It was also an example of how easy it is to do a quick thank you video for donors. And I am hoping YOU will make one of your own today.

This article is not going to teach you how to set up formal acknowledgments. Hopefully, you have that set. Now is the time to start stewardship.
According to a report from Kindful and the NextAfter Institute, the first 45 days after a donation is when you are most likely to have the highest open, read and click rates. And, donors are most likely to give a 2nd gift or upgrade to become a recurring donor. If you want to be remembered, here is an easy way to be grateful, stand out from other nonprofits, and maybe even get a 2nd gift.
How do you film a video to thank donors?
Just do it. You can decide if you want to do one for all new donors welcoming them with a new fact. One for major donors reminding them of some of the things you have been able to accomplish thanks to their donations. Or, one for your whole organization.
Decide, and then:
- find the best cell phone in the office/house
- find a decent background that does not distract (the viewer should not be able to read book titles)
- figure out how to prop up the phone (you can DIY it or buy something on Amazon)
- make the space as light as possible by adding warm lights (table lamps can help)
- start “filming”
- Macs have software to edit clips but try not to spend too much time doing it – it is an easy way to delay getting it out.
- send it out
Here is what I learned when I did my video:
- I bought a ring light for $35 on Amazon. I like that it makes propping up the phone easy and has a remote to turn on and off the camera, but the ring light doesn’t work well if you wear glasses. I think my glasses-free kids will use it in the future for fun things.
- It will not be perfect – so don’t try for that. I can pick out 6 things that I would have liked to be different in my video. I am guessing you didn’t notice most of them. And if you did, I am betting that it didn’t change the impact.
- I gave myself one hour to film. I did do it a bunch of times because it takes me awhile to get comfortable and not flub what I want to say
- I had a script that I turned into bullet points and put it up right next to the phone so that I could glance at that. (One of the things that bothers me is that I am looking in a strange direction but I think that is because of how I placed the camera and will change it next time). Keep it simple. This is a thank you with maybe one fact.
- I spent less than 10 minutes editing it.
- I felt really good when I hit send on the blog with it! You will too!
If you create a thank you video, please send me a copy at abigail@merskyjaffe.com or tag me on social media (LinkedIn or Facebook). I love seeing them and learning from all of you. I promise not to notice any flaws.
Originally published in January, 2021