Sustainable Fundraising Practices

FILM FINANCING AS AN ALTERNATIVE ASSET CLASS For family offices and private investors, independent film and television projects represent a sophisticated asset segment that combines intellectual property creation with structured recoupment models. The opportunity lies in understanding how capital moves through the financing stack and how risk and liquidity are managed at each stage. ⸻ EQUITY PARTICIPATION Equity represents ownership. Investors exchange capital for a share of the film’s revenue through theatrical sales, streaming, licensing, and catalog value. Capital remains at risk until recouped, but successful distribution can deliver outsized returns. Seasoned investors structure equity positions with first-position recoupment, executive producer credit, and defined backend participation to protect their upside. ⸻ DEBT FINANCING Debt provides a collateralized, income-based approach to film investment. Lenders underwrite loans against secured receivables such as pre-sales, distribution minimum guarantees, or transferable state tax credits. Interest and fees are repaid from contracted revenue streams, reducing exposure and positioning the loan as a form of asset-backed lending. Completion bonds further mitigate delivery risk and enhance capital security. ⸻ BRIDGE AND GAP FINANCING Bridge and gap facilities maintain production continuity between funding milestones. Bridge loans cover timing gaps before contracted funds clear, while gap loans secure the final portion of a budget not yet backed by confirmed collateral. These short-duration instruments are typically supported by unsold territories, pending tax incentives, or distribution receivables and offer premium yields reflecting execution sensitivity. ⸻ TAX CREDITS AND INCENTIVES Government-backed incentives act as soft-money equity. Credits can be monetized or factored upfront to provide immediate liquidity. Leading U.S. jurisdictions—Georgia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Ohio, and New York—remain competitive because of transparent, transferable credit programs and strong local-spend multipliers. ⸻ STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND BRAND INTEGRATION Corporate partnerships and product placement supply non-dilutive capital and marketing exposure. These relationships can offset production costs through co-branded campaigns, hospitality support, or in-kind value that enhances both the film’s visibility and investor return profile. ⸻ WHY IT MATTERS Film assets behave more like structured credit than speculative art. When professionally packaged—with bonded budgets, collateralized incentives, and diversified recoupment streams—they offer investors an alternative asset class capable of producing asymmetric upside within a disciplined, risk-managed framework.

At a time when traditional aid is retreating just as crises are multiplying, I’m seeing a quiet but profound shift among donors and investors alike. Those who are still giving are doing so with greater intention, asking their capital to go further for people and planet. Yet everywhere there’s a weariness about the role of philanthropy. And while there’s legitimacy to that, so has Acumen’s experience revealed extraordinary potential for the role of private resources to solve public problems. From the early days of off-grid solar, for example, what unlocked every stage of progress was patient, risk-tolerant philanthropic capital, and the sector has now impacted hundreds of millions of lives across Africa and South Asia. And Acumen's latest $250M Hardest-to-Reach fund to electrify 17 sub-Saharan nations is anchored by more than $80M in philanthropy, which was the risk-taking anchor that paved the way for institutional investment.    In Fortune, I make this case and lay out why we need a new financial architecture that blends the moral clarity of philanthropy with the discipline and scale of markets, anchored in leaders solving problems from the ground up. If we want lasting impact, especially in fragile contexts, this is what the next chapter of giving could look like: https://lnkd.in/eVPvu4z3

Dear philanthropists, you need to start funding core operations in nonprofits. One of the most problematic things I’ve heard in the philanthropic space is that “no donor will want to fund operations.” Ugh. This gives me the ick. It should not be something we ask nonprofit leaders to work around. It should be a funding criterion that philanthropists actively CHANGE t to serve what activists and nonprofit teams truly need. Operations (from organizational development, HR and finance, to strategy planning, communication and fundraising) ARE the backbone of how social justice is literally PUT IN ACTION. Refusing to fund operations is extremely anti-feminist and perpetuates power imbalances. It reminds me of a system that still refuses to see domestic or caregiving labor as labor that should be paid. Domestic and caregiving (informal and formal) professionals, much like operation professionals (often women!!) remain invisible, often thankless, and terribly undervalued, but they are essential for the wellbeing, sustainability and flourishing of communities and organizations they serve. Would it sound okay if a philanthropist who also supports feminist or social justice causes claimed that domestic or caregiving labor is unworthy of fair monetary remuneration? If you, too, believe that the answer is no, well, it’s time to be louder about funding nonprofit operations! The truth is that without operations, no program nor activism can develop sustainably and scale in the long term. Operational capacity is foundational in social justice efforts and, therefore, a real feminist issue.   People with money privilege who want to do good need to get on board with this and support it, and stop letting the ego get in the way of their funding agendas (apparently, funding operations does not sound “cool” or “prestigious” enough in the philanthropy bubble…). The truth is that when philanthropy fails to invest in nonprofits' impact engines, it undermines the core impact that leaders and activists are trying to achieve. Philanthropists, if you want to truly serve communities and do your part in contributing to systemic change, this is your opportunity to put the money where the real needs of frontline leaders and activists are.

