How to add captions to a nonprofit fundraising appeal on iPhone

Why caption a fundraising appeal

Donation appeals, volunteer calls and impact stories have a few seconds to land in a feed where most video plays with the sound off. Captions let supporters read the need, the story and what you are asking them to do, and they help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

This guide covers short spoken clips for Reels and TikTok. If the clip is a supporter or volunteer describing their own experience, the testimonial guide has more on recording someone else’s story. CaptionAddr burns the captions into the picture, so one copy works on social accounts, your website and in emails or messages.

Caption a fundraising appeal on iPhone

1. Record a short, clear appeal. Film vertically in a quiet spot with the phone or a microphone close to the speaker. Keep to one story and one clear ask, and get permission from anyone who appears before you share the video.
2. Choose the video. Tap Select Video in CaptionAddr and pick the clip with Apple’s Photos picker. Vertical, square and landscape videos all work, and the video keeps its shape.
3. Let the captions generate. Captions start as soon as the video opens; keep the app open; the English speech is transcribed on your iPhone, not on a server.
4. Check names, numbers and the ask. In Edit Captions, correct your organization’s name, program names, amounts, dates and the words of your call to action. You can edit, delete and reorder words, with undo and redo.
5. Style and place the captions. Choose one of the 20 fonts and a size that reads on a phone, turn on the tinted background over bright or busy shots, and drag the captions above the caption and button area of Reels and TikTok.
6. Export and post. Tap Export Video to save the captioned copy to Photos, then upload it in Instagram, TikTok or any other app, and add your donation or sign-up link in the post itself. The watermark is off unless you turn it on.

Tips for appeal and impact clips

• Lead with the story. Open with the person or moment the appeal is about, then make the ask; captions carry the story for viewers who never turn the sound on.
• Say the ask plainly. “Donate today” or “Sign up to volunteer” reads quickly as single-word captions. Repeat it near the end for viewers who join late.
• Check every number. Amounts, goals, dates and counts are easy to mishear. Make sure the captions match what you meant to say.
• Respect the people in the story. Follow your organization’s own rules for consent and privacy when a video shows the people you serve.
• Keep music out of the spoken part. Music under the voice can cause missed words, and the app doesn’t remove it. Add music in the app you post to, after the captions are made.

Limits

• English only. CaptionAddr transcribes English speech and doesn’t translate, so it can’t caption an appeal in another language or make versions for other languages.
• Captions only. Captions show the spoken words. The app doesn’t add donation links, buttons, logos, title cards or music, and it doesn’t trim or crop.
• Single-word captions. Words appear one at a time, timed automatically, always in uppercase; there are no brand-color controls or manual per-word timing.
• Length. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes. The App Store shows the current Pro price in your currency.
• Burned-in captions only. There is no SRT, VTT or text export, and the app doesn’t post to social platforms.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• How to add captions to a customer testimonial video on iPhone
• How to add captions to Instagram Reels
• How to add captions to TikTok videos

All caption guides →