Currently, we are living in the age of digital marketing where platforms like YouTube are used to share information in a better way.
Today, individuals consume information voraciously through videos. Let’s be honest in this fast-paced world, when no one has a single minute to spare, who will give a read to lengthy blogs and articles?
Well, nobody except for the reading geeks!
I think it’s not wrong to state that people just ❤️videos because they are easy to consume, more digestible, and proximately actionable as well.
These days people are not only interested in watching sport fails and funny cat videos. Videos like non-profits are all set to jump on this bandwagon to make a change and impact.
As per the research of Indiegogo, campaigns that incorporate fundraising videos tend to raise funds 4x more than the campaigns that avoid using it. So, this signifies how important it is to use a video.
Moreover, a video is a great pitch that can be shared and used over and over again. It can be a great asset that can help your cause massively.
But here comes a billion-dollar question that almost everyone who is reading this blog might be thinking, “Am I supposed to learn how to shoot and produce a video now, really?”
Well, yes, you have to. After all, it’s part of your fund-raising campaign. Don’t be shy to make more efforts; remember, hard work pays off.
So, are you ready or not? If you’re going to read till the end, we suppose you’re.
Since the pandemic broke out, it has become an obligation for non-profits to shift to digital even if they are not interested in it.
Considering the statistics of how much time people these days are spending online, watching videos, it’s the right time to learn this skill. So, you see, you have no more excuses left. You have to do it, pals!
You must be wondering that it is such a challenging task. After spending years, people learn this skill. Well, that’s not the case.
Producing a fundraising video is way easier than you think. You can just take a sigh of relief at the moment for two core reasons:
- You can produce a top-notch, high-quality, and engaging fundraising video straight from your phone.
- Next, you don’t need to hire a professional video maker.
Begin with Setting Up the Stage
You might find it much easier this time to come up with a powerful video marketing strategy and produce an impactful fundraising video. However, you still need to do some homework first, like preparing and planning before you jump into the production phase.
It’s a really good idea to begin this process by setting up the stage.
You don’t have to be a techie to produce a fundraising video, but still, you need to take a few things into consideration, like which light is better for shooting artificial or natural lighting, placement, framing, backdrop, and props.
(Useful tip: If you don’t have money to spend on backdrops, don’t worry. Just choose a plain bedsheet and use it. Believe me, guys, it can work wonders!)
1. Work on your pitch first
A fundraising video script should be comprised of an elevator pitch. The idea behind creating an elevator pitch is to make your message succinct that if you only have 30 seconds to pitch your idea to your donor, you can do it without any hassle.
In an ideal world, you must have already created an elevator pitch a couple of times before if you’re branding a non-profit organization. If you haven’t, it’s the right time to get started.
Focus on conveying your message in a comprehensible, succinct, and engaging way. You should make this crystal clear why people should care about your idea, what makes it unique and how it’s making a difference in the lives of people.
If you cover all the above-discussed points, you can pitch your fundraising video successfully to your target audience.
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2. Don’t you dare to exclude roll credits
This is one of the mistakes that people often make is assuming that their audience already knows who they are and why they are running the campaign.
Well, if you’re thinking in this way too, you’re in deep trouble. Jump out from this bandwagon, please!
You need to literally spell each and everything important and related for them, like:
- Who are you?
- What does your non-profit organization do?
- What’s so great about you? (Don’t be modest. It’s okay to flex a bit)
- Why are you raising money, or what is the cause behind your fundraising campaign? (Very important)
- Where are you organizing your campaign? (It can be digital as well)
- Why should people care about your campaign?
Even though your friends and loyal supporters might know about you all, their friends and their friends’ friends might not know.
This signifies you need to roll credits at the start of your video so people watching your video will get to know about you instantly.
3. Turn your video into a Disney narrative
Who doesn’t love watching Disney movies? Mulan, Lion King, Tangled, Frozen… ❤️
I really don’t know about you, but I have spent my entire childhood watching these iconic productions. Even I watch them today.
But here’s a question what connection do these evergreen titles have with your fundraising video?
Well, the answer to this question is pretty simple; powerful storytelling technique.
You cannot ignore this when it comes to the non-profit sector because people are always looking for a story that can fill their hearts with warmth, love, and positivity.
If you can create a pitch like a Disney story, then you make a huge impact on your audience. You need to ensure your narrative is powerful and heart-warming and that it becomes memorable.
Now, you must be wondering; it makes millions and billions of dollars to produce a Disney movie. How will you arrange this huge amount? Well, you don’t have to. You don’t need the budget of Disney. You just have to adopt the approach they use to produce their narratives.
