Your turn — Vote for the Best Nonprofit Videos of the Year

It’s time to cast your vote in the 4th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards. Voting opens today and will close on April 7, 2010.

I had the honor of serving as one of 23 judges who helped narrow the submissions down to 16 finalists. And now it’s your turn to pick which videos are the best of the best. The winners will be announced at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Atlanta on April 10th.

As you watch the videos, consider the criteria we had in mind in making our selections:

• Message: Is the message clear? Does the message take an original angle on the topic? Do you know what the video seeks to communicate and what it wants you to do?

• Use of Video: Did the organization take advantage of the video medium? Could the message have been more effectively communicated using any other medium?

• Quality of Video: Was the video made well? Did they use good video technique including framing, sound, visual interest, etc?

• Creativity: Did the style of the video catch your attention? Did you see something original and exciting?

• Emotional Appeal: Did you feel connected to the characters and content? Did you identify with the organization and its cause? Would you be compelled to act on behalf of the organization?

There’s a lot to learn from these finalists. If you are new to video storytelling, you should watch these videos and start thinking about how to do more in this powerful communications channel. And if your organization already produces videos, how do you think yours would measure up?
Good luck to all of the finalists and may the best videos win!