Online video is one of the best ways to tell your nonprofit’s story. When done right, it can forge powerful connections between your organization and your supporters, but only when it stands out from the competition in three minutes or less.

Read my article in the latest Fundraising Success to learn the 11 steps to take to launch a successful video for your nonprofit!

Teaser: Modest production values can generate huge impact. Take a look at this simple but powerful video from the St. Joseph  Ballet, developed to build understanding of its work and impact around its name change.

P.S. Get more in-depth articles, case studies and guides to nonprofit marketing (and video) success — all featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

I dug into VolunteerMatch’s recent annual report in video format the minute it reached my inbox. It hit my sweet spot — I’m intrigued by innovative use of video and also by the challenge of reinventing nonprofit annual reports to be vibrant and meaningful. VolunteerMatch’s video version is both — and holds great value as a model for other nonprofits — so I rushed to interview Robert Rosenthal, Director of Communications on the why, how and how much of this production. Read on to learn what it took and gain insight on whether a video format is right for your organization’s annual report.

1. Robert, VolunteerMatch has produced a fantastic annual report in video format. What kind of feedback are you getting?

Everything we’ve heard from our members, key stakeholders, and peers has been overwhelmingly positive! We “broke the mold” on our traditional printed annual report process last year when we tried out Prezi – that was a huge change for us after more than a decade, and we received all kinds of kudos for taking some risks and trying something new. Since then we’ve seen Prezi all over. So when we were planning for this year, I was concerned that it would be a tough to act to follow.

The feedback this time around was really of a different nature. Instead of lots of comments about using a new technology, we heard feedback about the story itself. Viewers told us that our theme of “Relationships,” and our strategy of having our front-line team members (the ones who are closest to our constituents) do the talking, really resonated. This was a view into our work and our mission that many folks, even some of our core supporters, had never seen.

We also used about ten or so VolunteerMatch team members in the video, mostly junior staff, and for many it was their first time being featured in our communications. They invariably said it was a fun project that they were proud to take part in, and of course they were more likely to share it with their personal networks than our past reports.

Final observation: We unveiled the video for the first time at our annual Client Summit, in front of more than 100 of corporate partners. And at the end they were applauding!

2. What motivated your decision to do the video format this year?

As communications director I always shoot for two key goals with our annual report. First, we always have great stories to tell about our work, so I want to convey those stories into an engaging format that will be sticky and memorable. Second, because the annual report is one of our biggest communications productions of the year, I want to use it as an opportunity for my team to learn something new, try something different, and really expand our capabilities so we have one more arrow in our communications quiver. We achieved that in 2009 by using Prezi for our annual report, and moving to a video format for 2010 kept this evolution alive.

3. What did production take in terms of time, budget and skills? Would you do it again (at this point)?

In terms of our capabilities, we have a talented young video producer named Julia Lee on staff. She works in a completely different function by day, but we knew she was interested in making videos. Last year she began to do creative, smaller projects for us on the side that everyone really enjoyed, and so when the time came to plan this year’s annual report video, it felt natural to get her involved even though it was a bigger production than she’s ever undertaken.

Julia managed the production, shooting and editing, plugging in other team talents for creative concept, script, and distribution/promotion of the final video. During planning, we decided we wanted to include an animated graphic segment at midpoint where we could go in some detail into our numbers and financials for the year. We got help from Ben Hess at Bay Area Productions for that part, and he also spent time with Julia smoothing out transitions and working to balance the sound.

We hosted the video at Youtube, and embedded that file in lots of other places, including our two blogs, our big web site, and other places.  In the end, total hard costs amounted to about $3,000.

4.  What did you run into that you wish you had known at the very beginning of the process?

Julia’s earlier videos had used stop animation and clay to great effect, and we originally wanted to do something as creative and fun here. What we found though was that we just didn’t have the production time to do it right, so we pulled back and tried a simpler direction.

Julia shot everyone from two angles, head on and side view, and she used two different cameras for that. The side view camera, unfortunately, was a Flip on a tripod, and she found during editing that the aspect ratios and resolution just didn’t match up well with the head on footage and most of it ended up on the cutting room floor.

5. What are your top three recommendations for orgs embarking on a video annual report?

• First, have a great theme that you can wrap all your planning around. Your theme guide the writing, editing, and branding of the video, and it will be helpful for differentiating this year’s video from next year’s if you decide to do more video.
• Second, don’t worry if you can’t do it all yourself. A big part of planning is identifying the areas of production you aren’t good at and then getting strategic help you need.
• Finally, length: Decide on your ideal length and then make sure you stick to it. We love our video but it was at least a minute and a half too long. At a certain point, we couldn’t cut anymore without risking our theme or annoying team members who had blocked off time to participate.   Shorter is better, of course.

