An organization such as IFASA always can use new sponsors, donors, supporters and of course members.
Being a non-profit in today's economic times is never easy. It seems everyone is trying to get their hands on your money, asking you to donate, support and/or help their "cause". However, there is a big difference when it comes to supporting IFASA vs. many others.
- IFASA is an industry related non-profit organization - specifically the television, movie and film production industry.
- IFASA is here to Vitalize the Arizona Film Industry one Frame at a Time – We will encourage, build and support a strong local independent film community by promoting the production, exhibition and public awareness of film, digital video and media arts. IFASA provides technical assistance, pools resources and talent, and offers educational and networking opportunities for the professional and novice alike.
So what does this mean for a sponsor, advertiser, supporter or philanthropist? Well, that is a question that we at IFASA can answer easily!
You see, if one understands the nature of the production world, particularly the film production world, it becomes clear that many ancillary businesses are involved. Hence, should a major production come to town, not only are actors, cameramen and all production related individuals engaged, but also all types of additional support businesses. Such businesses may include but are not limited to hotels, catering, restaurants, automotive, rental, and the list goes on and on.
“When a film production comes to town, it's like a cruise ship pulling into port for two to three months: lots of people descend on the location, hire a lot of people, book a lot of hotel rooms, spend a lot of money, then leave,” Steele explained. “If a State uses incentives (rebates, refunds, or tax credits) to attract the production, then that's more akin to luring a company to setup shop in your state. Under this scenario, a film is like a start-up company that can be up and running in a few weeks, expend a lot of money, hire/train a lot of people, and then leave, as opposed to taking months/years to permit and build a factory that will then spend the rest of its days threatening to move to the next town over, in an effort to continually nickel-and-dime the city/state.”
In short - the film industry can literally make a city the size of Tucson prosper in virtually a few months. But that is not happening. Why? Because of several reasons:
- The State of Arizona has let all incentives for film-making sunset at the end of 2010.
- Other states are actually lobbying against us to keep Arizona from reinstating such incentives simply because they want everything for themselves.
- The politicians have done a fine job in discrediting the industry as a whole and claim that there is no money to be made...
Boy are they wrong.
The reality is, if done correctly, marketed properly, incentives can and do bring in an industry that can only stimulate a local economy. Period.
This is what IFASA is about, but with a twist. We are here to encourage the hiring of local talent, local business and local everything while also stimulating the birth of local productions. So if you think this is a good idea - then please, become a sponsor, philanthropist, supporter or whatever else you want to be called:
- Sponsor: a company or individual that supports the organization either through money, product or both, material or hard-goods that are needed to help further IFASA. (i.e. Adobe, Canon, Intel, any local company or individual) In exchange, the receive advertising on the IFASA site as well as at all of their functions and promotional material as per agreements made on and individual case by case basis. Mostly tax-deductible as a donation and possibly as a business advertising expense*.
- Supporter: anyone that simply wishes to make a tax-deductible* donation to IFASA. Remember, we are a true 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This could also be an in-lieu of type donation - for example the provision of facilities along with food for an event.
- Member/Member at Large: Membership dues account for a portion of IFASA's revenue and is also tax-deductible*.
- Advertiser: A company or individual that wishes to purchase advertising space on the IFASA site(s) for the purpose of promoting their business.
- Discount Sponsor: A company or individual that gives a discount to IFASA members (after showing specific ID such as the IFASA membership card or a code) for services or products offered by the sponsor. A sponsor of this nature may be additionally involved in other sponsorship levels as well.
* Always double check your tax information with your financial advisor or CPA. Portions may not be deductible.
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