Posted by Catie Foertsch on Wed, Sep 16, 2009 @ 11:47 AM
Nonprofits are uniquely positioned to benefit from video because they have compelling stories to tell, and video is the best medium on the planet for telling emotionally powerful stories. Any nonprofit that creates compelling videos, and then uses the Internet to get those videos in front of people who care about that nonprofit's cause, will create a thriving online community of current and future donors and advocates.
Sounds exciting - especially in these tough economic times. But an Internet video campaign? How in the world is a nonprofit supposed to do that?
(Drumroll, please...)
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Posted by Catie Foertsch on Fri, Aug 14, 2009 @ 08:33 AM
It's a very good idea for nonprofits to make videos that spread their stories. But without a good understanding of how many videos to make and what to do with them once they're made, mistakes will be made. For example, there's a nonprofit out in the Midwest that is thinking about expanding their communication efforts by producing videos. But they're not sure how to proceed, so they've invested in one video, posted it to YouTube, and are now waiting for feedback. They will make their decision on whether to adopt video strategically based on what kind of success that one video achieves.
What's wrong with this plan? Plenty.
If the world were waiting for video to be posted to YouTube, and if each time a video were posted, the world pounced on it, watched it, and passed it around to friends and family, then the nonprofit's strategy would be a fine one.
But the world is not waiting for video on the web. In fact, 13 hours worth of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute of every day.
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A single video on the web is like a single blade of grass in a great big lawn. Nobody is going to look at that lawn and see that blade of grass, because nobody can. There are just too many others. |
The second problem with creating one single video is economy of scale. Every time you bring in a videographer or a crew, you can gather video footage for one video or two videos or several videos. And depending on how you edit your footage, you can make one video or a few or many. If you start with a plan, you can maximize the number of videos you produce within your budget. The more videos you produce and post on the web, the greater the chance that people will watch them and spread them.
The third problem with that lonely video sitting there on YouTube, waiting to be found, is that it has no promotion plan. It's not being actively sent out in an email newsletter. It's not being blogged about in an active blog. People aren't being asked to blog about it, and to spread it around. It's just... sitting there.
How to fix these problems and help that nonprofit realize amazing results with video?
- Start with a master plan. Include a production plan that lets you maximize the number of videos you create. And include a promotion plan that will help you get your videos in front of lots and lots of people.
- After you send your videos out per your plan, gather and analyze as much data as you can, so you know what's working and what's not. Then when it's time to release your next video, incorporate the lessons your data have taught you.
- Ask for feedback every place you can, so you can learn what kind of videos have the most impact and generate the most action.
Video is the best communication tool on the planet for telling emotionally-compelling stories, and almost all nonprofits have emotionally-compelling stories to tell. But it's not enough to just go out and make a video. Your nonprofit has to start with a well-thought-out plan that will let your video content move people to come together in a community that cares about your cause as much as you do.
Read that last sentence again. Because a solid internet video campaign will help you achieve exactly that - a community that cares about your cause as much as you do.
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Mon, Aug 10, 2009 @ 08:53 AM
Meet Nikki, a lioness seized from a drug dealer and now living at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa. This is a terrific story by itself (watch her defend her chicken dinner!) and it's a great illustration of why nonprofits should be using video, and how nonprofits can get their videos to spread.
YouTube allows nonprofits to create channels branded with their logos. And, a nonprofit can place 'donate' buttons right on the channel. If you're a nonprofit, take a look at Big Cat Rescue's YouTube channel, and you'll understand why they have more than 7,500 subscribers: they have great video content that tells compelling stories, they make more videos on a regular basis, and they make it very easy for people to find and watch those great videos.
Placing your video content on your own branded YouTube channel is a great way to get people to spread your story - there are links for placement on sites including Facebook, Twitter and Digg. And, people can embed your videos in their blogs.
Granted, rescued lions and tigers are very easy to make videos about. But almost all nonprofits also have compelling stories to tell. And video is the planet's best medium for telling emotionally-compelling stories. Making videos that tell your stories will help you connect to a community of people who care about your cause and want to help you spread those stories.
If you're associated with a nonprofit or you donate to a nonprofit - is your nonprofit using video? If so, how are they using it? If not, do you know why not?
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Wed, Aug 05, 2009 @ 10:56 AM
Here's a video from Ira Glass (creator of NPR's addictively interesting 'This American Life') about the basics of storytelling for TV and radio. It's also very applicable to blogging, podcasting and video blogging. The video a bit long, but stick with it - it's got great info.
If you blog, or create video blogs or podcasts, you know that all entries need a structure. One sure-fire structure is the anecdote - a brief story of something that happened, followed by the moment of reflection. (For example, I had a phone conversation with a nonprofit that led to this blog entry, which generated some interesting traffic...)
