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MediaRights.org Needs Your Support!

Published on December 12, 2005

Since MediaRights.org launched in 2000, membership has always been free. While membership is free it is also invaluable -- members receive our jam-packed monthly newsletter and are able to log in to our site to promote their work by posting films, calls to action, resources and job opportunities.

We believe in the power of independent media to shape public opinion and spur meaningful reform. Our website fosters collaboration between those groups who are both stakeholders and pioneers in advancing social change: media makers, activists, educators and young people. We pour our energy into this site, filling it with the latest news and opportunities and maintaining the most comprehensive online database of social-issue documentaries so that you, our members, will continue to come back and find films, inspiration and creative partners working on the issues that matter most to you.

You may have noticed some changes in MediaRights.org this year. In May we unveiled a new and improved site featuring a faster, smarter search, a tour for new users, and an aesthetic facelift that we think makes the site much easier and more fun to use. We also launched the second edition of our much-loved Independent Producers' Outreach Toolkit, a soup-to-nuts guide for filmmakers planning their outreach campaigns.

We have expanded our staff to include a Membership Coordinator, a person committed to helping you navigate and get the most of this site. If you've been in touch with Anayansi Diaz-Cortes via email or over the phone you know first-hand how helpful it is to have someone there to answer your questions and help you to promote your film, your nonprofit, or your educational efforts.

In response to member requests for one-on-one advice, this year we began offering outreach consultation services that help filmmakers strategize about audience, distribution and fundraising. We also doubled the amount of original articles we publish on the site, offering you glimpses into the outreach efforts for films like The Education of Shelby Knox and introducing you to innovative new distribution models like Participatory Culture's DTV.

2005 also marked some benchmarks that we are very excited about -- we now have over 6,000 films on our site and our membership has expanded to over 12,000 individuals from around the United States and around the world.

MediaRights.org thrives because of our members and our members also thrive because of MediaRights.org. This is why we are asking you for your support. Help us bring you another year of inspiring stories and resources. Help us reach out to underserved communities with important films and the tools to use them effectively. Become not only a member, but a supporter.

Donate now through Network for Good. Your tax-deductible donation will go to Arts Engine, the nonprofit that runs MediaRights.org, YMDi.org and the Media That Matters Film Festival.

We are hoping to raise $2,000 from our members this year. So if 80 of you donate $25 each we will have accomplished this goal! Thanks in advance for your help and stay tuned for another year of independent media that matters!

Sincerely,

Shira Golding
Director of Education & Outreach