How to fundraise using video and podcasts

Videos are a great way to tell stories on social media, and the fact that they can be easily shared makes them a brilliant tool for fundraising. Here is some key advice to help you engage and inspire your existing supporters – and help you find new ones.

Focus on your story

Why are you taking on this fundraising campaign? If you’ve got a personal story to share, – maybe someone important to you was helped by the charity you’re raising funds for – make sure that is part of your appeal.

Don’t worry about making it perfect...

As long as you’re honest, authentic, passionate about your cause and true to yourself you will inspire people. A smartphone camera on selfie mode will comfortably do the job.

...Although there’s no harm asking for help

If you do have friends who can help you make your video look a bit more professional it’s a great idea to get them involved. Think of it as not just getting help from them but making them part of your fundraising journey. One useful app to know about is Quik, which lets you select footage from your training, fundraising or inspirational videos, choose a soundtrack and then sit back and watch the app match the footage to the rhythm of the track. The beauty of it is that you don’t need to know the first thing about editing a video in order to create a professional-looking video.

Be direct

Don’t assume people will donate money after watching your video. They might need a bit of encouragement so make sure you ask viewers directly to support you.

Get feedback

You should also encourage viewers to comment on your video, so that even if they’re unable to donate money they can help motivate you and keep you going. The positive comments might even encourage you to make more videos!

Other options

You don’t need to limit yourself to video - podcasts and audio clips can be super powerful ways of spreading your message too. To get started, check out Anchor, an app which is used in the creation of a third of new podcasts. Its success is due to the fact that you don’t need to be a podcasting expert – its simple design means that you're able to record and broadcast at the drop of a hat. It's easy to drag and drop audio from GarageBand or other apps into your podcast content too, contributing to a more bespoke, professional end product.