They gave to you once. We engineer why they'll give again.
Most nonprofits buy gala videos. We build donor engagement systems. The difference? 15% more donations year over year. 200% of fundraising goals exceeded. Standing ovations at events that used to end with polite applause.
MORE DONATIONS
FUNDRASING GOALS EXCEEDED
SEEN Storytelling exists because nonprofits were climbing the wrong wall.
You don't need better videos. You need donor engagement architecture systematic, repeatable, compound.
We tell them in a world-class way. Then we help you deploy them at galas and online, creating systems for scalable fundraising that works year after year.
01
One-Time
Transactions
They gave once. Then nothing.
Your gala video was beautiful. Your donors were moved. They wrote a check. Then the moment passed. No follow-up system. No ongoing engagement. No compound giving. Just a beautiful video file sitting in a folder somewhere.
02
Vendor
Relationships
They showed up, filmed, edited, sent you a link. Professional work. But zero strategic thinking. No donor journey mapping. No distribution strategy. No system for what happens after the gala. You got a deliverable, not a partnership.
03
Forgettable Storytelling
Your stories are real.
Your videos are generic.
The impact is there. The transformation is happening. But the videos look like everyone else's. Stock music. Standard interview questions. No emotional architecture. Your donors watch and forget. They don't feel seen. Your beneficiaries don't feel seen. Nobody acts.
RECOGNITION MAPPING
We find the stories that matter
Most video companies ask
What do you want to say?
We ask different questions:
Who needs to feel seen?
What transformation is invisible?
We map your donor journey and identify the recognition moments that drive sustained giving. This isn't creative brainstorming it's systematic story architecture.
Deliverable
Strategic story map + Donor journey framework
TRUTH ENGINEERING
We tell stories that move rooms
We use Emmy-winning storytelling methodology (powered by Muse) to engineer emotional truth.
Not generic testimonials.
Not boring interviews.
We've made 400 people stand and applaud in the middle of a gala. We've had national organizations say 'that's the best video we've ever seen.' This is systematic not random creativity.
Deliverable
World-class video assets (gala films, testimonials, donor engagement content)
DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS
We help you use them everywhere
A great video sitting in a folder is worthless.
We build deployment systems:
Gala presentation strategies
Email nurture sequences
Social amplification frameworks
Donor stewardship touchpoints
You don't just get a video, you get a system for how to use it to drive sustained engagement across every channel.
Deliverable
Multi-channel deployment playbook + ongoing support
COMPOUND GIVING
ENGINE
We measure what compounds
We don't just track views. We track donor behavior:
Increased giving
Repeat donations
Donor referrals
Volunteer engagement
Then we iterate. What recognition moments are working? What stories are driving the most compound behavior? We treat this like growth engineering, not creative production. Because your fundraising should compound—not reset every year.
Deliverable
Performance dashboard + optimization recommendations
Why This Works
Donor Engagement Systems, Proven
WHO WE SERVE
Built for Nonprofits Fighting Invisibility
SEEN Storytelling works with medium-to-large nonprofits serving marginalized communities.
Organizations where the people you serve are often unseen, unheard, or misunderstood. Where your donors need to truly recognize the human impact of their giving. Where your fundraising depends on emotional connection, not just data.
We specialize in:
If you're Second Harvest Heartland, American Heart Association, Minnesota Zoo Foundation, Goodwill Easter Seals, Lutheran Social Services, you're who we built this for.
THE STORY
Why SEEN Storytelling Exists
Dan West was bullied as a kid. Two people tried to isolate him from his entire friend group. He was the butt of the jokes, made to feel invisible. Video became his escape and his voice.
When he was 12, he started making short films with friends. By high school, he was creating weekly announcement videos for his youth group making rooms of 200 people laugh and cry. He discovered something powerful: video could make people feel seen.
And when people feel seen, everything changes.
SEEN Storytelling exists because too many nonprofits are fighting invisibility with the wrong tools. They're buying videos when they need recognition architecture. Dan and his team don't just capture stories—they engineer systems where:
Your beneficiaries feel seen and dignified
Your donors see themselves in your mission
Your results compound year over year
SEEN Storytelling works with a limited number of nonprofit partners each year.
If you're a development director tired of donors who give once and disappear, if you're fighting invisibility and need recognition systems that actually work, if you're ready to move from beautiful videos to donor engagement architecture, let’s talk.