[Frameworks] fundraising

[Caryn Cline]

Thank you to Tom Whiteside, Daniel Maldonado, and Adam Hyman for writing
back to me, and this list, about fundraising.  Your comments were helpful
and reassuring.  I've been a member of this list for several years, and I
have to say that I have learned a lot from the many questions, the generous
responses and helpful suggestions of colleagues and friends here.  When I'm
stuck on something, I know I can "ask on Frameworks."  As a filmmaker, I'm
grateful to those who founded and continue to support this vital, virtual
community.  I don't know what I would do without it.

Best wishes,

CC

On Tue, May 29, 2012 at 12:31 PM, Tom Whiteside <tom.whiteside at duke.edu>wrote:

>  One issue in fundraising is fiscal sponsorship. Some funding
> organizations (foundations) will not give money to you as an individual but
> will make a contribution to the project though a non-profit, tax deductible
> (501c3) institution, your fiscal sponsor. Women Make Movies is one, the one
> I’ve worked with in the past is Southern Documentary Fund. There are
> others. Generally you apply to them, show that you have a valid project and
> a realistic fundraising plan; if they approve your project then donations
> to your project go directly to the fiscal sponsor, they hold it for you and
> pay disbursements as you turn in your receipts and stick to the script (so
> to speak). The fiscal sponsor charges a fee for this, roughly 5-10%.
> Another advantage to fiscal sponsorship is that individual donations are
> tax deductible. Mary didn’t give YOU $100 for your project (not tax
> deductible), she gave it to your fiscal sponsor, and it is a tax deductible
> contribution for her. A good fiscal sponsor might also be able to help you
> with your grant applications, etc. – if you have a professional grant
> writer that is great, but the bottom line is that well written grants are
> infinitely more likely to get funded. If you want to make the kinds of
> films you have to raise money for, you have to learn how to do this part of
> it, or partner with someone who knows.****
>
> ** **
>
> Kickstarter and the like do not require fiscal sponsorship, and most
> fiscal sponsors do not want to get involved with Kickstarter(s) – they
> really are DIY.  But your plan to make the first chapter Is a good one, and
> a common approach – we invest what we can to make the work-in-progress
> reel, then we show that as a fundraiser for the big project.****
>
> ** **
>
> Tom              Durham NC****
>
> ** **
>
> *From:* frameworks-bounces at jonasmekasfilms.com [mailto:
> frameworks-bounces at jonasmekasfilms.com] *On Behalf Of *Caryn Cline
> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 29, 2012 9:26 AM
> *To:* Experimental Film Discussion List
> *Subject:* [Frameworks] fundraising****
>
> ** **
>
> Dear Frameworkers,
>
> My earlier question about USA Projects (to which Gene Youngblood kindly
> responded) prompts another, more general one: what *about* fundraising?
> I typically make short films and mostly fund them myself, but I'm now
> involved in a bigger, collaborative project.  The writer/producer and I
> (the producer/director) have enough money to make the first, least
> expensive "chapter" of a triptych of short films.  We plan to make the
> first part this summer and then use it to raise money for the second two
> parts of the project (the total budget is about 20K) .
>
> We believe that the best time to engage in fundraising is after we have
> this first piece finished, when we have something concrete to show, and our
> potential donors have something to look at and judge.  The grant-writing
> and funding cycle seems beyond us for many reasons, not least of which are
> the time and energy it takes to look for funding and develop proposals when
> you are trying to also make the work.  I fear the more direct
> "Kickstarter"-style campaign is so ubiquitous these days that potential
> funders are experiencing burnout.  I'm old enough that some of my potential
> donors aren't frequent users of social media, so my co-producer and I are
> also thinking of sending out e-mails or even letters to them.
>
> I would love to hear about any experiences those of you who frequent this
> list have with fundraising, and the pros and cons of using social media
> sites, e-mail, snail mail, and asking for money from friends, family,
> colleagues.  I hope these questions will be beneficial to others on this
> list.
>
> Thank you and best wishes,
>
> CC
> --
> Caryn Cline
> Filmmaker and Teacher
> New York City and Seattle, WA
> vimeo.com/carynyc
>
>
> ****
>
> _______________________________________________
> FrameWorks mailing list
> FrameWorks at jonasmekasfilms.com
> https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks
>
>


-- 
Caryn Cline
Filmmaker and Teacher
New York City and Seattle, WA
vimeo.com/carynyc
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/pipermail/frameworks/attachments/20120531/78104487/attachment.html