The ChallengeShift perceptions about the way people think about the existing nonprofit model.

Existing Framework

- Donors want to donate to great causes and make the world better but are skeptical that their money is being used effectively.

- The model used by donors to evaluate nonprofits is broken.

- Donors believe that 100% of their donations should be used to support the people who benefit from a cause. This leaves 0% to support the organization behind the mission.

Desired Framework

Overhead is not only crucial, it is essential for any nonprofit that wants long term, sustainable success.

Educate donors that it is an effective use of money to allocate their donations to the infrastructure that supports the nonprofit.

Administrative expenses ● Investments in an organization’s infrastructure and operations.

○ staff dedicated to accounting and human resource activities○ the applicable portion of information technologies devoted to the above functions, ○ governing board expenses, ○ the production of an annual report, ○ management systems

Fundraising expenses

● Costs incurred in the process of or with the intent of asking potential donors to contribute funds, materials, or time.

○ staff time dedicated to donor development, ○ direct mail expenses, ○ maintenance of donor mailing lists, ○ holding fundraising events, and more.

What is considered overhead?

Story MessageConvey why strong overhead ratios are an indicator of a healthy organization. Explain the increased importance of transparency and focus on new metrics like impact and effectiveness.

SolutionCreate a highly shareable film that both educates and entertains audiences by supporting Guidestar’s existing Overhead Myth campaign.

Creative ConceptA nonprofit hyperbole. Comedy driven. Engineered for shareability. What happens when nonprofits allocate 100% of donations towards their mission?

The Story

In this fictional comedy we get to know a nonprofit ED talking about how proud she is that her organization invests 100% of their money towards the cause. She talks about why she thinks this is such a great model. Then in midst of her talk things start to seem off. She talks about her team working out of coffee shops, hiring interns who she replaces monthly, using computers at public libraries and then things literally begin to collapse around her. An employee comes onto set and announces she is quitting, talks about working 90 hours a week and sleeping in a tent while earning minimum wage to keep keep the nonprofit afloat. In a culminating scene the 4th wall is broken after the first camera goes dark (we cut to a second camera) and we see the director tell the ED she’s run out of studio time for filming and then the filmmaking crew on set begins to walk out. Finally the ED confesses that she just can’t keep it together without overhead investment.

Impact & EffectivenessChange the Conversation:

- Educate donors about looking at an organization’s effectiveness instead of its financial ratios.

- Get donors to think differently about how their money supports an organization that is focused on long term success and making the world a better place.

Filmmaking Budget

Pre-production services: $4,850Production services: $15,950Post-production services: $11,100Media Distribution: $6,750Production fee: $9,600Total film budget: $48,250

Questions

ken@truthtold.cojulie@truthtold.co

Learn more about Truth Be Told film creation: http://truthtold.co