More than a decade ago, Entertainment to Affect Change (E2AC) launched with a clear mission: to help creatives produce content for good. From documentaries to digital campaigns, E2AC supports what Executive Director Nick Hudson calls "social impact entertainment"—content that doesn't just inform, but actively drives change. Whether focused on LGBTQ+ rights, Black maternal health, or climate justice, their work connects creatives, causes, and funders to tell stories that matter.
A Hidden Obstacle to Impact: Nonprofit Infrastructure
When Hudson officially joined to help build E2AC, he brought a fresh outsider’s perspective. Trained as a lawyer with experience in social work and nonprofit finance, he saw that even the most compelling storytelling couldn’t succeed without strong infrastructure. "Everything we're telling them to do in terms of creating a pitch deck and formulating their ‘ask’— it’s worthless unless you have the infrastructure to actually be able to collect funds," he shared.
Initially, E2AC handled fiscal sponsorship manually: donations funneled into a single general account and were tracked via shared spreadsheets. Payment delays, donor acknowledgment issues, and time-consuming reconciliations were daily obstacles. Hudson recalled that at times it felt like managing lost luggage at JFK, having to send a mass email to project heads to ask them if they were the ones waiting on a $10,000 check.
Despite these hurdles, demand for E2AC's support kept growing. But as they crossed into double-digit projects, the manual approach quickly hit a wall. "It was taking 30% of my day to figure out what funds were for which project," Hudson said. Scaling beyond their current capacity seemed impossible, so he began to search for solutions.
Meet Mazlo: A Purpose-Built Partner
That search led to Mazlo, a platform designed for the nuanced needs of nonprofits and fiscal sponsors. With real-time visibility, sub-accounts for each project, and automated compliance features, E2AC was finally able to move away from reactive admin work and toward proactive impact.
Since adopting Mazlo, E2AC has scaled their capacity 10x, now supporting over 150 projects, all while gaining real-time transparency, seamless fund tracking, and complete audit readiness. According to Hudson, “99.9% of the problems we faced before are no longer an issue.”
Real Stories, Real Impact
One of those campaigns is Deliver Us, a documentary on Black maternal health directed by two first-time filmmakers. They had passion, a pitch, and no fundraising infrastructure. E2AC provided fiscal sponsorship, storytelling guidance, and connections to aligned funders. The result: over $500,000 raised to bring the film to life.
Hudson emphasized that without fiscal sponsorship, that project simply wouldn’t have been possible—regardless of its creative merit. E2AC provided the infrastructure to make the film fundable and funders confident. By partnering with Mazlo, E2AC is able to extend that infrastructure more efficiently and transparently.
That same infrastructure also enabled the rapid revival of Malverne Cinema, a historic theater reimagined as a nonprofit community space. When the building abruptly closed, fiscal sponsorship gave E2AC the ability to begin fundraising immediately—without the delay of applying for a new 501(c)(3). This quick response helped rally community support and secure over $100,000 in early donations. What began as a rescue mission turned into a replicable model for community-powered cinema.
Thanks to Mazlo’s real-time visibility, sub-accounts, and fund tracking capabilities, E2AC is able to ensure that every dollar is properly allocated and acknowledged. And these are just two of the mission-driven projects E2AC is able to support with Mazlo as its financial backbone.
From Administrative Chaos to Scalable Change
Today, E2AC supports more than 150 projects with varying budgets, timelines, and donor requirements—something that would have been impossible without the infrastructure Mazlo provides. The platform has helped the organization shift from daily financial friction to high-impact creative output, giving the team the tools they need to grow responsibly and sustainably.
Want to empower your mission with smarter nonprofit infrastructure? Book a demo with Mazlo and see how we can help you streamline operations, ensure compliance, and scale with confidence.