All you need is to add the following set of things in your pitch to create a narrative like Disney, Pixar, or Illumination:
- Introduce rules of the world
- Define a problem
- Add some adventure and thrill
- Make wise decisions
- Think of impossibilities
- Retreat, regroup, and reorganize
- Learn from the mistakes
- Find an acquaintance and fly high
- Make an incredible comeback
- Stand against the norms
- Save the day
- And celebrate
If you include all of the elements we have mentioned above, the end result will be wonderful. You’ll love it!
Just make sure you don’t forget to include your vision, goals, and mission that showcases why you need donations, where the money donated will go, who will be impacted, and what difference it will make, and so on.
Also check out to learn about costing and budgeting if you are hiring professionals for your fund-raising video.
If you want to get an animated video then our guide on video animation pricing is the right fit for you.
4. Keep it sweet and short
To be honest, do you really think people have the whole day for you? No, my friends, they don’t even have a second to spare.
Individuals these days only pay attention to things in which they’re interested or gaining something from it like MONEY.
Moreover, the attention span of humans has become so shorter that it’s now called the ‘Goldfish Attention Span’.
Do I need to state examples? Well, I really don’t think so.
Just remember to keep the script for your fundraising video precise, to the point, yet engaging.
After all, video is a marketing tool that is supposed to be in a digestible form. It should be short and sweet enough to help the donors decide quickly whether they should support your cause or not.
So, you don’t even have a microsecond to lose. 🕛
Also, if your video length is more than 30 seconds like it’s 60 or 120 seconds long, then deliver all the important and sensitive information in the first 30 seconds. Also, don’t make long videos and keep them under 2 minutes because that’s the optimal video length.
Of course, you don’t want the viewer to click on X right before the pitch starts, right? So, make sure to follow this practice religiously.
5. Authenticity is the ultimate key to success
Well, authenticity is a pretty subjective term which makes it hard to explain. But when it comes to fundraising videos, it’s a key and critical element that you need to focus on.
Let’s think it this way: You are sitting in a park, and a guy approaches you. He tells you about this noble cause he is working for and requests you to take a look at his pitch. You went through the pitch, and it looks very interesting, but then he asks you to donate $10.
Till now, you were interested, but the moment he asked for a donation, you become curious and start thinking if this guy is genuine, or should you really believe in what he is saying, why he is asking for $10 when he could have asked for more.
Questions like these will flood your mind, and you might lose interest and just walk away or make an excuse.
All of this happened because you didn’t find the guy or his pitch authentic.
That’s why focusing on authenticity is important because it helps to build a credible and trustworthy image in front of people.
Authenticity doesn’t really depend upon the branding; your video should also give out authentic feels and vibes.
With fundraising videos, you get the opportunity to connect with people in a more humanistic manner. You can use a real face who can talk to people and explain to them the whole idea and message.
So, make sure to include real people in your videos. It will be great if you can add your founding members to the video because it will make your cause more credible.
Featuring a human face in your video can help you to connect with donors on a personal level, and this will also make huge contributions to making the campaign successful.
Sounds great and very easy, right? But hold on to your horses!
This will only if you authentically showcase the passion for the cause you’re supporting and explain its significance.
What’s more? It will make you look more human and approachable by steering clear technical language and jargon.
A general rule of 👍: Don’t sound too fancy. When you’re writing the script, keep in mind that it should sound like you’re either talking to a child or a senior citizen. The crux? You should sound simple!
Another way to showcase authenticity is to use your smartphone to shoot a video. You don’t have to hire any professional videographer for it. In this way, your video will feel more authentic and facilitates you in building better connections.
In a nutshell, the more authentic you’ll look and sound, the more people will join and support your cause.
6. Be specific
Just for your information, this isn’t a corporate teaser or promo video. It’s neither a campaign created to spread awareness; it’s a Fundraising Video.
You really don’t have time to be vague because you know no one has time for it. So, don’t take any chances and be specific. Tell the donators exactly how much money you need to support the cause, who will get benefit from it, and what’s it primarily for.
Don’t hesitate, own your requests and keep your high head because you’re doing something wonderful.
So, you see how easy peasy it is to shoot/produce a fundraising video. All you need to do is have a clear idea about what you’re doing and how you can achieve your goal.
However, if you still think you need a little bit help of from video experts for maybe editing then you can read our blog listed below to find a good video editing company for your fundraising project:
The Top Video Editing Companies
Or, if you’re planning on to get an animated video and you cannot make it yourself then checkout the following listicle blog to find the best animation studio:
The List of the Best Texas Animation Studios
Now it’s enough of the process. Let’s take inspiration from some of the best fundraising videos ever produced.
