Documentary Fundraising

Get Started

Production Tips

Fun Stuff

Tools

Legal/Business

Other Stuff

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Documentary Fundraising
Tips For Getting A "Yes!"

Documentary Fundraising 101, Documentary Funding,
Fundraising Ideas

How do you give yourself the BEST chance to get a “yes” when asking for money for your documentary?

Top 5 tricks to get funding for your documentary:

Edit a trailer - Fundraising is tons easier if you can SHOW a sample of your documentary idea. A trailer can be anywhere from 1-10 minutes. The key is to make it professional and compelling. In addition to the trailer, you should have a budget, a treatment and crew bios. It is also suggested to include a visual style sheet that explains your artistic vision for the film, especially if you don't have a trailer to show.

Low Hanging Fruit – Ask for donations from your friends, family, co-workers and people in your community who already know and trust you. Unless you're Ken Burns, don't waste your time going to Coke-Cola or another big company or foundation. Your best results will come from those who have a personal connection to you in some way.

Make that phone call - As scary as it may feel, make the ask for money either in person or on the phone. E-mails, social media and letters may get you some results, but the big results come from the direct ask.

Ask for a specific amount of money – Do your research. If you're asking your poor college buddy for money, $5 might be a lot to ask. If you're asking your local small businessman for a donation, $1,000 might be more appropriate. An organization or family foundation, perhaps $25,000. People respond best to a specific ask and a specific amount.

Prepare psychologically - Expect that you will get a lot of “no's”. This doesn't mean that your idea isn't valid or important. People simply do not part with money easily, especially if they're getting nothing tangible in return. There must be a pre-existing emotional attachment (passion for the cause, a strong belief in the mission, a belief that what you're doing will make a difference in some way, someone who believes in you personally, etc). As the saying goes, “every 'no' you get is closer to a 'yes'!