Nonprofit Basics: Fundraising Video

To drive donations for your nonprofit or community organization, you need to reach your audience in compelling ways. One creative way to get the word out is by creating a fundraising video for your next campaign.

Sharing your nonprofit’s work with a fundraising video is a unique and engaging way to connect with your supporters. Video can also be a valuable tool for expanding your audience reach and finding new donors to support your cause.

What is a fundraising video?

A fundraising video is a video created to promote a specific fundraising campaign and inspire viewers to donate. Videos can be a valuable tool for nonprofit marketing or for any organization raising money for a cause. In addition to promoting a specific fundraiser, your video can also increase awareness of your nonprofit’s work.

Background information about your organization, including your mission statement and communities served, can be a valuable addition to your video. This information introduces people unfamiliar with your nonprofit to your work in a creative way.

Fundraising videos may include footage from previous fundraising events, highlighting the success of past initiatives. Including video demonstrating the impact of previous fundraisers, such as interviews with people served by your nonprofit or footage of volunteering efforts, demonstrates to potential donors that their support will have tangible benefits.

How to make a fundraising video

To create an effective fundraising video for your organization, start by defining goals for the video. How many supporters do you want to reach? What do you want the video to communicate to viewers? What actions do you want viewers to take after watching your video?

Once you’ve established your goals, go through the steps of the video production process:.

Pre-production: Plan your video. Outline the information you want to include in your video and determine how you’ll feature it. Video content might include interviews, existing footage, new videos, text, or voiceover.
Production: Film your video. This might include filming a fundraising event or interviewing volunteers about their experiences working with your organization.
Post-production: After production, all of your content needs to be edited together. Combine video, text, and music to create an impactful story.

Remember to always center your organization’s mission and the cause your campaign supports. Be specific, demonstrating what sets your organization apart. For example, if you want to highlight your matching gift program, focus your video on that offering to avoid overwhelming viewers.

Once your video is ready, share it across multiple different platforms to reach as many supporters as possible. Use the video in your website banner, share snippets and links on social media, and include it in your email outreach.

Best fundraising videos

Get inspired by these successful nonprofit video examples! Take note of how they tell their organization’s stories, the type of visuals and messaging they use, and what elements of the videos appeal to you. Watching other nonprofit videos is a great way to discover new ideas for your fundraising videos.

A successful nonprofit video will leave viewers with a clear understanding of your organization, an impactful message that inspires them to support your work, and actionable next steps. Raise more money and grow your supporter base with powerful fundraising videos.