So, let’s check them out!
Fundraising Video Examples That Will Make You Cry
Yes, you read it right. Every video we have listed below is very heart-touching, and you won’t be able to stop yourself from 😢.
Don’t believe us? Take a look yourself.
1. Second Harvest Food Bank – Reaching the Most Vulnerable and Newly Vulnerable
This video particularly brought a tear to my eyes. It’s a video that highlights the story of need. If you watch the video, you’ll see how much the actors in the video are emphasizing why this organization is in dire need of help and how you can help them to make a difference in the lives of the less privileged.
They have also shown in the video how they’re helping people who are in dire need of basic necessities like food. 🍲
If you watch their video, you’ll understand their cause in a much better way.
2. Charity: Water – Clean Water for the Bayaka
There are hundreds and thousands of people across the globe who don’t have access to the necessities we humans need to survive. This video is dedicated to the people of Bayaka, who live in the deep forest of the Central African Republic.
When I watched the video, I was so depressed to know that they are those people who literally struggle every single day to get clean drinking water.
But the video is full of enthusiasm because it showcases how charity: water is working to make the lives of these people better: what they’re doing, how they are doing it, what are their future plans, and how we can support this noble cause.
3. TippyTap.org – It’s in Your Hands
After COVID-19 broke out, health and hygiene became one of the biggest concerns. When we were filling our shopping carts with disinfectants, sanitizers, and anti-bacterial soaps, some underprivileged people even struggled to get access to basic necessities like clean and hot water and soap to wash their hands.
Tippy Tap is helping such people by providing them tools they need to build tippy taps. They are basically simple devices made with low-cost materials. It’s pretty economical and resolves the issue of washing hands in rural areas where there are no washrooms and basins.
Last year, this video won DoGooder Non-Profit Award, which is quite impressive. 🤩
Watch the video to learn how you can support this organization.
4. Donate Life America – Give Me a Heart
The core function of the human heart is to circulate blood throughout the body. Think it this way. Your heart suddenly starts working properly, and you’re diagnosed with a heart condition in which doctors have to replace a new heart.
This thought is trembling in itself, but this happens. There are many children, women, and men who’re currently on the waiting list for a heart transplant.
Why so? Because there aren’t enough donors.
The video features some portraits of real children, women, and men who’re currently on the waiting list in the hope that one day they will find their donor.
At the end of the video, you’ll find a CTA that encourages people to register and contribute to the cause after their death.
5. Pause – Joann’e Story
Across the globe, women from the age of 2 are abused in various ways like emotionally, verbally, physically, and sexually as well. Not of them are strong enough to stand up for themselves. They just compromise with the situation in the hope that someday someone will rescue them.
This video is a story of a girl Joann’e who was abused from a very early age and fell victim to domestic violence. Her life was a mess until a guardian angel knocked on her door.
Pause is one of those organizations that support women who’re looking for a safe shelter. They help them to find themselves and support them in their decision.
In short, they try to make their lives better. You can also join hands 🧑🤝🧑with them to help such women.
How we at BuzzFlick are Supporting Noble Causes & Helping Non-Profit Organizations
As one of the prime Vancouver animation companies, we are also making a difference by helping non-profit organizations in spreading their message in an engaging, creative, and interesting way.
As a video production company, we create videos for organizations to make the lives of people better. Our goal is to deliver their message in a way that people instantly get motivated.
We create stories that instantly grab the attention of the audience and keep them hooked till the very end.
If you’re interested in learning about the video animation services we offer, like 2D animation, Cel-animation, and 3D animation, you can visit our core services page.
Moreover, the people working at our video animation agency respect the noble causes our clients share with us, and they make sure the videos they make for them are incredible and receive tons of appreciation. 👏
Also, to make your experience better, we have listed below some of the videos that we have created for non-profits and other organizations that are working for the betterment of people and the environment.
Do take a look at them.
· Global Educations Leader Program
· Peter Playbook
· Human Trafficking
· Food Nature & Climate
The Bottom Line
It was a pretty rollercoaster ride, I know, but It was important to describe in detail the whole fundraising video creation process and how you can take inspiration from the fundraising videos that are available on the surface.
An animation enthusiast who enjoys explaining complex animation techniques, mediums, and videos. Her love for animated films drives her. In her spare time, she enjoys watching animated films from Pixar, Disney, and Illumination productions.
