If you want to make people fall in love with your nonprofit, look no further than video. The combination of compelling storytelling, emotional imagery, and immersive audio creates a lasting impression on viewers, inspiring them to take action and support your mission to enact positive change in the world.
In this guide, we’ll showcase some of the most impactful nonprofit videos to guide your content creation journey, including:
- “Welcome to KIPP Texas Public Schools” – KIPP
- “One Billion Meals Challenge” – Feeding America
- “Water Changes Everything” – charity: water
- “Blue’s Story” – ASPCA
Whether you’re creating your first nonprofit video or you’re a seasoned pro, these examples will get the creative juices flowing and help you create an awe-inspiring video of your own.
But before we dive into the content, let’s define nonprofit videos in more detail.
What are the different types of nonprofit videos?
Chances are your nonprofit has diverse communication needs, ranging from raising awareness and improving reputation to inspiring action and driving donations. Thankfully, there is a nonprofit video specifically curated to help you achieve each of your goals.
According to Tectonic’s guide to video storytelling, the different types of nonprofit videos include:
- Organizational Videos: An organizational video provides a general overview of your nonprofit, including its mission, history, values, and programs, making it a great tool for raising brand awareness.
- Fundraising Videos: Double the Donation defines fundraising videos as an immersive call to action used to drive donations and support toward a specific campaign.
- Explainer Videos: Does your nonprofit research rare diseases, lobby for education reform, oversee technology consulting, or take part in another challenging field? An explainer video simplifies complex ideas, concepts, or processes related to your work, helping viewers understand your need for support.
- Testimonial Videos: Introducing supporters to the impact of your work helps you to connect with them on an emotional level. A testimonial video narrows in on individuals who have directly benefited from your nonprofit’s programs or services and showcases their personal stories.
No matter the goal of your video, leveraging these video formats effectively allows you to generate the support you need at any given time. For instance, a new nonprofit may create an organizational video to introduce the public to their cause, then send out a series of fundraising and explainer videos to garner support. After turning donations into actionable support for the community, they can use testimonial videos to verify their impact and forge long-lasting relationships with supporters.
Top 5 Examples of Nonprofit Videos
Now that you know what the different types of nonprofit videos are, let’s explore an example of each to inspire your content creation efforts.
1. “Welcome to KIPP Texas Public Schools” – KIPP
KIPP Texas Public Schools is an open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter school network of 59 schools across Texas. With approximately 86% of their student population coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, KIPP is committed to providing each child with the resources and support they need to succeed.
In an effort to raise awareness for their core values, the school network partnered with Tectonic Video to create an organizational video. Through compelling branded graphics, statistics, and testimonials, the film encapsulates their mission and promotes enrollment.
2. “One Billion Meals Challenge” – Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, and meal programs focused on fighting hunger in the United States. The organization also conducts studies of food insecurity rates and food costs to improve the public’s understanding of hunger.
As part of their campaign to deliver a billion meals per year through 2025, they created a fundraising video to drive donations through donation matching. In the film, best-selling author Tony Robbins makes a major donation and pledges to double all other contributions to the fundraiser, so Feeding America can reach its goal sooner. The final scene makes a clear call to action, stating, “Make a Donation Today. I’ll Match It.”
3. “Water Changes Everything” – charity: water
charity: water is on a mission to bring clean and safe drinking water to communities across the globe. From hand-dug wells to household BioSand Filters, the nonprofit has several different solutions to the water crisis.
To simplify these complex processes, they created an explainer video. Through animations, graphics, and easy-to-understand language, charity: water made its work accessible to a wider audience.
4. “Blue’s Story” – ASPCA
The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) works to prevent animal cruelty and promote animal welfare through animal rescue, advocacy, education, and legislative efforts. Testimonial videos are a powerful way for this organization to share success stories and demonstrate the impact of its work.
“Blue’s Story” is a particularly inspiring testimonial, describing how an animal was rescued from a dog fighting operation and given a second chance at life thanks to the ASPCA. The film uses b-roll footage of the dog before and after its rescue to evoke an emotional response in viewers and motivate them to get involved through a membership.
Next steps: Create your own nonprofit video
Now it’s your turn to create a memorable nonprofit video! Use these examples as inspiration and consider partnering with a nonprofit video production company for the highest-quality content. Their teams will work diligently to bring your mission to life and motivate viewers to lend their support.
