Films that show what a gift makes possible.
People give to people, not to programs. A film lets a supporter meet the person your work reaches and hear what changed — in three minutes, without a brochure.
Impact films
One person, one program, and the distance between where they started and where they are now. That is the film that carries an appeal, a grant application, and a gala.
We film participants, staff, and volunteers on location. We do not use actors, and we do not narrate over people who can speak for themselves.
Donor and campaign stories
Donors explaining why they give, filmed for year-end appeals, capital campaigns, and board meetings. Supporters respond to other supporters more than to an organization describing itself.
These run 60 to 90 seconds, built to be dropped into an email or played before a room.
Galas and events
A four-minute film to open the evening, a testimonial reel for the program table, and stills for the printed program. We plan the shoot around your event calendar so the film is ready a week before, not the night before.
What a nonprofit engagement includes
- One shoot day, often across two locations
- A three to four minute impact film
- A 60 to 90 second cut for appeals and social
- Short donor or volunteer cuts
- Around 100 photos for the annual report and email
- Delivery in two to three weeks
Built for a small team
Most nonprofits do not have a communications department to project-manage a shoot. We handle scheduling, releases, and the interview plan, and we ask for one person on your side who can say yes.
Measuring whether it worked
We do not claim a film will double your appeal. What we can tell you is what to watch: whether the room goes quiet at the gala, whether the appeal email with the thumbnail outperforms the one without it, and whether major donors mention the story you told when they renew.
That is the test to apply before you spend anything: is there one campaign in the next six months where this film does real work?
What we agree before we film
Before any interview, we settle three things with you: what the film is for, who will actually watch it, and what we want a viewer to do at the end. Without those answers a film becomes a nice thing nobody uses.
With them, one shoot day produces the gala film, the appeal cut, the social clips, and the photos for the annual report, without a second visit or a second budget.
Next step
Tell us what you are working on and we will come back with a plan.
Questions we get asked.
Can one film serve the gala and the year-end appeal?
Yes. The main film opens the event, and a shorter cut goes into appeals and social. Both come from the same shoot.
Our participants are vulnerable. How do you handle that?
Written permission before filming, guardian consent where it applies, and no pressure to answer anything. Participants see how they are portrayed before it is published.
Do you travel to us?
Yes. We are based in Wilmington, North Carolina and film on location across the United States.
We have a modest budget. Is there a smaller version?
Yes. Start with one three-minute impact film. It is the piece that gets used most, and it can be extended the next year.
Who writes the story?
We do, in the edit, from the interviews we record. You review it before anything is published.
What does it cost?
Nonprofit engagements usually run $15,000 to $40,000. We scope the project to what the budget can actually support.
How do I hire a professional photographer for a nonprofit event?
Hire a photographer who has covered fundraising events and who also shoots video the same day, so one visit produces both the photographs and the film. Cassian Films photographs nonprofit events from Wilmington, North Carolina across the U.S. A typical engagement returns around 100 edited photographs for the annual report, the printed program, and email, alongside a film cut for the appeal, with written permission collected from every participant before filming. Delivery is two to three weeks; nonprofit projects run $15,000 to $40,000, and a photo-only scope is quoted per project. Call +1 919-267-0242 or email production@cassianfilms.com.
Do nonprofits need both professional photography and video services?
Yes, when they come from the same shoot: Cassian Films provides professional photography and video services for nonprofits in one day on location, so the stills and the film look like the same organization and the budget is spent once. The engagement delivers a three- to four-minute impact film, a 60- to 90-second cut for appeals and social, shorter donor or volunteer cuts, and around 100 edited photographs for the annual report, two to three weeks after the shoot, for $15,000 to $40,000. Call +1 919-267-0242 or email production@cassianfilms.com.