A good event recap is a joy to watch. Everyone's smiling, the music is upbeat, and it feels like a win.
A recap video is an excellent way to say thank you, while a fundraising video helps donors feel why their gift matters and who it reaches. If you're on an advancement or development team planning for Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2026) or a spring gala, here's how we think about both.
GIVING TUESDAY ยท DEC 1, 2026
Three weeks out. The story starts now.
Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2026. If your purpose is settled, or you want to get a conversation going, now is the time to start.
Story vs. recap: two different jobs
A fundraising story is about the why. We sit down with the stakeholders and the people the money will affect, and let them explain what it means to them. As Alex puts it, you want to pull at the heartstrings a little bit more.
A recap is lighter. It's the faces, the fun, the "we had a blast, can't wait to do this next year." Recaps tend to run a little shorter, and on their own they live as a single-use piece.
We still think it's more valuable to film the event than not to. That footage doesn't expire. When you're building next year's fundraising story, you can reference what happened and show it. Event footage is building material for the stories that come after.
What moves donors
It comes down to the human side. Here's what we look for:
- Real stories. Canned lines aren't that great.
- Sit-down interviews instead of scripts to camera. We can ask questions and get to know who we're talking to.
- Emotion. When someone really cares about what they're doing, you can feel it. If a tear comes, that's great.
- Natural sound. When a child is on screen, you want to hear them laughing, saying something, answering a question, or being curious.
Who should be on camera
It depends on the video, and the best answer is usually a mix.
Students are great, though it can be hard to wrangle what they'll say. An administrator, a board member, or someone in charge is always handy for the nuts and bolts: what the campaign is and where the money goes.
Then bring in someone directly impacted, like a teacher, a specific student, or a group. Let them talk about what the impact has been like for them, not just for the school as an institution. You want both.
Finding the story means listening
How do we find it? We listen.
Schools usually know their people really well. When we're building a relationship with a partner, we chat with the different teams and ask questions. On campus, we see that a student loves doing a certain thing. We hear that something was a success, or that a team is doing something this weekend.
The stories come from natural interactions, and a lot of them. Communication is key.
One hero video, many shorts
Fundraising videos show up in a lot of places: on a huge screen at the gala, in email blasts, on your website, across social, and in donor meetings.
That's why we like building one hero video first. It talks about the impact, the why, and the who, and it usually closes with thank-yous. Then we break it into shorts, each with one job, for social and email.
"Indian Creek School | Giving 2025": the hero video, the main why-give story that anchors the whole campaign.
For a giving day, we can also film short pieces with the same interviewees while they're already on camera: a thank-you, then "we only have a couple of hours left to donate." Through the day, your team can release them one at a time: "we're almost there, we just need a little more help." All of it is filmed well in advance, so the day itself runs on a plan instead of a scramble.
"Almost There" (2025): a quick mid-day nudge that keeps momentum going and pushes donations over the line.
"Thank You" (2025): the end-of-day close, thanking every donor with the same faces they met in the hero video.
When to start
As soon as you know where the money is going and what the purpose of the fundraiser is.
If we've already been filming on your campus, say for an About Us video, we may have footage in the tank. Then new filming can focus on the actual need. If the goal is replacing tables and chairs, we film what they look like now, and talk about what will change with donations.
That's the approach behind a piece we're proud of. Last year, we helped Indian Creek tell their story of growth, using the remodeling of classrooms as the visuals.
Our 2025 CREEKLife gala video for Indian Creek School: a story of growth, told through the remodeling of classrooms.
We also cover the school's community events, like CREEKfest, in the same on-brand look. That way, donors see the same school across the gala, the giving day and the events in between.
"Indian Creek School | CREEKfest 2024": a community event filmed in the same on-brand look, so donors meet the same school wherever they see it.
The easy-to-avoid mistake: losing focus
Missing events is one version of it. If you can have footage of something before you need it, that's great. You can't film homecoming after homecoming, and our school video planning calendar is a good place to start mapping what to capture.
The bigger one is an unfocused video. At the end of the day, donors want to feel they're making an impact. Big numbers matter, and data points are awesome. But when the video ends, does the donor feel, in their heart, that they're making a difference in the lives of the people they're trying to help?
A strong story, good cadence, and a whole lot of genuine thought get you there. Pick one clear message and let everything in the video serve it.
What we hope you take away
Film the events, because they feed next year's story. Interview real people and keep the sound. Pair a leader with someone directly affected. Build one hero video, then cut it down.
If you're planning a gala or Giving Tuesday video, reach out to Alex at alex@cottagecreativehouse.com. We'd love to hear the story you want to tell, and help it reach the people who care about it most.