Fundraising for small movies.

[pat@hpnc.com]

I have been looking at ways to raise money for a small film. And I was thinking I used to do really will with affiliate programs from some of my sites. Any way I looked around and found fundraising site that works like an affiliate program. For example the one I started with as a test uses magazine subscriptions. You get 40% of the price the customer pays. Any way with a enough traffic it could work really well. It also would help to be making something that people care about. Like a religios movie or one on the enviroment etc. So take a look at how I implemented it and let me know if you have any suggests on how to make this better or other things to try. http://www.theheavenmovie.com/donate.html

[24Peter]

Be careful. The IRS may decide this is income to you personally if you don't qualify as a tax exempt business. And the State attorney general may get involved if people complain about being decieved/defrauded, esp if you don't raise enough to actually make the movie - or if you personally profit from it once it is complete.

People (filmmakers that is) should also know that raising money by investment (rather than donation) could put them afoul of the federal and state securities laws.

[pat@hpnc.com]

Yes I will have to check. But no place does it claim to be tax exempt. Mainly becouse I just do not have the money to hire someone to set it up and keep track of the paper work. Its a pain to do. And I planned on reporting it as gifts or income depending on what my accountent told me.

[24Peter]

Well there's nothing wrong with people giving you money to make your movie - as long as they're not misled as to what they're actually contributing to. Your website arguably implies a charitable intent with some religious overtones. If it's not charity, make sure people know that the filmmaker will retain the benefit and may personally profit. Again there's nothing wrong with people giving you money for your film - as long as they're not misled.

[SenorKaffee]

Too much religion for me. Religion + magazine subscriptions = someone wants to rip me off. Maybe your target group doesn´t think so, but I do. ;)

[Lunchbox]

I do agree with 24Peter. It sounds too much of a religious overtone and charitable donation.

[pat@hpnc.com]

Umm its not overtones it is religious:) Finances will be almost all my own I am sure. The magazines are IF someone wants to helps a little. If you are not religios then there for you probobly would not want to help and then of course I dont have to worry about getting your money and you not liking the product haha.

[SenorKaffee]

I just think that it may not help. Maybe a Paypal donation button will be better. I thought about it a lot because I just started to document my current project in a blog a few weeks ago. No way I´m promoting that until I have something to show. I´d also never add a forum until I´m sure there is enough traffic for a discussion. Nothing shows the web audience more that this is a boring place than an empty forum with more categories than posts. I already thought about disabling blog comments, but that was a little too hard, even for me. ;)

I´m still not sure how a website can help budget movies. Maybe affiliate links for DIY-filmmaking-books, when you attract a no-budget or wannabe-filmmaker crowd. Just as you said, every idea welcome. ;)

[pat@hpnc.com]

Its got a paypal button by the way with the magazines as just another option. But honestly I am thinking about just changing the donation page to something about how we are not soliciting donations (have no way to pay) and then just say its all self financed.

As for the forum part of that is working to get things going in it also. And you have to have it up and working to get people posting. And as you mentioned I will be posting in micro budget movie forums and have information on that. But will start after I start posting video production diaries etc. And a good idea to sell related books etc. I already have an amazon account.

[bluegrass]

I have been looking at ways to raise money for a small film. And I was thinking I used to do really will with affiliate programs from some of my sites. Any way I looked around and found fundraising site that works like an affiliate program. For example the one I started with as a test uses magazine subscriptions. You get 40% of the price the customer pays. Any way with a enough traffic it could work really well. It also would help to be making something that people care about. Like a religios movie or one on the enviroment etc. So take a look at how I implemented it and let me know if you have any suggests on how to make this better or other things to try. http://www.theheavenmovie.com/donate.html

Frankly, I'm surprised your post wasn't removed on day one.

Are you really asking folks here at this forum to assist you in coming up with money making schemes to help support you to make movies?

If I decided to make movie shorts for a living, I would first support it with my day job until it got off the ground. I think it's totally rediculous to try and get people to give you money so that you can make money. Maybe I missed your point here & if I did, I'm appologize.

[pat@hpnc.com]

Bluegrass yes you did. But its my fault. I probobly should have explained better. But if you look at I think my secound post it mentions I would set it up now as a nonprofit but do not have the resources to hire someone to do it correctly. I will probobly at some time in the future set it up as a nonprofit. Or join with one of the groups I do FX for some times that are non profit christian ministries that also do TV etc.