The Top 8 Non-Profit Animated Videos of 2023
This blog will shine a light on some of the best nonprofit animated videos from 2023, showcasing how they've effectively drawn in viewers with compelling storytelling, stunning visuals, and direct, engaging messaging.
What Makes a Nonprofit Video Great?
To make a good nonprofit animated video, start with a message that's both clear and meaningful. Keep your script simple and direct, ensuring that one scene flows smoothly into the next.
This helps keep your audience's attention and makes the information easy to understand.
Using high-quality images and smooth animations is important too, but they should blend into the background, letting your message take centre stage.
While the perfect nonprofit video might look different depending on the situation, sticking to these basic tips is a solid starting point for creating something that truly connects with viewers.
The Best Non-Profit Videos of 2023
We'll start our countdown at number 8, working our way to the top spot on our list of the year's best nonprofit videos.
8. Digital Technologies and Migration
At number 8, the animated nonprofit video "Digital Technologies and Migration" from UN Human Rights takes the spotlight.
It delves into the transformative role of digital technologies in migration and border management, highlighting their benefits in speeding up processes and keeping migrants connected with loved ones.
Yet, it also cautions against the potential human rights violations these technologies could cause without proper regulation—emphasising the importance of safeguarding the privacy and ensuring equality.
7. Every Baby Has A Mother
At number 8, "Every Baby Has A Mother" is a nonprofit stop-motion animated video by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), uniquely portraying snakes as its main characters.
The video beautifully illustrates various bonding moments between a snake mother and her daughter, including playful swings, caring for her daughter's shedding, and shared moments watching television.
However, in a sudden twist, the video concludes with the mother waking up to find her daughter missing, adding a powerful emotional depth and highlighting the realities faced by animals in their natural habitats and challenges posed by human interference.
6. How can Forensic Human Identification help bring answers to families of the missing?
This video from the International Committee of the Red Cross explains how forensic human identification aids families in finding closure by identifying missing loved ones.
It outlines a respectful process involving initial investigation and analysis, all conducted with dignity and attention to cultural beliefs.
The video effectively condenses the lengthy and complex process of forensic human identification into a concise 5-minute presentation and uses simple icons for easy understanding by viewers.
5. Why Neutrality Matters: Exploring the ICRC's Mission
At number 5 is another nonprofit animated video from the International Committee of the Red Cross titled "Why Neutrality Matters: Exploring the ICRC's Mission".
It showcases their neutral stance, emphasising their efforts in evacuating the wounded, delivering essential aid, treating the injured regardless of their side in the conflict, ensuring the humane treatment of prisoners of war, and facilitating the reunion of separated families.
A distinctive feature of this video is its use of a unique video technique called "Infinite zoom art." This technique creates a continuous, seamless zooming effect that visually draws the viewer through a series of interconnected scenes without any apparent beginning or end.
4. UN Network Achievements
At number 4, we hope you'll forgive a little self-congratulation as we toot our own horn for Leon! Animations' recent project with the UN Network on Migration.
Yes, we've included one of our creations in the lineup, but when the content is this good, it's hard not to share!
This video, notable for its vibrant animations and use of engaging icons, spotlights the achievements of the network since its inception in 2019.
It employs a creative comic style that, combined with split-screen animations, effectively illustrates the network's commitment to non-detention policies.
This artistic approach makes complex policy achievements accessible and engaging to a wider audience, showcasing the positive impact of the UN Network on Migration work in a visually compelling and easily understandable format.
3. How the Internet Became Toxic
At number 3, UNESCO's "How the Internet Became Toxic" examines the Internet's shift from a platform for social change to one marred by misinformation and division.
It addresses the challenges of hate speech, government censorship, and the role of digital platforms in exacerbating these issues.
The video displays a vibrant, flat-design illustration style with bold colour choices, emphasising simplicity and clarity.
The use of silhouettes, question marks, and recognizable digital symbols like login boxes and search bars conveys themes of online communication and misinformation.
2. International Literacy Day 2023
At number 2 is the International Literacy Day 2023 by UNESCO. It highlights the critical issue of literacy in the context of global challenges such as pandemics, climate change, and social inequality.
The video also emphasises the staggering number of individuals lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills, underscoring the importance of education as a tool for empowerment, environmental awareness, and the promotion of peace and sustainable development.
It utilises a minimalist illustration style with a muted colour scheme, emphasising conceptual clarity and accessibility.
The video calls for collective action to address educational disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating for inclusive learning opportunities to ensure literacy for all, as a cornerstone for building more resilient and equitable societies.
1. Santa Forgot 2023
At number 1 is "Santa Forgot 2023" by Alzheimer's Research UK which tells the heartwarming story of Freya, a little girl who notices Santa's absence and discovers that he has Alzheimer's disease.
Determined to bring back the magic of Christmas, Freya inspires the elves to conduct research, suggesting that if they can mend a broken mechanism, they might also find a way to help Santa.
The narrative is an allegory for the importance of medical research in tackling dementia, aiming to raise awareness and support for Alzheimer's research.
The artistic elements of the video feature a soft, pastel color palette creating a warm, inviting atmosphere that contrasts with the serious theme of Alzheimer's disease.
The animation style is smooth and detailed with a whimsical charm, utilizing the gentle glow of holiday lights and the stark beauty of winter scenes to evoke emotions and underscore the message of hope and determination in the face of a condition that affects so many lives.
A Chapter Closes, What’s Next for 2024
As we bid farewell to 2023, a year rich with diverse narratives from the heartwarming to the urgent, we turn the page eagerly to 2024.
From the warmth of Freya's Christmas adventure to the stark realities of digital space toxicity, each video has carved out its niche in our collective consciousness.
As we step into the new year, we anticipate how the next suite of nonprofit animated videos will lead us from understanding complex global issues like migration to embracing solutions for environmental sustainability.
We are eager to hear from you about what stories and issues you want to see highlighted next.
What moved you this year, and what do you hope will be the focus of our collective gaze in the year to come?
Share your thoughts and suggestions with us as we continue to explore the power of video in driving forward the narrative of change.
