The Story & Excitement of a Charity Cycling Event
Imagine you are in charge of fundraising for a premier cycling event, which brings an incredible experience to all the cyclists and volunteers over three days, while providing much needed resources to fight a terrible disease. Everyone who has been a part of the event “knows” it well, but how do you communicate the spirit of the event to potential participants?
My answer: STORY.
When I first met with the staff of A Ride to Remember, I was immediately struck by the passion for the cause, carried by everyone who is part of the event. With every person I met came testimonials of how Alzheimer’s has impacted them and how they were moved to take action as part of A Ride to Remember.
As I met with staff, cyclists, volunteers, family members – the core story became clear to communicate with people interested in the event. A story of individuals fighting together as a whole, as part of the Ride, to make an impact against a disease that has touched them deep within.
I worked with the staff to develop themes and create an “event spirit” video, edited in time to show at the final day banquet, capturing testimonials and using key scenes from the 2017 event as a backdrop.
We re-grouped a few months later to complete the video strategy with shorter promotional videos of varying lengths to share on social media and other outlets for the 2018 registration drive.
With this suite of videos, we had an effective two-part strategy – shorter videos to grab attention in the crowded social media space, and a longer “brand story” style video to complete the vision of those looking to understand the spirit of the event.
This approach highlights the need for story development together with video strategy. Understanding the spirit of the event not only directly informed the longer feature, but was critical towards the effective use of time in the shorter, promo videos.
It is my belief that with a strong story aligned with strategy, we produced stronger video content than if each would have been produced alone.
This is why I emphasize to my non-profit clients that we “tell the story” of impact in the lives of real people, no matter the target video length. People connect with people, and by reaching out in this manner we bring the most attention to your message and cause.
Written by Mark – our Creative Director