A Fundraiser’s Comprehensive Guide to
Imagine, if you will, a horrifying scenario. You’ve worked for months on your in-person, hybrid or virtual fundraising event. You’ve procured amazing auction items. You’ve recorded incredible videos telling heartstring-tugging stories about the great work your nonprofit is doing. You’ve spent hours upon hours attending to all of the details. You’re ready, you’re SO ready – you’re off to a great start – and BAM! Your livestream or video gets shut down. Why, oh WHY? Because you didn’t consider copyright rules. Don’t let this happen to you! Here’s what you need to know, and review with your legal team, regarding copyright and licensing for live streams, in-person fundraisers and even online content.
Music – Use It Wisely!
Music is an integral part of any event. It sets the tone and mood from the moment you kick off, to the final goodnight. Music evokes emotion, adds flair, and brings people together – bottom line, you NEED music in fundraising programming, no doubt about it! Whether it’s in videos, pre- or post-show, cocktail hour, live music influences donors’ moods and therefore can impact ACTION!
If you have your heart set on using copyrighted music, register with a performing rights org like ASCAP or Global Music Rights and pay the fee. If you don’t have your heart set on a particular piece, and you don’t want to register or pay a fee, that’s quite all right! You have other options, like using royalty-free music OR music that’s part of the public domain.
Music: Royalty-Free
Some artists put their music up on royalty-free sites. They’ll let you use their work for free as long as you credit them. Need help finding appropriate royalty-free music for your next virtual event? We’ve got you covered! Reach out.
Public Domain: Music, Videos + Still Images
How can you avoid copyright infringement altogether? Simple: By using material that’s publicly owned, not individually owned. This is called the public domain. The public domain contains creative works that are NOT protected by intellectual property laws. All creative material falls in the public domain 70 years after the death of the artist.
Video + Still Images
What’s the easiest way to avoid copyright infringement with regard to video and still pictures? Shoot them yourself, or have someone on your team do it. But let’s say you REALLY need video of the Australian Outback, or the Great Pyramids of Giza, and you don’t have the time or resources to capture that footage yourself. You can find video and images that are part of the public domain on websites like Unsplash. There you’ll find stunning, high-quality, high resolution pictures that you can use without paying a fee.
Online Content
Copyright infringement applies to not just in-person events and livestreams. It also covers your online content. So if you really want to use a picture you found online for your website, make sure you get permission first.
Contracts
A legal contract is your best option for protecting yourself and your org. Your legal counsel can come up with a contract that absolves you and your org in the unlikely event that copyright rules are violated.
Legal Counsel
Consult an attorney as part of the planning process for your fundraising events. You’ll sleep much better knowing everything you’re doing or streaming is legal! Perhaps you can find an attorney who supports your mission, who’ll draw up a simple yet safeguarding contract, pro-bono. It never hurts to ask!
