Things have been chugging along here with the Nonprofit team as we move through the post-production phase! Earlier this month, Luann (creator) and Dawn (director) were on XRAY FM’s Group Therapy to talk about the web series, filming the pilot episode, and where the project is headed. Listen in on the interview here.

Since the Nonprofit Web Series was announced, we’ve received so much energy and support, that we sometimes need to pinch ourselves it’s really happening! This ambitious project was made on a shoestring budget, but thanks to the donations to our Seed&Spark campaign, and groups and organizations around town, we were able to produce it! Your support for our production costs can go a long way – as we continue working to make sure the series is the best it can be, will you pitch in today to help cover the costs of the labor-intensive work that goes into the post-production phase?

Your support for Nonprofit Web Series has really made an impact on the cast and crew, and we’re not just saying that! Read more reflections from our team on what this project means to them:

“I hope people watch Nonprofit and it elicits an empathetic chuckle. A former improv teacher taught me that comedy isn’t all about jokes, it’s about telling a genuine story. When you see or hear that story, you laugh because you identify with the story. I want people to identify and laugh when they watch Nonprofit. And you won’t see any model minorities or stereotypes here. Just interesting, flawed, beautiful characters with tons of potential, in an interesting, flawed, beautiful world with tons of potential.

The infuriating fact is that mainstream media has barely budged (or even gotten worse) in terms of having diverse voices behind the scenes, let alone the stories we see on the screen or stage. Ultimately it’s not just about representation, it’s about changing people’s hearts and minds. Narrative is such a powerful tool for that, and today we need it more urgently than ever.”

– Toni Tabora-Roberts

“As a gay Latinx, in general, I want to see more media that incorporates the people that are part of MY world. We’re under represented and the fact that our narratives are missing from the media landscape suggests we’re not here or that we don’t matter. We are and we do. And you know, I’m a filmmaker. I’m privileged to have a skillset, gear and connections that give me the power to create the media. I want to make sure that I’m using that to bring good things into the world: stories that create change.

I’ve also been working at and with nonprofits for years and let me just say, there is ALOT of unexplored material there. I’m talking both comedy and shit that NEEDS to be talked about. I hope that people think Nonprofit Web Series is smart, funny and unlike anything they’ve seen before. I think we’re creating something unique that pushes back against how Portlandia portrayed our city AND that gives us a chance to talk about our world in an entertaining and topical way.”

– Dawn Jones Redstone

“As someone who has worked for several nonprofits that consistently avoided feedback about racial equity & racism, I was so excited to support this project! There is something innately funny, and terribly distressing, about the nonprofit industrial complex. This script was so good, and the crew was so generous and talented. We need more stories about imperfect people doing imperfect work — especially when historically marginalized folks are in control of their own narrative.” 

I hope viewers get super uncomfortable! Seriously, I hope they at first resist and then identify with the main character, and I hope they recognize harmful organizational dynamics from their own experiences. I also hope that people realize how much talent and hard work went into the crafting of this project. I hope they click share, I hope they seek out more work by people of color, and I hope they laugh while they learn something.”

– Bonnie Stinson