In the battle for attention in today’s digital landscape, nonprofits might believe they are disadvantaged vs. for profit brands that flex big budgets, celebrity endorsements, top end music and super premium visual production. In fact, when it comes to content, we believe the opposite is true. Non-profits have a significant advantage over for-profit organizations, and it’s one that too often goes overlooked: content that resonates on a deeply human level — images and videos that tell authentic stories of positive impact.

While for-profit brands often need to stage or manufacture this type of emotional connection through well-produced (and often expensive) advertising campaigns, most nonprofits are sitting on a goldmine of real-life content that can be repurposed to fuel engagement and drive impact.

The Power of Authentic Content

In the digital age, consumers are savvier than ever. They can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. When a glossy commercial featuring paid actors airs during primetime TV, viewers understand they’re being sold something. While these types of ads have their place, they rarely build the kind of deep, lasting connection that moves someone to action.

2024 Edelman Trust Barometer research consistently shows that trust in institutions (including nonprofits) is critical for brand success. In the 2024 report, 81% of respondents said that trust is a deciding factor in purchasing decisions. Nonprofits, which are seen as more transparent and aligned with values, often come out ahead in this space compared to for-profit businesses.

Keep it Fresh

Brands and for-profit organizations face an ongoing struggle to continuously generate fresh content. Facebook (Meta) research confirms that campaigns with 3-10x more pieces of creative content significantly outperforms ad sets with only a single piece of creative content.¹ Yet another study from Meta confirmed that ads made from new video uploads had 8% more conversions per dollar than ads made with videos reused from other campaigns.²

This is good news for Nonprofits is that they have a distinct advantage here. The core of their mission revolves around making a tangible difference in people’s lives — whether it’s feeding the hungry, educating children, or advocating for the environment. This creates endless opportunities to capture real moments that tell powerful stories, with far greater authenticity & trust in the organization (and mission). Simply bringing cameras into the field to capture moments of aid, care, or transformation can generate footage that is raw, genuine, and emotionally charged. For example, an organization working to provide clean drinking water in remote areas doesn’t need to create a script to convey its impact. The sight of a family joyfully using a new water well speaks volumes. These kinds of images and videos are not only authentic but are inherently tied to the mission of the nonprofit itself, giving audiences a clear reason to support. Nonprofits should consider doing more of the following

1. Document Real-Time Impact with Smartphones. Use smartphones to capture candid photos and videos of on-the-ground activities, beneficiaries, volunteers, or events. These don’t need to be high-end productions—authenticity often resonates more than polished, professional visuals.
2. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC). Encourage supporters, volunteers, and beneficiaries to create and share their own visual content related to the nonprofit’s mission. This could include photos, videos, or even testimonials posted on social media using a branded hashtag.
3. Showcase Behind-the-Scenes Moments. Share photos or videos that take your audience behind the curtain, offering a look at your team, volunteers, or operations in action. This can be as simple as a day in the life of a staff member or a tour of your office or service area.

Content is just the beginning

A library of emotionally powerful and authentic content is just the start. How can non-profit organizations activate these assets to drive impact?

1. Make better videos! Creating video stories has historically been an expensive endeavor. Nowadays, with the help of AI-enabled tools such as Adobe, InVideo, or Canva, organizations can easily, and efficiently transform their library of static images into powerful video stories that can be used to enhance social media, email campaigns, and fundraising campaigns.
2. Acquire new & younger donors with paid advertising. Visual storytelling is a key driver of effective advertising. Armed with these assets, nonprofits are well equipped to take advantage of powerful paid advertising tools offered by Meta and Google to reach and inspire new people, and acquire new donors with paid ads.
3. Develop corporate partnerships, Nonprofits can use authentic content to demonstrate their positive impact to potential corporate partners. Authentic content, such as before-and-after impact images or beneficiary stories, can be packaged into pitch decks or proposals to attract CSR partnerships or sponsorships
4. Building community on social media. Nonprofits should focus on sharing real-life stories from the communities they serve, by more frequently posting short videos or photo series that highlight specific beneficiaries or projects.

Ultimately, nonprofits are positioned to succeed in the content-driven world of digital marketing because they’re not just telling stories — they are the stories. And they have the receipts to prove it, in the form of countless images and videos of lives changed, environments restored, and futures transformed. By capturing and activating the emotional and human side of their work, nonprofits can not only inspire action but also build sustainable revenue streams that help them scale their positive impact for years to come.

 ¹Source: Statistical meta-analysis of A/B tests run in a cross vertical and global recruited experiment during Oct to Nov 2023 with SMB advertisers who spent at least $5,000 in the last 90 days. Research findings do not guarantee future results.

 ²Source: ML (GBDT) analysis of 1M+ 9:16 video ads with audio in direct response ad sets. Ads ran January-February 2024, globally, across verticals. Audio features were clustered from ML audio detection models.