TAPESTRIES OF HOPE, is a powerful documentaryabout girl child abuse and recovery, screened on Sept 27th in 100 theaters across the country.

 

The primary goals of the film were:

·         to expose the horrors of men raping and sexually abusing thousands of young girls in Zimbabwe because they believe it will cure HIV/AIDS, and to show the incredible resilience of the girls, and the drive of those who are working to end this violence.

·         to seek monetary support for the girl child survivors of Zimbabwe

·         to promote national attention to IVAWA, the international violence against women act, being discussed and voted on in Congress in October 2010.

 

Action Needed

Filmmaker/producer Michealene Cristini Risley was referred to us as she needed advice and support on 1) marketing the film via social media, 2) driving attendance at the 1-day screening, 3) fundraising options using on-line and traditional sources, and 4) encouraging voters to contact congressmen to encourage passage of IVAWA.

 

Background

Over the three years of production, Ms Risley worked with a host of organizations that supported a variety of the facets of marketing and distribution. These relationships were active, productive and helpful on most levels but did not include using social media to drive awareness.

 

Ms Risley got connected to us 60 days prior to the screening. The screening date was firm as it coincided with the IVAWA discussion and voting in congress.

 

Implementation

We worked closely with the director in the short timeframe allotted to promote her cause through access to several of our existing HUBS:

 

• Social Media Hub: Our partners in this space helped us build out a national presence online: revamping Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well us upgrading her website with the addition of an online store.
• Mobile Hub: Our mobile partners allowed Tapestries of Hope to set up a text-to-donate program which gave viewers the ability to instantly donate through the convenience of their mobile phones.
• Product Sponsorship Hub: Our local vendor partners provided products that helped raise awareness about girl child abuse.
• Media/PR Hub: Our radio partners announced a public service message on the day of the viewing resulting in sold-out theaters in the Bay Area. We also arranged for an interview that brought immediate publicity to the director through “Making Of” Studios.
• Community Organizing Hub: Our network gave us access to college interns and university publications to build a grassroots political movement around violence against women.

 

Results

·         Sold-out theaters in the Bay Area

·         Interns interested in continuing to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women and children by screening the film on campuses and raising money for the survivors in Zimbabwe.

·         Modest success in increasing awareness of IVAWA.

 

Lessons Learned by Partner

·         The importance of setting realistic goals and priorities early in process

·         Build and track progress with a calendar using concrete milestones

·         If you start to fall behind, cultivate the willingness in your organization to review and revise desired outcomes.

·         Social media is a long-tail proposition, and seeing change will take time