“I see a lot of geographically locked non-profits, where they’re serving a very specific area… struggling with a scarcity mindset, where they don’t necessarily know how to build community ties with similar organisations in their space…” - Aron Murch
In this episode we speak with Aron Murch, co-owner of 2H Media, about what charities can do to tell their stories using video, the challenges they face in doing this and how to overcome these.
1. The challenges for non-profits in telling their stories
Immediate challenges to deal with are any internal challenges, such as the psychological roadblocks that exist, including a hesitation about getting in front of a camera and being perceived as bragging.
Sharing success stories is key in attracting support, people need to understand the impact that you are having and that you are confident in the services you are providing.
Promoting your partners and beneficiaries by sharing their stories is a good way of demonstrating your organisations impact as part of a bigger whole.
Using your key volunteers, such as your Board of Trustees, can be a good way of getting them to help your charity show an open, transparent and personal approach to building relationships with funders.
2. The structure for storytelling
When it comes to creating compelling content, a starting point is having a clear idea of what you are trying to talk about, a standardised list of questions at interviews, and an agreement within your organisation about how honest and authentic you are happy to be. Spontaneity is an approach that some make, but sending questions in advance is a good way of calming guests.
Having a clear goal for your video is important as it will help you to ensure it is audience centred and meets with the expectations of those you are seeking to reach. But it is important to also think of your unique selling point and create videos that are unique, unusual, and interesting.
3. The budget for video
The budget that you need for video depends on where the videos are going to be shown, and to who they are going to be shown.
Aron suggested starting simple and prioritise getting your impact out there to your audience. Buying a mount for your phone and a ring light is a good start to creating videos of you or others talking to camera about your work.
Corporate sponsorship of videos is an opportunity for charities as part of their existing relationships, both with companies and with others who may appreciate charities not spending their own funds on video. Corporate sponsorship of videos is also an opportunity to get corporate leaders on camera talking about why they are supporting you, which creates ‘social proof’ for your charity.
More about Aron Murch
As one of the owners of 2H Media, Aron Murch helps nonprofits improve their visibility by building video-driven websites that reduce confusion and encourage engagement. He has worked with a variety of nonprofits including accelerators, business enterprise centres, and charities. He ran his first fundraiser when he was 12 and has never lost his passion for supporting great causes. The best way to get in touch with aron is to reach out to him by email at aron@2h.media. Aron is happy to offer a free strategy session to help tackle your most pressing marketing questions, see if he's the right fit for your organization, and give you ideas for actionable activities that you can tackle right away.
This episode of Charity Chat has been brought to you by our platinum sponsor Work for Good. Work for Good is a fundraising platform helping businesses raise funds for charities through their sales. The platform makes the legal agreement needed for businesses to sales
fundraise quick and simple. Saving charities time and resource, and enabling them to raise
more unrestricted income.
Pop to www.workforgood.co.uk to learn more and book a free demo.
We hope you enjoy this week’s episode.
Related episodes that you may be interested in:
E244 - Storytelling and animation with Gavin Strange
E145 - Small Charity Leadership with Macarena Martinez
E93: Tips for Video with Hannah Kaplan