Three Videos that will Catapult Fundraising at your Gala Event

Putting together a gala or donor-focused event for your non-profit can be a tremendous task for any organization. With so many moving parts, some can be overlooked, such as creating good video content for your presentation to hit home. But what kinds of video will give you the best return on investment, and boost fundraising at this all important event?

Why Video?

So, in the sea of details, why is a video important for your event? And what makes it a project that needs to happen in order to increase donor funding? It all goes back to basic marketing and business strategy. Every business or nonprofit exists to solve a problem, so there may be bigger problems than others, but problems at that. What your organization does is create an offer to solve this problem for your specific audience. Marketing in itself is creating awareness for this problem, telling about the solution you offer, and convincing them that you are the one to solve it. 

As a nonprofit preparing for an event, you are preparing to show your offer in a compelling way that pushes them to back the work you are doing financially. Your offer can be broken down into three main categories, the core, supplementary, and potential offers. Throughout your event, you want to communicate your offer through various means, this may be through stories, speakers, giveaways, and especially through video.

Best Types of Videos

The primary purpose of video is to solidify your offer as a non-profit and to show the people or projects that are being impacted. With this goal in mind, what are the best kinds of videos to include in your live event to advocate and communicate the offer that you are working for?

Testimonial Video 

A testimonial style of video is incredibly impactful for your live event, primarily because it adds authenticity and credibility to the message that you have been giving throughout the event. Instead of just telling the people in the audience how much you have been able to accomplish, a testimonial video is story-focused, creating something that your audience can both relate to and trust because it is based on a true story. 

Unlike opinions and even statistics, the one thing that people can’t be skeptical of is someone’s story, because it is theirs to tell. For example, during a gala event for a non-profit focused on building wells in Africa to provide clean water for those who would otherwise not have it, they may talk about how many wells they have built or how many people have been impacted. But a testimonial video with a personal story of a family who had a dramatic change in their life because of just one of those wells is going to be much more powerful than a PowerPoint with statistics on it.

Here is an example of what one of those kinda of videos can look like. A story central video, that hits home your message. This video was created for a non-profit in the Kansas City area who focuses on helping women after abortion.

Vision Video

A vision video is also powerful when it comes to these events because it presents the potential offer of your organization. This side of your offer is what you could also be doing in the future in addition to what you are doing now if you were to be supported financially and in other ways. A vision video is casting the vision of what that would be like in a compelling way. This could be done in many different ways, but the overall idea is to tell your vision concisely, using graphics and visuals to call out highlights and calls to action. 

Overall, the idea is to show what could be done in the future, showing that not a dollar will be wasted, but that your mission will be advanced well in the future.

Social Media Promotions

Prior to having the event, another format of video that would have high value for your organization would be promotions on social media for the event itself. The more people you are able to get to it, the more likely you are going to be to reach your donation goals. So what should be in these social media promotions?

Instead of simply using a Canva graphic to give details about the event itself (which is 100% a good idea to do), record a video inviting people on a more personal level. Don’t simply record and post though, since most people won’t see the video the first time, but make sure to make multiple videos and show what kind of value you are adding to those who are attending, and what will they be getting out of attending. Will they be better informed about the issues surrounding a particular societal topic, is it a free meal in exchange for their attention and support? Make sure to include a value proposition in the video for your attendants, even if that is simply getting to support the work that you are doing. 

So What?

So all in all, how can creating content for your event help you reach your goals for your non-profit? It simply enforces your offer as a non-profit and connects to your audience on a personal level. Whether you are looking to shoot it yourself or hire professionals, creating a video can be the boost you need in your organization’s event plan.

Not sure where to start to make a testimonial style video? Get our free guide with the 7 Steps to Create Powerful Testimonial Videos