Scarecrow Video, the world’s largest video library, has issued an urgent call to film fans everywhere. Due to rising operational costs and a decline in video rental and sales, they need to raise $1.8 million before the end of the year or risk closing their doors. Operating as a nonprofit, their SOS “Save Our Scarecrow” fundraising campaign aims to ensure the preservation of their vast collection for many years to come.
Why Scarecrow Video Matters
Scarecrow Video’s extensive library boasts more than 148,000 film and TV titles across multiple formats, from VHS to 4K. This includes not only recent studio releases but also rare, non-commercial, hard-to-find, and out-of-print titles. It offers complete collections otherwise inaccessible to the general public.
The Urgent Need for Support
In a heartfelt open letter, the Scarecrow Video Board of Directors shared the challenges they face:
Dear Dedicated Film Community,
In 2014, a group of video store clerks formed a nonprofit to take over the stewardship of one of the most culturally significant video collections. Despite our lack of nonprofit experience, we succeeded for a decade thanks to the dedication of our staff and unwavering support from our community. However, many things have changed, threatening our ability to continue.
To secure Scarecrow’s future, we aim to raise $1.8 million before the end of the year. This will help us stay in our current location, provide our staff with a living wage, hire permanent leadership, and stabilize our organization.
Our fundraising and cost-cutting efforts have not kept pace with our needs. With a 40% drop in rentals and sales since 2015 and a 25% increase in major expenses, we face a dire situation. We need your help to avoid closing our doors and going into “hibernation.”
Our space is the soul of our organization. It’s a place of exploration and discovery, holding the democratic ethos that all voices should be heard. We must fight to keep this cultural museum and living archive alive.
“I’ve been renting videos from Scarecrow for over 25 years, and that location on Roosevelt is so important and inspiring to me,” said Ken Jennings, host of Jeopardy! and a member of Scarecrow’s Board of Directors. “Without a physical space, Scarecrow would become significantly less accessible to movie lovers young and old. Now is the time for us all to step up in a big way if we want this one-of-a-kind place to stick around.”
How You Can Help Scarecrow Video
- Donate: Visit scarecrowvideo.org/sos to make a donation.
- Rent Movies or TV Shows: Support us by renting from Scarecrow instead of other online platforms.
- Purchase Films: Build your collection by purchasing from Scarecrow.
For more information on how you can help, visit scarecrowvideo.org/sos.