Soapbox Engage Blog

When the topic of virtual event fundraising comes up, we wouldn’t blame you if Vimeo didn’t immediately spring to mind. Smaller than Youtube and less visible than Facebook Live, Vimeo is often forgotten when compared to other, more popular video hosting services. But that doesn’t mean Vimeo slacks when it comes to offering great features that are especially useful for nonprofits hosting virtual fundraising events.

We want to bring you a few considerations and tips on getting the most out of Vimeo in hopes that you’ll consider adding it to your toolbox of online resources for fundraising and connecting with your donors.

Table of Contents

Benefits of Vimeo for Nonprofits

• Higher level of control
• A better hosting experience
• Increased professionalism
• Live streaming with Premium

6 Tips for Planning A Virtual Fundraising Event On Vimeo

• Brainstorm content
• Hire production
• Integrate donation and streaming
• Use an engaging thumbnail
• Create your own B-roll filler
• Utilize Vimeo Groups

What is Vimeo?

Vimeo is an online video hosting, streaming, sharing, and services platform. Launched in 2004, Vimeo has worked to develop a robust community that focuses on quality professional video content creation.

But don’t let their emphasis on “quality and professional” scare you! Even you’re just looking for somewhere to host your videos so you can embed or share them without the commitment of a regular upload schedule or channel branding, Vimeo is, without a doubt, one of the best platforms to do that!

Benefits of Vimeo for nonprofits

While you can host for free with Vimeo Basic, we want to point you to some of the benefits in their paid plans that might be particularly noteworthy for fundraising.

Starting as low as $7 a month and with the majority of them offering a free trial, these benefits make Vimeo absolutely worth the investment for virtual galas and other online fundraising events.

1) Vimeo gives you a higher level of control over your content.

Embedding? Everyone offers embedding! But does your embedder let you add your organization’s logo over the entire video? Can you customize end screens, add video chapters, and change the colors of your embedder’s play bar and text?

These are just a few of the services Vimeo gives to you that really help step up your event’s quality and production level. Some plans even allow you to add custom message cards and calls-to-action within your player--a perfect feature for virtual fundraising. Even if someone is watching the recording after the fact, they’ll still be able to engage with the call to action!

Have you ever considered putting your virtual gala content behind a paywall to increase interest and market your content after your gala finishes? Vimeo can help you do that too! Among its wide array of privacy settings, Vimeo gives you the option of hiding video access behind a password or with a private link. After collecting the admission fee, you can direct your guests via password or private link to access the video on their time.

This feature is particularly beneficial if you bring in a high-profile speaker or entertainment that people might be willing to pay a little extra money to hear. Overall, it’s a great way to boost the impact of your hard work.

2) A better hosting experience for all.

Because Vimeo makes its money on service subscriptions, its viewers don’t have to pay the price. When hosting with Vimeo, there will be no advertisements that pop up for viewers before, after, or at random during your virtual event (we’re thinking of you, YouTube).

Vimeo has spent the last 16 years cultivating a community and reputation focused on high-quality cinematography and professionalism. So when your guests see “Vimeo”, they know to expect a higher level of visual storytelling.

Perhaps even more significant, there won’t be any comment walls that turn unprofessional or ugly either.

3) Vimeo helps you be that professional.

Just because Vimeo has a high reputation doesn’t mean they’re elitist. Vimeo’s Video School is their fabulous free resource that you can access to “level up” your videography skills. And, if you’re feeling totally out of your element, Vimeo has a professionals marketplace where you can hire their services to help you show-and-tell your message to your donors.

But let’s say you’re in-between--you’re capable of making content on your own, but maybe you struggle with video editing. Vimeo recently came out with Vimeo Create, an in-platform software that’s designed to help you put together short, high impact social videos. Think of this as your tool to create the B-roll footage your virtual event needs to keep viewers engaged during transitions, downtimes, and alternate shots.

4) Live streaming on the Premium Plan.

With social distancing, live streaming is the new in-person. As a fundraiser and event planner, of course, you want to encourage viewer engagement and capture the excitement that never-before-seen experiences offer. Vimeo gives you that ability without restrictions.

All the same features you’ve come to expect from other live streaming platforms are available through Vimeo: unlimited viewers, 1080p streaming, live graphics, overlay, and chat. You can even stream your video to multiple websites and social media platforms! You’ll receive your video after your stream is finished, and then you can even take advantage of studio encoding software for no extra charge.

When you consider Vimeo’s powerful tools for creating and sharing video, it comes out as a strong contender for hosting your next virtual fundraising event. We’ve put together 6 tips for you to consider so you can get the most out of hosting a virtual fundraising event on Vimeo!

6 Tips for Planning a Virtual Fundraising Event on Vimeo

If you’re thinking of taking advantage of all the slick features Vimeo has to offer for your next virtual fundraising event, here are six tips to help you get the most out of this streaming platform. Don’t worry, it might appear complex and overwhelming, but we’re confident that even the most accidental-techy can get the hang of Vimeo pretty quickly!

