Today I saw a commercial created by the Salvation Army called “Amazing Grace”. What a touching video that really tugs at the heart! If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you look it up on You Tube. But sure, we’ve all seen moving videos that have moved us before. Think of the events in our history that have been etched in our minds. How did those images affect you? Video images motivate us, impact our lives, and make us buy things, go places, or serve our country. I can still picture “Baby Jessica” McClure, 18 months, who captured the nation’s attention when she fell into an old well in her aunt’s backyard. Do you remember a single Chinese man standing alone to block a line of tanks heading for Tiananmen Square, or the coverage of the attempted rescue of miners at the collapsed mine in Sago, West Virginia, or of course the footage of 9/11? People responded to all these events with incredible donations or even joined the military. Some even found a way to get there and volunteered in such large numbers that they were often turned away. They wanted to DO something. Don’t you remember that feeling? What incredible responses to the images that capture our minds. Nothing motivates us more than seeing it for ourselves. Think of the late-night TV commercials for organizations that feed children in Africa. I bet you can imagine one of those kids now. When it snows in Denver during a nationally televised game, calls for reservations at Colorado ski resorts increase by 50 percent. Using a simple two-minute video similarly influences your audience and drives better results at your next profit auction.
So can a charity use this effective tool economically? Definitely! Auctioneers work with many companies that make professional videos for this purpose. If you’re on a tight budget, a DIY video is better than none. You Tube is full of amateur videos that are forwarded all over the world. Hundreds of millions of videos are viewed daily and hundreds of thousands of videos are uploaded daily. In fact, every 60 seconds that pass, 10 hours of new video footage is uploaded to YouTube. Your video does not have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need special equipment. These days most digital cameras are equipped with video capability and there are plenty of tips online that will help you create your own video in minutes. It can be as basic as a few moving still images with or without a simple background song that tells a story about what your organization has done. Or it could be a moving testimony.
Seeing is believing. Make your donors feel like they are part of the bigger picture instead of just sitting in their seats. It’s another important and easy tool to take to your next fundraising auction. Your guests will feel those same feelings we’ve all felt and raise their hands, saying “count me in.”
