How to Create Nonprofit Fundraising Videos That Help You Hit Your Goals
Fundraising videos are too big an opportunity for your nonprofit to miss out on. Video is a highly valuable marketing tool, especially on LinkedIn, where video posts are the fastest-growing format and see 1.4x more engagement than other types of posts. Videos are also easier to create and publish than ever. In fact, you and your team likely already have everything you need to get started.
Nonprofits can use videos to achieve a wide range of goals, including increasing visibility and awareness. When the objective is to support fundraising, however, there are specific traits and qualities worth prioritizing in your videos.
Read on to learn about what makes fundraising videos different from the other videos your nonprofit might create, and how to leverage those differences to effectively achieve your goals.
Fundraising videos vs. brand-building videos for nonprofits
The videos you create to raise brand awareness are best deployed at the top of your marketing funnel. They serve as a way to introduce your organization, highlight how you make a difference, and make your nonprofit memorable in the minds of your audience.
To serve this purpose, brand awareness videos should be focused on the big picture — think of them as the “headlines” of your marketing efforts. Introduce viewers to your cause and your team by sharing your aspirational vision for what you want to accomplish. The goal of these videos is to showcase your organization and motivate viewers to become followers and supporters.
By contrast, nonprofit fundraising videos can serve as a form of demand generation marketing. This means they belong lower in your marketing funnel. Compared to brand awareness videos, fundraising videos should generally have a more focused scope and a more pointed call to action.
The primary goal of using videos for fundraising is to get your existing supporters to take action immediately. To achieve this goal effectively, you’ll want to incorporate a sense of urgency. Instead of discussing your cause and organization broadly, effective fundraising videos tend to center on a specific, timely message that evokes action. These videos are for telling your audience what you’re doing right now, how they can help, and why their help matters.
Tips for making nonprofit fundraising videos that help achieve your goals
Focus on key moments
Whenever possible, tie your fundraising videos to a specific event or moment. This could be a holiday, a fundraising drive, a limited-time opportunity to receive matched donations, or anything else that’s notable.
Frame your video around this moment and tie it directly to your cause. This will provide a clear structure and make it feel more urgent than it would otherwise.
Keep it short and simple
This is sound advice for virtually all of the videos you post on social media, but it counts double for fundraising videos: don’t overcomplicate it with too much information or visual noise. Instead, make a single, straightforward point that emphasizes why the information you’re communicating is important.
The shorter and clearer your video is, the more people will watch it and retain its message. Sprout Social’s 2024 Content Benchmarks Report found that 66% of viewers will watch the entirety of a video on social media if it’s less than 60 seconds long. Sometimes, less is more.
Get to your point fast
According to Hootsuite, users decide if they want to keep watching your video within three seconds of starting it, so it’s important to seize their attention fast. Open with your most important point — like what your fundraising campaign is about, how much time you have to achieve your goal, or the critical need for change.
Include a strong call to action
The biggest thing that separates brand awareness from demand generation is a sense of urgency. You don’t just want your video to convince your viewers to donate — you want it to make them donate without delay.
Use your call to action as a way to create this sense of urgency. For example, you could establish why it’s important to reach your goal before a specific date, then urge viewers to donate today. You could also try incentivizing donors to act now by promising special recognition or rewards if they donate within that time frame.
The best way to make your call to action compelling is to tie it back to impact. End your video by emphasizing how important your fundraising goals are to your cause. Show your viewers how you plan to use their donations to make a difference, or how you have in the past.
Show, don’t tell
Nonprofit videos shine when organizations use them to show (rather than just telling) their audience why a donation matters.
Demonstrate the work you’re doing and why it matters whenever possible. If you’re conducting an on-site volunteering event, for instance, capture some of the experience for your video. Interview your volunteers to learn what they’re doing and how donations power this work. The kind of authentic video content can really resonate with potential donors, and volunteers may be excited and proud to see themselves featured, making them more likely to share your videos with their network.
Don’t be afraid to get emotional
The best nonprofit videos tend to have one big thing in common: they speak to the heart. You’re passionate about the work you’re doing and the effect you hope it has. Make sure that passion comes through in your video to ignite that same fire in others.
Leading with real people can help your video strike that emotional connection. Empower team members to explain why your cause matters to them personally, illustrate the impact your efforts make in your community, or encourage your leaders to discuss the future your nonprofit wants to see. When viewers can see and feel how much your people care in your videos, they’re more likely to care themselves.
Nonprofit fundraising videos don’t have to be elaborate to be effective. If you design your videos around your goals and follow these best practices, you might be surprised how big a difference they can make.
