Statistical benefits of videos for online marketing (charitable sector)

James Carpenter

James Carpenter

Well-known member
Hi there,

I'm looking for anything that eludes to the importance of online video for the charitable sector so that I can start building a robust case for my day job boss to hire me as a full time content creator.

I currently spend 10% of my time creating content but would love to see that change into a full time position. The general consensus in my industry is that yes, it's a nice to have, but not that important. Given our internal goals to acquire GenY donors, i think a shift in communications to video (at least partial) is critical so I'm wondering if there are any folks out there that might help shed some solid facts/case studies in this field.

I can and am of course googling the hell out of this and talking to like minded industry peers, but thought that the fabulous brain trust we have at DVXUser might also be a valuable resource.

Any and all thoughts are welcome!

Thanks!
 
Hi James,
I'm sure there are lots of other bits of advice people will have but I will say as someone who works for a University (very similar to a non-profit in most ways) video is an absolutely essential part of our overall marketing strategy - not just 'nice to have'. Our marketing department is located in the Advancement unit so we can work directly with the Alumni Relations, Foundation (the fundraising/financial part), and Stewardship departments - all of which there is some form of within every non-profit. (We also work closely with Admissions but that's not as similar to the non-profit route.) So, back on track. The majority of what I do as a multimedia guy is working with these various departments to engage key stakeholders and building brand affinity for the university through our multi-channel marketing campaigns. We do everything from print to radio to TV spots to social media stuff and everything in between. This then translates into dollars and other support by the stakeholders. Without video we would be missing a HUGE component of the marketing efforts - the very efforts that help garner $ to keep lights on, and keep dorms heated, and keep computers updated, etc. Yes, we would get by without video, but we gain so much more by having it as part of our marketing efforts. A lot of what we do is aimed at showing the impact that philanthropy and support have on different areas - so an older alumni donates to a scholarship that helps put a first generations student through school, a group of alumni who each gives something small adds up and helps keep the library lights on, other gifts have provided cutting edge faculty research opportunities, that sort of stuff. Video helps us tell these stories - you could tell them in just print, or through photos, but video is so much more powerful in a lot of instances. Video is so critical to what we do here that we're (luckily for a state university in Illinois) having trouble meeting the demand of it. It's not just nice to have, it's essential to the university as a whole. [Take this all with a grain of salt since after reading through it really sounds like I'm just making a case for how important I am - but honestly, with or without me here we need video at the university].
Relavent readings: How video compels action; Fundraising in the digital age
 
YouTube statistics

Forbes statistics on Executives using Internet video

Fact is, video is the new language of the Web. People aren't reading websites nearly as often as watching them now. More than that, it's the short-form (one minute, give or take) that hits the hardest and has the highest rate of viewing completion. It's also half of mobile device traffic now.

Meet the people where they are. And where they are, is Internet video.
 
James,

I read all four of the links posted here so far. Really good stuff.

The 3 articles make a pretty compelling case, and the point in exactly the direction you were hoping for.
 
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