Non-Profit Video Production
Luma Creative produces video for nonprofits and community organizations across the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County: fundraising films that play at the event, beneficiary stories that show what the money did, and supporting content for donors and digital platforms.
Nonprofit clients
Selected work
What is nonprofit video production?
Nonprofit video production is film made to move someone to act rather than to buy. In practice that means three things: a fundraising film shown at an event, a beneficiary story that shows the program working, and shorter cuts that carry the campaign afterwards. The constraint that shapes all of it is that every dollar spent on production is a dollar not spent on the program, so the film has to earn its cost in what it raises.
What this sector usually needs
Fundraising films
The film plays once, in a room, immediately before someone asks the audience for money. That is a different edit from one made for a website, because it has to land emotionally and finish on time. The same footage then gives you shorter cuts for the campaign that follows the event.
Brand video production →Beneficiary and alumni stories
The person on camera is usually not a performer and the story is often a difficult one. Most of the work happens before the camera is on. We pre-interview more people than we film, so the person who ends up on screen is the one who genuinely wants to be there.
Testimonial video production →Event capture on the night
A gala or an anniversary happens once. We cover the room, the speeches and the reaction from the floor, and cut it while the people who were there still remember being there.
Corporate event video production →A series from one shoot day
Budget usually allows one production day rather than four, so the day gets planned around everything it has to yield. Rivet School by SNHU came out of a single location and became eight separate deliverables.
Interview video production →Nonprofit video production case studies
The Reach Foundation
The Reach Foundation approached us to create a compelling series of videos for their annual San Francisco Bay Area fundraising event and supplemental content for their digital platforms. Their mission supports first-generation students of color by providing mentors and scholarships from high school to college. We captured the powerful narratives of three fellows over three days of production using high-end cinema technology and a skilled film crew . The emotive storytelling not only moved many viewers to tears but also played a pivotal role in raising money for scholarships. This success underscores the transformative power of their programs and the profound impact of sharing authentic stories.
Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz
Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz came to us looking to create a video for their 50th-anniversary fundraising event. At first, it seemed like they wanted to do a thorough overview of the organization, but it quickly became apparent that their main goal was to develop an emotional connection with the viewers. Through this, we interviewed many past club members in order to find a story that was not only genuine but would leave a lasting impact on the viewers. In this film, we tell the story of Vanessa as she guides us through her life and how the club helped her through some difficult times in her life.
Rivet School by SNHU
Rivet school by SNHU came to us looking to tell several stories in order to highlight the changes they were having in their students lives. We started this project by pre-interviewing countless students toseek out who might have the most compelling stories. After these pre-interviews, we then selected a group of folks who were willing to work with us for a few hours on one location to tell a powerful story about how Rivet school truly met each of them where they were at. The production was not only a challenge to get genuine emotion in such a short amount of time but it was a lot of content to capture in one day. Here is one of the eight deliverables we made for them.
Pajaro Valley Shelter Services
When Pajaro Valley Shelter Services came to us, we knew were going to create something that really impacted lives. Several years prior, we had worked with the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center in order to highlight 5 organizations in the community making a difference, and PVSS happened to be one of them. Fast forward several years, and they were ready to make a video in order to highlight the impact they were making for their virtual event. Through interviewing a local family who had used their program, a donor as well as their program director, we were able to show multiple vantage points of how the organization is making a difference in the community!
What nonprofit clients say
Verbatim from Luma Creative’s Google reviews.
We are small non-profit that needed a video with heart to motivate donors to give. I searched far and wide (across the bay area) and it was hard to find any shop that had a portfolio of non-profit work. Luma Creative is a rare find and they had several pieces of non-profit work with rich storytelling and heart. We hired them and they…
Tracy YoungI work for a nonprofit and had the pleasure of hiring Luma Creative to help us film and edit a success story about one of our program participants. From onboarding to the final delivery, Will and his team were an absolute joy to work with. During the storyboarding process, the Luma team listened carefully to our goals and objectives,…
Nam LeOur organization, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services, worked with William and his team at Luma Creative on a video used as the centerpiece of our annual fundraising campaign. The video was inspiring, heartfelt, professional and effective! William and his team were a delight to work with. We had a tight timetable for production and Luma…
Mike JohnsonWe’ve had the pleasure of working with several production companies over the years, and Luma Creative consistently stands out as the best. We’ve collaborated with them on a few projects at my non-profit, and every time, they’ve been incredibly friendly, attentive, and professional. If you’re looking for a top-tier video production…
Brian PhanFrequently asked questions
Although we have produced videos in as short as two weeks from initial contact to final delivery, we prefer to have at least four weeks to create your films. While it might seem like just showing up with a camera and shooting, in reality, most of the storytelling and ideation happens before we even show up. Non profit video production can be incredibly powerful given the right story and development. Before setting foot on set, we want to get to know your organization and find out about the difference you are making in the community. By getting an insider’s look, we are able to develop a story that not only speaks to your organization’s objectives but also targets your ideal viewers for maximum engagement. Then once we have determined the story and who would be the best narrators of that story, we get to work determining what footage is necessary to tell this story effectively.
We believe that part of our mission as video production professionals is to use our craft to help make a difference in the community. Although we aren’t able to offer our nonprofit films for free, we do offer a discount for our nonprofit clients. Depending on the length, style, and scope we typically work with non-profit budgets starting around 8k-60k. It may sound like a lot, but trust us, we’ve helped organizations raise hundreds of thousands. One thing is for sure, emotional videos sure make an impact on our viewers.
We believe that through using authentic and emotional storytelling, we are able to connect with our viewers in ways other forms of media simply can not. We believe attracting potential donors is not about simply asking for donations, but showing them the impact that the organization is having on the community. We often use these videos to show potential donors on how and why your organization was founded. Receiving altruism from others is much easier when it’s evident the good you are doing for the world! Although much of today’s gatherings are on hold, we believe that it has never been a better time to connect with your viewers virtually. Use video to excite donors and honorees about your charitable cause and upcoming event. Then we can live-stream your event on youtube/Facebook live or another platform. When the event is over, we can create a teaser video to remind everyone how incredible your event was! We’ve found these videos are about building momentum and continuing it into the quarter as your organization grows. For these films, we like to capture the good that your organization is doing for the community and how it’s changing lives. We can tell the stories of real people who you have helped through you and your donor’s selflessness.
In addition to nonprofit videos, we produce brand videos, corporate videos, product videos, and crowdfunding videos. The format changes, but the starting point is the same: who needs to see the film, and what should they do after watching it?
Working with Luma Creative
We are in San Francisco, and most of this work has been across the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County, which keeps travel off a budget that would rather go to the program. The organizations on this page range from a local shelter service to the World Food Program’s Innovation Accelerator, and the process is the same at both ends of that range.
Other industries we produce for
- Technology and SaaS
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Financial services and fintech
- Mobility and automotive
- Government and public agencies
- Restaurants, food and beverage
- Education
See all of them on the industries hub.