This post was initially published by Graduway.
Gratavid is the market-leading platform for enabling organizations to create personalized videos and send them via email and text, resulting in an 81% open rate. Looking for a creative, innovative way to boost admissions, engagement and philanthropy at your organization? See the top ten ways to use personalized video messaging to do just that.
1. Giving Days
Create personalized messaging at scale for engagement, solicitation, and recognition.
2. Stewardship
Send a personalized video message from someone directly impacted by the donation such as an academic or athletic scholarship recipient. If the donation impacts multiple areas, don’t be afraid to send two or more videos.
Segment your videos! After your initial thank you, consider sending out a follow-up impact message and thank you for referencing something specific about their donation. Examples: “Thank you for your loyal giving,” “Thank you for your first gift,” or “Thank you for increasing your donation this year.”
3. Organizational updates
Every organization goes through changes. How we communicate these changes is what our constituents remember. Announce a new president, headmaster, program or academic leader with a personalized video and get your message across faster, easier, and with greater impact.
4. Event invitation and follow-up
Before the event
Your constituents are inclined to attend events when they are invited by someone they know or someone directly connected to the event like a board member, a class peer or a family member. Increase your engagement of volunteers and institutional partners by including them in your outreach efforts.
After the event
Use video to follow up and say thank you for attending. Streamline your post-event outreach and embed a survey into your video message to learn more from your attendees or those who registered, but didn’t attend.
5. Volunteers
Volunteers want special access and insider information. Use personalized videos throughout the year to keep them engaged. Update them on organization goals, holidays, fiscal or financial year-end results and thank them for their volunteer efforts. Build organizational buy-in by encouraging students or notable staff members to thank volunteers for their efforts.
6. Multi-annual asks
If you don’t ask for a dual gift, you likely will not get one. For prior donors who haven’t given at the same threshold this year, send a personalized solicitation video thanking them for their current gift and ask them to make another gift to match last year’s philanthropic support.
7. Phonathon + telethon
With new cell phone privacy restrictions, phonathon programs are declining. Use personalized videos to boost contact and conversion rates! Send a personalized video pre-call to have the caller introduce themselves and let the constituent know that the caller is going to reach out.
8. Admissions applications, yield + retention
Personal touches throughout the entire application process help you stand apart from the other school choices—and few things are as personal as personalized videos.
9. Board recruitment and updates
Increase your board pipeline and engagement! Send out personalized videos alerting constituents to open board positions, encouraging your constituents to apply for open board positions and providing updates to current board members.
10. Faculty + staff recognition
Thank outstanding members of your team with a personal video from leadership, notable volunteers and alumni, or even students!
