How to Create a Nonprofit Thank You Video That Boosts Engagement

A simple thank you message is expected for every generous contribution, but to make your nonprofit organization stand out, try a thank you video.

It’s more immediate than a physical letter, and you can still send an actual donation thank you letter with the tax receipt. But a thank you video is a powerful way to improve and personalize your donor communication. Imagine how a donor feels to get that kind of attention and how it will improve the likelihood of a recurring donation.

Donors love that kind of engagement.

Why Video?

So why create a nonprofit thank you video? Three simple reasons:

1. People want to connect with real and authentic people: It’s all about donor relationships, and that means putting a real live person in front of the camera is a big win.
2. Video creates empathy and connection more naturally: It’s easy to connect to a real live person. That’s why news broadcasts have anchors.
3. Widely adopted and preferred medium for story: From TikTok to Instagram Stories, have you seen how popular the short video format is? It’s trending!

We’ve encouraged nonprofits to share their story and collected multiple video examples. Video storytelling is a simple and powerful way to connect.

How to Create a Nonprofit Thank You Video

Creating a compelling video doesn’t require an expensive production studio. Those same magic devices that make people accessible anywhere and watching video on the go also make it super easy to create simple gratitude videos.

Here are some some nonprofit thank you video tips:

1. Be yourself: Don’t try to be the organization down the street with the bigger budget. Be true to who you are. Don’t use stock images. Remember your values and live them out. Your audience can tell.
2. Tell a story: Whenever you’re struggling with where to start, tell a story. Talk about how you’ve changed someone’s life. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Donors love real stories.
3. Share impact: How are donations making a difference? Donors want to know the impact their donations had, so talk about what you can accomplish thanks to their support. This can encourage recurring donors.

Best Practice Video Tips: Dos and Don’ts

You’re a nonprofit, not a video production company, so let’s talk video dos and don’ts:

• Do keep it short: It’s a thank you video, not a documentary. Many of those TikTok videos are super short—less than a minute. So remember that a short attention span is ingrained in the medium. Your full video should be a minute or less. Donors are busy people.
• Don’t overthink it: Good video is natural. You don’t want to be too polished. It might take you a few tries, so it’s OK to experiment and find your groove. Be casual to offer that personal touch.
• Do use a simple framework: It can help to structure what you have to say into a basic outline. But keep it simple. This isn’t a drawn out donor thank you letter. Think of it like a video version of a handwritten note.
• Don’t read from a script: Again, be natural. Donors can tell when you're faking it. You should be able to talk about gratitude from the heart and not have to memorize lines. Donor appreciation should come naturally (if it doesn’t, practice makes perfect!).
• Do keep it “low budget”: You don’t need fancy video clips or stock footage. You don’t need intros, outros, and an end screen. Just stand in front of a brick wall in a quiet place with a mobile phone—action! One person talking directly to the camera is simple and effective.
• Don’t wait: We should express gratitude early and often. A perfect way to share a thank you video is immediately following your fundraising event. Shoot it while you’re cleaning up and send it out before donors get home (bonus: get your executive director to do it). Quick outreach and a sincere thanks will boost your fundraising efforts.
• Do share it: Rally supports multimedia messaging service (MMS), so you can send a short video directly via text message. Another option is to post it to social media and text a link. Either way, get it into your supporters’ hands quickly. Philanthropy should be recognized immediately.

Rally: Thanking Donors Helps You Get Results

Nonprofit folks are extremely busy. We get it. That’s why we’re here to help you get results. Creating thank you videos for donors is a good example of how we love to help.

Engaging donors starts here. Rally can help you get results:

• Text-to-give platform: Mobile fundraising is easy with our text-to-give fundraising. We integrate with your existing donation platform, so you don’t have to switch. Donors can use a credit card or debit card right on their mobile device through your online donation page.
• Giving tools: We offer integration with multiple fundraising platforms and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, plus other integrations, and fundraising tools that donors love including ringless voicemail, a fundraising thermometer, and Rally Insights to supercharge your donor data.
• Solid support: Our functionality is simple and easy to use, but if you ever need help we’re here. We’ve got FAQs, pre-written text message templates, webinars, interactive office hours, and more. Plus, we’re happy to take a real-time voice call. Just check out our case studies and see how our nonprofit customers rave about our customer service.

Gratitude is a simple way to turn a new donor into a recurring donor. With the incredible open rates and response rates of text messaging, it’s an ideal way to connect and share an immediate and heartfelt thanks for a generous donation. With a video, you can make that text message even more personal and generate a positive impact. Give it a try! Your donors will notice.

You can book a demo today to see Rally in action.