Glass maintains that 'one huge problem' with using this structure happens when you have a great story but it means nothing. The companion problem, he says, is when you have great meaning but a boring anecdote.
While this may be true for radio & TV, I'd argue that it's slightly different for blogs, vlogs & podcasts. Yes, if you have a great story but no meaning, you're in serious trouble. But I don't think the reverse is true. If you have a boring anecdote but great meaning, summarize the story and get to the meaning quickly, and it can work.
What about you? Do you have any examples of a thin anecdote that led to a great blog entry?
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Sun, Jul 19, 2009 @ 07:52 AM
This video is an excerpt from Seth Godin's talk to the first Acumen Fund Student Leaders Workshop. It's a great example of a nonprofit using video to spread its story. Two points, one about the video itself and one about the content, but first watch the video:
About the video: if your nonprofit is thinking about making its own videos, do what Acumen did. Use an external microphone so the sound is good. And don't post the whole presentation - edit it. This one is shorter than the original talk, and rightly so - people are FAR less likely to watch an unedited, 30-minute or 45-minute talk even if it is Seth Godin. And they won't spread it, because asking your friends to watch a 45-minute video presentation is like asking them if you can come and visit for three weeks. It will make them cringe. In this case, the edited version is seven minutes. AND it has a cool-looking opening, which adds a layer of professionalism and gives weight and credibility to whatever follows. So you should also invest in, or create, a cool, professional opening you can use over and over .
Second, the content: finding stories of optimism and hope, putting those stories on video and getting them to spread is a great way for all nonprofits to grow their volunteer and donor communities, even in these tough economic times. ESPECIALLY in these tough times.
In this case, the story is a perfect antidote to the hangover we're all suffering from decades of rampant greed. Here we have young people, all talented enough to start their own companies and make bazillions of dollars for themselves, but instead they want to start companies that help the world's poor. These are young people who will live incredibly rich lives because they get something that all those financial company CEOs who made tons of money and spent it on solid gold shower fixtures didn't: a rich life is not about how much money you accumulate and how much stuff you buy. It's about creating a lasting impact, changing people's lives for the better, and meeting and working with really interesting people.
The story told in this video is also about the reality of change: significant, lasting change does not come from within the big machine. In order to be a change agent, you must exist outside the status quo. That takes courage, an adventurous spirit, and the ability to fail over and over and over without giving up.
I don't know about you, but I find this video incredibly inspiring. It gives me hope for our future in a time when it's often hard to find reason for hope.
What's your reaction?
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Wed, Jul 01, 2009 @ 07:41 AM
Got a call last night from one of my favorite nonprofits: Environment Massachusetts. The woman who called was very polite and enthusiastic, and said she wanted to thank me for my support and to update me on the important work EM has been doing. She talked for a few minutes about EM's recent accomplishments, and then she asked me to increase my monthly donation. I asked her why EM doesn't do more to build community, such as calling with the purpose of thanking me and telling me what my donor dollars help EM do, and NOT fundraising. Every phone call makes me cringe, I said, because the punch line is always the same: can you give more?
This launched her into an impassioned speech about how important the environment is (I agree) and how much work there is to do (again, no argument here). This is what we do, she said. We don't have the resources to do anything but fundraise and then use that money to save the planet. We'd love to be able to community-build, but that's for other organizations. We can't do everything. But we do build our power through people by asking them to donate a lot of money so we can make policy so they have a green and healthy world.
But, I said, what if you weren't always asking for donations, and I wasn't always feeling pressured to give more? What if, instead, you called to tell me that you had a Facebook page so I could become a fan, and not only get updates on what you do but connect with other EM donors? You could post videos, you could post important information, you could make our relationship two-way. So I would feel like I was more than a credit card. And once I felt connected, once I felt that you were giving and not just taking, I would in all likelihood want to give even more. I would have even more loyalty. I would want to tell my friends about you, so they could become fans, and join, and see the great work you do, and maybe start donating too.
Hmmm, she said, doubtfully. I hear what you're saying, and I'll mention it to my supervisor, but really, every cent we raise has to be spent on the environment, because that's our mission. That's what we do. Community would be nice, but we just don't have the resources.
Pulling back from EM, the larger question is whether it's enough for nonprofits that do great work to only contact donors to ask for money. Or, in this world of ever-increasing causes and ever-shrinking resources, if more is needed. So I'd like to ask you: what nonprofits do you give to and why, and have they found a way to do more than just ask, ask, ask? Or do you think it's enough for organizations that do work you passionately believe in to only reach out when they're asking for more?
(...and it turns out that EM does have a Facebook page with 111 fans, but little activity. And there's an EM Facebook group with 31 members, but again, little activity)