6 Expert Tips to Create an Awesome Nonprofit Video

However, it can be difficult to shoot a great video if you haven’t done it before, so we sat down with Classy’s media and video producer Brad Hilton to offer his professional insight. His experience will help you make your next nonprofit video shine, from pre-production all the way through online promotion.

For example, Classy is a growing company and the video team sets their goals around driving engagement instead of views. The measure of success in this case is driving an engagement rate of 60 percent or more.

According to Hilton, the urge to focus on viewership growth in a nonprofit organization is understandable. Still, he thinks it’s more important to know that the videos you produce are actually being watched. That’s why Classy’s video team keeps an eye on engagement statistics like plays and play rate on Wistia, the video platform.

No matter what you want to accomplish, set concrete goals and track your metrics. “Being able to measure the success or failure of your nonprofit video’s goals is key,” says Hilton.

Before you start your next nonprofit video, familiarize yourself with what others have done and what they’re doing. Allow yourself to be inspired, but don’t let this disrupt your shoot by inadvertently discouraging your team or causing you to rip somebody off.

These limits are often related to budget, experience, or timeframe. What’s most important is that you maintain a sense of realism for what you can accomplish, especially if you don’t have a $1.2 million budget for a 30 second spot.

Jumping right into production is an attractive idea. However, creating a storyboard ensures your amazing ideas are successfully woven into your nonprofit video.

Using an external audio source creates an additional step in post-production, making you sync the video and audio files together. Most editing software has a one-click button that will do this for you though.

Hilton watches a lot of videos online, everything from YouTube clips to reels and movies. About 80 percent of the time, he closes the video because the music doesn’t deliver the emotional connection he wants.

At this point in the process, Hilton recommends handing the project off to teammates.

Also, at this stage it might feel good to upload your video to YouTube and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Hilton cautions that this is entirely the wrong approach.

Beyond that, connect with leaders in the communities you’re targeting and leverage them for video promotions. Do everything in your power to lower the barriers for viewers, and your message will do the rest.

If the video process has you feeling overwhelmed, or if you keep coming up against roadblocks, just remember to focus on Hilton’s advice. Before you know it, you’ll be packaging up your next nonprofit video and sharing it with your supporters.

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