The Missing Piece in Your Nonprofit Video Campaign: Purpose

I recently sat in a planning meeting that left me unsettled. A mission-driven organization was excitedly mapping out their newest campaign: three videos featuring surprise gift card giveaways to random people in the community. Random acts of kindness caught on camera. Who doesn't love that?

But as the meeting progressed, I couldn't shake a growing unease. The idea was good—genuinely good. Do something nice for someone in the community and capture it on video. Yet something fundamental was missing, and it's the same thing I see missing in video campaigns across countless nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.

Purpose.

The Problem with "Winging It"

In that meeting, someone said they wanted to capture "real, raw emotion" in the moment of surprise. I get it. Authentic emotional moments are powerful. They move people. But here's what struck me: they were leaving this pivotal moment entirely up to chance.

Think about what could go wrong. They might ambush someone who's uncomfortable being on camera. The recipient might be having a great day and not have a deep emotional reaction. They might be ambivalent or even annoyed. By not knowing the recipient's story ahead of time, they're gambling with the very element they identified as most important—that authentic emotional connection.

Here's the truth: planning makes authentic moments MORE likely to happen, not less. When you know your recipient has a compelling story, when you understand their struggle and how this gift genuinely impacts their life, you're not manufacturing emotion—you're ensuring the conditions for a meaningful moment are in place.

The Audience Left Behind

But there was a second, equally troubling gap in their planning: they had completely overlooked their own supporters.

Yes, donors and community members would watch the video. They'd probably feel good that an organization they support did something nice for someone. And then what?

Then nothing.

There was no invitation to participate. No way to be part of the good work. No call to action. Their entire audience base—the people who fund their mission, volunteer their time, and champion their cause—were reduced to passive spectators.

Donors don't just want to observe good work; they want to feel involved in it. What if, instead of randomly selecting recipients, the organization had invited their supporters to nominate someone in need? Suddenly, the audience isn't just watching—they're participating in the kindness. They're engaged in a meaningful way with the organization's mission.

Two Questions That Change Everything

Before you grab the camera, before you scout locations or write a script, you need to answer two essential questions:

1. Why are we doing this?

Not the feel-good answer. The specific, measurable goal. Are you trying to raise $130,000 for your youth programs? Recruit 120 new volunteers? Increase website traffic by 40%?

If your answer is something vague like "raise awareness," dig deeper. Awareness of what? And how will you measure it? Even awareness campaigns need specific metrics: website visits, social media shares, email list signups.

Without a clear goal, you won't know if the time and resources you're investing are actually helping your organization. You're creating content in a vacuum.

2. What do we want our audience to do after they watch it?

This is your call to action, and it needs to be crystal clear and trackable.

The beauty of this question is that participation doesn't always require money. You can ask your audience to:

• Donate to the cause

• Nominate someone for your next video

• Share their own stories on your website or social media

• Volunteer their time

• Wear or distribute campaign merchandise

• Share your posts and spread the word

• Visit a specific landing page to learn more

  
  

The key is that whatever you ask them to do must be something you can measure and track. Otherwise, how will you know if your video campaign succeeded?

Rethinking the Gift Card Campaign

Let's return to that gift card video campaign. The core idea is genuinely wonderful—do something nice for someone in the community. Here's how purpose transforms it:

With purpose, the campaign becomes: 

Invite your supporter base to nominate individuals or families facing hardship. Share a handful of these stories (with permission) on social media, building anticipation. When you deliver the gift cards, you're not ambushing strangers—you're meeting real people with real needs that your community has rallied around.

The video captures not just one emotional moment, but a story your audience is already invested in because they helped identify it.

Your call to action? Donate to help more families. Nominate someone else in need. Share the campaign so others can participate. Suddenly, you can track donations, measure engagement, count nominations, and watch your community grow.

The difference? One approach might get you a heartwarming video. The other gets you a movement.

The Bottom Line

A great video without purpose and action isn't productive for any organization—it's just expensive content. But when you approach video strategically, when you know exactly why you're creating it and what you want your audience to do, everything changes.

You're not just making a video. You're creating a tool that serves your mission, engages your community, and produces measurable results.

So before you rush out with the camera, sit down with your team. Answer those two questions. Get clear on your purpose. Because a video with purpose doesn't just tell a story—it writes the next chapter of your organization's impact.

I specialize in authentic storytelling for nonprofits. I've helped organizations consistently increase donations by 40%, grow their subscribers by over 600% and earned over 140,000 views on YouTube. These results were not random. They were the result of planning with purpose. I would love to offer my support to your organization so that your stories resonate with your audience to move them to action. I offer consultations, video preproduction, production and deployment strategy for nonprofits looking to make a significant impact with their mission. Schedule a story discovery call to see how authentic storytelling can ignite your mission.