 6. This is the second new format in as many years. Should we expect a new format for the next annual report?

After Prezi and video formats, I’m not sure what comes next. Maybe augmented reality or 3D!

As a VolunteerMatch supporter, I find this video format brings the “behind-the-scenes” workings of this organization to life in an incredibly meaningful way. I feel more of a part of the organization via “meeting” many staff members via the video, and learned things on the operational side that are fascinating and build my respect for this hard-working and innovative organization.

My one recommendation is to include the calls-to-action earlier on in the video, rather than at the end. You never know when your audience is going to jump off and many folks won’t last the whole 5 1/2 minutes!

Do you think video may be right for your organization’s annual report, or not? Please share your take with the Getting Attention community.

P.S. Messages that connect are a priority no matter your format. Learn how to craft the most essential message — your tagline. Download the Nonprofit Tagline Report and Database for must-dos, don’t dos, case studies and 5,000 searchable nonprofit tagline examples!

Annie Escobar is co-founder of ListenIn Pictures which produces compelling video stories for nonprofits.

I’m on a mission to end bad nonprofit video. You know, the boring, long, put-you-to-sleep video about what the nonprofit does and not why, how or results. Nonprofits have too much on the line—and too many inspiring stories—for this.

When I first started working with nonprofits to create videos, I realized that communicators see the power of video to connect their audience to their mission, inspire action and build a movement, but often don’t know where to begin.

Overwhelmed, they put everything in a single video. So my business partner Ethan and I went on a journey to give our nonprofit partners a framework for thinking about video.

Here are two approaches we use with great success to help our nonprofit partners identify where their audiences are and what kind of video will help move them to the desired action. Give them a try:

1. How do you want to change the audience?

2. Focus in on a genre

The kind of video that you want to create must be aligned with your goals. It is not effective to create a campaign video asking people to take action on your cause, if they don’t even know what the problem is.

Listed in the image below are the six most powerful non-profit video genres. The colored dots correspond with the image above, highlight the strongest matches between genre and the movement you want your audiences to make:

Use these maps next time you’re starting the video development process to help you narrow your vision and define your goals. Good luck!

What other pressing questions do you have about your video strategy? Let me know here so I can address them in future blog posts!

P.S. Get  in-depth case studies, templates and tools, and guidance for nonprofit marketing and fundraising success in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Guest blogger, Annie Escobar is co-founder of ListenIn Pictures which produces compelling video stories for nonprofits.

Creating engaging, sharable videos doesn’t seem to come naturally for most nonprofits and I think I know why.  Instead of highlighting naturally dynamic stories about people, nonprofits tend to create videos about programs.

I call this The Program Trap.

Your organization’s job is to run your programs well. That’s why you care about the details of how they are run. But your audience is hungry for meaning, belonging and purpose.  They want to be a part of something that matters.

The best use of video is not to inform and educate.  It’s to make your audience feel something and through that emotional response, create a connection to your work. As humans, we respond to stories.  Stories about people we can relate to. Stories that show what’s at stake in your work. Stories that inspire us to see ourselves as a part of your story.

It’s about the why, not the what. Showing, not telling.  Feeling, not facts.

Recently, I saw a nonprofit video that claimed to tell ‘the story of [this program].’ But in reality, it was just a list describing what their program does.

So how do you know if you are really telling a story in your video?

Stories have a beginning, middle and end.  They have a protagonist who wants something- that could be a mother wanting a better life for her kids or perhaps your founder who wanted to find a solution to an intractable problem.  They keep people curious by making them ask, “How is this person going to get what they want?” They have tension then resolution.   Not all stories you tell have to be about the people you serve, but I’ve found these to be the most effective and moving.

Whenever I ask employees of non-profits what drives them to keep doing their work, time and time again, they tell me that it’s the stories of people they’ve met through the organization.

That’s where your power to inspire lies.

In my next guest post, I’ll share what I’ve learned about how to translate programs into compelling stories for video.

Does this resonate with your organization’s struggles to represent what you do?  What have you learned about how to encourage your organization to move away from descriptions and towards stories? Please share your thoughts below.

P.S. Get  in-depth case studies, templates and tools, and guidance for nonprofit marketing and fundraising success in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Here are two absolutely irresistible (and free) ways to build your storytelling and video skills.

