A boy smiles in the sun outside a Three Strands clinic in Haiti
Capabilities · Nonprofits and foundations

Video for nonprofits.

Donor films, giving days, impact stories and field documentaries, filmed with dignity wherever the work happens. Lifeline Christian Mission across five countries, Three Strands in Haiti and the Central African Republic, Ohio State's Day of Giving at 283% of its new-donor goal.

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This proposal is for

This page is for development, communications and program teams at nonprofits and foundations. You need the people you serve to tell their own story, on a schedule set by the people serving them, in a way that moves a donor, a volunteer or a board. We have filmed that in a Haitian hospital, a Honduran school, a Columbus ballpark and an Ohio State lab, and brought it back as films that raised money.

Watch · Three Strands

Three Strands: Brand Anthem

Filmed on location in Haiti for a faith-based nonprofit running hospitals and clinics in Haiti and the Central African Republic. Patients, staff and visiting medical teams, filmed as themselves.
What we make

Films for every part of a mission.

WhatWhat it includesWhere we've done it
Impact stories and field documentariesDocumentary interviews and b-roll with the people you serve, filmed alongside your local staff. A hero film per program or country plus social cutdowns.Lifeline Christian Mission, five countries. Three Strands, Haiti and the Central African Republic.
Donor and giving-day filmsFilms built around a person personally connected to a cause, with versions personalized by donor segment and cut for email and social.Ohio State Day of Giving: five films, 283% of the new-donor goal.
Public awareness and broadcast spotsBroadcast :30s and extended web cuts that carry a cause to people who have never heard of you.Good for Life: Audubon, Miracle Field, She Has a Name and The Wilds, four broadcast spots and four extended cuts.
Volunteer and recruiting filmsThe honest version of the work, told by the people doing it, for volunteer drives and staff recruiting.Lifeline's series powers volunteer recruitment as well as fundraising.
Capital campaigns and openingsDrone progress from an FAA-certified pilot, milestone updates and an opening-day film for a new facility.Building and campus aerials across our documentary and campaign work.
Motion graphics and explainersProgram outcomes, data and how-it-works pieces explained with animation, in your brand.Ohio State Day of Giving: personalized titles for every donor segment.
Events and internal videoGalas, giving Tuesdays, town halls and training video, turned around fast.Event and training work for universities and nonprofits.

Real people, real stakes.

Four projects for nonprofits and causes, each built on the people closest to the work telling their own story.
01
Lifeline Christian Mission

A day in the life

A multi-year documentary series on the children reached by Lifeline's schools, churches and health programs, filmed in five countries.

We traveled to each country and worked alongside local Lifeline staff so every story was told respectfully and accurately. Each country has its own film, and together they share one look and one message. The series has been instrumental for Lifeline in fundraising, volunteer recruitment and raising global awareness of their work.

Role
Storyboarding, filming, editing
Objective
Donor campaigns, volunteer recruitment, awareness
Budget
$19,000
Timeline
3 to 4 weeks per film
Children reach for a ball in a schoolyard
A boy in a cap grins beside a parked car
02
Three Strands

Brand anthem, Haiti

A brand anthem for a faith-based nonprofit providing healthcare in two of the hardest places to deliver it, filmed on location at its hospital and clinics in Haiti.

Three Strands runs hospitals and remote clinics in Haiti and the Central African Republic, with maternity care and safe births at the center of the work. We filmed with them in Haiti in 2023 and in the Central African Republic in December 2024, capturing patients, staff and visiting medical teams for their donor communications. It is the kind of shoot that depends on planning: travel, security and permissions worked out with the in-country team before anyone boards a plane, then a crew that stays out of the way of care.

Role
Field production, two countries
Objective
Donor communications for international healthcare
Timeline
Haiti 2023 · Central African Republic 2024
A boy smiles in the sun outside a Three Strands clinic in Haiti
A clinician examines a child's hands in a Haitian classroom clinic
A clinician checks a young woman's ear with an otoscope
03
Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Good for Life

Eight films for a statewide public-awareness campaign, each spotlighting an Ohio organization and the good it does: a nature center, a ballfield for kids with disabilities, a second-chance employer and a conservation park.

