How do you tell your nonprofit’s story in 8 easy steps?

What is TechSoup’s Digital Storytelling Challenge?

Nonprofits and libraries can use digital storytelling to reach new audiences, attract donors, and demonstrate impact. To support nonprofits and libraries in growing their digital storytelling skills, TechSoup sponsors a yearly digital storytelling challenge combining instruction and community resources into a hands-on media making project.

Organizations submit stories in video or 5 pictures that they keep as a vital resource for promoting their work and connecting to their constituents.

Why do it?

There are fun production and technology prizes available for winning stories! Effectively telling your organization’s story inspires, motivates, and activates the people who believe in the good work you do. So, more money, more volunteers, more kudos!

But if you are not the sharpest video editor in the drawer, then how do you work it?

How can you make a photoset and submit to Tech Soup’s Digital Storytelling Contest?

Here’s how I learned to use Animoto and Audacity. Super simple. With Screenshots.

You can make a 30 second video, free, if you have 5 pictures and a little time. It took me about an hour to make this video, and I never used Animoto before, or Audacity, the sound editor. Since I’m the Development Director for the Austin Civic Orchestra and a one-person shop to boot, I used an Austin Civic Orchestra CD, and pictures from some of our appeal letters.

 

Step 0: Go to Animoto.com
Step 1: Make an account.
Step 2: Upload some pictures. (You can drag and drop them wherever you want them.)
Step 3: Type in some text. (The only downside to this is that you can’t actually type a LOT of text, 22 characters and 30 characters, respectively.)
Step 4: Download Audacity. It works on PC, Macs, and Linux.
Step 5: Cut your sound file to be 30 seconds or less. (The free version of Animoto only lets you create a 30 sec video), and save it as an mp3.
Step 6: Upload some music.
Step 7: Click the green produce video button!
Step 8: Upload it to TechSoup’s website. Go here to submit

 

The Techsoup Digital Storytelling Challenge will Accept entries up til Feb 29th at 11:59PM PST.
Submit a story here

This is so easy.
It can take less than an hour to get your story out there.
You can use this over and over again in appeals online, on youtube, on vimeo, on your website, wherever.
It’s effective in fundraising and appeals
It can be SO EASY. So if you have an hour, why not try it?

Here’s my final result!

Try our video maker at Animoto.

Here’s where my video lives: http://animoto.com/play/hf7flQ3bdv3zcxo0qc9eJw