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?