A Fine Romance

Before joining the WhatGives!? rodeo, I worked for many years in the television industry. One of the most appealing aspects of that work was the formation of a production team every time a new show began. Long hours working towards one creative goal brings people together like nothing else. For those weeks or months, you are family; sometimes dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless. And sometimes, your family needs some help. That’s where the Motion Picture & Television Fund steps in.

Ninety years ago Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith established the Motion Picture Relief Fund to assist those in the entertainment industry who had fallen on hard times. At first they just put out donation tins to collect change – a simple method that provided rent money or paid hospital bills when work was scarce. Eventually there were charity balls, movie premieres, radio shows, even benefit polo matches adding money to the Fund.

In the 1940s the vision expanded to include a retirement home and hospital for folks who had given their lives to the business of show. Since then, the MPTF has flourished and now includes six outpatient health centers throughout the greater Los Angeles area; a children's center; a retirement community, health plans and much, much more. Their mission is as straightforward as their slogan: Taking Care of Our Own.

So, they serve 60,000 people a year, helping with everything from grocery shopping to major medical bills. You can imagine the millions of dollars needed to keep this great organization running and expanding programs. But the MPTF have two aces up their sleeves. One is the tireless dedication of entertainment industry professionals who give of their time and money to support the Fund. The other is the tireless dedication of those who give of their astounding talents.

Hugh Jackman hosts "A Fine Romance" featuring performers such as Patti LuPone and James Marsden.

One night a year those two groups come together to raise a boatload of cash for their friends and co-workers. This year? Over a million dollars. As I have been for the past five years, I was part of the team that produced this year’s “A Fine Romance”. Other nonprofits might look on with envy at the star-studded roster of performers and the well-heeled audience. But the reason it all works and is so successful is due to the personal relationships that have built the MPTF. Plus, there is an undeniably personal connection between givers and receivers – to the point that those roles have been known to reverse through the course of a career. There is always the distinct feeling that “it could happen to me” – unemployment, failing health, injuries. No donor is more committed than one who recognizes himself in the face of someone being helped.

So, yeah, it helps if Hugh Jackman is your host, but it helps even more you have found a way to strengthen the connection between your cause, your mission, and your donors. If you’ve made it personal, all you need is a fun event that allows all those connected, passionate supporters to hang out together and talk shop. If you’ve made it personal, you will succeed.

So dreeeeeamy...