Institutional Fundraising Video

Fundraising for Nonprofits

I guess you can tell from this website that I don't like to specialize. All the media are necessary; all the subjects are interesing and vital; all the disciplines of communication come into sharper relief for me when I'm regularly stretched in different directions.

Still, If there's one thing -- one "art" as Seth Godin likes to call it -- that I am really passionate about, and that seems to pull together my interests into one comprehensive skill set; it would be the art of persuading people to give time and treasure to other people.

This year I'm working on crossing the half-billion mark in monies I have helped non-profits raise. In terms of impact on people, it's the most satisfying thing I do, because fundraising is not about money at all; it's about helping people see their opportunities to change their world and make themselves better at the same time.

Lakeside Foundation
Life Center for Autism

Lakeside Foundation

Lakeside Foundation from Owen Richard Kindig on Vimeo.

Produced, directed, and filmed by Owen Richard Kindig. Audio technician for interviews, Matt Aurigema. Executive producers Kevin Sibbring and Bob Hooker. Camera: JVC HD100U.

This production was designed to be shown to multiple audiences. It has been used as a fundraising piece to secure arts and education funding; as a recruiting vehicle to introduce new people to the traditions and values of this summer Chautauqua enclave; and as a celebratory piece for the local residents to savor their community.

One important production consideration was to use the music of Lakeside as the soundtrack. It opens with a studio re-recording of a spontanteous singalong with a resident musician and the kids standing around a lemonade stand ... the "Lakeside song". Music from bandstand concerts, main stage concerts at Hoover Auditorium, and home tours for a Lakeside Symphony benefit were featured throughout the production.

The executive producers did an excellent job of suggesting people to be interviewed, who represented a wide variety of backgrounds and interests from among the community. There were also a number of serendipitous interviews and events that added a lot of color and personality to the story line.

What I'm most proud of is the authenticity of the candids and interviews... genuine humor and emotions emerge from folks' heart-felt expressions.

Life Center for Autism

Autism4 vimeo from Owen Richard Kindig on Vimeo.

This is one segment of a low-budget but high-yield production for the Life Center for Autism.

The entire piece was shot in one whirlwind of a day of shooting, starting with family interviews, then candids of education, swimming, jumping on the trampoline, quiet time, meals, the horse riding lesson, a baseball game, and finally the dance recital dress rehearsal that you see in the beginning of this segment. Natalie is Emilie's older sister, a significant caregiver and major influence on the life of Emilie, the autistic family member.

When we were planning the shoot, I asked David and Debbie May, the founders of Life Center, what activities their fully functioning children were involved in that I could shoot, in order to gain elements for introducing dramatic structure for the story. 12-year-old Natalie, they said, was involved in dance, and the youngest child was involved in T-ball. Perfect. We built the day around those activities, and planned it on a day when both activities would be happening. We were then able to schedule the horse lesson on that day as well... it all worked like clockwork.

The production has been distributed on DVD and shown at numerous awareness and fundraising events as the Mays work to bring their dream toward fruition.