One sure outcome of the current economic situation is that soliciting gifts, whether from individuals, corporations, or foundations, is likely to become even more competitive. And in a more competitive environment, organizations will be looking for better ways to tell their stories.

The ease of video recording and vast improvement in the quality available to even a casual user has made it possible for almost any nonprofit organization to produce and distribute its own DVD. DVDs are only the latest in a long line of materials intended to "tell the story" that an organization wants to put before donors—both individuals and institutional donors such as foundations and corporate giving programs.

I've personally been involved in this for over thirty years, from my time as a United Way Loaned Executive through staff positions in King County and Pierce County United Ways. I lugged those heavy projectors that used 8mm cassette films. The year I was a loaned executive we used a film prepared by the United Way of America. In subsequent years United Way of King County produced its own video.

I make these comments with some anxiety; I don't mean to imply that you need to make a video. I just know by the number of unsolicited DVDs that come my way that a lot of organizations are making videos, which is both good and bad. Done well, a DVD can be a powerful tool for telling an organization's story. But a poorly done DVD can needlessly tarnish the reputation of a good organization.

Over the past several years I've come up with several points that seem to spell the difference between a well done production and a poorly completed project.

First, be clear about the purpose of your video. I've sat through meetings on this topic many times; they are not fun. A good public relations person will hound you to clearly articulate who is your audience? What do you want them to know? Why should they care? And what do you expect them to do?

The point is, if you can't answer those questions, they your video will likely be confusing and of little use.

Here's an example of a good answer to the preceding questions:

The audience is those people and organizations we will solicit for gifts to our major capital campaign. We want the video to help them envision what our new building will look like and how it will help us do a better job of serving even more people than we currently serve. The audience is composed of people who have already supported our organization's work and who may have expressed an interest in our capital campaign. And as a result of the video we want them to reach down deep and make a significant gift to our capital campaign.

Remember, there is a difference between promoting a particular project and promoting your organization for the organization's sake. The former makes for a tight story line, the latter is often unfocused and confusing.

Second, when you have a commitment to a short, tight story line, such as the example above, use it as a guide to edit your process. For example, you might have a great story to share about how your organization was founded. Anecdotes are great ways to plant the seeds of a story. But remember the point of the video. The founding of your organization may be worth a line or two; don't let that story take over the whole video.

Third, be as cautious with pictures and images as you are with spoken narrative. A picture is worth a thousand words; but if you give me forty pictures you've buried me under a small novel of words. And often, the thousand words that an image evokes in my mind won't be the same thousand words it evokes in your mind. All too often visual images are so loaded with meaning to staff and volunteers that they forget that a stranger won't have the same reaction. A group of kids around campfire is just a group of kids around a campfire to me; it's not Mary and Johnny who you know so well because they've been to your camp the past three years.

Finally, be careful about distributing unsolicited videos. Even if it doesn't cost much to burn a DVD and send it to me, I have to wonder how much time and effort was spent on distributing an unsolicited video. On one hand, it feels a bit like the shotgun approach to grant writing. And if that was the distribution plan, what were the answers to some of the other questions raised above?