How Nonprofits Can Start Using Video on Social Media

Many nonprofit organizations want to post video content to social media, but it can feel a bit overwhelming if you’ve never done it before. As video producers, we know where to start and how to follow through. Here are our tips! 

For many, the first hurdle is to actually have video that you can post! You can start simple - no need for a fancy, expensive camera - and shoot video on your phone. For example, at your organization’s next event or program, grab some shots on your phone. If you plan to share the content primarily on social media, you can shoot everything vertically. However, if you want the footage to be used for long-form content (think gala video or brand story video), then you’ll want to shoot horizontally. Here are some tips for how to shoot video on your phone:

• Get a wide, establishing shot. Show the entire room by holding the phone still, in one spot, for at least 10 seconds. You want to give yourself some wiggle room for editing later.

• Get close! Show the finer details with tight shots. Again, try to record for at least 10 seconds to give yourself grace when editing later.

• Get a variety of static shots, pans, and tilts. Switch it up! 

Now that you have the video, post it! Remember, “Good enough is better than perfect.” If you shot some clips from an event, edit it together as an event recap video and post it to your channels. You can edit clips together in the Instagram and TikTok apps, if that’s where you’re posting. Otherwise, you can download editing apps to your phone and edit that way. I like Splice, which has a free version! You can add music to these videos once you upload them to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. 

If your organization doesn’t have frequent events or programming, here are some other video ideas:

• Program or mission explanations from a staff member or volunteer

• Volunteer spotlights…why this person volunteers, what they get out of the experience, etc.

• Staff spotlights…why they do this job, what they love about the work, etc. 

• Behind the scenes of your organization. Maybe it’s a series of videos showing the prep work that goes into the annual gala or golf outing. 

Try out a series! We recently completed a social media series for one of our clients and it was received very well. It was called “OMD Asks” and featured a series of questions we asked One Million Degrees’ Scholars. Think about what you could feature about your organization in a recurring series. It’s a really easy way to come up with consistent content! 

This can be overwhelming, but just start out small. Try to post a video once a month. As you build your video library, try to post weekly! I’m always happy to help troubleshoot a video issue you’re having, so please reach out. And of course, if you need larger video work done, we would love to collaborate with you!