Customer Reviews

Shaking the Money Tree, 2nd Edition: How to Get Grants and Donations for Film and Video (Shaking the Money Tree: The Art of Getting Grants & Donations)

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A few years ago I was trying to make a couple of short films and was thus foraging around for money. There was a certain book that was recommended to me more than any other: SHAKING THE MONEY TREE. This book, unfortunately, was out of print. And the copies in the library had been stolen. Written by one of the foremost advisors to indie filmmakers seeking budgets, Morrie Warshawski, the first edition had become a sought-after tome of strategies and funding sources for those itching to follow in the footsteps of Spike Lee or Richard Linklater.

Now comes the 2nd edition from publisher Michael Wiese Productions. SHAKING THE MONEY TREE may be lean on lists of sources, but it's rich with strategies on how to raise funds. Which is really what filmmakers need. After all, the lists are easy to come by since the astonishing rise of the Internet, a rise that occurred entirely in the 10 year span of time between the first and second editions of SHAKING THE MONEY TREE. Warshawski notes in the forward that whereas he had literally no mention of the internet in his first edition, he declares it an essential ingredient in the second.

As I mentioned, Warshawski keeps the focus of his book not on exhaustive lists of foundations, but what most indie filmmakers really need: improving their skills at organizing your fundraising and--most important--the one-on-one ask for cash.

Your average filmmaker won't mind sitting through a mind-numbingly pretentious new film because the famous director is present and the filmmaker might get to say two words to this famous person, but that same filmmaker will shun the opportunity to sit down with a wealthy friend or relative for twenty minutes and actually ASK for money.

The strange mix of timidity and entitlement that drives a filmmaker into his or her creative endeavors is the same mix that makes him believe "They should just GIVE me the money." Warshawski's book dispels those absurd dreams and sets the filmmaker on the track of raising money through persistent hard work.

Warshawski, a long time consultant on documentaries and narrative films, breaks down the various processes of fundraising by individuals, corporations, foundation, government grants, small businesses and non-profits. He gives different strategies for documentary filmmakers, for animators, for narrative filmmakers and for experimental film and video artists. He includes resources, such as a sample letter for fundraising written by a celebrity, a successful grant proposal and budget form for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and a list of other helpful books and websites that will lead a filmmaker to direct funding sources. But the strength of SHAKING THE MONEY TREE is the way Warshawski educates the reader about how to think about fundraising.

After reading the book, the filmmaker can stop being nervous around the face-to-face ask and instead begin role-playing and working his inevitable pitch into the best pitch it can be.

If I ever meet Morrie Warshawski, I will probably embarrass us both by giving him a huge hug. In 97 easy-to-read pages (plus another 60+ helpful pages with sample grant proposals, budget forms and a bibliography), he succinctly lays out a viable process for successfully seeking grants for film and television projects.

What struck me about "Shaking the Money Tree" was how it is actually a basic primer for all fundraising projects, not just film. Warshawski starts with the basics: developing mission and vision statements (Chapter 1 - "Laying the Foundation: Your Career"). While these steps should be obvious to any nonprofit organization, this is new territory for many independent filmmakers. Warshawski asserts "funding problems are almost always routed in a basic set of unresolved career issues." Not only does he contend that mission and vision statements are necessary, but that filmmakers must identify a set of values by which they choose projects and people with which to work. All of this, claims Warshawski, adds focus to filmmakers' efforts, and keeps them from wasting time on projects for which they have no vision or passion. Valuable lessons for any nonprofit organization.

For the rest of Chapter 1, Warshawski takes the reader through a series of career development steps: articulating major short and long-term goals; identifying people and organizations with which to interact in order to succeed; evaluating progress against the career goals; acquiring promotional tools to spotlight the filmmaker and his/her projects; and networking to avoid isolation.

In Chapter 2 ("Where's the Money?"), Warshawski provides an overview of the various categories of funding potentially available to a filmmaker (individuals, foundations, corporations, government agencies, other nonprofits). He correctly points out that there is an abundance of funding sources (not to be confused with an abundance of funds), but the challenge is determining which sources are appropriate for the particular project. He recommends creating a fundraising plan, identifying the most suitable prospects and determining the most effective way to formulate and make the request. (Again, a sound methodology for any nonprofit.) Warshawski identifies the upside and downside to each category, reviews how to find them and, generally, how to approach them (more information on research and proposals is provided in subsequent chapters).

