Host A Screening
Thank you so much for being a To Catch A Dollar Leader!
As excited as we are about this exclusive screening of the film, we are more excited to give the micro finance, anti-poverty and like minded organizations in your community to come together.
Find out where the film is playing in your area by visiting:
http://www.screenvision.com/s/showing/ToCatchADollar/
See who else is attending / hosting a group in your neighborhood:
http://www.facebook.com/tocatchadollar?sk=app_199505670070282
Download a copy of our resource kit in PDF format:
To Catch a Dollar Hosting Resource Kit (PDF)
Download a copy of our resource kit in Word format:
To Catch a Dollar Hosting Resource Kit (Word)
Download theater instructions for individual screenings in word format:
To Catch a Dollar Theater Instructions (Word)
Note: To host a screening, host groups will need to commit to purchasing a minimum of 50 tickets.
6 steps to hosting your own screening of ‘To Catch A Dollar’!
Here are 6 steps to help you organize your event and group to see To Catch A Dollar.
Quick Links:
1. Blocking Tickets
2. Inviting Supporters
2.5 Banners and Posters
3. Alerting Local Media
4. Sending Reminders
5. The Day Of Your Event
6. After Your Event
A. Send your supporters to: www.tocatchadollar.com
Have them buy their ticket to the screening directly using the “Find A Theater Near You” button.
Be sure to alert your supporters to which theater your group is supporting.
We highly encourage this method as it allows you, and the theater to accurately estimate the number of attendees. Stress that you are expecting a sold out crowd, and if they do not buy their tickets in advance you cannot guarantee them a space.
B. Call the manager of your theatre or check online.
If you are planning on seeing the film with a group you can block tickets by calling the manager of the theatre screening the film.
- 1. Look online for the contact information for the theater, ask to speak to the manager or group sales representative
- 2. Say you are with “To Catch A Dollar” and your organization name.
- 3. Tell them how many tickets are you planning on reserving as “group sales”, and that you already have commitments to see the film. If you pay in advance for the group tickets, there may be a discounted rate.
- 4. This is also a good time to ask if you can set a booth or a meeting place for your organization, or if you have any needs like a microphone.
Please note: The theater may ask you to give your credit card information to reserve the tickets, since they are being taken off the market for general sale. Theaters will set aside tickets and provide discounts at their own discretion.
Please contact us if you have problems reserving tickets.
If your region does not have a screening scheduled:
If you pledge to buy 50 or more tickets presale, please identify a movie theater you’d like to play To Catch A Dollar and contact Annie Hung below, or request a screening online:
http://www.tocatchadollar.com/contact-us/request-a-screening/
Movie, Campaign and Location Information
Annie Hung
annie@causeaffect.com
Jessie Savage
To Catch A Dollar
781-939-2474
jessie.savage@worldcongress.com
2. Invite your supporters to join your group online.
While we always encourage everyone to pledge to see the the film on the national campaign sites including the To Catch A Dollar Facebook group and website – it’s good to connect your local community together online. This allows people to see how else is attending, and get excited, and allows you to directly and efficiently communicate with your supporters. Here are a few options:
1. Send out an email – Click here for an HTML flyer.
Create and attach a Google or Outlook Calendar Invitation – a template is available here.
2. Send out a Facebook Event Invitation – We’ve created a Facebook Event for every theater showing the film! Email Justin McAuliffe (JMcAuliffe@grameenresearch.org)and he’ll make you the admin of the Facebook Event page for your screening!
3. If you bought your tickets in bulk, and need to be paid back send out an EventBrite Invitation
(This will also allow supporters to pay you directly for tickets if you have pre-paid)
Banners, Posters and other Media are available for download here.
Send out a press release to your local media affiliates with information not only about the movie and special screening, but with relevant information that your group is hosting the screening and discussion. There is often a community calendar or local writer who will be interested in your event. The total press release should be no more than one page, and provide the basics about your event as well as specific contact information, do not change the text about the film or Dr. Yunus.
1. Copy the text located on this page.
The official press release is located here, and you can find more press resources here.
2. Add in the appropriate blanks and helper text.
3. Email or fax the Press Release to your local newspaper or media outlet.
4. Call the paper in a day or two to confirm they have received your information and ask when the it will be be in the paper.