1) Jump into the free training offered right now with the Tech Soup Digital Storytelling Challenge, and submit your video by April 30.

Guest blogger Annie Escobar has created over 60 videos for over 30 purpose-driven organizations. She believes there is more good than bad in our world, and she’s driven to share the stories she hears that prove it.

When an organization comes to me and says, “We want a video about our program,” I always cringe a little bit. Many non-profits fall into what I call “The Program Trap.” Their videos focus too much on what they do, instead of why they do it.

Let’s be honest. Videos about programs end up putting people to sleep instead of making them feel something. I’ve learned that compelling, money-raising videos are about people, not programs.

So here’s how I turn a program into an emotional story:

1. Find a Protagonist

A program is not a protagonist. Find one individual whose story demonstrates a clear transformation. Someone who takes a journey that leads to them to see the world in a new way.

2. Lead With A Story

Make your viewer feel they are learning the story of an individual. That’s how you pull them in and keep them watching.

Begin with vivid details of what the protagonists’ life was like before they were affected by your organization. This is not about guilt or pity; it’s about empathy and connection.

3. Leave the Board Members Out

You may feel tempted to fill your video with board members and experts because you can trust that they’ll explain the program articulately and offer credibility.

But real credibility can only come from those you serve. Because while participants are more risky—they speak honestly and aren’t trained with your preferred language—their reflections on the impact of your program on their life is the ultimate proof that what you are doing matters. And it makes your audience feel something.

4. Ask Questions that Lead to Storytelling

In order avoid a dry, vague answers, ask participants questions about moments, especially moments of transformation. A great way to do this is to start questions with: “Can you tell me about a moment when you…?”

Also, when you wrap several questions up in one, people are more likely to speak in complete sentences and tell stories. For example: “Are there any moments that stand out in your mind? When did your perspective start to shift? Were there any ‘ah-ha’ moments?”

5. Include Shareable Stories 

After the shoot, pay attention to which stories are you naturally inclined to share with your friends and family. This is important because you want something about your work to stick with your audience.

If you include a compelling story that’s memorable and easy to share, your volunteers, donors and staff will have a story they can share with others to explain why they support your work.

Have you created a compelling video for your organization?  Share your successes and challenges here.

P.S. Get  in-depth case studies, templates and tools, and guidance for nonprofit marketing and fundraising success in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.

Watch it and weep, with laughter and recognition (if you’re a working parent, or overloaded in any other way). That’s definitely me! Is it you?

This video from Make It Work—a community making things better for hardworking women, men and families across the country—works wonders. It:

• Connects with working parents in a flash, by featuring the situations we face into every day. That’s us up there. Relevance rules!
• Positively positions this tough issue via humor. We can laugh at the video, and ourselves. That up feeling makes us much more likely to act.
• Is about WE, not Make It Work, and not you. This is a critical shift in voice that I’m starting to feel is very important. For so long, experts have advised cause communicators to address prospects and supporters in second person—you. The shift to WE—signaling the power of collective action for stronger results—is a vital strategic shift.
  
• Asks for viewers to take a single, easy action, and sweetens the ask with a prize (see the ask image at bottom of this post). Taking an action engages us more in the cause and method of response, plus delivers our contact info to Make It Work for future campaigns.
• Bonus! Kicks up the connection by starring beloved Adrienne C. Moore (of Orange Is the New Black fame). I don’t know about you and your friends, but me my friends adore that show. Drip me anything related, and I’m all in.

This is activism that’s fun, and I bet that Make It Work is seeing some strong results. I’m going to follow up with the team there to find out, and I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, to WE!

More on Making It Work

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Guest blogger Mark Horvath founded and leads Invisible People. Today he shares how to boost your YouTube views from meh to magnificent.  BTW, Mark’s video version of this post features bonus tips not found here! Here’s Mark…

I was thrilled with the performance of Invisible People’s YouTube channel for the last few years. With a focus on homelessness education, an average of 40,000 monthly views was fantastic, or so I thought.

That changed after we joined Patreon a few months back and I started to pay more attention to YouTube. The lightbulb went off when I typed “homeless” into the YouTube search bar. Invisible People undoubtedly has more videos from homeless people than any other content creator. All that came up was prank videos and other awful content that was so far from the truth about homelessness. None of our videos were showing in search with the keyword “homeless.” I knew I had to fix this, and here’s how:

Here’s what I know. For success on YouTube, you need to produce quality content that your audience actually wants to watch. This is above everything else. Then comes your video title and thumbnail – these are extremely important if you want your videos to get noticed. Next step, add a description and the proper tags to help YouTube’s algorithm feed your videos to the right folks.