1) Brainstorm engaging content

We talked a bit in our guide to planning a flawless virtual fundraiser about brainstorming content, but this advice is so critical it’s worth repeating. If you can’t capture your viewers within the first 30 seconds of their interaction, you’ll likely lose them. You want to “show-and-tell” your message in the most moving way you can as early as possible.

So, focus on those iconic “W” questions, “who, what, and why”. Who is your audience? What are they engaging with these days? How does your movement tie into the bigger picture of their lives? Why should they care? And what speaks to them, moves them, inspires them, encourages their hearts and wallets to open to your cause? What scenery, dialogue, and content can you feature to catch and keep your donors’ interest?

The more time you can spend thinking about the answers to these questions, the stronger your event will resonate with your audience and the more effective your fundraising appeal will be.

2) Hire a production company

When planning a virtual event, there are a number of cost-saving measures that keep more resources in your organization’s coffers. No longer will you need to pay for an event venue or a catering company.

It’s all the more crucial, then, to put the remaining money where it counts: setting a feast for your donors’ eyes. By taking your brainstorming to the video production pros who know all the ins and outs of great visual storytelling, your event will have the polished, professional edge that will set your organization apart. You’re serious about your cause, and now you can show your donors that too!

3) Integrate donation and streaming

We talked a bit before about the great embedding features Vimeo has to offer for your next virtual event. Now it’s time to couple them with a powerful donation software that pulls in the resources your organization needs.

When you embed your virtual fundraising event into the custom page on your organization’s website, you can include easy access donation buttons powered by Soapbox Engage’s Donations App and encourage one-time and recurring donations directly from your website! Now imagine a seamless donation experience, coupled with Vimeo’s call-to-action feature on your virtual event- it’s like magic! The hardest parts are done for you!

4) Use an engaging thumbnail

First impressions are often lasting impressions, especially when thinking about replay value. You’ll want to pick an intriguing and captivating thumbnail (not the one that automatically populates with the poor speaker, caught mid-sentence making that awkward facial expression).

Vimeo allows you to either upload an image file or pull any frame from your video to capture your viewer’s interest. Think about moments or images that capture the theme of your event: inspire, intrigue, encourage, or motivate.

5) Create your own b-roll filler

You should be planning content to fill visual dead spots, transitions, downtimes, and alternate views. This is what the experts call “B-roll.”

If you’re planning on using music, videos, or other audio and stock footage, you may need to purchase a license to use it in your event. On the other hand, if you create your own B-roll ingredients, you can get around the licensing requirement and compile them yourself using Vimeo’s in-browser software.

By using Vimeo Create, you can tie together these B-roll elements into short footage clips you can use during those visual downtimes when you need to cultivate or maintain your audience’s interest.

6) Utilize Vimeo Groups when promoting your virtual fundraiser

Finally, when promoting your virtual event, consider using Vimeo Groups to promote to audiences across Vimeo in addition to your usual social media channels. It’s an easy way to expand your own audience and list of potential supporters!

Vimeo builds these “Groups,” designed to be spaces for community and conversation around videos and topics of interest. If your organization can connect to and resonate with a group on Vimeo, it will increase organic promotion on their platform. In the unlikely event that you find there isn’t a group that fits your organization’s mission, you can always create one of your own!

There’s no question Vimeo is a powerful video hosting platform that you can use to easily increase the quality and availability of your next virtual fundraising event. With the wide variety of options Vimeo offers, your donors will appreciate the ease of access and professional polish Vimeo will give to your organization. Plus, your fundraising team will love how easy it is to integrate with the various apps from Soapbox Engage.

Are you looking for other ways to spice up your next virtual fundraising event and year-end fundraising? Here are three more resources to get you started.

• Microsoft Teams for Nonprofits: What You Need To Know: Planning a virtual fundraising event of any size requires a lot of teamwork, collaboration, and communication. Microsoft Teams brings your fundraising squad together and keeps you collaborating effortlessly, whether you’re still working from home or back in the office. This blog has some great insights, tips, and tricks to help you get started and get the most out of your Microsoft Teams account!
• 40+ Virtual Fundraising Ideas [Updated Fall 2020]: Sometimes it’s hard to think outside the box and come up with a fresh new virtual fundraising event. Have no fear! Our team is constantly scouring the nonprofit world to find the newest, most creative, most innovative virtual fundraising strategies and we’ve put the best of the best in this blog. Even if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for, we’re sure this blog will get your creative juices flowing and help you plan a fun, engaging, successful virtual fundraiser.
• 4 Steps to Crushing Your Year-End Fundraising Goals: With millions of dollars at stake, year-end fundraising is one of the most crucial fundraising times of the year for nonprofits. About 30% of all annual charitable donations happen in the month of December! This blog has some essential strategies to help you leverage this year-end giving season to reach your fundraising goals.