Be the change you want to see...

I've said it before. In fact I say it all the time. I am obsessed by the Bernie Campaign.

Who ever is making these films is a genius as most of them make me cry.

The reason I think they're so good is that they feel so real. We all know authenticity is critical to any form of communication for a charity or non-profit. But so many organisations, particularly political parties, struggle with it.

My hunch on why the Bernie team do it so well is that they have a huge and genuinely engaged community of people so desperate for Bernie to succeed. As the film says, "real change only comes about from the bottom up".

Telling a story simply...

A phone number on your t-shirt could be the only way to inform your family that you didn't make it to #Europe. pic.twitter.com/s71VNNvwcu

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 30, 2016

You've probably guessed that I'm increasingly in awe of the people at MSF.

The humanitarian crisis in Europe has really touched me, so I've been researching and engaging with a lot of organisations who are working there to help.

MSF are the organisation who have impressed me the most for a whole range of reasons.

One of them is they way they are telling the story of what they are doing and the people they are helping.

It's positive when it can be, heartbreaking when it's heartbreaking and most of all - it feels authentic. So whether it's updates from their boat in the Mediterranean or stories from the camps in Europe, they are telling stories in an authentic voice in a way that's grabbing my attention.

I don't know the internal workings of MSF, but I can only assume that to deliver this masterclass in digital communications they've kept it simple. It's clear they trust their staff to tell the story in real time, that they're looking for the human stories and that they recognise that the simple tools of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are invaluable in building communities and support around the issues. We can all learn a lot from them.

More great examples follow...

Around 900 #people may have died in the #CentralMediterranean in the last week alone. #Europe,this is unbearable. pic.twitter.com/j73FsSsO99

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 29, 2016

BREAKING: First goal to Madrid!!!! High excitement for the #championsleaguefinal2016 on the #Argos! pic.twitter.com/CjefL8qR4U

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 28, 2016

UPDATE: The 1sttrain is coming through a cleared out #Idomeni -the eviction of 1000s of #refugees is almost over. pic.twitter.com/CGe4tV2YEB

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 26, 2016

A child from Syria holds a placard reading: 'EU, Turkey: We are not merchandise' at a camp for refugees and migrants in Idomeni, northern Greece. Two months after the signing of the deal by the European Union and Turkey, the situation continues to deteriorate for migrants and refugees incarcerated on the Greek islands. "Pushing people back to their country of last transit transforms asylum into nothing but a political bargaining chip to keep refugees as far away from European borders and the eyes of the European voting public as possible." - Dr Joanne Liu, MSF international president. #MSF #DoctorsWithoutBorders #Syria #Greece #Refugee #RefugeeCrisis © Gemma Gillie/MSF

A photo posted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (@doctorswithoutborders) on May 19, 2016 at 3:36am PDT

Our very own @alvsakaalva is on board the MSF Aquarius for the next couple of months reporting on the refugee crisis. Make sure to follow her for all the latest updates from MSF and @sosmediterranee. #MSF #doctorswithoutborders #aquarius #Mediterranean #MediterraneanSea #Refugeecrisis #Refugee #takepeoplein #sosmed

A photo posted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (@doctorswithoutborders) on May 13, 2016 at 1:07pm PDT

When millions of people stand up and fight. They win.

I say it a lot.

But how come the NFP sector doesn't make films as moving as this one as often as we should?

Some thing in my eye...

And then this one.



I want to make more films.

Mobile in Africa 2012 & how to tell stories in 2013!

Just under a year ago I blogged about mobile use in Africa as I'd found a great source of information.

The same organisation have updated the information for 2012.



Astonishing.

Mobile phone penetration in Africa is truly astonishing. Amazing for the population there and a lesson in the importance and acceptance of mobile for us here. All from a place that has jumped straight over big screen to the small screen.

So what? Does this mean anything for fundraising?

Well we're constantly searching for an authentic voice. Authentic could be connecting donors in the UK with the communities they are helping across the world via their mobile phone. Pictures, words, videos from the places your money is being spent. Real stories of how it's being used. Real connections with real people and no filtering by HQ. How amazing would that be?

Like this. An example from AJ Leon that I blogged about last October after hearing about the project at IFC 2011.

Pretty soon I hope to be involved in something similar.

Not all telly is painful to watch

I was reminded of this video today. I think I first saw it in someone's presentation at last years IFC conference in Holland.

The thing I love about it the most is the fact that a bus company (I think, my Danish isn't that good!) can tell such a beautiful story and make me feel so emotionally involved.



I find a lot of TV adverts quite painful to watch, some make me very grumpy indeed, but seeing this film again made me think that a lot of commercial companies actually do story telling and emotion very well. Some other examples are Mastercard...



And of course the T-Mobile ad filmed at Heathrow...



I never ever thought it was possible to get misty eyed over a film for a bus company, a credit card or a mobile phone provider. But whoever made these films kept it simple and focussed on human emotion. Music and images are blended beautifully and the outcomes are clear. All three made me feel great.

As a fundraiser I am always looking to learn from other sectors and now I'm now looking in new places.

NB. Lesley just told me about this one. Proctor & Gamble!

Yes, that's my father

Not all video needs to be short. If there is a story to tell, it really should be told.

This one, called 'Yes, that's my father'  from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC made me cry.



It's one of many up for an award in this years doGooder nonprofit video awards. Well worth a look.