Models for nonprofit production ministries.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Travis mendel on December 10, 2008 at 3:07pm

Shane, never saw a description of your ministry. Right now that is the debate soaring through my head. At the moment my company, BornFreeEntertainment is a for-profit company doing seemingly only non-profit filming.. sigh :)
So with in the filming production company stance what is the difference between a for-profit company and non-profit company???????
Other than it being a heck of a lot easier for me to get donations if I was a ngo or 501c3!
nice work by the way
cheers from Germany
Travis

Permalink Reply by Clyde Taber on February 27, 2009 at 8:39pm

Evan,

VERY interesting model. I don't think I've heard of one quite like that. Much more common is the "70% commercial clients to offset the 30% non-profit clients (at the non-profit rate)."

Would love to talk.

CT

Permalink Reply by Thomas W. Silkwood on April 30, 2009 at 12:18pm

Good to hear that this type of dilemma is being addressed. I have a bit of an unusual situation. My ministry is based in Chiangmai, Thailand where I have lived for 29 years. Quite a move for a boy born in Indiana and now having a base in Illinois.

In all my years working in media I have found the financial issues like trying to put trash in a plastic bag that has holes in it. You must fill it and pick it up carefully. (Illustration from cleaning out a friends garage!) It seems that the main issue is evaluating what the Lord would lead us to do.

1. God's will
2. Should we do a project or not? (Refer to point one).

We have found that the issue isn't a question at all except if it is God's will. If it is we plow ahead. I am amazed that we can keep the place running when our donations for my work run at around $1600 per month! I have four staff besides my wife and I. (My salary comes from my home church thus freeing up capital for ministry. I'm technically called a "Living Link Missionary".

We are a 501c organization and my ministry, which I founded called Freedom Films Productions, is the media arm of our mother organization called North Burma Christian Mission. Funds come in from all over but I'm personally responsible for raising all my funds for ministry.

We also have a small company in Thailand called Freedom Films Productions which is a for profit company. It certainly doesn't bring in tons of cash but does help with some legal entanglements that we would have otherwise.

Anyway with all this said we have tried the business model but that prices most Christian customers out of playing. We use a honor system. Those who can are ask to pay full amount and those who can't pay what you can. We figure God will make up the difference. Of course it makes discerning God's will critically important.

I have come to the conclusion that I'm never going to get rich doing this. I will likely never get all the cash when I want it to upgrade my four studio cams and other cams not to mention how long it takes to outfit our audio dept. and other areas. I think the widows mite is the issue here. God does a whole lot with just a little. Certainly has convinced me that when we are successful it is His doing and our feeble attempts at being faithful.

Permalink Reply by Jon Anderhub on May 31, 2009 at 6:46pm

While HTG Productions is a nonprofit (501C3) we act as a for profit organization in terms of taking on clients and projects. The scriptures tell us that a worker is worth his (her) wages, and we believe this to be true.
Having said that, it is our goal to promote the gospel and to assist ministries and oranizations in delivering their message, so we try as best we can to accomodate their budgets and needs. When possible we try and help our clients find funding for their projects through denominational support when available or through grants available through foundations.

Permalink Reply by Durand Robinson on June 11, 2009 at 2:55am

Hope I'm not barging in here, but it's been interesting over the past year watching our journey with Clear Media (http://clearmedia.ie)

I'm a supported missionary from the U.S. so my "salary" is covered outside the company. A Christian businessman and I thought that there was a need to engage the young believers from the film industry around Dublin as volunteers in projects that could benefit the advancing of the Kingdom. And we knew that the church was in dire need of help to communicate more effectively through media.

But with the present economy, most of the folks were so strapped for cash that the availability of volunteers became an issue. So we hired one of them and set ourselves up as an LLC business. We started out with mainly Christian clients. We do charge, but the fees are typically reduced 40% of what we charge commercial clients.

Even with prices that in all honesty aren't covering costs, church-based clients are anxious to have good media but are not willing to part with their money. At this stage, we could make the business work commercially, but that wasn't the original intent. It is an option to do commercial work with a few pro bono projects given away through the year, but I think that's a flawed model as well. And as for the "honor system" model, the only clients in our first year that we've had problems with not honoring their commitments have been Christian ones.

Give someone something for free and they value it at the price they paid for it. There are exceptions, but that's what I've seen more often than not.

We have our first Annual review the end of the month. We've got some serious creative thinking to do to make this ministry work long term. It would be a heart-break for the ministries in Ireland to lose their unique opportunity for professional media production.

I'd love to have more than two options here. (The two being go "for-profit" and give media away to Christians or "do the fund-raising to produce the media for the ministries". They should be doing their own fund-raising if the project is important enough, at least in my opinion. After all, their supporters know and care more about their ministry than mine do.

Permalink Reply by Keith Shull on May 31, 2010 at 4:08pm

Well, it's not my ministry, so I can't answer lots of the specifics that Shane is looking for - but Stone Soup Media at http://www.stonesoup.tv/ uses a model similar to supported missionaries.