"You can do dumb stuff in philanthropy for decades. As long as you don't run out of money, you just keep doing it." Kevin Starr's candid assessment comes as thousands of organizations and employees question not just their revenue streams and job opportunities but their entire career paths. With programs abruptly terminated and positions evaporating overnight, this crisis affects more than just funding — Starr argues it’s showing us how this sector was built on shifting sands. While many organizations scramble to replace lost aid dollars, Mulago's CEO suggests a more profound reset in how development professionals approach their work moving forward. His actionable insights for development leaders navigating this new reality: - Master the art of "sales": Traditional advocacy fails because "sales is becoming the solution to their problem." Stop pushing what you think people need and start solving what keeps them awake at night. This requires radically better listening skills. - Design for government cost, not just impact: Start with "What would it cost governments to deliver this?" This single number should drive everything – just as companies design toward price targets. Most organizations don't have this figure, yet it's the difference between scale and stagnation. - Follow momentum, not just need: "Need is everywhere but potential varies wildly." The days of choosing locations based solely on poverty metrics are over. Hunt for governments and opportunities showing genuine appetite for adoption, even if it means exiting traditional strongholds. - Fight geographic funding restrictions: When funders limit where you can work, they kill your scaling potential. "Organizations should be free to go where the most potential is for their idea" – be prepared to challenge these arbitrary constraints. - For market solutions, ensure profit drives impact: The market only works when "impact and profit are inextricably aligned." Without this alignment, solutions inevitably abandon the poor. Design business models where serving more vulnerable populations directly increases profitability. These approaches might offer a pathway for development professionals to build something potentially more effective and scalable moving forward. #Philanthropy #Impact #Development #Aid

How I get new individual donors (my entire strategy) People think to get new major donors, you need:  - huge brand - big marketing department - gala with celebrity co-chairs and host committee - paid ads - lots of media Here’s my 4-part method (that includes none of that 👆) that’s helped me and my clients raise $66M and counting from individual donors. (Nothing wrong with any of that stuff, it’s just all very difficult to manage, expensive and time-consuming - and good for you if it works for you!) Part 1/4: Referrals ➡️ Ask current donors ➡️ Ask board members ➡️ Ask email subscribers to share the email with a friend I tack a referral ask onto every conversation that I think “goes well” If the donor is all in, then they are likely to intro us to someone else. Easy. Btw, this usually creates more work for me with all the new intros, so I don’t have as much pressure for parts 2-4 to work right away. Part 2/4: Zero-Cost Intimate Gatherings (hosted by donor, board member) What the nonprofit does: (Me)  - Guide the host on the right “who” to invite  - Advise the host on how to share from their heart What the donor or board member does: (Them)  - Plans, executes, and pays for the whole thing  - Invites their network to their home It’s personal. It’s intimate. More people /= better.  We’re going for the RIGHT FIT people. I do this 4x a year. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom.  New major donor pipeline. Part 3/4: LinkedIn: Organic Posts & Outbound Outreach I write about the nonprofit like it’s my job. - My first-hand experience blog-post style on a “vision trip” - Most compelling impact stats and “story of 1” with photos  - Big picture thought leadership stuff I do this 2-3x a week. I connect with people who: 1. Look like the ideal donor profile 2. Mutual connections with my current donors and board members Ideal donor profile: (for example)  - CEO or C-suite of mid-size company  - Generous (volunteer history)  - Cares about [issue or cause] If I need more donors, I’d send 50-100 connects a day. Part 4/4: Convert Raving Fans I look at all the people involved  Who haven’t donated in the last 6-12 months ✅ Event attendees  ✅ Volunteers  ✅ Email subscribers who clicked  ✅ Social media commenters and followers I reach out, gauge interest, and ask them to donate. I do this 1x a week. That’s it. This 4-part method is what I teach my clients with templates and coaching along the way. My client shared with me last week she did this method, and here’s the update: - Donor-hosted event 1 month away with a $250,000 goal, they’ve already raised $150,000 for - the host is giving $50k with new people attending  - Got 20 meetings with new people connected to current supporters and interested in getting more involved (she did 100 outreach connects total) All this in just 6 months. This is an organization with a $1M budget in Indiana, and the ED is the sole fundraiser. If you’d like help with this, let me know. 

