What if I told you that fundraisers with video raise 70 percent more? That’s a big number – one that demands our attention.
A capital campaign video is a strong way to convey a clear message and evoke passion about one’s cause. Most of our clients have found that the investment made in a professionally produced video is worth it. YouCaring, which assists organizations with online fundraising, states that fundraisers with videos raise 70 percent more on average.
A professional video is among the capital campaign services offered by the Steier Group. The growing popularity of this service is due to its versatility and effectiveness. Video can educate, convey a message, raise awareness and inspire action. Like a favorite tune or popular story, video can capture our attention, shake us out of the present moment and ignite our sensibilities.
In a traditional brick and mortar campaign, fundraising is made easier by the fact that one can point to a rendering and say: “help us build this.” Conceptualizing the need and visualizing the tangible physical outcome is important to donors. Capital campaigns that seek nontangible goals have a greater challenge in helping potential donors see the benefit of their sacrifice.
Take the Aquinas Catholic Schools Foundation in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Partnering with the Steier Group for a campaign planning study and capital campaign, this client came up with a long-term, compelling plan to grow revenue to responsibly achieve both its immediate and longer-term strategic goals. A compelling 10-minute video allowed the school to articulate a vision that would have been less effective in printed material alone and tough to deliver in a quick elevator speech.
Sharing a well-produced capital campaign video or smaller clips can motivate leaders, volunteers and potential donors, and stoke the embers that blaze the trail to ultimate success. As technology continues to evolve, there are unlimited options for weaving campaign video into a comprehensive campaign communications plan.
As our research shows, personal visits are key to fundraising success. Short 1- to 2-minute video clips are especially powerful by inspiring your largest potential donors, whose time is valuable. A message like this principal describing benefits of Catholic education is easy to view on a handheld device and effective in winning the hearts of contributors.
It doesn’t take a full-length, 10-minute capital campaign video or high-end video series to enhance your fundraising efforts. Marian High School, a private, Catholic girls high school in Omaha, Nebraska, recently used video in a clever way to inform campaign volunteers of reaching new campaign milestones.
The daughters of campaign volunteers appeared in brief videos, created by a Marian staffer, during which they thanked their parents for supporting the school and announced that another campaign milestone had been reached. They even shared personal messages to their parents – one student even promising to clean her room. Her father later thanked the Marian staff for including her in the video – and mentioned he would hold his daughter to the promise.
So, when it’s time to create a communication plan to support your campaign, consider creating a video to carry your message – it might be just the ticket you need.
With more than 20 years of experience, the Steier Group knows many different ways to best communicate with donors, including video. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions regarding the professional services of the Steier Group.
