Struggling to know what to film for your nonprofit? We’ve compiled a list of the top 20 video ideas for nonprofits. This comprehensive list outlines your must have videos complete with a description, suggested length and where to use them.

Nonprofit videos typically need to accomplish one of the following goals: awareness, fundraising or donor retention. Here’s a checklist to make sure your nonprofit is utilizing video strategically.

1. Mission Story Video

Purpose: Explain who you are, what problem you solve, and why it matters.
Length: 2–4 minutes
Use on:

• Homepage
• Donor meetings
• Grant presentations
• Social media profiles

Key elements:

• The problem
• Your solution
• Impact
• Call to action

2. Impact Story Video

Purpose: Show a real person, family, community, or cause impacted by your work.
Length: 1–3 minutes
Why it matters: People donate to stories, not statistics.
Key elements:

• Before
• Challenge
• Intervention
• Outcome

3. Donor Thank-You Video

Purpose: Increase donor retention and loyalty by saying thank you and showing how their donation was used.
Length: 30–90 seconds
Use for:

• Email campaigns
• Year-end giving
• Giving Tuesday
• Donation confirmations

4. Volunteer Recruitment Video

Purpose: Attract volunteers and explain the experience.
Length: 1–2 minutes
Show:

• Volunteer activities
• Benefits of serving
• How to sign up

5. “Day in the Life” Video

Purpose: Build transparency and trust.
Length: 2–5 minutes
Ideas:

• Staff member
• Program participant
• Field worker
• Executive director

6. Program Overview Videos

Purpose: Explain each major program and the impact it makes.
Length: 1–3 minutes each
Examples:

• Youth mentoring program
• Food distribution program
• Animal rescue services
• Environmental initiatives
• Create one video for each major program.

7. Annual Impact Report Video

Purpose: Donors prefer to watch then read, stand out by replacing your traditional annual report with a video.
Length: 3–5 minutes
Include:

• Key metrics
• Success stories
• Financial stewardship
• Future goals

8. Event Promotion Video

Purpose: Increase registrations and attendance.
Length: 15–60 seconds
Use for:

• Galas
• Walkathons
• Fundraising events
• Community gatherings

9. Event Recap Video

Purpose: Generate excitement and encourage future participation.
Length: 1–3 minutes
Show:

• Attendance
• Highlights
• Testimonials
• Results achieved

10. Executive Director Message

Purpose: Build leadership credibility and donor confidence.
Length: 1–3 minutes
Topics:

• Organizational updates
• Strategic direction
• Fundraising campaigns
• Major announcements

11. Testimonials

Purpose: Provide authentic evidence that the areas you serve wouldn’t be the same without you.
Length: 30–90 seconds each
Create a library of short testimonials that can be reused throughout the year.

12. Donor Testimonials

Purpose: Help prospective donors identify with current supporters.
Length: 30–90 seconds
Answer:

• Why do you give?
• Why this organization?
• What impact have you seen?

13. Fundraising Campaign Video

Purpose: Drive donations during a specific campaign (giving tuesday / project)
Length: 1–2 minutes
Structure:

• Problem
• Urgency
• Solution
• Donation ask

14. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Videos

Purpose: Reduce confusion and increase conversions. Directly address any misconceptions about your nonprofit.
Length: 30–60 seconds each
Examples:

• How are donations used?
• Can I volunteer remotely?
• Is my donation tax deductible?
• How can businesses partner with us?

15. Social Media Micro-Content Series

Purpose: Maintain visibility year-round.
Length: 15–60 seconds
Ideas:

• Quick impact stats
• Volunteer spotlights
• Behind-the-scenes clips
• Success stories
• Myth-busting content
• Aim for 20–50 pieces annually.

16. Corporate Partnership Video

Purpose: Attract sponsors and business partners.
Length: 2–3 minutes
Include:

• Mission
• Audience reach
• Partnership opportunities
• Sponsor benefits

17. Legacy Giving / Planned Giving Video

Purpose: Encourage long-term gifts and bequests.
Length: 2–4 minutes
Feature:

• Existing legacy donors
• Family stories
• Lasting impact

18. Board Member Spotlight Videos

Purpose: Increase organizational credibility.
Length: 1–2 minutes
Topics:

• Why they serve
• Vision for the mission
• Community impact

19. New Supporter Welcome Video

Purpose: Onboard new donors, volunteers, and subscribers.
Length: 1–2 minutes
Use in:

• Email automation
• Membership programs
• Volunteer onboarding

20. Crisis or Urgent Appeal Video

Purpose: Rapid fundraising during emergencies.
Length: 30–90 seconds
Examples:

• Disaster relief
• Funding shortfall
• Emergency rescue operations

Ready to start telling your story through video? Check our our article on planning a successful video campaign here.