Each feature got a 30-second broadcast spot and an extended web cut drawn from on-location interviews, so the campaign could run on television and carry the full story online. Four organizations, eight films, one look, delivered on an eight-week timeline for a state-funded initiative.

Role
Creative development, production, editing
Objective
Public awareness campaign
Budget
$90,000
Timeline
8 weeks
A visitor looks out over the Grange Insurance Audubon Center
A giraffe at The Wilds conservation park
04
The Ohio State University

Day of Giving

Five student films, each built around a student personally connected to a cause. The campaign beat its new-donor goal by 283%.

Each film centers on a student with a personal stake in a cause: animal welfare, cancer research, food insecurity, veteran support and the opioid epidemic. We pre-interviewed every student and wrote voiceover from their own experience, then carried one look through all five films. Personalized titles for segmented donor lists brought a 42% lift in giving rate. It is the model for any giving-day or year-end appeal.

Role
Pre-interviews, scripts, production, post
Objective
Giving-day films for each donor segment
A veterinary student smiles with a spaniel in her arms
The Ohio State University · Day of Giving

What a donor film can move.

Results from five films built for one giving day, with versions personalized by donor segment.
0%
of the new-donor goal
0%
of the current-donor goal
0%
of the lapsed-donor goal
0%
lift in giving rate from personalized video
Watch · Lifeline Christian Mission

Haiti: A Day in the Life

One film from a multi-year series on the children reached by Lifeline's schools, churches and health programs. Filmed alongside local staff so every story was told respectfully and accurately.

How we work.

Six steps, built around the people you serve and the partners on the ground. One fixed-fee quote per deliverable, two rounds of revisions, on deadline.
1

Discovery

Your goals, audiences and calendar, and the stories already inside your programs.

2

Story development

We find and pre-interview people, then write a short treatment for your approval.

3

Partners and permissions

Releases, locations, travel and security worked out with your in-country or on-site team before the shoot.

4

Production

A crew sized to the setting, working alongside your staff, scheduled around the people being served.

5

Edit and review

Review links with time-coded notes. Two rounds of consolidated revisions.

6

Finish and deliver

Color, sound mix, captions and cutdowns, delivered with the source footage.

Filming in the field

The people come first.

A clinic, a classroom or a shelter is not a set. We plan every shoot around the people in it and the staff who serve them.

Dignity

People choose what they share. We film them as themselves, with time to get comfortable, and never stage need.

Local partners

We work alongside your staff in every location so stories are told respectfully and accurately, and your relationships stay intact after we leave.

A footprint that fits

A compact crew and quiet gear when care calls for it, a full crew when a broadcast spot does. Either way we work around the schedule of the people being served.

Planned for hard places

Travel, permits, security and backups are worked out with your team before departure. We have filmed in Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador and the Central African Republic.

Production, post and footage

Gear and footage.

CamerasCinema cameras, including the ARRI Alexa 35 and RED, packed to travel: the same tools used on commercials and features.
AerialDrone footage, flown by an FAA-certified pilot.
Lighting and soundA lighting, grip and sound package sized to the location, from a full package on a broadcast shoot to a run-and-gun kit in the field.
PostEditing, motion graphics, color and sound, led by our team.
AccessibilityClosed-caption files for every film, so your team can meet its accessibility standards on any platform.

Planned to stretch

With advance planning, one trip can cover more than one story, which saves on crew and travel. Over a continuing relationship, every shoot adds to a footage library your team can pull from for appeals all year.

Your footage

Every project uses the same folder structure, with footage organized by date and backed up during production. Finished films and source footage are delivered by cloud transfer.

Rights and usage

Your organization owns the finished films, source footage and project files, and can reuse them for its own communications with no added fees. Licensed music, stock and voiceover follow their own license terms.

The leads on every story.

Our core team leads every project, from the first idea to the final cut. When a shoot calls for more hands, we scale up with production support that works under our direction, at home or in the field.
Grant Smucker, Founder and chief creative officer at Doozy Crew

Grant Smucker

Founder and chief creative officer

15+ years as a director and cinematographer. Guides the creative direction and shoots most of the principal photography.

