YMCA Annual Campaign Video

[ about ]

Every year, Greater Somerset County YMCA creates an annual campaign video to rally volunteers and generate donations that support the many programs and services the Y provides to those who otherwise could not afford them. The goal is to illustrate the positive impact of donating to the Y through storytelling. For 2020, this cornerstone of philanthropic communications was produced entirely by the talented in-house team at the end of 2019.

APPROACH & OUTCOME

Taking a cue from a popular TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) trend at the time, the concept involved passing an item (a giant cue card in this case) to an individual just out of frame. The passing of the item triggered a transition to another setting, where an individual pictured there received what appeared to be the exact item (presumably from the person we just saw, who was now out of frame). This approach was particularly well-suited to showcase multiple people, locations, programs, etc., in one cohesive video.

Message-bearing cue cards were produced, a storyboard sequence was drawn up, individuals and groups from specific programs at each Y location were identified, and the shoots were scheduled. Produced 100% in-house, the resulting video content received internal praise and was well-suited for its intended part in the Y’s carefully orchestrated annual giving cycle. It was featured in targeted donor email communications, the weekly member newsletter, the Y’s website, and on branch-specific Facebook accounts alongside association-wide accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Year-over-year YouTube metrics showed that this video received over 1,600—or more than eight times—views compared to the previous year’s content.

Even through the difficulties presented by the 2020 calendar year, this video was the centerpiece of a comprehensive philanthropic campaign that surpassed the annual campaign fundraising goal to reach $1,270,619 raised to provide direct financial assistance to members and program participants as well as community program support.

MY ROLE

Project Lead, Creative Direction & Strategy

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & TOOLS

• Strategy: Brand Messaging | Brand Stewardship | Brand Storytelling | Conceptual Thinking | Content Marketing | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Nonprofit Marketing | Stakeholder Management
• Creative & Production: Budget Management | Creative Development | Creative Services Management | Creative Team Leadership | Storyboarding | Video Shoots
• Tools: Google Docs | Google Sheets | Microsoft Word