Dear Film Lovers,
It has been six weeks since we made the big announcement about our situation. We have been delayed in getting this update out because we have been overwhelmed with the love and support that has come in from around the country – and even outside of the US. We are now starting to catch our breath and want to share with everyone some updates from the campaign.
As of this writing, we have raised approximately $440,000 which is almost a quarter of our $1.8M campaign goal. This is an incredible achievement in such a short period of time! This has fueled us with optimism for the rest of this campaign. While we aren’t out of the woods yet, we’re confident we can remain in our current location through at least the end of this year.
To give you some context, in just the last six weeks we’ve processed roughly 1,926 donation and membership transactions which have come in from 45 US states, 4 Canadian provinces, and at least two countries outside of North America. We are absolutely floored by the outpouring of generosity that’s come our way. Clearly the love of Scarecrow as an important cultural institution extends far beyond the boundaries of Seattle.
We’ve also seen so many more people come through our doors to utilize our collection or support us by buying their physical media titles from us instead of a big online vendor. Having our place abuzz again reminds us that while our collection is special beyond words, it really is people coming in to explore that makes it magical. Our Rental By Mail numbers have also shot up with over 650 new online accounts being set-up in the last six weeks alone. Please keep making us a part of your weekly or monthly routine!
We have also been deeply moved by the other nonprofits that have reached out to us extending a hand of support. From these organizations to individuals showing their support, this is the very definition of community. We have several more partnerships and events we’ll be announcing in the coming weeks!
All that said, this is a marathon not a sprint. While we are thrilled to have the start of really big grassroots support, we need to secure some larger, institutional funding to make Scarecrow sustainable. We know that many of you have already been giving to Scarecrow within your means and may not have capacity to give more. This does not make you any less important to the future of Scarecrow! We know that to truly change the game, and make physical media even more accessible to the public, we need to start attracting support from larger arts and free speech patrons and institutions.
Some Scarecrow lovers have already reached out to us offering help in their area of expertise. Here are other ways that folks can help us that don’t include personal giving but can have a big impact:
Recommending us to any angel donors in your network
Alerting us of foundations or other granting organizations who may be a good fit for us
If you are a nonprofit professional, especially Seattle-based, providing advice to us
Taking our member survey when it releases next week and volunteering for our upcoming focus groups
Spreading the word about Scarecrow and our need for support, both in real life and via social media!
We have so many exciting events coming up in the next few months. I encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter so you can stay up-to-date with everything that is happening. All of us on Scarecrow’s Board would like to thank all who have supported us so far. If we work hard together, we feel confident we can reach our goal!
Lacey Leavitt Gray
Board President, SV Archive (Scarecrow Video)