Melody Warford is a media professional who uses her media skils (incl. stills, video, & graphic design) to support missionaries. The website says " Stone Soup Media provides communications so that missionaries, organizations and individuals around the world can more effectively reach out to minister and witness. Painting a picture of their work helps them encourage and involve others in their ministry. . .Past work includes projects like video for Wycliffe Bible translators, brochures and radio spots for the African Bible University, media for local businesses started by Christians to better the lives of Ugandans, prayer cards, Powerpoints, photography and more."

She has a group of supporters who provide her funds, just like a missionary. When she's home in the US (which isn't often!) she visits churches & individuals to raise support. Also sends out newsletters & updates same as a missionary would.

Permalink Reply by Keith Shull on May 31, 2010 at 4:13pm

Durand:
One suggestion that I've seen work re: pro bono work is to be very selective about which freebies you take on. Perhaps every year, commit to one or two organziations that you believe strongly in, and turn every one else away (graciously, of course). The next year, choose one or two others (or stay committed to the original ones).

Maybe even tie that idea in with an annual contest for groups to compete for your pro bono services. Each year, the top two winners get free services up to a certain dollar amount or x-number of projects.

Just a suggestion.

Keith

Durand Robinson said:

Hope I'm not barging in here, but it's been interesting over the past year watching our journey with Clear Media (http://clearmedia.ie)

I'm a supported missionary from the U.S. so my "salary" is covered outside the company. A Christian businessman and I thought that there was a need to engage the young believers from the film industry around Dublin as volunteers in projects that could benefit the advancing of the Kingdom. And we knew that the church was in dire need of help to communicate more effectively through media.

But with the present economy, most of the folks were so strapped for cash that the availability of volunteers became an issue. So we hired one of them and set ourselves up as an LLC business. We started out with mainly Christian clients. We do charge, but the fees are typically reduced 40% of what we charge commercial clients.

Even with prices that in all honesty aren't covering costs, church-based clients are anxious to have good media but are not willing to part with their money. At this stage, we could make the business work commercially, but that wasn't the original intent. It is an option to do commercial work with a few pro bono projects given away through the year, but I think that's a flawed model as well. And as for the "honor system" model, the only clients in our first year that we've had problems with not honoring their commitments have been Christian ones.

Give someone something for free and they value it at the price they paid for it. There are exceptions, but that's what I've seen more often than not.

We have our first Annual review the end of the month. We've got some serious creative thinking to do to make this ministry work long term. It would be a heart-break for the ministries in Ireland to lose their unique opportunity for professional media production.

I'd love to have more than two options here. (The two being go "for-profit" and give media away to Christians or "do the fund-raising to produce the media for the ministries". They should be doing their own fund-raising if the project is important enough, at least in my opinion. After all, their supporters know and care more about their ministry than mine do.

Permalink Reply by Sid Richardson on June 7, 2010 at 1:15pm

Hi Shane,

We started gracemovies.org with the premise that as a 501(c)(3), we would not be chasing investors, rather we would start by hosting a fund-raiser for 30-60 "champions" of Grace Movies, whereby we will show some movie trailers of future projects so the audience can get a flavor for the movies we will make. We're working out how much per seat to charge, but we need to raise enough money to shoot the first Act of the first movie. We anticipate that we would perform other fund raising activities to raise capital for Acts II and III.

Hope that is helpful. Best of luck.
Sid Richardson

Permalink Reply by Melody Warford on August 6, 2011 at 4:47am

How interesting to find two years down the road that there were people discussing the model I use to do my non-profit media work!  I have been doing media for missionaries now for seven years, fully supported.  So much so that I even provide media education for Ugandans whose desire is to do the same thing, and giving the slightly used equipment to missionaries around the world who are also capable of creating media for their ministries.  

 

I began as a support-raising missionary doing this because God called me to it.  He planted this idea in my head that I needed to prove that this work was valuable, and that He really could provide for it.  And He has.  The toughest part is that there is so much good work to be done, that I can't possibly do it all myself.  And I've found no one ese willing to take the leap with me.  But who am I?  No one special... why would He provide for me and not for others?  

 

The work has been great, and although I've been burned once or twice in these seven years, for the most part I've had grateful amazed ministries that have sometimes even insisted on giving me funds for my work, which I have used to fund the next mission!

 

But at last, having proved that God will provide and seeing the amazing ways He has used all this, I am coming back to the states to find a better model that will include others.  I suppose that's why God led me to this long-forgotten discussion.  I would like to hear back from any if not all of you what conclusions you have drawn since this discussion came about.

 

I have discovered that instead of advertising for people to find me, I have found them through contacts I already had, through referrals, or through God placing someone in my path.  I do my homework, making sure I know who they are and what they do as well.  As a result God has sent me to do amazing projects that have surely made a difference for His Kingdom.  I am blessed.  So, what next?  How do I find a place to continue what I am doing, but bring others along for the ride?

 

Thanks Keith for getting what I do.

 

God bless,

Melody