Producing a film or video to describe what you or your organization are doing is a very powerful tool to raise visibility, and possibly to raise funds.
Who are the potential donors you are targeting, what conditions you will approach them and what is the budget available, these are the key questions that will make you decide whether to hire a professional film director or to choose the DIY path.
Options are many, and the possibilities can take you from setting up your own channel in a video-sharing platform to co-producing an award-winning film.
The growth of social networks together with video sharing has become a perfect scenario for the boost of viral video -a video that becomes popular through the process of internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites and email, and usually getting thousands to millions of views.
This high potential of video to achieve popularity has turned it into the preferred media format for viral promotion, which relies on the use of social networks to produce and increase brand awareness. Online fundraisers have borrowed this idea and are using it extensively for NGO's online fundraising campaigns.
In 2006 Creative Commons was the first non-profit to use online video sharing to raise money for its annual fundraising campaign. The organization hosted its fundraising videos in Revver -a video-sharing platform that hosts user-submitted videos to which they attach advertising, splitting the benefits generated with the video creators. The outcome of this campaign was really successful as funds were generated from three sources: the advertising in the videos which went viral; the agreement with Revver to donate its share from advertising to Creative Commons; and the parallel donations provoked by the promotional effect of the video.
Another example using a different fundraising model is that of PETA and its viral video exposing Chinese fur farms (where dogs and cats are killed for their skin). The video posted on MySpace easily spread throughout this platform and numerous outside blogs for two reasons: its crude and heart-breaking content hit a nerve on viewers who started to spread it; and the facility to spread it as it included the embedding code. To drive viewers back to its site from the video, PETA also included a link to an advocacy landing page with more information on the issue and asked in several languages to encourage international viewers to donate.
The sharing of meaningful content seems to serve as a sort of social glue. This collective sense of like mindedness draws peers together into a sort of link-sharing dialogue that reinforces the bonds between them. The clearest example we have it with humour and sharing of funny videos. Sense of humour is a highly personal trait, though one that is often commonly shared amongst friends.
Likewise, the exchange of information about common interests strengthens personal relationships and peer communication: links to content about research topics, arts, culture, political views and social awareness issues can both inform and keep network connections.
The quality of the message - to express ourselves or by its own - and the level of connection to the receiver will work as a filter to determine wether to share a video or not with a particular person or group. In the reverse way, the identity of the sender and the appreciation by the receiver will be another filter for that video to be watched.
Arts and cultural organizations face a double challenge of attracting donations and earning revenue . Yet they have a lot to learn from social non-profits in this sense. Even though the direct approach for online fundraising will usually be less effective, the use of video is equally useful for online promotion; it will attract new audiences and raise potential ticket sales.
More, follow-ups and targeted emails based on individual interests and preferences increase event promotion effectiveness and help maintaining memberships. A new interesting video is the best excuse to keep a thread.
In my next blog "Produce it, promote it and raise funds: Tips for viral video-making" I provide practical tips and guidelines to produce fundraising videos and increase its viral potential. As well, you can find complementary information on this topic in the following videos and source articles:
(Featured Image: Snapshot of PETA's online-shared fundraising video "A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms" )
Otagowane jako:
alternative funding, fundraising, online fundraising, video, viral marketing
LabforCulture jest inicjatywą partnerską Europejskiej Fundacji Kultury. LabforCulture jest wdzięczna swoim fundatorom za wsparcie