Molly Radigan, Animation lead and illustrator at Doozy Crew

Molly Radigan

Animation lead and illustrator

8+ years in motion graphics and After Effects. Builds the explainers, title systems and data animation on every campaign.

Alex Murrell, Producer and editor at Doozy Crew

Alex Murrell

Producer and editor

Keeps schedules, logistics and communication on track, and cuts most of the final edits.

A sample year

What a first year could look like.

An example only. The real plan is built around your calendar, campaigns and field trips.
1

Quarter 1

Discovery, one shared look and a library shoot at your programs. The first impact story.

2

Quarter 2

A field trip planned to cover several stories in one visit. A volunteer recruiting cut.

3

Quarter 3

Fall appeal films cut from the year's footage. A capital campaign or opening film if one is on the calendar.

4

Quarter 4

Giving Tuesday and year-end donor films, personalized by segment. A year-in-review cut.

Three ways to work together.

Everything is scoped per deliverable, so you always know what you're getting. We quote fixed-fee after the first call, in a form you can take to a board or a funder.
A single story
$10K – $25K

One film, scoped and quoted on its own. Single shoot day, 1–2 deliverables.

  • One impact story, donor film or volunteer film
  • Pre-interviews and treatment
  • A single shoot day
  • Standard post: editing, color, sound, captions
  • Platform cutdowns where applicable
Watch a project at this scope
Most common
A campaign or series
$25K – $75K

Multi-film or campaign-driven. 2–3 shoot days or one field trip. Where most nonprofit campaigns land.

  • Several films from one shoot plan or one trip
  • Personalized versions by donor segment
  • Motion graphics and title system
  • Broadcast, email, social and web masters
  • A footage library for the year's appeals
Watch a project at this scope
An ongoing program

A set number of story packages a year, with the same crew and priority scheduling.

  • Quarterly or seasonal story packages
  • Same crew every time, priority on our calendar
  • One look across every program and channel
  • Field trips planned to cover more than one story
  • A shared footage library that grows all year
Watch a project at this scope
Want the detailed rate sheet?

Itemized labor + equipment rates so you can pressure-test the math against your own scope. We'll send the PDF over.

Common questions, quick answers.

The questions we hear first from development and communications teams.

Do you travel internationally?

Yes. We have filmed for nonprofits in Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador and the Central African Republic, as well as across the United States. Travel, permits and security are planned with your in-country team and roll into the fixed quote.

How do you handle consent and dignity with the people we serve?

We use your release forms, film only the people who have agreed to be filmed, and give them time to get comfortable on camera. We work alongside your local staff in every location so stories are told respectfully and accurately, and nothing is published without your approval.

Can one trip produce more than one film?

It can, with advance planning. When stories are scheduled together we can cover more than one on a single trip, which saves on crew and travel. Over a continuing relationship, every shoot also adds to a footage library, so later appeals can pull from what has already been captured.

What do donor films actually do for a campaign?

For Ohio State's Day of Giving, five student films with titles personalized by donor segment helped the campaign beat its goals for current donors by 205%, lapsed donors by 182% and new donors by 283%, with a 42% lift in giving rate from the personalized versions.

Who owns the footage?

You do. Your organization owns the finished films, the source footage and the project files, and can reuse them for its own communications with no added fees. Licensed music, stock and voiceover follow their own license terms.

Can you deliver on a grant or campaign timeline?

Yes. Most single stories deliver in four to six weeks from the shoot, including two rounds of consolidated revisions. Series and programs are scheduled and quoted as a package so delivery matches your appeal calendar or a funder's reporting timeline.

Do you provide captions and accessible files?

Closed-caption files come with every film, so your team can meet its accessibility standards on any platform.

Let's make your mission travel.

Tell us what's coming up: a giving day, a field trip, a capital campaign or a volunteer push. We'll come back with a plan and a quote for the first set of stories.

Book a 15-min call →Email us · info@doozycrew.com
(614) 682-6413  ·  Powell, OH
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