If you want to really connect your audience with your Fund-A-Need, one of the best tools is an inspirational video.
In just a few minutes, you can set the mood and show your audience how important their contributions are and the impact they can have. In our recent webinar, 7 Essentials to Fund-a-Need Success with Auction Brio LLC, Mark Schroeder shared his thoughts on what makes a great Fund-A-Need video.
Components of an Inspirational Video
The most important thing to remember is that your video is a way to inspire people and make them feel good about the work your organization is doing. It’s an upbeat, positive message. Yes, there are very real challenges in the world, but you don’t want to make people cry—that just upsets them. Remember, “Happy people give. Unhappy people leave early.”
Here are some things to consider in making your Fund-A-Need video:
1. Make it professional — Hire professional video producers to make your video. They know what they’re doing. You may have some talented volunteers who are eager to try their hand, but you don’t want to miss an opportunity with bad audio or out-of-focus video. You want every second of that video to tell your story.
2. Mic it — Make sure everyone on camera wears a microphone. If you hold an iPhone 15 feet away in a busy room, you won’t hear a thing. Hiring a professional will ensure you’ve got good audio and everyone can be heard.
3. Capture natural sound — Natural sound is powerful. Use it! If you’re raising money for new tools for teachers, go into the classroom and capture the teacher’s interactions with the students. Show how the new tools will help them do their work better. Look for those golden moments when the student “gets it” – “Oh that was easy! I didn’t understand that before. Thanks!”
4. Use music wisely — Music is also powerful, but don’t overdo it. You don’t want to cover the entire video with meaningless tunes—it’s annoying and can distract from your message. Choose music to set the mood and complement what you’re saying. You can use up to three or four different pieces of music at different points in the video, just make sure they play a supporting role and are coherent with your message.
5. Keep it short — Your Fund-A-Need video should be a maximum of three minutes. The longer it is, the more you lose the connection with your audience. Most news stories are 90 seconds, so you can convey a lot of information in a short time.
6. Keep it focused — Take one story and make it excellent. Don’t clutter your video with 15 different interviews. Find your central story and then use two or three interviews to support it.
7. Find the “Aha!” moment — What is the thing that will really bond your guests to your organization’s human success story? There’s a moment in every movie, TV show and video that captures that “Aha!” experience. This is when your audience “gets it” and fully realizes the impact you’re having. Talk to your video professionals; they’ll be able to help you create that essential moment in your video.
8. Show them and tell them — Motivate your crowd’s giving power. Show them the power of their donations. Show them what they’ve already accomplished and tell them what more you all can achieve together. If last year they raised money for scholarships, show them the kids and what they’re doing now. If the kids don’t want to be onscreen, tell your audience what impact their giving had. This will help them get motivated to help you achieve even more this year.
9. Underwrite the costs — Find a way to cover the video production costs by talking to your underwriters and sponsors. Underwriters are your angels, your biggest supporters. They love you. They’ll find ways to help you and often don’t want any reward. Sponsors are different; they’ll give you money for producing the video, but they’ll want something in return. Both approaches work. Find a way to make sure everyone gets what they need.
These are some of the factors in creating a successful Fund-A-Need video. The goal is to tell a story that reaches your audience and connects with your mission. By creating a visual experience, you’re able to show them the impact they can have. It’s a powerful motivator for giving.
What’s Your Experience?
Have you created a video for your Fund-A-Need? What approach did you take? What worked well? What would you do differently next time? What advice do you have for someone creating a video for the first time? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.
