Big Projects, Big News: Wrapping Up 2024 with Impact!
There are only a few months left in 2024! At Forever Ready Productions, that means we’re supporting our partners as they head into peak fundraising season, while working to achieve our goals and end the year on a high note!
We’re gearing up for a busy fall and some BIG projects. Let me catch you up!
EVIDENT CHANGE FINALIST
At Forever Ready Productions, we tell stories that call people to act! Our 2022-2023 project, “What We’ll Never Know,” was a prime example of how and why we do this work.
We're pleased to share that "What We'll Never Know" was a finalist for Evident Change's 'Media for a Just Society Awards' in the television/video category. These awards recognize media efforts that deepen public understanding of adult justice, youth justice, child welfare, and adult protection issues. Evident Change seeks stories that highlight current realities and explore the potential for reform, aiming to help people better understand the complex challenges within our social systems.
‘What We’ll Never Know’ tells the story of a teen who falsely confessed to murder in Memphis, TN. The documentary outlines the details of the case and makes an argument for a law that would protect children during police interrogations.
Read more about it in this Evident Change blog.
SMART GROWTH AMERICA + AARP COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT
In early 2024, our team traveled to Saco, Maine for a project in collaboration with Smart Growth America (SGA) and AARP to tell the story of rural Complete Streets in Maine. The project was a huge success in helping showcase how aging in place and Complete Streets go hand-in-hand for creating great connectivity for all residents.
We’re excited to announce an extension of that project that will take us to 5 cities across the United States by the end of 2024. Our crews are headed to Fort Wayne, IN, Versailles, KY, Oklahoma City, OK, Missoula, MT and San Diego, CA.
Stay tuned in 2025 for all the published videos that will inspire communities across the country to make changes to improve their street design.
MEMPHIS UPDATES: MIFA OUR CITY OUR STORY + AHA GO RED FOR WOMEN
Our Memphis team had a triple header last month producing videos for three events in the same week: MIFA’s Our City, Our Story, American Heart Association's Go Red For Women and Catholic Charities of West Tennessee's Cooks & Collars.
We saw sold out events, record breaking donations, and some great in-room reaction to the videos as they played. We’re so proud to partner with organizations who are working to solve community problems, bring people together, and build community in the process.
KANSAS CITY UPDATES: HAPPY BOTTOMS GALA
On September 18th, Happy Bottoms hosted their SOLD OUT Diaper Bowl, and we had the joy of producing this year's video. The story centers around a family who adopted a child with special needs that found themselves in need of diapers longer than most families.
As a part of the video project we got to capture Happy Bottoms 1 millionth diaper distribution and interview 3 families impacted by their work. We also put together a recap of their event.
Their event was a huge success and raised $300,000 to support their important work in the Kansas City metro and surrounding areas.
CHICAGO UPDATES: CELEBRATE CJE + GATHER FOR GOOD
On September 17th, CJE Senior Life hosted their 19th annual fundraiser, Celebrate CJE. This year’s fundraising efforts focused on Adult Day Services, mental health counseling and home delivered meals. Our team produced three videos: a care management video, a volunteer video and one celebrating their 2024 honoree.
On September 19th, our team captured the Gather For Good event in collaboration with the Highland Park Community Foundation in Chicago. The event honored this year's grantees and spotlighted the amazing working being done by nonprofits small and large. Forever Ready Productions sponsored this event with a recap video for use in promoting next year's event!
CERTIFIED FUNDRAISING EXECUTIVE ON STAFF
We’re thrilled to celebrate Joymarie this month for passing her CFRE Exam and officially earning her Certified Fund Raising Executive designation! This certification showcases her deep fundraising knowledge and commitment to helping our clients achieve their fundraising goals through video. Joymarie’s nonprofit expertise brings fresh insights to our team and helps us deliver even more impact in the work we do every day.
We are excited to see how this new certification supports our clients in their fundraising efforts through video.
We're ALSO excited to announce that she welcomed baby Nolan into the world earlier this month! She'll be returning in late November. Congrats to Joymarie!
SUPER WOMEN IN BUSINESS
I am honored to be among an amazing class of women selected as the 2024 Memphis Business Journal’s Super Women In Business. As a (mostly) female production team, I accept this honor on behalf of all the women on my team who make our work possible (they are truly incredible women!). And all the women in my life who have been a great example of servant and visionary leadership.
We celebrated on Sept. 26th at the Memphis Botanic Garden. It was awesome to be in a room full of other Super Women. Special thanks to Hemline owner (and 2023 Super Women In Business class) Cynthia Saatkamp for giving me my cape at the event! I believe we all wear some kind of cape!
LAUREN'S UPCOMING KEYNOTES AND WORKSHOPS
October 23rd, 2024 - Lakeland Chamber of Commerce - Members are invited to hear about video storytelling, social media and asking questions to help plan your next storytelling campaign.
November 15th, 2024 - Knoxville, TN - Permission Slip Conference - A conference for female entrepreneurs designed to inspire! I’ll be taking the stage to talk about stepping in front of the camera and what sharing your story with your audience can do for your business, brand and confidence.
January 16th, 2025 - AFP Memphis Luncheon - Kickoff the year with a brainstorming session that will help you ask questions and uncover stories to tell in your 2025 fundraising campaigns.
I’m currently booking for 2025. If your event or team is interested in exploring how curiosity and inquiry can spark innovation, empower and challenge growth, let’s chat!
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Captions At Events: If you’re like me, you’ve been binge watching streaming shows with the captions on for years. In part, because you want to keep the TV volume quiet while your kid sleeps, and part because it’s harder to understand and hear all the things being said in your favorite drama! But that trend is making its way to in-person events across the country. We’re seeing a growing number of clients who are including captions on all the videos that are played at the event. It not only makes your event more accessible to anyone who is hard of hearing but it allows guests to read the captions and follow the story in a room.
From Events to Individuals: In recent conversations with a couple of our national nonprofit friends, I’m starting to see a trend of reducing the number of in-person fundraising events and transitioning into more intimate events with a focus on individual asks to donors. This “trend” is certainly getting mixed reviews, as I’ve attended 3 fundraising events in the last 3 weeks and found they are trending up! But I’m curious what you think: are you focusing more on event fundraising or individual donor asks? Reply to this email and I’ll send you a little treat for your insight!
Social Cuts: Once you’ve finished your video project and shared it with your primary audience, it’s important to use it to reach people where they are. Across the board we are seeing an increase in what we call “social cuts” or short clips exported in vertical format for organizations to share on social media with a call to action or a link to the long form video. 15-45 second video clips get multiple plays on social media and are often shared by your clients, supporters and donors.