What Nonprofits Need to Know About Video
There are two primary reasons for your nonprofit organization to embrace video as a communication tool:
When done well, video serves as a powerful storytelling tool that complements an organization’s use of written narratives and still photography to explain, influence and motivate.
On social media, viewers engage with video content more than non-video content and, as a result, the videos are delivered to many more people, including non-followers.
Some key social media statistics*:
89% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
Users retain 95% of a message watched on video as opposed to only 10% read in text.
Short-form video (less than 60 seconds) delivers the highest ROI (return on investment) compared to other marketing trends and will secure more investment in 2025 than any other format.
*Source: 60+ social media video statistics marketers need to know in 2025
The Project: Encourage More Blood Donations
I recently completed a video project for the American Red Cross in which I quickly interviewed about a dozen people over the course of a few hours on one day. The subject: why people donate blood.
In the past, I had conducted these types of interviews by photographing blood donors and writing up their stories for publication on the Red Cross’s social media platforms.
This time, instead, I created a series of short videos that ran every few days over the course of a month. These were similar to written stories but because these were videos, they reached considerably more viewers in the same period of time.
The Premise: Three Questions
The premise behind this “three questions” approach was to keep the interviews short and to ask all interviewees the same three questions. This would allow each person’s answers to stand alone as a separate video, but also allow us to combine a wide variety of responses together in a “supercut” video, an example of which you can view below.
All interviewees were told that we were going to ask them three quick questions, one of which would be: “What is your name?” In doing so, we emphasized the brevity of the interview.
The three questions:
What is your name?
And when saying their name, we asked each of them to say, “My name is ” to give us the option to not include the voice of the interviewer. For the sake of uniformity and getting to the point of the interview quickly, we encouraged people to use only their first name.When did you first start donating blood? (and if you have a story about what caused you to start donating, tell the story).
The key to gathering personal stories is to find the truly unique and inspirational ones. By asking this question, we encouraged donors to tell a fuller story, and one they likely wished to tell.Why do you donate blood?
Here, we got answers ranging from “It’s the right thing to do,” to other, much longer and insightful explanations of why they do what they do. All were good, of course.
The Result
A 26-second interview of a blood donor, in vertical format, with captions. © Kevin Suttlehan/American Red Cross
The Supercut
A supercut is a fast-paced compilation of clips. When used on social media, this style of video has two key benefits:
It quickly grabs the viewer’s attention. According to experts, you have a maximum of about 7 seconds to grab someone’s attention on social media.
It retains the viewer’s attention longer. People will hear more of your message, and social media platforms use this data to “decide” whether or not to keep showing your video to other viewers—your current followers and, more significantly, to non-followers who may have an interest in your organization’s mission.
A 59-second supercut video combining 19 clips from interviews of 11 blood donors. © Kevin Suttlehan/American Red Cross
To donate blood or learn more about the American Red Cross, see: American Red Cross.
A Template for Other Organizations
The following chart offers some examples of how this approach to short video interviews can be used by your nonprofit organization to interview your key constituencies, such as your volunteers, supporters, the people you serve, and even your board members.
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“My name is ___.”
“I first started volunteering here after a family member was served by this organization.”
“I continue to give my time because they rely on volunteers and I find the work personally rewarding.”
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“My name is ___.”
“We first started supporting this organization when my company announced it was offering to match our donation.”
“We continue to support the organization because we have seen first hand its impact on the community.”
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“My name is ___.”
“When my family first moved here we had a really hard time affording decent food—until we learned of this organization.”
“While we are better off now, we are back here today because we still need to supplement our food supply from time to time.”
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“My name is ___.”
“I was first asked to join the Board because of my previous fundraising experience.”
“I continue to be impressed by how the organization delivers on its mission year-round, I will stay as long as they will have me.”
Note that this style of collecting and creating content is especially efficient at events such as meetings or fundraisers, where people gather and can afford to step aside to answer a few questions.
For instance, each of our three-question video interviews of blood donors discussed above took less than one minute and were completed in a single take.
Summary: Maximizing a Video’s Reach on Social Media
Grab attention in the first 3 seconds.
Capture attention immediately with an intriguing visual, bold text, or a strong opening line.Shoot in vertical format (9:16 Ratio).
In doing so, you optimize the video for mobile viewing since most users consume content on their phones.
Vertical video takes up the full screen and delivers an immersive experience.Keep it short and concise (under 60 seconds).
Most social media platforms favor short videos.Create high-quality visuals with good sound.
Clear, high-resolution videos stand out on crowded feeds.
Whether you are using a professional camera or a cellphone, quality sound will usually require the use an external microphone.
In noisy environments, such as those in featured in the above videos, it is also helpful to use video editing software with voice isolation and optimization features.Use appropriate music.
Adding music to any video will expand its reach, and the right music can multiply its impact.
Use only licensed music to avoid being flagged by social media platforms for copyright issues. (One source for licensed music is Bensound).Add captions and text overlays.
While quality sound is essential, many viewers will end up watching your videos without sound. Adding captions and text overlays increases engagement and accessibility. Use bold, easy-to-read fonts to emphasize key points.End with a strong call to action. Encourage engagement with prompts like “Learn More” and “Give Today.”
Equipment used to film the videos appearing in this article:
Nikon Z6iii, recording in 4K @ 24 fps, N-RAW (12 bit), ISO 800
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens
ProGrade Digital 325GB CFexpress Type B Memory Card (Cobalt)
SmallRig Camera Cage with Top and Side Handles
Rode Shotgun Microphone
© 2025 Kevin Suttlehan
About Us
We are a New York-based photography services company specializing in crafting visual narratives for nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
Our expertise:
Documentary-style photography and videography
Drone photography and videography
Disaster response photography
Visual campaigns for fundraising and advocacy
Event photography
Headshots and environmental portraits
Cover Photo: Silhouette image of a video
camera rig with an external microphone.
© 2025 Kevin Suttlehan