;)
;)
;){kind=icon}
3 Things Movies Taught Me About Fundraising
Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9:00AM 
My IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for the film festival and television premieres of “Abyss” continues to be in full swing, with lots of work, sleepless nights and surprising sources of support. On Sunday, I started thinking about movies where people are collecting donations for a particular cause -- there are some Do’s and Don’ts that could be learned from fundraising campaigns on the big screen. So, it’s become the inspiration behind this week’s Monday Movie Meme: Show Me the Money!
Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring some type of fundraising. The campaign could be a one-time occurrence or an ongoing effort led by one person or an entire group of people. Remember to link back to this post and visit the blogs of fellow Monday Movie Meme participants. Here are my selections for this week’s Show Me the Money theme, based on three things that movies taught me about fundraising.
DON’T - Lay Claim to another Man’s Generosity
As Seen in “Coming to America” Starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall
The scene where Akeem dumps a wad full of money into the collection plate at church is unforgettable, for reasons other than cash. You see, Lisa assumes that her hot-shot boyfriend Darryl gave this large donation to the church. Darryl a.k.a Mr. Scumbag himself, takes all the credit for that money, knowing darn well that he passed the collection plate to the next person without offering Lisa’s church one dime.
DO - Be Transparent with Donors on How their Funds Will Be Used
As Seen in “A Time to Kill” Starring Samuel Jackson and Sandra Bullock
While in jail, Carl Lee makes it clear to his pastor that he will reveal the church’s misuse of funds raised by the congregation. The pastor took a special collection for Carl Lee’s legal expenses and to help feed the jailed man’s family. Apparently, that money did not go toward those two causes and then the church had the audacity to bring in the NAACP with intentions of replacing Carl Lee’s current lawyer with one of their own preference.
DON’T – Choose a Market that is Difficult for You to Compete In
As seen in “Dodgeball” starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller
The staff at Average Joes gym hosts an all-male car wash to save their business from being bought out by a conglomerate competitor. Unfortunately, their timing and location choices put them up against a group of hot women in bikinis that drove most of the traffic to their own all-girls car wash. After sizing up their competition and realizing that this gym fundraiser’s sole customer was a perverted trucker, the staff cut their losses and accepted defeat.
What fundraising campaigns have YOU seen in movies?
Reader Comments (6)
I'm not really a movie buff, so I can't remember a direct episode of fundraising. I've heard all sorts of good things about modern fundraising however, most recently on our cohost Matthew's blog about Kickstarter fundraising.
I may have been reading much into the scheme of things, but for some reason I seem to recall a snippet of Long Kiss Goodnight having a scene where the villain revealed his purposes and it involved a fund raiser on a much greater proportion.
Hi Nicole. I don't remember fundraising campaigns in movies, but I do remember product placements galore (another subject, I'm sure). However, I learned something from your post and will sure watch movies with different eyes from now on.
Silvia (from the A to Z Challenge)
Oh man, how can I not mention one of the greatest movies ever made:
UHF: Weird Al Yankovic holds a fundraiser to save his indie cable television company
Okay, classifying this as being one of the "greatest movies ever made" is quite subjective, but I have a soft spot in my heart for this flick. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hunt for a marble in the oatmeal (yeah, it's a joke from the movie. Suppliesed?) Heh....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB2GboGOuTI
Damy,
Oh my...You have to get with the program one of these days, sis! LOL. The modern-day fundraising platforms have definitely been helpful in opening more opportunities for artists to see their projects go from concept to completion. I read Matthew's post. Hats off to those video game dudes!
Angela,
Were they at some type of black tie affair in that scene? Long Kiss Goodnight sounds familiar but for some reason, I think I got it mixed up with Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil...don't know why tho. Is Geena Davis in either of those films? I haven't watched them in so long.
Silvia,
Nice to meet you. Product placement is a whole other animal, where movies are concerned. Good to know you learned something from reading this post! You're welcome to return :)
Herman,
OMG, yeah it's subjective indeed but I need to get on the ball and watch UHF, already! I remember you mentioning it on one of the meme's a while back...or somewhere and I was curious to check it out. Netflix, here I come!!! -- Oh, and you'd never guess that I'm on my way to do some small grocery shopping for oatmeal today. Given the topic of the previous post on "Dead Man Down," maybe oatmeal might be a fitting at-home concessions choice for this Weird Al movie you speak of, yes?!! :)
Just stopping by to say "HI" and thanks for your work on the A to Z Blogging Challenge! I'm excited to take part again on www.nebraskafamilytimes.blogspot.com and www.achristianmomsguide.blogspot.com. I know nothing about making movies or the industry (other than watching them, haha) so enjoyed learning something today.