A quick guide to charity videos

Whether snippets or full-length features, videos are fast becoming the most consumed content online. But, through presumed lack of resource and time, charities are missing out.  

 

Videos don’t have to be difficult. In fact, producing a quality video can be very easy. Make sure you don’t let the lack of video expertise stop your digital teams from creativity.  

 

Here, we showcase how to successfully create and produce different types of video content for charity audiences.  

 

 

Everyday video guidelines 

 

Planning daily, weekly, or monthly content is exhausting. Luckily, there are lots of great ideas out there. As a guide, video content should be short, instantly relevant, and aim to draw in and engage audiences.  

 

Reason Digital outlines best practices for video production. They are:  

 

1. Know your audience: videos should target specific types of supporters
2. Have a compelling, emotional story: the story should include a clear call to action. Immersive story telling does wonders for audiences
3. Make it something to talk about: videos can be controversial to start a dialogue
4. Let the numbers do the talking: Big Data can help fixate audiences
5. Include a shocking twist: videos with surprises tend to be memorable

 

Aside from best practices, there are so many videos that charities can learn from. Most, if not all, contain elements of Reason Digital’s advice. 

 

 

Use video to create a connection with audiences 

 

Showing snippets of the charity’s work and purpose will engage and motivate supporters. Both large and small charities are producing videos that create an intimate feeling to build a connection with their audience.  

 

Campaigns by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH) contain exemplary videos. In an earlier fundraising effort, they used 360-degree videos to showcase where funds go. Audiences get a behind-the-scenes look at how donations have funded cutting edge facilities.  

 

Last year’s Christmas campaign was also full of emotion and delight. The animated clip showed children being whisked home while asleep. In a surprise ending, the animated clip turned into real footage, bringing audiences closer to the work that GOSH does.  

 

Evidently, for GOSH, video is an excellent way to tell audiences about the work they do and share a compelling story. 

 

Livestreaming your successes 

 

Taking audiences by storm, livestreaming is authentic and exciting. To produce a livestreaming video, you’ll need to use a broadcasting platform.  

 

Traditional platforms Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook all have options to broadcast live. To get the most out of livestreaming, you’ll want to decide on which channel to use, and whether you will be collecting donations.   

 

For this type of content, have the host monitor audiences during and after the event. Hosts can spontaneously divert to viewers for questions and comments. The benefit here for charities is the direct and instant feedback.  

 

Charities are also using livestreaming to fundraise more creatively. Ideas for livestreaming events include pub quizzes, concerts, gigs, and gaming. 

 

 

Produce video content remotely 

 

With lockdowns looming, charities ought to know how to produce video content remotely and think creatively about how you can incorporate video into all their campaigns.  

 

This year’s DAWNS concert has been exemplary in remote production. The mass-event organisers sent out video equipment to the featured musicians.  

 

Learning how to use the tech remotely, the artists arranged their own sound and picture filming. For the event, organisers showcased one artist to the next across the UK’s sunrise hours.  

 

Producing video content doesn’t have to be as large scale. Create a montage from archived video footage and reminisce with audiences.  

 

To engage supporters, ask them to send in their own footage and add their video clips to your content. To really pack a punch, include still graphics, audio and other media to your video. 

 

 

The tech behind your video production 

 

There is a range of tech and digital tools available to produce content. Going over the basics, video production includes hardware and infrastructure to capture what’s happening. Next, there are tools to digitise, edit, and refine.  

 

Hardware and infrastructure are key to producing professional videos. For beginners and charities on a shoestring budget, mobile phone cameras work well. To smooth out the picture, use a tripod.  

 

Lighting can also be tricky to manage when filming, especially if actors are moving. Digital Camera World recommends lighting by Rotolight, Lume, and Godox.  

 

Rotolight, costing more than the other two, offers professional quality shoot lighting. The others are more affordable and are small and portable.  

 

Our top tip here is to purchase a green screen for the background. You can easily edit the background once you’ve finished filming. 

 

Refining and editing software is available at no cost for charities looking to test their video-creation skills. Vimeo is amongst the best media-editing software.  

 

The platform includes ready-made templates for charities to customise, including options for livestreaming. Charities looking at Vimeo can benefit from the free trials on offer.  

 

Other comparable platforms include Animoto and WeVideo. Our pro tip here is to choose editing software that you can use across video, graphics, and other types of digital content.