Does my Spokenote video need to come from our CEO, executive director, or most senior leader?
Does my Spokenote video need to come from our CEO, executive director, or most senior leader?
No. The most effective video comes from whoever actually has the relationship with the recipient, not whoever has the biggest title. A development officer, admissions counselor, volunteer coordinator, or program lead often has more standing with a specific audience than an executive would, and a short, authentic video from that person tends to land better than a polished one from someone the recipient doesn't actually know.
The Customer Question
"Do I need to wait until our executive director/CEO/president has time to record this, or can someone else on our team do it?"
Many teams stall on video because of an unspoken rule: the institutional voice (ED, president, CEO) has to be the one on camera. But that assumption is worth questioning — the CEO usually isn't the person with the actual relationship to the recipient. The development officer managing 350 donor relationships, the admissions counselor who did the campus tour, or the volunteer coordinator who runs the choir often has far more standing with that specific audience than a senior leader would.
A message from someone the recipient actually knows lands differently than one from a title they simply recognize. Relationship-driven outreach works best when the person on screen is the person the recipient would expect to hear from.
When deciding who should record a video, ask:
- Who has the relationship with this specific audience?
- Who's authentic on camera — comfortable being themselves, not performing?
- Who has the standing to say this to this particular audience?
The answer is rarely the same person for every segment. The right voice can (and often should) change depending on who's receiving the video.
A lot of delay comes from self-imposed steps that aren't actually required: writing a full script, waiting for a haircut, reshooting over a minor wardrobe issue. These turn a 10-minute task into an indefinitely deferred one. Lowering the bar means dropping the performance mindset and focusing on connection instead.
What to Check Next- Trying to decide who should record a specific video? Start with the three questions above rather than defaulting to the most senior person available.
- Feeling stuck on production quality? Revisit Guidance on Recording Best Practices for quick, low-effort ways to look and sound good without overproducing.
- If you'd like guidance on matching specific team members to specific audience segments for a larger campaign, reach out to your CSM.