Non-Profit’s and Associations of all types need two essential things to survive and serve their members or market;
- a way to communicate their goals or successes
- Funding
Really #2 Funding is always #1 because without funding the organization ceases to exist to serve its members or followers. That said, all non-profit organizations need a powerful, cost –effective way to communicate why it exists, why it matters and how it’s already serving its contributors.
There is a misconception out there that any video communication is better than none, no matter how unprofessional, unpolished or unfocused the message. Advances in video technologies are obvious to all and decent equipment is available to many. But finding professionals who know what they are doing, as well as those who have a background producing for non-profits with all their funding and other unique issues, is not easy.
Video is key for these organizations because video helps web rankings and visibility on-line. So we all know a good video can communicate the NP’s message, goals and achievements. But bad video, produced by inexperienced producers who shoot before they think, can cause more bad than good. With any production project the rule of thumb is simple; it’s all in the pre-production. This is the first step in production before anything is shot or edited, where key goals, and elements of the production are discussed between client and producer, interview subjects are chosen or dismissed, locations are scouted and overall video style is talked through. This is the essence of a good quality production; a well conceived, thorough blue print for the final production be it scripted or unscripted. All parties need to know what will be produced and why.
To many this would seem obvious but in my experience, lower cost is often behind vendor selection, instead of choosing quality and experience. For all non-profit or association executive’s I suggest letting the conversations prior to awarding the job and the samples shown by the producer be the deciding factors in who to award the project to. Usually budget’s can be paired down to fit within an organization’s available funds. Most of all keep this simple idea at the forefront; producing a good video is the main goal, not producing any video. Using true professionals is the only way to go if you want to keep the message transmitting and the funds pouring in!
Written by: John Briccetti
Owner of DEG Productions, DEG Direct Response and Deerfield Education Group & Partner of Future of Fishing, Inc., Partner of Need Video Now
Contact John @ john@degproductions.tv