Today I saw a commercial created by The Salvation Army called “Amazing Grace.” What a moving video that really tugs at the heart! If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you look it up on You Tube. But then again, we’ve all seen heartwarming videos that have moved us before. Think about the events in our history that have been imprinted in our minds. How did those images affect you? Video images motivate us, impact our lives, and make us buy things, go places, or serve our country. I can still picture 18-month-old “Baby Jessica” McClure, who captured the nation’s attention when she fell into an old well in her aunt’s backyard. Do you remember a single Chinese man standing alone to block a line of tanks heading for Tiananmen Square, or the coverage of the miners’ rescue attempt at the collapsed mine in Sago, West Virginia, or of course, the images of 9/11? People responded to all of these events with incredible donations or even joined the military. Some even found a way to get there and volunteered in such large numbers that they were often turned away. They wanted to DO something. Don’t you remember that feeling? What incredible responses to the images that capture our mind. Nothing motivates us more than seeing it for ourselves. Think of the late-night television commercials for organizations that feed children in Africa. I bet you can picture one of those kids now. When it snows in Denver during a nationally televised game, calls for reservations at Colorado ski resorts increase by 50 percent. Using a simple two-minute video influences your audience in a similar way and leads to better results in your next profit auction.

So can a charity use this effective tool cheaply? Definitely! Auctioneers work with many companies that make professional videos for this purpose. If you’re on a tight budget, a do-it-yourself video is better than none. You Tube is full of amateur videos that are forwarded all over the world. Hundreds of millions of videos are viewed daily and hundreds of thousands of videos are uploaded daily. In fact, every 60 seconds that pass, 10 hours of new video footage is uploaded to YouTube. Your video doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need special equipment. These days most digital cameras are equipped with video capability and there are plenty of tips online to help you create your own video in minutes. It can be as basic as a few moving still images with or without a simple background song that tells a story about what your organization has done. Or it could be a moving testimonial.
 
Seeing is believing. Make your donors feel like they are part of the big picture instead of just sitting in their seats. It’s another important and easy tool to bring to your next fundraising auction. Your guests will feel those same feelings that we have all felt and they will raise their hands, saying “count me in”.