Chapter 3 ("Patchwork Quilt - Putting Your Project Together") was one of my favorites. Warshawski points out that a major impediment to successfully finding funds is beginning fundraising before the project is fully developed and thus not being able to completely answer all of a potential funder's questions. He highlights the difference between "this is a story that must be told" and "this is a story that must be heard." As is the case with all fundraising, one must start with the need. Warshawski runs through the elements of a solid plan, and explains the questions that must be answered. He also points out that fundraising will take longer than a filmmaker might expect: one to two years to complete the funding is not unusual.

The remaining chapters - 4 ("Getting Personal - Individual Donors"), 5 ("The Paper Trail - Foundations and Government Agencies") and 6 ("All the Rest") explain the types of funders, their motivations and how to research them. He offers some excellent tips that the novice fundraiser/filmmaker might miss, such as Chapter 5's recommendation that, when researching foundations, don't just research "film/video/media/TV," but look for funders of the issue area(s) that the film is tackling. Most foundations are not really funding the film, but are funding the visibility to the subject matter that the film is providing. The last two pages of Chapter 6 provide "Morrie's Maxims" - sound advice for fundraising for any type of project.

I did have some quibbles with the book. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is not a government agency. The address for the Foundation Center in Washington is out of date (the book was published in 2003, and the Center moved to 1627 K Street, NW in 2001). Foundation giving levels are directly affected by economic trends: foundation endowments slump when the stock market declines and the effect is often felt for several years after the stock market starts to recover (Warshawski makes it sound as though foundations are relatively immune to economic shifts, other than facing increased requests for support). And finally, it would have been helpful to mention that the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts will provide, upon request, samples of successfully funded film proposals under the Freedom of Information Act. But these are minor blips in an otherwise superb book.

There are two positive outcomes for a filmmaker who reads Warshawski's book and puts his words into practice: a funded project, and a successful second career as a fundraiser. "Shaking the Money Tree" should be required reading at all film schools. But even beyond that, it offers extremely helpful information for anyone who needs to raise money for a project.

Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Shaking The Money Tree: How To Get Grants And Donations For Film And Television by Morrie Warshawski is a ground breaking instructional manual in the art of fundraising for the financing of noncommercial film and video projects. Presenting the basics of how to apply for and earn grants and/or donations from individuals, foundations, government agencies, corporations, and more, Shaking The Money Tree combines direct decorum with an invaluable insight for how the financial side of the film business really works, as well as being peppered with useful grant forms and superb grant writing examples. If you have a film or television project that you need to finance -- begin with a close and careful reading of Morrie Warshawski's Shaking The Money Tree!

This is a great book...after searching high and low and all over the internet, I found a concise, informative and helpful resource to walk me through the complex world of fundraising for media. I'm applying Morrie's suggestions to my movie's business plan. Everyone interested in film/video should read this book.

If you are going to raise funds, you need a well-thought out plan. Novices often waste time and resources learning by trial and error. In SHAKING THE MONEY TREE, Morrie Warshawski offers expert and no-nonsense advice that will be invaluable to filmmakers seeking grants and donations. Mark Litwak, author and entertainment attorney.

This bare bones volume is lean on hyperbole - it's like The Elements of Style for fundraising. Like Strunk & White's classic, Morrie's book should be required reading. This book isn't a grocery list of foundations or grant sources; it's a set of rules, free of anecdote, to realistically assess how to present your passion in terms that the money people understand.

I read "Shaking the Money Tree" from front to back & immediately went about following many of the author's suggestions for finding funding for my proposed documentary film project on mermaid myths, art & lore around the world!

a simple, straightforward insight into the world of raising money for film & video. great tips from a true expert. wish he wrote a book on managing investors as well.

I was very pleased with this book. It was insightful with a chock full of information, especially for a beginner trying to find money for their projects. I would recommend this book to those I have just mentioned.

Most people probably think the hardest part of movie making is the mental energy it takes to create an interesting plot. Actually, raising money to produce the film is even harder. It requires selling skills, certainly, but it also requires savey. This book points you in the right direction, particularly if you had a fuzzy idea as to what direction to go in. Read it an absorb great ideas on gathering the funds you need for your project.