Top 5 benefits of explainer videos for nonprofits

For most nonprofits, getting public support is the number one priority. Whether it's for increased awareness or to raise vital funds, ensuring that your audience understands exactly what you're working towards and why it's important is crucial to your success. But getting the message across clearly and succinctly can be tricky. You only have a short amount of time to capture the attention of your audience.

That’s where explainer videos come into play. They help you explain the work you do with clarity, while engaging your audience and keeping their attention focused on your content. Explainer videos are normally under two minutes long and are often animated to help you show off your personality and style.

So how could your organization benefit from an explainer video? We’re sharing five reasons why explainers are so effective for nonprofits. If you’d like any help creating a custom explainer for your cause, contact the Sparkol Studio

Explainer videos educate

Sometimes it’s not immediately obvious what a nonprofit does. Although their name may offer up clues, their goal isn’t always apparent. Unlike the charities WaterAid and Save the Children, the target of Some1Like Me’s work is not necessarily clear the first time you hear their name.

Some1Like Me is a fantastic nonprofit working to address some of the issues Latinx and African-American students face when they don’t have mentors that look like themselves. Here, they use an explainer video to educate their audience on why this problem is so widespread. They clearly layout the issues that arise and explain how their app will help bridge these gaps.

The explainer video is an easy way to educate on an issue and maintain the audience’s attention throughout. Compared to live-action, the animator can add captions, infographics and images. When nonprofits often need statistics to illustrate their point, animation is a much more engaging way to share them in comparison to - let’s say - a voice-over reeling off stats during a live-action video. 

Explainer videos provoke emotion

Unfortunately it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. The reality is that if a nonprofit is trying to solve a problem, that problem can often be pretty harrowing to hear about. Sometimes it takes an emotional response to spark support and funding.

An explainer video can provoke these emotions, creating the outrage that many topics need and deserve. The Girl Effect provides girls with an education in developing countries, aiming to stop the cycle of poverty and child marriage that ensues throughout generations.

Talking about the challenges some girls in developing countries face is an emotive topic in itself, but the Girl Effect emphasizes this through their explainer video. With a fast moving pace and dramatic soundtrack, the viewer is drawn in and forced to concentrate for the duration of the video.

Our emotions are then uplifted when the music changes and the video explains how beneficial keeping a girl in school can be for both the individual and the wider community. The viewer is taken on a journey which ends with a message of hope, just the sort of tone a nonprofit explainer should conclude on.

Explainer videos help you spread your message with the world

Whether we like it or not, the reality is that most people would far rather watch a video than read a body of text. In fact, why spend 10 minutes reading something that could be easily conveyed in a 2 minute clip?

Video allows you to easily spread your message. 92% of users watching a video on mobile will share it with others, making it an important platform to create awareness. When a nonprofit is dependent on public support to be successful in its goals, using the power of video is imperative to reach as many people as possible.

Not only is video far more engaging than text, but its adaptability makes video the clear winner. An explainer can be shared on social media, incorporated into presentations or used as a QR code on a leaflet. Also, an explainer video can be viewed without sound, which is important when most social media users will be scrolling without their audio on.

Explainer videos boost fundraising

Use an explainer to drive funding by finishing with a call-to-action. It’s one thing to explain what you’re doing to tackle a problem, but without letting the public know what they can do to help, your success will be limited.

In this video a local food bank ends by asking for donations. Having guided the viewer through why Kate needs to access meals at the foodbank, they conclude by asking for the public’s help.

This is a great example of a local nonprofit organization harnessing the power of an explainer to increase support. It’s not just large-scale organizations that have the tools to produce great explainer videos. With software like VideoScribe, any individual can produce an explainer no matter how big or small their organization is.

VideoScribe is designed to be easy-to-use whilst creating professional results. In fact, we’re so confident of this we offer a free trial (and you don’t need a credit card to sign up!)

Explainer videos help you communicate with stakeholders

So, you’ve identified an issue, set up a nonprofit to tackle this and have been seeing brilliant results from all your hard work. But, the issue you’re working to resolve isn’t going to be fixed overnight. In order to carry on you need the long-term support of stakeholders. From investors to volunteers, you need to let them know how much they’re appreciated.

An explainer can be a terrific way of thanking stakeholders for their continued support, allowing them to see the direct impact it has had. In this video, Save the Children explains how their sponsors have been transforming the lives of children worldwide. With a personal tone, you feel as though the narrator and children are speaking to you specifically.

When an individual hands over money to a profit-making organization they get access to services and products in return. In effect, they personally feel the benefits of that transaction. In contrast, when an individual donates time or money to a nonprofit, they won’t be able to see this impact so immediately. Communication is crucial to highlighting this.

It’s for these five reasons that explainer videos are such brilliant communications tools that enable you to express your thanks and keep the support rolling in.