Very excited to share my most recent article in Forbes, focusing on the role of philanthropy in supporting climate innovation in emerging markets. Over the past few weeks, our team has had some great conversations with foundations and other partners who are supporting climate entrepreneurs in the some of the most vulnerable countries. Philanthropy is uniquely positioned to play a role here, but we need a wider aperture in terms of what it can and should do. The article proposes five areas where philanthropy can take on a wider agenda to not just fund more climate startups in these markets, but to build the talent pools and enabling ecosystems that support these companies. Here's a breakdown of the five areas: 1. New company building models: We don’t need just more climate entrepreneurship and innovation in developing countries, but we need it to be targeted at solving the most pressing problems. Purpose-built platforms - venture studios and builder models - can incubate startups with greater intentionality, offering technical capacity, market access, and tailored support that meet local needs. 2. Build fractional leadership networks: As much as more funding is needed to support climate startups in their early stages, matching them with the right talent at the right time can be critical. And there’s no guarantee that this talent is locally available. We need specialized programs that can match seasoned leadership - e.g. fractional CFOs, CMOs, and other C-level executives along with technical experts - who can provide critical guidance, strategic discipline, and credibility, making ventures more investment-ready and sustainable. 3. Ecosystem enablers and hubs: Climate tech benefits from enabling ecosystems, which often entail complex networks of universities giving birth to ideas, funds financing the development of prototypes, executive talent coming in from the corporate world and policymakers assessing how to incentivize the adoption of climate technologies. 4. Create linkages between emerging markets: Most funding, technology and talent transfer in climate tech tends to be concentrated between wealthy countries, but there are opportunities to strengthen ties between emerging markets themselves. Creating networks between regions fosters peer learning, market entry, and collaboration. 5. Prioritize adaptation and resilience: Often, adaptation and resilience (A&R) risks are the primary ways in which emerging markets first and foremost experience climate change. Increasing finance, company building and entrepreneurship support for A&R - health, disaster resilience, agriculture, and water - reflects the acute realities on the ground and brings direct benefits to vulnerable communities.

Welcome to the Future of Fundraising. When my team and I built the first fully autonomous fundraiser, we saw how digital labor could expand outreach and deepen engagement. Which is why now, in collaboration with our Innovation Partners, we are tackling one of the most persistent challenges in fundraising: scaling meaningful stewardship. The cycle of giving feels transactional for too many donors. They make a gift, receive a generic thank you email or letter, and then the next time they hear from the organization, it’s another solicitation. This unintentional pattern leaves many donors feeling like just another name in a database rather than a valued partner in the mission they support. Hundreds of our conversations about digital labor lead us to believe there is a solution to these challenges. Research tells us they are worth solving: Mid-level donors are often the most loyal donors, yet they receive the least personalized stewardship. In a study of mid-level giving, donors cited “lack of communication and feeling unappreciated” as a top reason for stopping their gifts. (Nonprofit Quarterly) Younger donors are making lasting connections to causes now, even if their giving capacity isn’t fully realized yet. Organizations that don’t retain these donors will lose out on major returns as they age into their prime giving years. (The Chronicle of Philanthropy) This is why we introduced the Virtual Stewardship Officer (VSO) as the next logical step in our mission to accelerate and transform philanthropy. Donors give because they care and they continue giving when they feel genuinely valued. Yet meaningful stewardship, personalized impact updates, heartfelt gratitude, and long-term engagement, is often reserved for top-tier donors making six- and seven-figure gifts. The VSO expands meaningful stewardship beyond top donors, using digital labor to create personalized touchpoints that acknowledge donor history, reinforce impact, and build lasting relationships. By scaling engagement, it ensures no donor feels overlooked, making long-term relationship-building and meaningful pipeline development sustainable for every giving level. Traditional stewardship models make it nearly impossible to engage donors in a truly personal way at scale. The VSO personalizes 1:1 stewardship to donors who give year-after-year, stretching their budgets to contribute in a way that is personally significant, even if it isn’t classified as a "major" gift; long-time supporters who have probably made their last large donation but remain deeply invested in the organization’s mission; first-time donors who, regardless of gift size, we want to retain; and more. These donors are often the backbone of an organization’s giving pipeline. The future of fundraising isn’t just about raising more money—it’s about ensuring every donor feels like their gift matters. With digital labor, meaningful stewardship is no longer just for a select few—it’s for everyone who chooses to give.

