We help nonprofits turn
the right stories into films
that move donors to act.
Kauri Films is the go-to fundraising film studio for nonprofits running capital campaigns, galas, and major donor drives across the DMV and beyond.
Trust Our Process.
Every great story is built on a foundation of people, purpose, structure, and emotion. This is how we approach every project.
Before we touch a camera, we go deep into your story space — listening, exploring, and understanding what makes your mission undeniably yours.
We align on five strategic keywords — your audience, the emotion you want to move, and the single action you need them to take. This becomes the filter for every creative decision.
The story is never stronger than the people in it. We find the characters whose journey carries your donors from empathy to commitment.
We architect engagement from the first frame to the last — hook, conflict, resolution — so the film holds attention and lands the ask with maximum impact.
A story that moved people.
Capital Campaign — Fundraising Film
The Melton Center
The campaign needed to move donors from passive supporters to committed investors. We built a character-driven film around the people the Center transforms — and it moved the needle.
Watch on Vimeo →Organizations we’ve worked with
Fifteen years making films.
One job: move donors to act.
The Filmmaker Nonprofits Call for Capital Campaigns.
Fifteen years ago, Aurelien Tanguep noticed a gap: nonprofits doing extraordinary work were being mistaken for ordinary ones — not because the work wasn’t remarkable, but because the story wasn’t built to move anyone.
That gap is what Kauri Films was built to close. As a filmmaker and story strategist, Aurelien works exclusively with mission-driven organizations to create fundraising films that don’t just document what you do — they make donors feel why it can’t wait.
The approach is rooted in a four-step science-backed process — Storyfinding, Keywords, Characters, and Story Structure — designed to produce films that give a nonprofit fundraising director something they can take to their board: a clear mechanism, a named methodology, and a predictable path from film to campaign result.
When the right nonprofits land on this page, they stop comparing Kauri Films to anyone else. That’s the goal of everything here.
A Process Your Board Can Explain.
Most filmmakers say they listen, plan, shoot, and deliver. That’s filmmaking — not a competitive advantage. Our four-step science-backed process is the mechanism that turns a campaign film into a campaign result.
Before we touch a camera, we go deep into your story space — listening, exploring, and understanding what makes your mission undeniably yours.
We align on five strategic keywords — your audience, the emotion you want to move, and the single action you need them to take. This becomes the filter for every creative decision.
The story is never stronger than the people in it. We find the characters whose journey carries your donors from empathy to commitment.
We architect engagement from the first frame to the last — hook, conflict, resolution — so the film holds attention and lands the ask with maximum impact.
What we believe shapes how we work.
Dignity
We never use suffering as a fundraising tool. The people we film are whole human beings whose complexity, humor, and resilience matter as much as their hardship.
Community Agency
The communities we document hold the authoritative version of their own story. Our job is to create the conditions for that story to emerge.
Strategic Impact
A film that moves people but doesn’t move the needle isn’t enough. Every project is designed with specific strategic outcomes in mind.
Ethical Representation
We work through informed consent, transparent process, and ongoing relationship. The ethics are built into the methodology, not bolted on afterward.
Films built to move donors — not just audiences.
Every film we make is designed around a campaign outcome. Beautiful craft in service of a specific result.
Capital Campaign — Fundraising Film
The Melton Center
The campaign needed to move donors from passive supporters to committed investors. We built a character-driven film around the people the Center transforms — and it moved the needle.
Watch on Vimeo →Donor Acquisition — Impact Film
Spectrum of Hope
Spectrum of Hope needed to introduce their mission to a new donor base. The film translated complex programming into a single emotional truth — and expanded their reach.
Watch on Vimeo →Advocacy — Documentary
A Mother’s Fight
A powerful advocacy film built to change minds and open wallets. The story follows one mother’s journey — and doesn’t let the audience look away.
Watch on Vimeo →The right film for
the right campaign outcome.
Trust Our Process.
Every engagement moves through the same four phases. The depth and duration scale with the scope of your story.
Before we touch a camera, we go deep into your story space — listening, exploring, and understanding what makes your mission undeniably yours.
We align on five strategic keywords — your audience, the emotion you want to move, and the single action you need them to take. This becomes the filter for every creative decision.
The story is never stronger than the people in it. We find the characters whose journey carries your donors from empathy to commitment.
We architect engagement from the first frame to the last — hook, conflict, resolution — so the film holds attention and lands the ask with maximum impact.
How can we help you tell your story?
Every project starts with a conversation. Here’s the kind of work we do — and how we think about it.
Fundraising Campaign Film
For capital campaigns, gala nights, and major donor drives — when the film needs to move money, not just hearts.
Some stories can’t be compressed into two minutes. They need time, trust, and a willingness to follow the unexpected. We make feature and short documentaries for organizations, communities, and individuals who have something real to say and want it said properly. Lengths range from 15 to 60 minutes depending on what the story needs.
→ Tell us about the story you’re carryingDonor Acquisition Film
For organizations doing extraordinary work that new donors haven’t found yet. Change who shows up to your table.
We help mission-driven organizations find their visual voice — what they look like on screen, how they talk about what they do, and what story cuts through when attention is scarce. Short-form films, campaign content, and multi-platform storytelling. Typically 2–5 minutes, with campaign edits built for distribution.
→ Let’s talk about your audienceImpact & Legacy Documentary
For the story that deserves its full length — and a filmmaker who won’t leave until it’s found.
Donors give to people, not programs. We make films that put the right person in the room — a beneficiary, a community member, a decade of impact — and let them make the case. Built for capital campaigns, annual appeals, and gala screenings. Deliverables scale to fit the campaign timeline.
→ Share what you’re raising towardBoard & Internal Communications
For the knowledge, culture, and mission clarity worth putting on screen for the people driving your organization forward.
Whether it’s onboarding content that actually gets watched, a training resource built for the long haul, or a film that captures who your organization is for the people inside it — this work tends to be quieter and just as important. We treat it with the same craft as anything else we make.
→ Describe what you’re buildingSomething that doesn’t fit neatly here? Good — those are often the most interesting projects.