Every nonprofit organization starts with a story. The story of your nonprofit’s goals, aspirations, and accomplishments is essential because it informs potential partners and volunteers of who your nonprofit is and what it does.
One of the best ways to share this valuable insight and information with the public is through social impact storytelling. This communication and marketing method is so effective because it shares the human story of your nonprofit and inspires partners and volunteers.
Learning storytelling techniques will give your nonprofit a powerful tool for connecting with your base and maintaining their interest in and enthusiasm for your cause or work. Blending social impact storytelling with video creates an organic pairing that brings out the best of your organization’s story. Continue reading for tips on adapting storytelling techniques, with a focus on video, to get your message across and keep your base motivated, invested, and contributing.
Why Use Video?
Communicating with others is often simplified with visual cues and examples. Visual storytelling can aid in building relationships with visual learners, who are more likely to connect with something or someone they can see. According to the National Council of Nonprofits, the United States has about 1.3 million charitable nonprofit organizations, giving potential partners and volunteers many options and opportunities to get involved with the causes that mean the most to them. Visual storytelling can make your organization stand out and bring new eyes to your goals and achievements.
Video storytelling is a powerful technique for raising awareness and motivating interested volunteers and partners because it puts a “face” on your mission statement and humanizes your organization. It reminds the public that real people run your organization and their contribution or volunteerism makes a real and lasting impact. Through authentic and compelling video storytelling, you can inspire interest from your target demographic in meaningful and creative ways.
How To Start Using Video
Employing video storytelling is a great way to make a substantial impact that benefits your nonprofit, especially on social media. Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming, thanks to internet access and multiple filming equipment options with varying price points. Investing in quality video and sound recording equipment will benefit your nonprofit in the immediate future and the long run.
Familiarize your team with the tools, programs, software, techniques, methods, and equipment you’ll need to tell your story visually. Enlist writers who have the skills to craft a video concept and script so you can communicate how you want your story to be told and what you feel is most important to show.
Many effective filming techniques make the best use of social impact storytelling. One common approach is filming short interviews with volunteers or people who benefit from what your nonprofit does. Ask them to share their experiences with your nonprofit and why they’re involved. To help viewers visualize the impact of your work and how their contributions make a difference, you can use catchy infographics that share statistics about how your nonprofit benefits your community. Incorporating a compelling call to action (CTA) prompts viewers to get involved while your story is fresh in their minds.
Learn As You Go or Ask for Help
Creating compelling storytelling through video can be rewarding in multiple ways. Still, if you and your team are new to this process, you should seek guidance or dedicate time to learning best practices. Websites like Skillshare offer a variety of courses to help your team familiarize themselves with visual storytelling.
Knowing when to ask for help is an important life skill and can benefit your nonprofit organization. Consider entrusting your nonprofit’s story to the capable hands and minds of marketing and video production experts who can help you bring your vision to life and tell your story in meaningful and impactful ways. Companies like Pretzel Logic Productions provide video storytelling guidance and services at all levels of production and for every budget if you feel more comfortable letting professional storytellers craft your videos for you.
Share Your Story
Once your video is ready to share, there are many opportunities to use it. Social media is an excellent tool for connecting and building relationships with partners and volunteers. Your videos are right at home on social media platforms where they can be quickly and easily viewed, shared, and responded to. Consider sharing your videos on your website so visitors are greeted by them when they access your site or seek to learn more about your organization. Videos can also be embedded into emails, creating opportunities to provide important information to your email subscribers.
Videos often perform well when optimized for search engines. SEO, or search engine optimization, is highly effective for boosting the visibility of video content. When someone is looking for an organization like yours to support, your optimized visual story could be the first thing they see from you. Sharing your nonprofit’s story through video is guaranteed to build connections with partners and networks of volunteers.
Inspire Others
The story of your organization is multifaceted and invaluable. When you share your organization’s history, goals, and accomplishments, it inspires others to find ways to support your cause, continue your story, and maybe even become part of it. When presented with the authentic story of what your organization does and how anyone can make a positive impact on the communities around them, the spark of inspiration ignites, strengthening networks, connections, and your nonprofit in and of itself.
By using communication and marketing techniques like social impact video storytelling, you know your nonprofit will reach the right people, keep partners invested, and maintain an energized volunteer pool. Be willing to take the time to learn how to tell your story visually or enlist the assistance of expert storytellers to see just how important and unique your nonprofit’s story truly is.