Preproduction

The Goal:

Executive Director, Jessica Martz contacted GLBAL media to produce a video that would highlight the mission of her new nonprofit volleyball club. As a new club she understood how hard it would be to describe what sets them apart without being able to show people. We discussed how video could be vital in attracting talented players and explaining the mission of Old Georgetown Volleyball Club.

The Strategy:

Coming from a military background, Jess was familiar with the need for a strategy. We discussed different types of videos and suggested a video strategy that would help highlight the team’s mission, competitiveness and balance for raising future leaders. As a nonprofit club we also produced specific fundraising videos to show potential donors.

Production

Filming:

The GLBAL media team met at American University to film interviews with the players and coaches and document b-roll from a practice. Using both cinema cameras, drones and GoPro’s we were able to gather footage that matches the intensity of this sport and the skill of their players.

Postproduction

Editing:

After filming we archived all the footage and got to work on the edits. We produced a company brand video, fundraising video and 3 reels to help with recruiting, fundraising and awareness.

Looking ahead

We wish Old Georgetown Volleyball Club the best of luck and look forward to producing a follow up video soon.

Step 1: Discovery

Step 2: Pre-production

Step 3: Production

Step 4: Post-production

Step 5: Delivery

The Table Podcast

Justin Willet, lead storyteller at GLBAL media sat down with his brother Jeremy Willet, founder of The Million Movement and podcast host Jason Squires on The Table Podcast to discuss the art of storytelling and what it means to create with compassion. Listen as they discuss the differences between reporters and storytellers, how they approach international trips with dignity and what is compassion. Make sure you listen until the end to hear what the weirdest food they’ve eaten was.

Episode Description:

Leaders Who Create Compassion: Join Jason Squires as he sits down with Justin and Jeremy Willet to explore how creativity and compassion shape the way we tell the world’s stories. Justin serves as the CEO of GLBAL Media, gathering footage and crafting narratives that help nonprofits share their impact. Jeremy leads The Million Movement, an initiative with a bold vision to see 1,000,000 kids sponsored by 2050.Together, these brothers have devoted their lives to making a difference around the world. In this episode, they dive into purpose, what first led them to share global stories, how they define compassion, and why creative storytelling connects with audiences in ways simple reporting cannot. They also break down how creativity can move people from awareness to action and what makes a story powerful enough to spark real, lasting change. Learn more about them at https://www.glbalmedia.com/ and https://themillionmovement.com/.

4MyCiTy Brand Video

GLBAL media produced this brand video for the nonprofit 4MyCiTy to highlight their sustainability and food recovery programs in Baltimore, MD. 4MyCiTy rescues, distributes and composts food that otherwise would have been wasted. Learn more at: https://4mycity.us

4MyCiTy – Day In The Life Video

Come behind the scenes with the Baltimore nonprofit 4MyCiTy and their team of volunteers as they rescue, distribute and compost food.

4MyCiTy – Food Rescue Video

Ride along with 4MyCiTy as they rescue food in and around Baltimore, MD. Stops include Home Chef, Kneads Bakery and First Fruits Farm. Produced by GLBAL media this video highlights a day in the life of 4MyCiTy’s rescue efforts.

4 steps to plan a nonprofit video

Welcome to GLBAL media’s Nonprofit Marketing Series.

Today we’re going to talk about 4 steps to plan a successful nonprofit video.

Let’s say you’re a local nonprofit that serves clients in a specific geographical area. For the sake of this example, you run a local food bank that accepts donations and provides meals for families in need.

How to plan a successful nonprofit video

Step 1: You need to identify what is the purpose of the video? Depending on your current needs this could vary from an appeal for donations, to a general about video, a how to video, or even an interview with someone who benefits from your services.

Step 2: Who is your audience and how long you plan to use the video? Is it potential donors, people that benefit from the services you provide, or major donors that are going to sign the big check at the end of the year? Having clarity on who your audience is will help you define the messaging. For our example let’s say your audience is potential donors and you plan to run the campaign for 30 days.

Step 3: What is the call to action? We recommend only including one ask in your video. In a single video you should not ask someone to donate canned goods, volunteer at the office and give money on the website. By presenting multiple options you actually create confusion for the viewer and give them an excuse not to do anything.

After you identify the purpose, audience and call to action for the video, you can move on to step 4.

Step 4: What is the best type of video to meet your purpose? Is this video a sitdown interview, b-roll footage with a voice over or a commercial piece that would use actors to deliver your message. Since we want to include someone receiving the donations we’ll film an interview locally.

So back to our example of a local foodbank. So far you’ve identified that the purpose of your video is to increase donations, your audience is potential donors,, the call to action is to donate canned goods and the best type of video to accomplish that is an interview with someone who benefits from these donations. The next step is to plan how you will get this video in front of those potential donors. Will you be running facebook or instagram ads, embedding it on your website, sending a link to an email list or all of the above?

