I’d really like your feedback on this one.

As you know, I’m a big fan of using online video to help deliver calls to action, including fundraising appeals. Most of what I’ve seen has a homespun or cinema verite’ look to it.

But here’s something quite different … a very high quality film, apparently now seen (at least in part) by over 2.4 million viewers, reporting on AIDS in Africa and the work of Alicia Keyes’ group, Keep a Child Alive. It was brought to my attention by the group’s PR folks. Here’s their message:

Keep a Child Alive is a non-profit dedicated to providing lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) medicine and support services directly to children and families with HIV/AIDS in some of the world’s poorest countries. In April, KCA premiered a video with their ambassador Alicia Keyes about the plight of children affected by HIV in Africa. The video was called Alicia in Africa: Journey to the Motherland. In addition, at Alicia’s concerts, she has encouraged attendees to text to donate $5 to the Keep A Child Alive foundation.

Now, this is the exciting part. In just the past 3 months since the premiere of the video, the Alicia in Africa video has been viewed by over one million people online! In addition, KCA has raised almost $40,000 from more than 7,800 people, which is an incredible number. I wanted to share this news with you because I think it’s a great example of how a non-profit is thinking outside the box and using social media to raise money.

While awareness is certainly valuable, personally, I wouldn’t term this an "incredible" fundraising response. Especially considering the money and effort that presumably went into producing the film (presumably donated resources, we would hope).

What do you think? The film delivers a powerful message. And I’m happy to see a major celebrity like Alicia Keyes do her bit for a terrific cause. But is the whole effort somehow too polished?

Opinions please!

Tom

P.S. Tomorrow, Roger will share an entirely different video approach. His example, from Defenders of Wildlife, is much more a "bread & butter" approach to online fundraising. Interesting to compare!