Lights, Camera, Advocacy in Action!

Nonprofits are shining the spotlight on advocacy by incorporating quick, easy-to-make videos on smart phones to inform and engage their audiences and lawmakers. Here are recent examples in which state associations of nonprofits give staff and members the lead roles in explaining policy issues and how they affect their organizations in clips and videos they share with their networks.

Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA) recently shared how they increase engagement through short videos. “We wanted to create a fun way to engage with our audience, advance advocacy across the state, and highlight topics relevant to the sector, so we began filming short videos called ‘DANA’s Mission Minute,” said Jessica Bell, Director of Communications at DANA. Bell further explains, “Our videos have featured the entire DANA team, or individual team members, and we sometimes film while on location when out and about. The videos have added value to our communications and they’ve been a great way to share our message in our newsletters, social media, and website.”

Nonprofit staff across Washington State starred in a Washington Nonprofits video on the upcoming census, a video that has many people talking. By asking nonprofits to explain why the 2020 Census matters to their missions, the state association is able to showcase the need for adequate funding to ensure a fair, accurate, and complete count, getting out the count, and how the Census impacts the works of nonprofits. To further spread the message (i.e., advocate), Washington Nonprofits launched a postcard campaign in conjunction with the video. It invited viewers and members to write postcards to Congress about why the Census is important to them and ask that any citizenship question not be included. The template was free to download and all postcards will be hand-delivered when their policy team comes to Capitol Hill in June. Participants then spread the campaign even further by sharing on social media.

Finally, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits has mastered the art of “on location” shoots to make quick snippets of what is happening at the legislature, such as measures to strengthen the charitable deduction and to protect nonprofits from additional state unrelated business income tax imposed because of the new federal tax law. Filming in front of the state capitol and at a rapid transit station, MCN’s duo has been able to show how various tax policies would affect nonprofits. They end each video with a call to action and provide additional information in the comments. The short videos simplify complex issues, thank legislators, and invite viewers to engage.

With just a smart phone, you too can make movie magic (and advocacy action).