Video Platforms and Apps for Change
Facebook & Messenger
Use video to tell stories about volunteers, employees and those you serve. Share impactful videos that relate to your company message. Encourage followers to feel more connected to a cause to facilitate donations and the spread of your message. Start conversations by sharing milestones and inviting supporters to participate in decision-making. Go “Live” on the scene or host an interview with an expert in your field. Post videos, photos and articles detailing your contributions, involvement and progress, and encourage followers to share.
Instagram
Similar to Facebook Live, Instagram Live is a feature on Instagram Stories that allows users to stream video to followers and engage with them in real time. Instagram is, like Facebook, a great resource for posting videos, photos and articles detailing your contributions, involvement and progress, and encouraging followers to share your message.
ACLU Mobile Justice app
The ACLU Mobile Justice app is a video live streaming application developed for smartphones by various state chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union. According to their charter, “it was intended to allow instant, secure video recording and transmission of interactions with, and perceived abuses by, law enforcement officers,” to promote accountability and justice for the abused.
Besides providing authentic video content, ACLU promotes nonprofit support for petitions, hosts organizing meetings in small communities, and allows organizations to make donations in the organization’s name. Doing good, with good PR exposure for your brand, is a mutual win.
Citizen app
The Citizen app is a mobile app that sends users location-based safety alerts in real time. It allows users to read updates about ongoing situations, broadcast live video, and leave comments.
If your organization has advocates, protestors or activists on the scene, encourage them to stream live. Use it as a platform to establish your voice, your credibility, your passion for the movement and willingness to put your beliefs into practice.
TikTok
TikTok is a social media platform for creating, sharing and discovering video content, especially popular with younger demographics.
One major advantage to nonprofits and organizations wishing to broadcast a wide message is that TikTok’s main feed features content from users across the globe (differing from other social feeds that follow a “friends”-oriented chronology to the main feed). Create original content and utilize TikTok’s broader platform to reach more than just your regular followers.