Can YouTube Help You Fundraise?

February 27, 2010

Have you ever thought about using a YouTube clip to help promote a silent auction? In this example, I built a Powerpoint presentation, converted it to video, and then uploaded it to YouTube.

While the video won’t win any awards, that’s not the goal of the clip. It’s simply supposed to remind people of the silent auction, promote a few of the items, and make sure that people remember to bring their wallets to the event.

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Posted by Ken Okel

Another Easy Video Example

February 11, 2010

A nonprofit I’m involved with has an event it wants to promote. There isn’t a promotion budget though so we decide to use social media and create a very simple YouTube video.

The event will feature a nationally known presenter but we can’t interview her ahead of time in person as she lives in a different part of the country. No problem! We record an interview with her over the phone (with her permission). Later I edit together the soundbites add a few graphics and pictures.

Now we have a short video that we can embed in the website and upload to a Facebook page. These two things are possible by posting the clip on YouTube.

Simple, effective, and memorable.  Here’s the clip:

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Posted by Ken Okel

Puppies & Social Media: What they share in common.

February 5, 2010

Just about every child wants a puppy. Him or her dreams of bringing the pet home, having a great time, and fulfilling all of the responsibilities that comes with having an animal. Frequently that dream doesn’t turn into reality. After a few weeks, the excitement of having a pet wears off and then someone else has to take care of the pooch.  And sometimes that means the animal doesn’t get the amount of love and attention it deserves.

For many nonprofits, social media is a puppy. Everyone is excited about Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter at first but once the “newness” of it wears off, it tends to be neglected.

In both cases, before you take on a new responsibility, make sure you have a commitment to nurturing and supporting either a puppy or social media strategy.

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Posted by Ken Okel

Don’t Fall Into This Trap

January 24, 2010

Every day more and more nonprofits are under pressure to start using social media. I think it’s a great idea, even if you’re just sticking your toe into the water with one tool. But very often the call to action comes from a board member or a senior member of staff who may have other motives.

While they may not know it, are they trying to have social media substitute for some task they don’t like to perform? Fundraising is a big one that comes to mind. Do they think that if they start using YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter that they’ll never have to ask the community for a dime again? In their minds, the cash will just magically pour in. Then when this doesn’t happen, you’re suddenly in trouble and don’t have a backup plan.

This is one of the biggest mistakes people can make with a social media strategy.  Don’t think of it as a tool that will replace a task. Instead integrate it into your fundraising, communication, and outreach processes. Over time you then may be able to shift more of each function to online methods. But it takes a while to build your capacity. Resist the urge to dive head first into social media with the idea that it will save you from having to do something else.

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Posted by Ken Okel

Nonprofit Video Example

January 6, 2010

Here’s a great example of a nonprofit video. The interviews were shot professionally but the writing, editing, and still shots were done by staff.

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Posted by Ken Okel

Video Doesn’t Need to Cost Money

December 22, 2009

Social media is great because it doesn’t have to cost your nonprofit a lot of money.  Here’s an example of a video that you can use as model for your nonprofit.  It was the 4th of July and I took all of the pictures of the fireworks with a basic digital camera.  No tripod or anything.

Later I edited them together and added some royalty free music.  This comes with the iMovie editor but you can also buy royalty free music very cheaply from a variety of sites online.

Voila, your nonprofit can have an inexpensive video that you can easily upload to YouTube.  Why not do this for your next event?

Ken Okel social media for nonprofits

Click on this picture to see the video

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Posted by Ken Okel

Improve Your Recorded Voice

December 19, 2009

As you bring your message online through social media, you may find yourself and your staff having to record audio.  That may make you realize that you don’t sound very good.  As a nonprofit, you don’t have the big bucks to hire a professional.  In this free online presentation, you’ll learn some easy tips to improve the quality of your delivery.

ken okel, brainshark, improve your recorded voice

Click on this image to go to the presentation.

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Posted by Ken Okel

YouTube and Movie Previews

December 13, 2009

A lot of nonprofits are not sure how long their YouTube videos should be. YouTube limits a clip to about 10 minutes but there’s not reason why you can’t have a part one, two, or three. But will your audience sit through that much video at one time?Ken okel, social media for nonprofits, youtube, www.kenokel.com It’s an important consideration as part of your social media strategy.

Instead of putting up a movie, why not have your clips be more like movie previews. Movie previews give you a taste for a film and hopefully you’ll be convinced that you want to see it. But the previews are more like an appetizer than meal.

Use video to get out a simple message and then give the viewer a chance to find out more. Like a movie preview, you should keep the length somewhere between 2 and 4 minutes.

With attention spans shrinking and a lot of competition from other nonprofits, you want your message to be clear, concise, and informative.

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Posted by Ken Okel

Make Your Social Media Plan Like a Restroom Key

December 1, 2009

A lot of nonprofits could learn a thing or two from businesses that have private bathrooms. These are the places where you have to request a key so you can unlock the facilities. Usually the key is attached to some kind of large object, like a shoe, a bowling ball, or some sort of sports equipment. The idea behind this is to make sure that the person will return the key instead of accidentally walking off with it.

While it may be a slightly heavy-handed reminder, it is an effective one.

In your nonprofit, as you craft your social media strategy, you’ll need to make sure it’s clear to everyone who will be working on the project. Make sure roles and duties are clearly defined. Are there backups to help when a key player is called out of the office for an extended period of time? You want all of this to be unforgettable to those involved, much like a restroom key! Remember the biggest obstacle to social media success is not consistently doing the work.

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Posted by Ken Okel

Do Your Research…

November 18, 2009

As a nonprofit, I understand that there’s never enough time to get everything done and there are always emerging challenges. But to maximize your social media strategy, I want you to spend a few minutes ever week doing some homework.

I want you to spend a few minutes online looking at what other nonprofits are doing. Check out your competition locally as well as national organizations. Are they using tools like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter in new ways. Can you gain inspiration from them and bring those techniques back to your office?

It’s also important to see what doesn’t seem to work in your mind. Just because someone is doing something online, doesn’t mean that it will resonate with a nonprofit’s supporters.

Think of this research time as an investment in your nonprofit fundraising and relationship building.

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Posted by Ken Okel

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