Creating a campaign budget

At this point you can start to assemble a pretty accurate budget for your project. Let’s say you reach out to a local video production company with your vision and they quote $5,000 to film and edit your video. You also budget another $2,500 in ad spend to make sure you can get this in front of the people you want to see it. So all in your budget is $7,500.

In step two we recommended identifying who the audience is but also how long you plan to run the campaign. Some videos are legacy videos that can live on the website for months or even years and still be relevant. These videos can benefit from a larger budget because of their longevity. Other videos have a shelf life of 1 week because they’re specific to a campaign or relative to that time of year.

Is your video budget realistic?

So at $7,500 do you have a donation process in place to support the increased traffic it will take to raise over $7,500?

Is your website user friendly and setup well to process donations. If not you may want to consider investing there first. Let’s assume you have a great website, good systems in place for accepting donations and donor management.

• Start by reviewing your records and pulling some real numbers.
• Do you offer recurring giving or just one time gifts?
• How long do recurring donors typically last?
• What’s the average amount you typically receive?

Once you have these numbers you can calculate how many people you need to donate in order to surpass your investment. Check out our other video about how to calculate your ROI for nonprofit videos.

At GLBAL media we help nonprofits tell their story, create a strategy and reach new donors. Schedule your strategy session here. 

What is the ROI for nonprofit videos?

Welcome to our Nonprofit Marketing series. I’m Justin Willet from GLBAL media – a story first creative agency for nonprofits. As a video production company we are often asked “what is the ROI or return on investment for video?”

Especially since a lot of the clients we work with are nonprofits they are accountable for every penny spent and want to make sure it is a worth while investment. So, what is the ROI for nonprofit videos? The short answer is…It depends.

I know, I know, not the answer you were hoping for, but there really are a lot that can affect this. Just having a video regardless of how good it is is not going to increase donations or even raise awareness about your cause. Filming an about or testimonial video and uploading it to Facebook, Instagram or Youtube is not going to trigger overnight success.

What is ROI and how to measure it?

So what is ROI anyway? We won’t spend a lot of time explaining ROI because there’s plenty of resources already for that, but ROI stands for return on investment and is how much money your video generates after subtracting the cost to produce the video.

Most likely there are other costs associated with a video campaign like ad spend, email marketing, credit card processing fees, etc. so make sure you factor all of that into your investment to get an accurate figure.

Let’s use simple numbers to explain this. Your nonprofit hires a local video production company and you pay $1,000 for the video. After uploading the video you receive $5,000 in donations. Your ROI would be $4,000 or 400%.

In order to get your percentage first take the revenue ($5,000) – investment ($1,000) divided by the investment ($1,000) and x 100.

What is a healthy ROI for nonprofit videos?

Over the years we’ve worked on projects that have generated an ROI of over 400,000%! You heard that right, 400,000%.

How is that even possible? We started with a vision and a plan to get the video in front of the right audience. This specific campaign ran for several years and was continually in front of new viewers.

According to Wyzowl 93% of marketers say video marketing has given them a good ROI. So even if you don’t break into 6 figure returns, video is still a great place to invest. However, the actual video itself is only one piece of the marketing puzzle. When used in conjunction with other marketing it can be widely successful… I’d even argue it’s one of the best resources a nonprofit can use to help tell your story.

How can I increase the ROI for my nonprofit video?

In order to increase your ROI, you first need to make sure you have metrics in place to track the success of your video. How will you measure the success of the video? Will it be based on total views, shares or donations? This probably depends on the goal of the video which we’ll cover in another episode but in order to increase your ROI you first need to know what your objectives are and make sure you set realistic goals.

One of the easiest ways to actually increase your videos ROI is to repurpose the video content. An example of this is to film a long form interview with your founder for your website and then edit shorter clips to use as reels or stories on social media. Your initial cost for filming hasn’t changed but you were able to reuse the same content on different platforms that will hopefully lead to additional donations.

At GLBAL media we help nonprofits tell their story, create a strategy and reach new donors. Schedule a strategy session here to get started. 

GLBAL media is a digital agency for nonprofits. We film and produce fundraising videos and nonprofit videos. Some of our past projects have been for ChildFund and Lauren Daigle, Children International and MercyMe, and a Westminster, Maryland nonprofit Together We Own It.

Often we work closely with nonprofits and artists to develop unique digital campaigns tailored to their brand like the ones below for ChildFund and Lauren Daigle tour and the two for Children International and MercyMe.

We also film and produce videos for nonprofits like the one below for Together We Own It located in Westminster, Maryland. In this blog, we shared the story of how this video led to an individual donating a $10,000 gift to Together We Own It because they saw this video on social media. As a company, we believe in the power of storytelling and how it inspires others to take action.