Fundraising Video Case Study: New Narrative
About Our Client
New Narrative is an integrative mental health nonprofit in Portland, OR, that believes participants should have agency over their recovery journey. They approached us to create a fundraising video for their annual Gala event.
The Challenge
New Narrative wanted the video to touch on each of the services they provide: clinical care, peer programs, and housing services. They also wanted to highlight their staff, buildings, and whole-person wellness philosophy.
Our Approach to Fundraising Video Production
New Narrative provides a wide range of important services throughout Portland. To showcase this, we had to capture distinct spaces, the people who help run them, and the care they provide to participants.
We planned to interview specialists for each of New Narrative’s services, its CEO, and participants, and to film at a clinical center, a conference meeting, a peer support center, participants’ housing, a pharmacy, and a residential treatment facility. This would showcase every aspect of New Narrative’s whole-person wellness and the work that goes into it.
Capturing Impact
When working with nonprofits, especially when raising funds, it's always critical to hear from the people benefiting from the services. This adds validity and creates an emotional connection.
New Narrative knew what they wanted to highlight, and we helped steer the creative and logistics to accomplish this in a way that would resonate on video with those at the fundraiser. For example, New Narrative wanted to capture the community aspect that they help facilitate. We made sure our filming days would include a community event so we could show participants naturally engaging in activities together, rather than staging something or being limited to isolated shots.
Filming Non-Profit Services
When filming with nonprofits, such as New Narrative, respect for participants is paramount. We want to help them share their story in a way that they have agency over. We make sure to be aware of who wants to be filmed and who doesn’t, so we can create a space where everyone feels comfortable. We get to know the participants who want to be interviewed and take into consideration their unique backgrounds and life experiences.
We wanted to highlight the women who led New Narrative. The CEO and specialists we interviewed were all female. This show how New Narrative is doing good work out in the community, while also practicing inclusion and diversity in their leadership roles. We had pre-interviews with each of them. This helped us to understand what they do and the philosophy behind it, and helped them feel ready to be on camera.
We captured everything from the everyday care, such as making beds, to unique services, such as filling prescriptions, to the culture, such as staff playing Jenga. Participants told their stories and showed off their interests and talents. We made sure each space felt aligned with the same mission while providing its own unique form of care. We also captured the broader Portland community by filming throughout the city to present the larger picture of New Narrative's impact.
The Results
New Narrative screened the video at their annual gala fundraiser. It was a successful night, filled with plenty of paddle raising!
