How To Create An Award-Winning Fundraising Video: St. Stephen's And St. Agnes School
Chosen because St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School won a Bronze 2019 Brilliance Award for Fundraising Video, In-House. InspirED talked about the project with Mandi Sapp, Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing.
When the Association of Parents and Teachers (APT) at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School asked Mandi Sapp, Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing for a video to show at the upcoming gala, they knew they wanted to focus on the faculty, their amazing work, and how funds raised at the gala are used in the classroom through the APT awards summer study grants for faculty and administrators. (The program was renamed the Holden Summer Fellowships in 2013 in honor of former Head of School Joan Holden who served from 1984-2014.)
InspirED thinks that this is the perfect approach for a video of this kind. Show need, show impact, and tell a great story.
The Strategy
“We decided to use a documentary-style video to highlight three teachers (one from each division) who had recently benefited from an APT fellowship and how they are using it in their classroom,” says Mandi.
Mandi met with each teacher to discuss the overall vision for the video including the voiceover technique that would tie the stories together. When she learned what each teacher wanted to talk about, she then planned the visuals.
“Each teacher had a different approach to the voiceover. One wanted me to ask questions, so it was more like an interview that I taped and edited,” says Mandi. Another wanted to write it out and read it. The third requested that Mandi write the script and then the teacher would tweak it as needed. “Then,” says Mandi, “I scheduled class times and field trips to showcase what they talked about on their voiceover. I also had the teachers email me photos to support their voiceover story and their APT fellowship.”
Don’t underestimate yourself and just go for it!
—Mandi Sapp, Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing
St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
The Budget
Mandi didn’t need to use a budget for this project. She says, “Just me, a camera, my phone for voiceovers, lots of in-person visits to classes, and emails.” Having been at SSSAS since 2008 “before videos and social media were part of the marketing plan for the school,” Mandi is a self-taught videographer. She used her Canon video camera to shoot and iMovie to edit.
The Reaction
The video created a lot of buzz prior to the event, was a highlight at the event, and on social media.
InspirED asked Mandi why she thought her video won a Brilliance Award. She answers, “I think it had an authenticity to it, it was impressive for a one-person project, and it had great visuals and voiceovers that told the story.”
“My boss was excited for me,” says Mandi. “My parents were REALLY proud of me.”
St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes uses the video on their website today to highlight their professional development. (See screenshot below.)
SSSAS’ professional development web page.
Winning this Brilliance Award gave me a boost of confidence that I needed. To be recognized in this way by my peers is very exciting!
—Mandi Sapp, Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing
St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School
The Results
“We raised a record $335,000 for the 2018 APT Gala and Auction,” says Mandi. She thinks the video had a part of motivating parents to give money. One of the ways they used the video was via email which encouraged parents to "come Raise the Paddle and support our amazing SSSAS Faculty. Watch this video to see the impact of your support for our teachers and their students!"
Advice for Small Shops
“Projects like this (especially if you are on your own) can feel really intimidating,” says Mandi. Her advice is to storyboard your idea — even if it’s just mentally — to envision how the video will play out. This will help you know what clips you need and how the flow and emotion of the video need to go. Don’t underestimate yourself and just go for it!
TEAM
Mandi Sapp, Assistant Director of Communications, Digital Media and Marketing
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