Non-profits have incredible stories to tell. Stories that attract donors, build awareness, mobilise volunteers, and drive policy change.
Likely, you're attracted to using video because you know how effective it can be. And you know that if you can get your message through effectively, you'll create real impact. The challenge is cutting through endless distractions and donor fatigue when everyone's competing for the same limited attention.
And you're right. Creating an animated video can be a potent form of communicating your message. Although that's only half the story.
Video is just the medium. What you're really buying is the expertise behind it. Working with the right explainer video company for non-profits means you get to leverage every part of their team's expertise to create content that drives real results.
That's exactly what this guide will help you with — understanding what to look for in animated explainer video services and how to get the most from working with them.
It's clear video is a powerful communicator. What might be less clear is exactly what goes into making that a reality.
When you partner with a animated explainer video company, you're essentially bolting on a whole video animation production department into your existing marketing function. Along with all the specialisms.
Each specialist—creative director, art director, script writers, illustration team, animators, sound designer—brings their expertise to elevate different parts of what makes video successful.
For example, in the initial discovery call, the Creative Director will ask strategic questions that refine your messaging for maximum impact.
During scriptwriting, that insight is moulded into a powerful story arc that builds intruige and inspires action.
The design team is then tasked with creating striking visuals that give the script even more punch, understanding and enagagement.
Finally, animation production focuses on pacing and directing the viewer's eye to make the message land most effectively. Sound design adds emotional depth that reinforces key moments.
And each of these stages is overseen by a Creative Director whose job it is to ensure the brief is delievered on-time, on-budget, and on-message.
It's a well-oiled machine where each component adds enormous value to the overall result.
The outcome? Content that doesn't just explain, but inspires people to act.
To understand how this works in practice, here are two case studies from our charity explainer video portfolio that show exactly how strategic expertise drives impact
The Wellcome Trust and CEPI wanted to raise awareness and gain funding in order help prevent a worldwide pandemic.
This was just before coronavirus made the threat obvious to everyone.
Rather than creating a familiar statistics-heavy script, or leaning into fear-mongering—we took another approach.
We told the story of how Ebola started. And used this as a device to tell the bigger story.
We wove in modern realities—easy travel, mass migration—to show exactly how a pandemic could unfold and what the consequences would look like.
The result was a video that made the complex global threat feel immediate and actionable, helping raise millions in funding.
TR1X have developed a novel treatment for Crohn's disease. They saw video as a means to increase uptake of their upcoming clinical trial.
In our initial discovery call, we uncovered a subset of Crohn's patients who were most likely to engage with the trial. These people had lived with the disease for many years, understood the science of their condition, and were very familiar with current drug side-effects.
With a specific audience narrowed down, we were able to talk to our viewer in a way that was highly relatable. Essentially creating a narrative where viewers nod along in agreement because we understood their frustrations and experience.
This, in turn, gave more credibility to TR1X's novel treatment.
Visually, we also needed to strike the balance between something that felt organic and human, but clinical and polished.
The result was a video that felt right at home with the target audience, piquing interest in their clinical trial.
You'll already have a good idea about what you want to communicate. Maybe it's raising awareness, highlighting research findings, securing funding, or telling the story of who you are and what you do.
Maybe you already have a sense of budget too. Although, an experienced explainer video production studio will be able to give you solid guidance on this.
It can be very useful to share examples that inspire you too—this helps the agency to ensure expectations align with investment.
Pop all this in a simple brief. This is all you need at this stage.
When speaking with potential explainer video agencies, pay attention to the questions they ask.
Are they genuinely interested in understanding your cause? Are they asking about your audience beyond basic demographics? Are they challenging your brief in helpful ways that make you think differently about your approach?
The best explainer video companies for non-profits start with understanding, not selling. For comprehensive guidance on this process, read our complete guide to choosing the right explainer video company.
Once you've decided on the explainer video production company, they'll get to work. In our discovery calls, we'll want to understand your audience's psychographics, not just their age and income. How do they think and feel? What's their view of the world? How do they relate to your message?
Understanding what really drives video engagement through psychographics is crucial for creating content that resonates.
We'll also want to dig into your data, real-life accounts, lived experiences—everything that forms the foundation of compelling storytelling. This isn't just fact-gathering; it's about understanding the human elements that make your cause resonate.
We'll use the insights we gather in the discovery call to craft a narrative that's highly reltable to your specific audience.
The script length will be based on your agreed video duration. Typically 140 words equates to one minute of animation.
Most non-profits think they need to write the script themselves, but actually a the explainer video agency will want to handle this. Strategic scriptwriting is a core part of what makes videos engaging.
You bring the expertise about your cause; we bring the expertise about effective storytelling and what motivates people to act.
The explainer studio will first develop a visual style, alongside a written storyboard. This will walk you through exactly what the animation will look like, and the proposed visuals for each line of script.
From here, we'll produce a full visual storyboard. Essentially your video in static form. You'll be super clear on what is being shown and how it will animate.
Every visual choice serves the strategic messaging.
Animation and sound design focus on how to make the narrative as "sticky" as possible. That is to say—how well we draw the viewers attention to what's been said and seen. And in a way that's most accessible, impactful, and engaging.
As a final production step, we'll create social snippets optimised for different platforms to maximise your content's reach.
For a detailed breakdown of the entire process, see our guide on what to expect from a professional explainer video production service.
You'll still have a bunch of questions no doubt. So let's see if we can answer them here.
An explainer video company helps charities translate complex missions into compelling visual stories that drive action. They handle the complete process from strategic messaging to final production, ensuring your cause resonates with donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries.
Most effective non-profit explainer videos run 60-90 seconds, though this depends on your distribution channel and objectives. Homepage videos can be slightly longer, while social media versions work best when shorter and more focused.
Most charities think they need to handle scriptwriting, but actually a quality explainer video agency will want oversight of this process because it's central to creating engaging content. You provide the content expertise; we provide the storytelling expertise that translates your knowledge into compelling narrative.
Sometimes there are misconceptions around price and what gets you what. Most agencies will have a price guide with examples if you approach them, so you can be aligned on expectations. Sharing examples you love and don't love upfront helps ensure everyone's on the same page about what's possible within your budget.
Many organisations think social content needs to be text-only, but some of the highest-performing campaigns actually use voiced content. That said, the agency will know how to adapt your main video for different platforms while maintaining impact.
To produce good content and guide you through a rock-solid production process, you really need six to eight weeks from start to finish. This allows proper time for the strategic thinking and collaborative refinement that separates effective videos from content that doesn't drive results.
For answers to more questions about running successful video campaigns, check our comprehensive FAQ guide.
Before reaching out to any explainer video company, consider these key preparation steps:
• Define Your Objectives Clearly - What does success look like? The more precise you are about success, the better strategic decisions everyone can make throughout the process.
• Understand Your Audience's Perspective - Go beyond demographics. How do they see the problem? What language do they use? What do they think the solution should look like? This insight shapes everything from script to visual approach.
• Align Internal Stakeholders - Ensure key decision-makers are involved from the start. Clear internal alignment prevents delays and ensures the final video serves everyone's needs.
• Plan Realistic Timelines - Factor in adequate time for quality production. The strategic thinking and collaborative refinement that create impactful content can't be rushed.
From an explainer video production company perspective, working with non-profits requires more than technical video production skills. It demands genuine understanding of your unique challenges and opportunities.
The companies worth working with understand that non-profit video content isn't about just explaining . It's about winning hearts and minds. It's about able being able to creative content where the audeince really feels the pain point.
Get our guide to learn more about pricing, or get in touch and we'll happily walk you through a discovery process.
