How to Fundraise with YouTube – Revisited
Posted on 04. Feb, 2009 by Aaron Marshall in Social Media, Social Networking, Video
This was the original post that inspired me to start CHURCHSMO.com. Because it was my very first post, it did not get much attention. So here it is again. My wife and I used this method to raise support for our mission and it worked wonderfully.
My life long friend Tony Coulombe is in the process of founding a new missions organization called the Mustard Seed Global Fellowship. They are headed for Japan and have an awesome vision of building Christian communities there. Tony has a lot of money to raise to be able to accomplish the mission so to help him I devised a viral fund-raising strategy using YouTube.
Step 1 Record Highly personal and direct videos that speak directly to prospective supporters
- Record in different environments: Try the park, a busy street or somewhere that reminds you of the possible supporter (Tony plans to record videos in little Tokyo)
- Be active in your recordings: Don’t just sit in one place, give the video some movement by walking around.
- Show your passion for the mission: Be authentic, be excited and don’t be scared to ask for money.
- Get them Engaged: Explain how you will continually use online video and blogs to keep them updated and connected to the mission.
- Make Hundreds of videos: The time it takes will make up for itself in the stronger commitments you will receive. (Givers gain)
- Use a cheap camera: No need for High Definition professional equipment here! Most digital cameras these days come with movie mode, use it!
- Keep it short: Between 1-3 minutes.
Step 2 Upload the videos to YouTube
- Files need to be under 1024 megabytes: Another good reason for using a cheap digital camera.
- Don’t worry about people seeing videos you have created for others, it will only serve to support that you are dedicated.
Step 3 Setup an easy way for people to give, whether that be online giving or a simple way to receive information on how to give via mail.
- Realize how important this is: Your videos will deeply impact most people, give them a way to immediately respond.
- Google Checkout: Free for 5013c Non-Profits
- PayPal: Takes a commission so I am not a huge fan…
- See your Bank for possible methods or have a web developer get it done.
Step 4 Email videos to possible supporters
- Make it very clear: You want them to watch this video and they are accustomed to receiving spam so make sure they know it is a video from you made SPECIFICALLY for them.
Step 4.5 Submit the videos to various online social networks and Christian blogs creating a VIRAL reaction to a unique idea for raising support.
- Getting a Viral Response: This Idea is very young and unique. There is a window of probably a year that it will work virally to raise funds so GET ON IT!
Two Examples of My Family Fundraising with YouTube
Transferring Inspiration, Passion, and Vision has been Stifled to Impersonal Mass Mailings
Raising support is getting harder and harder today. People are increasingly more difficult to engage and inspire about any specific cause or mission. On first reaction we could blame it on the laziness and depravity of the culture, but actually it is the recent evolution in communications. Though the mission maybe a very mighty one, the way we are accustomed to transferring inspiration, passion, and vision has been stifled to impersonal mass mailings. Lets change that. Lets start using Social Media to its fullest potential for the Church!
Youth Ministers Need To Be Online
Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by JoeRBennett in Church, Social Media, Video
For 3 ½ years, I served as Minister to Students at First Baptist Church in Chillicothe, Missouri. In a small town, having a ministry of presence is usually an easy task. To make sure the students knew I cared, I attended sporting events, plays, school lunches. I simply hung out with them. Just being a presence in the lives of teenagers is so important.
So why do Youth Ministers need to be online?
The answer is simple – because that’s where your students spend a lot of their time. The Internet is a mission field in and of itself. You have an opportunity to connect with students in a whole new way.
Many students tend to communicate more freely through Facebook messages or email or IM. Those students feel free to express themselves in ways they probably would not face-to-face. And if you aren’t connecting online, you are missing out on a whole new realm of ministry.
Places to connect with your students:
-Facebook -Twitter -MySpace -YouTube
Why do you think Youth Ministers should be online?
“The Importance of Social Media to a Seminary” a talk given to the Faculty at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Posted on 18. Aug, 2008 by Aaron Marshall in Church Technology, Church2.0, Evangelism, Missions, Mobile, Social Media, Video
I am doing some consulting work with the SBTS right now and was invited to speak to the faculty about social media. (The presentation starts at 4:30 seconds)
Social Media and Web Technologies Discussed
Engage People: Add Video to Your Ministry Website Using Vimeo
Posted on 29. Mar, 2008 by Aaron Marshall in Church, How To, Social Media, Video
Vimeo is a video sharing website similar to YouTube, but it offers a MUCH better experience. Not only does Vimeo have a better design and layout than YouTube but it is cleaner and doesn’t excessively push negative content to every page.
Why Vimeo is better than YouTube:
- Cleaner, Safer and more family friendly*
- Much more User-Friendly
- Clicking embedded videos doesn’t take you to Vimeo.com (example in video above)
- Ability to customize the size, look and color of embedded videos
- Upload video files up to 500 megabytes (instead of 100)
- Full screen option is available for embedded videos too (example in video above)
*Though Vimeo is cleaner than other video sharing sites they do not have strict rules to enforce that it will stay this way. Use at own risk.
2 Simple Steps for Embedding a Video in Your Site
Step #1 Copy the Embed Code
Click the button on your video that says “Embed” and copy the code by either right clicking and selecting copy or highlighting it and pressing CTRL+C. 
Step #2 Paste the Code into your Blog or Website
Write a new post or edit a page and look for a button that says “Edit HTML” or “View HTML” or “Code”. Once you have selected one of these options simply paste the code by either right clicking and selecting paste or press CTRL+V on your keyboard.
Dumb Question: Why Is Video Important?
Video has become an integral part of the web and something that ministries, churches and missions should absolutely be looking at for communications. Video gives life and interactivity to a website or blog and reaches a larger number of people who simply don’t read much. The apostle Paul used the best methods available for communicating the Gospel, visiting people and writing letters.
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