Nonprofits, if I had to build a high-impact donor pipeline today, this is what I would do: 1. Stop spending hours on endless cold emails. Start leveraging LinkedIn intentionally. Imagine this: You spend just 10 minutes a day engaging on LinkedIn, commenting on relevant posts, sharing quick updates, and responding to messages. Sounds simple, right? That small, consistent effort can make your nonprofit way more visible to corporate partners. Instead of: • Drafting long pitch emails that go unread. Try: • Leaving a thoughtful comment on a donor’s recent post. • Sharing a quick win from your nonprofit. • Tagging partners when celebrating a milestone. 2. Be strategic, not sporadic. Consistency builds credibility. Ten minutes a day adds up, not just in activity but in perception. Corporate donors notice the nonprofits that consistently share insights, updates, and impact stories. Instead of: • Dumping content once a month. Try: • Setting a daily routine: • 3 minutes engaging with existing partners. • 4 minutes commenting on posts relevant to your cause. • 3 minutes sharing a quick story or insight. 3. Make your profile a donor magnet. If your LinkedIn page looks neglected or outdated, donors might assume the same about your organization. Use those 10 minutes to keep your profile fresh: • Update your headline to reflect your mission. • Post a short update on a recent success. • Share an upcoming event or partnership. 4. Data-driven posts make an impression. Corporate donors love numbers. Use your quick daily check-in to share bite-sized data points: • “In the past month, we’ve served 500 meals to families in need.” • “Our community engagement grew by 30% this quarter.” 5. Connect with purpose. LinkedIn isn’t just for broadcasting, it’s for building relationships. Ten minutes a day, spent intentionally, can mean the difference between being noticed and being ignored. • Tag a partner to thank them for their support. • Highlight a corporate sponsor’s community initiative. • Join conversations on topics your donors care about. Consistent LinkedIn habits can make your donor pipeline thrive. Want to learn how to build a LinkedIn presence that attracts corporate partners? Comment “Pipeline” and I’ll be happy to provide you a free resource on our approach! With purpose and impact, Mario

For nonprofit organizations, putting all your eggs in the 'major donor' basket can be a risky move. 🥚🧺 While those big checks make a big impact, an over-reliance on them leaves nonprofits vulnerable. Why? Because priorities change, circumstances shift, and suddenly, a mission-critical source of funding can evaporate overnight. 🔑 Key takeaway? Diversify your donor base. Here's why: 1. Security in Uncertainty: We've seen it firsthand during the pandemic. Even as 40% of donors faced financial challenges, small-dollar donations surged by over 15%. The collective power of many can often eclipse the might of a few. 2. Consistent Engagement: Fostering a community of diverse donors leads to more touchpoints, more engagement opportunities, and a more resilient connection with your cause. 3. Sustainability: Just as a well-diversified portfolio protects investors, a varied donor pool ensures long-term stability for nonprofits. It's not just about weathering storms, but thriving amidst them. Are you tapping into the power of a diversified donor base? Your mission's longevity might depend on it.

🎬 FILM FINANCING 101: Grants – “Free Money” With Strings (and Politics) Grants are often seen as the holy grail of indie film financing, non-dilutive, no repayment, and no backend sharing. But while government and private grants can be a critical piece of your finance plan, they’re not without risk, delay, or dependency, especially under shifting federal priorities. Here’s what producers need to know in 2025 heading into FY 2026: ✅ They’re Still Available - But Politically Fragile - National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) awarded over $30M in 2025 and remains a significant source of U.S. public funding. https://lnkd.in/g3HsushC That said: 🔹 The current administration has proposed eliminating the NEA in FY 2026 🔹 Congress is fighting back with counterproposals to fund it at lower levels 🔹 Several grant programs (e.g. Challenge America, some DEI initiatives) have already been suspended or canceled ✅ You Need a Fiscal Sponsor (Most Times) - Most government grants (like NEA) don’t go directly to for-profit producers. You’ll need a nonprofit partner or fiscal sponsor to apply on your behalf. ✅ They’re Competitive and Process-Heavy - Applying for a $25K–$100K grant can require 30+ hours of paperwork, multi-phase approvals, and six-month wait times. And that’s if you align with the grant’s mission (artistic merit, public benefit, regional uplift, etc.). ✅ They Rarely Fund Everything - Most grants are supplemental, they help close a budget gap, fund post, or serve as a stamp of legitimacy. They’re rarely the core source of capital. ✅ So… Is It Worth It? - If the grant aligns with your story, timeline, and team - yes. BUT, if you're chasing small amounts that require major admin, or you’re banking on unstable programs, your time may be better spent closing equity or incentive-backed funding instead. ✅ They Still Matter - Despite the politics, grants from organizations like Sundance Institute, FORD FOUNDATION, Film Independent, ITVS, and many regional arts agencies can bring both funding and prestige. Getting one can open doors to further funding, labs, or festival access. 💡 Bottom Line: Grants can be a powerful part of your financing strategy, but they’re not “free money.” They require planning, patience, and political awareness. In the current environment, they’re best used as bonus capital, not the foundation of your budget. Next up: Tax Incentives – When “Free Money” Comes with Deadlines, Audits, and Regional Rules #FilmFinance #IndependentFilm #FilmGrants #Producing #IndieFilm #CreativeFunding #FilmInvesting #EntertainmentBusiness #NEA #FiscalSponsorship #DesertPirateProductions