespread in such a short period of time. It can tell a story and create a visceral response that will cause people to care and to donate in a way that no printed material can do. It’s also more affordable than many print campaigns; for the cost of one video you can have millions of viewers all across the globe. Mailing out printed annual reports could cost much more and reach fewer people.
Leslie: How have you seen videos used most effectively in nonprofit work?
I can think of three good examples. Charity:Water uses video on their website to fundraise online and I think they are really effective. They have a great call to action in every video they produce. (To see a great example, click here)
Another example is my work with LifeQuest Transitions in Colorado Springs. They were planning to put on a live event to raise awareness about invisible wounds of war and to raise money for their programs for veterans and their families in a stadium with over 3,000 people.
We used videos to inspire the crowd. We did 14 videos of three minutes or less each that told the stories of veterans that whose lives have been transformed by LifeQuest Transitions. We showed the videos on huge screens and, despite the venue, it was very intimate – because the stories were intimate. One of the videos was about a marine named Angel who had his truck blown up in Iraq and the story of his family that supported him. After the video was shown, Angel was flooded by offers of support that set him on another course. That video may change his life.
Angel’s Family from Dana Romanoff on Vimeo.
Another example is the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. They have a regular fundraising luncheon and they wanted to show a video to inspire people to give. I felt it was important not to have a video of talking heads. I wanted them to walk away from it feeling something versus thinking something. I think that is so much more important.
Leslie: So, how did you do that? How do you infuse that emotional component into your videos?
Instead of interviews, we focused on four girls and how the Women’s Foundation is having an impact on each of their lives. If you personalize things, bring it down to one person’s story, viewers care so much more. The video was a little more than 7 minutes, but it left people crying and caring, and it was a record event in terms of donations.
To view the video, go to Dana’s website by clicking here.
Leslie: What advice would you give to a nonprofit that wanted to do more video work?
The most important thing is to have a call to action. You have to tell the viewer what you want them to do next. Video can be beautiful and inspiring, but it only works as a fundraising tool when you have a call to action.
Also, quality is really important. The whole reality show, do-it-yourself-with-a-flip- camera thing is in, but it’s over done. It gets your message out, but there is a reason why professionals exist and in this field, like many others, you get what you pay for.
Leslie: How can smaller nonprofits afford it?
You have to budget for it. All nonprofits have a budget for printed materials and other marketing pieces, why not take some of that money and invest in a video? It’s a cost benefit calculation. A good video could bring you in thousands of smaller little donations that add up to much more than you spend on the video.
Leslie: Or you could also use video for approaching a major donor, right?
Definitely. I’ve made some videos that I know were meant to reach just a few key people in the room. Just one major gift could pay for a real quality video.
Leslie: Thanks, Dana!
So, dear reader, what’s keeping YOU from making a donor video? Or, do you have one to share? Post it here! We want to see what you’re up to.