Press Contact Information can also be found here (feel free to invite them to your screening!): http://goo.gl/FnM2I
4. Send a reminder a 2 or 3 days before the screening.
Remind your supporters how excited you are to see them at the screening, as well as the details of the event. This is also a great time to remind people to buy their tickets or let them know if the screening is sold out. Ask if there are any volunteers who would like to take photos of the event to share with the entire To Catch A Dollar community. You can use the email information available here.
The big day is here! There is nothing like seeing a movie with a group of friends — it’s truly a communal experience. In this case you get to see a movie with an entire nation and join in a dialogue about issues of poverty, microfinance, and the power of women’s entrepreneurship.
1. Print a few copies of this campaign plan in case you get any questions.
- We recommend you print the handy postcards located here.
2. Arrive at the theater early and say hello to the theater manager. Let he or she know that you’ll be introducing the film, so if they have advertisements running, they should stop them 10 minutes before. Set up if you need to.
3. Welcome people to the screening, encourage them to meet the other attendees.
4. 10 minutes before the screening welcome and introduce the film and how the evening will flow. Sample talking points are located below:
- Welcome
- About Grameen America
- Showflow
- About the film
- We highly encourage you to focus in on your organization, and how these issues are pertinent to your city.
Welcome Text:
“Thank you for joining us to this very special one-night only exclusive screening of To Catch A Dollar! We are very pleased to host this event, and want to thank the groups that came out to have this experience with us including (NAME GROUPS THAT ARE ATTENDING).”
About Grameen America:
Grameen America is a non-profit organization which provides small loans, known as “microloans” and other financial services to individuals living below the U.S. poverty line who want to start or grow a small business. Grameen America relies on the Grameen lending model developed over 30 years by Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. While the microloans may be what Grameen is best known for – the organization actually follows a powerful model proven to help alleviate poverty through financial education, access to capital, building credit, mentoring and building savings.
Show Flow: Aprox: 2 hours, not including any additional local programming
- The film runs about 68 minutes
- A simulcast panel with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, with special guest Financial Powerhouse Suze Orman, CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo, Premal Shah, President of Kiva, and Grameen America president Vidar Jorgensen. (45 minutes)
A Call to Action – The audience will be asked to text a donation of $10 to help establish the first publicly-funded Grameen America branch in the country: You can vote and donate to determine the location of the next Grameen America branch: Washington DC, Atlanta, LA, or Chicago.
- These donations are matched by corporate sponsorships. Donate by Texting: “AMERICA” TO 85944
Information about the Text To Give Campaign is located here.
- When you text to give and sign up online, you will learn about which city was able to open the newest branch and keep up with their progress.
- Sign up for four weeks of exclusive content following the film.
Information about April’s Financial Content and Voting is available here.
About the Film
To Catch A Dollar premiered at Sundance, and is a documentary that follows the personal triumphs and setbacks of a few of the first Grameen America clients in Queens, New York City. The film is also told through the stories of the staff at Grameen America as they try to apply the methods that have proven to be successful in many other countries helping women entrepreneurs in their community build businesses and support networks to get ahead and elevate their families and communities in the process.
We highly encourage you to focus in on your organization, and how these issues are pertinent to your city.
Talk about your organizations efforts in poverty alleviation in your city, and how financial literacy, peer support, and encouraging entrepreneurs are themes in your community. What first attracted you to this movie and movement? Are there any anecdotes you can tell about people building financial independence and stability from your own neighborhoods?
Share your story and pictures! Post your stories and pictures directly to your Facebook group- we’ll be downloading and posting them to the National To Catch A Dollar Facebook group and site. Tell the story and update about your event. Which parts of the film or panel were most compelling? What are some interesting discussions and questions that were asked? How do these issues related to your community?
We are tweeting to: #TCAD
A Discussion Guide is available here.
For a complete list of all screening locations, click here.
If you get questions about the recent coverage about Dr. Yunus’ legal challenges in Bangladesh, please do not speak on behalf of Grameen America or Grameen Research, but point people in the direction of a few resources:
Grameen Foundation’s Recent Update. March 23, 2011
New York Time’s Microfinance Under Fire Essay. March 21, 2011
NPR’s Planet Money Blog Post. March 2nd 2011