If you have an important message to share, the best way is to say it with a story. And video storytelling can be a powerful new piece in your nonprofit’s established fundraising strategy.
Are you thinking about using videos to share important messages with your audience?
Because we think that’s a great idea!
There are more opportunities to include video content in your outreach than ever before. And in today’s digital age, it’s often the most effective way to make a long story short and leave a lasting impression.
You have an important message to share as a nonprofit professional. Your cause matters, and you need to find support from individuals who see your organization as the best way to make a difference in something that’s important to them.
Still not sure if video storytelling is right for you? Let’s dig into three reasons that might just change your mind!
You can show and tell.
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million.
There’s simply no better way to show the impact your donors are making with their support than video storytelling. Other than volunteering, it’s the closest many donors can really get to your work.
Embracing video content lets you include the voices that matter most.
It lets your audience see the look on a beneficiary’s face and the difference you make in their lives. They can feel the joy of a child running around on the new playground you built. Or they can understand the pain of the unsheltered people you’re feeding.
And the right background music will help you set the tone of your story and put the reader in the right emotional state.
We’ve never seen an appeal letter or picture that can do all that!
READ MORE: The four principles of visual storytelling.
You can go surround sound.
Reaching your audience with the right message, in the right way, at the right time is critical for raising the money you need to advance your goals.
You probably know that an integrated communications strategy that uses multiple channels in cohesion is the best way to do it.
As you know, video content reigns supreme on social media. Instagram’s algorithm evolved to favor video content after the explosion of TikTok. Reels are all the rage. And 90 seconds is the perfect amount of time to tell your story and show new audiences why they should follow your nonprofit and get involved.
And video can augment pieces in your existing strategy.
Include a longer-form video on your website that shows your nonprofit’s mission in action and introduces some of the key people involved. Or record short video messages to include in thank you emails to stand out from other organizations.
There’s no shortage of ways to use video once you get started!
It’s a smart investment.
Embracing any new fundraising approach is an investment in your mission. And good on you for finding your way to this article. It means that you’re interested in finding ways to grow your approach and further your impact!
And it’s no secret that you’ll incur some costs when adopting a new strategy. But you need to make sure every dollar spent helps you raise a few more to make the world a better place.
So, you can look at buying all the equipment, hiring or training your video team, and doing your best while learning as you go. But it’s going to be a slow process. And you’ll have to make sure whoever takes on these new responsibilities can still keep up with their other important tasks.
Or you can expand your team and get more bang for your buck by bringing in an outside partner who already has the skills and experience working with nonprofits to create engaging video content.
So maybe the question isn’t why should you embrace video storytelling, but why not?!
Want to chat about how to include video in your strategy? Click here!
