(This is part four of my crowdfunding videos series. To better understand the context of this post, read part one HERE, part two HERE, and part three HERE.)
Say you just ran a twenty-four hour campaign. Your social media marketing went so viral, you don’t even know where most of your donations came in from. Your existing supporters were invaluable in making this happen, sharing your promotional content and engaging with enthusiasm anytime anyone expressed curiosity in the comments.
Of course, you blew your fundraising goal out of the water. But is that the limit of what you can achieve with crowdfunding?
Just one day ago, both old and new donors were amped up and tuned into the meaning of your work.
Now is the time to lock these feelings in – before the excitement fades and the relationships revert to their usual energy level.
The personal touch
Thank-you videos are a key tool in solidifying this emotional connection in a way that will let you retain donors for the long term.
It’s more than just good manners. If you’re cold and transactional about donations, counting the money in the bank and never thinking about the people who put it there, it’s only natural for them to see you the same way – some place they put their money on a whim and never thought about again.
But what about when donors feel like true partners in your work? What about when you’re a regular presence in their minds and hearts, a personal responsibility whose successes and failures are their successes and failures, too?
Thank-yous are important for cultivating this kind of relationship. Donations happen at a distance – donors aren’t present day-to-day to see and feel what a difference they’re making. Unless and until you let them know, they won’t necessarily realize just how much they matter. And that means that they won’t continue to feel needed; they won’t think it’s a big deal if they fade out of the picture.
So, what does it take to make them feel involved? Ideally, you’d want to call each person individually, buy them a coffee, let them really feel your gratitude and recognition of their support. Of course, that’s not always feasible.
At the other end of the spectrum, many organizations send out automated thank-you emails when a donation is processed. That’s at least something, but let me ask you – how do you feel when you get an email like that? Does something so mechanical and impersonal really make you feel appreciated?
Video is a great way to split the difference. It brings donors into your world and treats them like the insiders they are, sharing in the organization’s happiness over the success of the campaign.
Imagine you donated to this school. How would you feel getting this video as a thank-you?
They made this happen – and you’re making sure they know it.
Practical tips
- Include the word “video” in the thank-you email subject line – stats show that this makes people much more likely to open the message. Your email client probably won’t let you embed it directly, but it’s fairly easy to link elsewhere with an appealing thumbnail or GIF. (More on this here.)
- Keep your video short but meaningful. Have staff, leadership, or participants express their thanks, not generically but specifically and meaningfully – for the building donors paid for, the activity they sponsored, the equipment their giving made possible, and the ways this has made things better for everyone involved.
- Instead of an automated response, wait a few hours or even until the day after the campaign finishes. It’s okay to send out all these emails at once – as long as it feels like it’s a heartfelt response to the overall campaign, it will come across as more genuine.
- Post the video publicly, and have your ambassadors share it. Even people who haven’t yet given might see it and decide to get involved. People like being on the side of success.
This isn’t a video that necessarily prompts an immediate action or response, so it can be tricky to measure how successful it is. But keep an eye on changes campaign to campaign and year to year. When you take the time to make supporters feel seen and involved, you transform the whole dynamic of your donor relationship.
On that note, I’d like to thank you for coming along with me on this series.
Having reached the end of the crowdfunding journey, it’s time for us to wrap things up.
If you found these posts helpful, you might also enjoy this guide on donor meeting videos or our free video marketing quiz.
You can also join my newsletter for regular content on nonprofit video marketing strategy.
Till next time!
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Josh Gold is the founder of Serio Films, where he helps nonprofits use video to drive results. Get more tips at seriofilms.com or join the mailing list.