Thanks to Roberto Blake, I also learned about TubeBuddy, a browser plugin for YouTube channels that I highly recommend. TubeBuddy has more features than I have time to figure out, but it’s suggested and explore tags feature will pay for itself!

Reaching Millions
Inspired and armed with TubeBuddy, I began implementing changes to my existing catalog of 876 YouTube videos. I updated 20 videos every morning while drinking my first cups of coffee. If I had a moment of time throughout the day, I would update more.

It took YouTube’s algorithm a few weeks to catch up to my changes, but the results have been dramatic. From 40,000 views every month to now more than 4 million views every month! And that isn’t even the most amazing part. Our average view duration is 2:41 – almost 3 minutes! That means more than four million people watch at least 3 minutes of our videos EVERY MONTH!

Our channel has generated high views before, but traffic was always just a temporary spike after a media hit. The biggest was on August 22, 2010. YouTube allowed Invisible People to curate the content for their homepage on that day. Approximately 1.6 million people had a positive interaction with homelessness that day, people who may never have rolled down their window at an exit ramp to ask a homeless person their story.

With the changes I implemented, we now reach millions of people every month instead of just once in a while.

Put in the Effort
The irony is the changes that influenced this dramatic growth are techniques I’ve been telling other nonprofits to do for years.

Nonprofits (and I am sure for-profits too) often upload a video and put zero effort into the title, thumbnail, description, and tags. Many will spend thousands of dollars on producing a video yet do little to make sure people find the video online.

In my defense, I always used descriptions and tags. However, my video title was the homeless person’s first name. Our very first website played off “Homelessness has a name,” and there was a flash element that brought attention to the first name. Even the current site uses the first name in the treatment. Although I preach to nonprofits about the importance of titles, Invisible People only had a first name.

Last year I was commissioned to produce videos for a large nonprofit. It was a very challenging project and a lot of work. The videos ended up being powerful testimonies of their work, but no one sees them.

I suggested to them several times the importance of writing an engaging title and description and using tags. I even provided the nonprofit with several versions of custom thumbnails to use. The nonprofit did not use a good title or description nor did they use the thumbnails I created. Each video has around 100 views after being online for almost a year!

The Secrets to YouTube Growth
There is a false belief that videos must be short to keep a viewer’s attention. On the contrary! These days, people will burst their bladder binge-watching video content. If you look at all the successful YouTubers, their content is between 10 and 30 minutes. This is important for two reasons:

1) Nonprofits need to produce content that engages people and guides them through a storyline. Forget about the length; create videos for the story.

2) Watch time: the amount of time a viewer spends on a video has the greatest influence in YouTube’s algorithm deciding whether it’s popular or not.

The secret to YouTube growth is no secret. You just have to put in a little effort. OK, a lot of effort, but it’s worth it!

Invisible People’s focus is education and awareness, so the added growth increases impact. However, online donations have also increased behind the scenes. In June, Invisible People received more funding from private donors than we have in the last five years combined!

A Final Note
In my research to improve, I ran across a few YouTubers who had a dramatic influence on me. Roberto Blake’s channel got me thinking differently about creativity, production, and distribution. Derral Eves’s channel started me thinking about the mechanics behind the YouTube algorithm. Sara Dietschy’s channel gave me the inspiration to start vlogging.

Vlogging has helped to bring people along with me as I travel working to end homelessness. I am still experimenting with a format, but I have come to believe the YouTube and vlogging is always a work in progress. You can see some of my recent vlogs here

Mark Horvath has more than 30 years of leadership and marketing experience and a vast knowledge of homelessness, including lived experience. As an award-winning television and multimedia producer, Mark’s original expertise was in response television. Today, Mark is known for his work in transmedia storytelling, social media, cause marketing and content marketing. Mark is the founder of Invisible People, a unique digital storytelling organization that uses video and social media to change the story of homelessness and gives a voice to those who are too often overlooked. He is an internationally recognized activist and ambassador for the millions of individuals and families who reside in shelters, motels, tents along the streets and under highway bridges across the country.

Guest blogger, Annie Escobar is co-founder of ListenIn Pictures which produces compelling video stories for nonprofits. Creating engaging, sharable videos doesn’t seem to come naturally for most nonprofits and I think I know why.  Instead of highlighting naturally dynamic stories about people, nonprofits tend to create videos about programs. I call this The Program Trap. […]

The post The Biggest Mistake Nonprofits Make With Video appeared first on Getting Attention.