March 07, 2021

 

The Problem

Outside of their operating endowment, the Foundation relies solely on donations. Unexpectedly, in the Spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the ability of the fundraising staff at the Foundation to visit donors in person. “The pandemic shut down travel,” explains Tony Vukusich, Vice President of Advancement for the Foundation. “It was an important time for us to pivot. We needed a way to bridge the gap between our direct-mail fundraising components and our in-person efforts.” Tony heard about the CauseVid platform at a conference for fraternal organizations. “CauseVid seemed like a really good fit for us,” shares Tony. “We tried it out and it quickly became an important component of our approach to getting our message out to our donors.”

The Solution

CauseVid helps nonprofits tap into the power of digital fundraising communication to “wow” donors. With high impact personalized video, CauseVid users have an easy and affordable way to be more effective at telling their story, cultivating lasting connections, and raising more funds to accomplish their goals. Video works because people crave meaningful, authentic connection. And many times, a phone call or email isn’t enough. Creating a meaningful and authentic connection doesn’t take a perfectly polished video production or a high-priced marketing campaign. Just putting a human face in the communication is what makes it so effective.

Using CauseVid

The staff at the Foundation has enjoyed using CauseVid. “We received a high level of personal attention from the CauseVid team,” recalls Tony. “They made sure that we were trained on the platform and understood the ins and outs of its capabilities.” In the initial stages, the Foundation used CauseVid videos to invite donors to join them for a virtual visit on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or FaceTime. “CauseVid allowed us to make the invitation in a more personal way because we were able to customize each video,” says Tony. Next, the Foundation used CauseVid to create a followup video to direct-mail solicitations for donations. “A few weeks after a donor received a message in the mail, we would follow up with a video,” explains Tony. “That video would then tie back into our social media presence and other forms of communication. This is how we were able to make video become a part of an omni-channel approach to getting our message out to donors.” The Foundation also uses CauseVid videos to thank their donors. If someone makes a milestone gift, or a first-time gift, a staff member or board member records a quick video to make sure the donor knows that the Foundation appreciates the donor’s generosity. “As you can see, we use CauseVid in all phases of our fundraising program,” confirms Tony.

Saving Time with Bulk Editing and Approval

When the Foundation began using CauseVid, they had to edit the email message attached to each video and approve each video one at a time. This was very time consuming. In response, the Causevid team made feature upgrades to the platform to include bulk editing and approval as a part of the personal and responsive customer support provided. “Now, that bulk editing and approval is a feature, I can go in and approve hundreds of videos at a time,” shares Tony. “Since we process somewhere between 300 and 500 videos each month, this new feature is a huge time saver.

CauseVid Raises the Level of Donor Engagement

CauseVid has had a positive financial impact on the Foundation’s ability to raise funds. “It’s a unique and exciting approach,” claims Tony. “When someone opens an email and there’s a video that’s been made specially for them, they are more likely to watch it and take action than if they received the same old text email and form letters that they get from everyone else.”

The Bottom Line

CauseVid has become an invaluable tool for helping the Foundation continue their fundraising efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. “CauseVid has allowed us to speak to our donors during a time when we aren’t able to reach our donors using traditional means,” adds Tony. “Instead of flying somewhere and spending a few days taking meetings with donors, we are able to be wherever the donor is through this virtual platform. So, it really allows us to fundraise in an efficient way.”