How to Create a Giving Tuesday Video

Lights! Camera! Fundraising! Nonprofits have been using videos to fundraise for a long time now. Why? Because it works! Did you know that 57% of people who watch a nonprofit video go on to give? That’s easily more than half of your audience! Which is why it’s important to create Giving Tuesday videos.  

Getting Started

Get started on your Giving Tuesday videos by following the tips below. 

Storyboard

Before you dust off your director’s cap, start by storyboarding the video that you want to create. What’s the video’s purpose? What scenes do you need? Who is going to narrate? Are you interviewing anyone for the video? What is the call to action going to be? These are all important questions that you need to have answers for before you start filming. 

It’s important to note that you should have a single call to action for your video: in most cases, a call to donate. This will keep your video focused and won’t overwhelm your viewers with tasks to complete after watching your video.  

Ultimately, you don’t want to just throw a bunch of scenes together and call it done. Approach your video with the intention of making a compelling case for why donors should give to your nonprofit. That’s why it’s important to plan out your video before shooting. 

Pro Tip: You want to tell a story about people, not about your organization. You should be telling a true story about the impact your work has had on others, casting the donor as the hero. For most effective storytelling, consider an interview style that features one person. Keep it focused on the person and how they were impacted. Don’t talk about everything. Focus on that single narrative to avoid diluting your message. 

A true, personal story that people can relate to will get you the results that you want from your video more than a video about your organization and mission will.

Determine where your video will be posted

Where are you planning to post your Giving Tuesday video? Will it live exclusively on your website, or do you intend to cross-post it on your social media accounts? Knowing this will help you determine how long your video should be. Anything longer than three minutes doesn’t perform as well on social, so you’ll want to keep social videos shorter. You can afford a longer video if you’re keeping it on your website, but it may suffer from fewer views that way. 

Recruit your film crew

Once you know the story you’re telling in your Giving Tuesday video, you’ll need a crew to work on the film. From actors to extras, you need people who are comfortable in front of a camera. On top of that, you need people to run the camera and perform other background jobs. Be sure to recruit enough people for the job. 

Starting the Shoot

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork for your video, it’s time to start shooting it. Use these tips for a higher-quality video even if you’re shooting on a smartphone. 

Invest in a tripod

No one wants to watch a shaky video! Instead, invest in a tripod that can hold your smartphone while you record. This way, you can frame your shot and keep it steady throughout your recording. 

Don’t neglect lighting

Having great lighting is also important for shooting a high-quality video. Not only do you need it to be bright enough in the room, you need to eliminate awkward shadows. A ring light that goes around your smartphone is a great option for this. Some ring lights even double as a tripod so you can take care of both needs at once. 

Set recording settings

Did you know that newer smartphones can record video with the same quality as a professional camera? It’s all about knowing how to adjust your settings for the shoot. Want a higher-quality shoot? Change your settings to 4K at 24 fps. This produces a film-quality shoot without creating a massive video file. Don’t have the ability to shoot in 4K on your smartphone? Choose the best quality you can. Even lower-quality shots can add to the authenticity of your message. 

Check the audio quality

Because you’re likely going to record from a smartphone, it’s important to listen to the recordings you make to determine that the audio quality is both consistent and loud enough to come across crystal clear. When recording, make cuts often and check the clips you record for audio quality. You can always stitch your video clips together with movie-making apps later. 

Wrapping the Shoot

Once you’ve got all of your video clips, it’s time to splice them together to make your single video file. There are free apps you can use like the iMovie app for iPhone. Otherwise, you may need to download a paid app from the app store for all the features that you want to make your movie as good as it can be. 

What to look for in a movie-making app

Here are some must-haves when looking for a movie-making app:

• The ability to caption your video 
  • According to Digiday, 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound, so captions are key for your message. 
• An intuitive design to make learning to use the app a breeze 
• Frame-by-frame editing so you can edit video files in minute detail 
• The ability to add a watermark 
  • This is great for branding your videos and making sure no one uses your video content without your permission. 

Sharing your Giving Tuesday video

Once you’ve got your finished product, it’s time to share your work with the world. Be sure to save your video file in a format that can be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, and your website. Share your video wherever you think your ideal audience will see it. Ideally, your short video will work perfectly on social media and on your own website. 

Conclusion

Now that you know why to create a Giving Tuesday video and how to record it, all that’s left is to get out there and make your blockbuster. Remember to limit your video to a single story and a single call to action. Keep the intent of the video clear and concise so your supporters know exactly what you want them to do. Then, share your polished product wherever you want your audience to see it, and that’s a wrap! 

Want more Giving Tuesday advice? Check out our Giving Tuesday Resource Center!