How We Helped Communities In Schools of Seattle Raise $100,000
How We Helped Communities In Schools of Seattle Raise over $100,000
First, let’s get the hyperbole out of the way: there are a number of factors that go into any successful marketing campaign. While video was the main component and the focus of this fundraiser, it wasn’t the only factor. As a nonprofit, your network, your location, your reputation, and standing in the community all matter.
That being said, let’s dive into what we did for CIS Seattle, and how you can apply this to your nonprofit marketing.
1. Define Your Core Message
We started by identifying the core message, and what wanted to communicate. The reason being, the message informs the visuals, not the other way around. When we’re working with our clients, we always start with message. Once we have a solid understanding of what they are trying to communicate, we then discuss how we will communicate it.
In this case, the core message was resource allocation and the impact that has on kids education — from food, school supplies, wifi at home, and adult mentors.
2. Define Success
We discussed how we would measure success. For this campaign, it wasn’t strictly about finances. Yes, they were going to show it at their fundraiser. Yes, it was the centerpiece of the event. However, the main metric of success was whether the video clearly communicated their mission to donors and key stakeholders. This video was created with the intention that it will be used for the next 3 – 5 years to communicate what CIS Seattle is all about to existing and new donors, volunteers, and community members.
3. Eliminate Distractions
When you’re putting together a video campaign for your nonprofit, you’ll be tempted — very tempted — to include everything that makes your organization great. Likely, your nonprofit provides / serves multiple vital roles or performs many different functions.
However, this is where you need to be ruthless. You can either communicate one thing clearly so it resonates, or communicate a number of things poorly, so none of them resonate.
4. Authenticity
At Flannel Media, one of our values is authenticity. We never want our videos to sound scripted or robotic. We’ve honed our process over the years to capture authentic and real responses. The reason our videos all have a tone of authenticity is because we don’t let our clients memorize scripts, or think about what they are “supposed” to say. When you answer from the heart, it shows on camera.
5. CTA
Call to Action. People need to know what to do after they’ve watched the video. Don’t just lead them where you want them to go — put up a neon sign and make it incredibly clear what they are supposed to do. In this case, it was to contact CIS Seattle directly.
6. Distribution
Creating the video is 70% of the work. The other 30% is getting people to watch the video. Communities in Schools of Seattle did a great job of promoting their video by inviting key stakeholders and donors to the event. And they didn’t invite them once. They sent email after email after email. People are busy — if they ignore your first email, it isn’t because they don’t like you. It isn’t because they don’t support you or your nonprofit. It’s because they are busy. So ask and ask some more. Sharing to social media and your website, those things are a given.
When we work with clients, we host a distribution workshop after their video has been created to walk them through exactly how to share their video to the various social media channels that exist so the video has maximum impact.