4 Photo/Video Tools for Nonprofit to Help Increase Supporter Engagement

I am continuing our Social Media Series and featuring a few tools that I came across during my research that  might complement a nonprofit’s online marketing strategies to improve engagement and nonprofit fundraising. In a previous post I identified 10 Website Tips to Maximize Nonprofit Fundraising and Engagement Opportunities where the importance of good quality images and videos was stressed. That is actually a sentiment that has carried through many of my online marketing related posts as an image and/or video can help tell a more compelling story and appeal to a broader base but it can be intimidating for those starting out.

In this post I will highlight 4 photo/video tools that can help a nonprofit deliver a stronger and impactful message through the power of images and video.

1. Creative Commons. One of the biggest challenges that nonprofits face when sharing and publishing existing images or video is the copyright and the cost of stock images. Usually it’s challenging to produce an original photograph that is appropriate to the content or the message being delivered. However, Creative Commons can help a nonprofit circumvent these challenges by providing images at no cost and without copyright issues. As a nonprofit organization itself, Creative Commons facilitates the sharing and use of images legally. Providing four distinct options for the borrower, from noncommercial use to attribution (giving the owner credit) there are millions of images that nonprofits can access free of charge provided they select the license that best fits them.
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   Image courtesy of visualparadox.com

   FotoFlexer. Originally a platform that was associated with Picnik (which no longer exists), this online photo editor is 100% free and can help a nonprofit with the very basic aspects of editing images including resizing, cropping, auto fixing, rotating and flipping and adjusting the contrast. Other more advanced features include adding special effects, decorating, animating, distorting, adding layers and morphing images. Photos can be uploaded from your desktop, but can also be uploaded and edited from Facebook, directly from the web and a few other platforms.

3. PhotoShop Touch. Set as an application, this Adobe product is low cost and is rich in features which can quickly combine images, add special effects and share final products directly on to Facebook. Available to run only on iPad and Android tablets the application edits images by combining multiple images with layers, selecting and extracting specific areas of an image, applying special effects and filters, painting special effects, adjusting tone and colour, adding text and much more. Although it may seem more advanced and take a bit of time to understand, PhotoShop Touch can produce a stunning finished product. More advanced users may want to consider one of Adobe’s original and regular Photoshop products.
4. Screenr. In a previous post I wrote about 6 Ways to Maximize Online Video Marketing for Nonprofit Fundraising Appeals and Supporter Engagement and how original videos are an excellent tool and can be created without having expensive production values. Screenr, a completely free web-based recorder, can quickly and easily create videos (screencasts) of your computer screen with the click of a button. It’s a great way for nonprofits to create video content or webcasts that can then be posted on their blog, website, YouTube channel or automatically distributed via Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms from the Screenr platform. Combined with PowerPoint Presentations, Screenr can be an excellent way to create videos with a strong message without any production costs. Relatively low cost paid subscriptions have increased benefits and your account can be upgraded as your video initiatives and requirements grow.

Adding visual elements to your online marketing strategies will help increase overall engagement and these free and low-cost tools can definitely help polish and beautify your efforts. To really maximize the benefits of these tools it’s important to spend time learning the features, reviewing the FAQ’s and tutorials to ensure you are optimizing your time and maximizing what they can do.

Feel free to browse through the other posts in our Social Media Series for nonprofits which includes a series on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest along with other related topics.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.