Why Room To Care's $2M Goal Isn't Just Reasonable, It's Necessary.

How much should it cost to teach someone how to recognize human trafficking? Or give a survivor the tools to speak their truth without shame or fear?

These aren’t just deep, philosophical questions. They’re practical ones I had to sit with the moment I decided to build Room To Care. And now that we’re asking for support, I know what you’re probably wondering.

Why two million dollars?

Fair question.

Here’s the thing. Room To Care isn’t some polished, buzzword-heavy nonprofit with a team of marketers and a pile of grants. We haven’t even filed our 501(c)(3) yet. Not because we’re not serious, but because I’ve been doing the actual work first. Laying the foundation. Writing. Planning. Editing. Interviewing. All while working full-time, raising my son, and trying not to burn out.

Our first major project is called Through Their Eyes. It’s not just a “training video.” It’s a fully built educational experience. Survivor-led. Expert-supported. Built with trauma-informed design, real film production, and interactive elements that actually keep people engaged. Because honestly, if you’ve ever sat through a corporate training, you know how forgettable most of them are.

This one isn’t meant to be forgotten.

Right now, it’s just me doing all the heavy lifting. But I’m not doing it alone. We’ve got advocates, legal advisors, trauma specialists, healthcare professionals, and educators stepping in to help. You can meet them here: throughtheireyes.co/ourexperts

And yes, we’re asking for over two million dollars. But not to waste it. Not for cushy salaries or overpriced offices. This money goes toward building something real. Something that can be used across industries. From hospitals to hotels to classrooms, to helping people actually understand the signs of trafficking and know what to do when they see it.

This is just the beginning. Human trafficking is our starting point, but we’re also preparing for what comes next: programs on domestic violence, harassment in the workplace, addiction recovery, and real-world DEI education.

Room To Care isn’t a side project. It’s the start of something much bigger. A way to make room for the hard stuff and the stories that don’t get told, the voices that are too often ignored.

This isn’t about charity. It’s about responsibility. And building a future where care isn't just something we talk about, but something we practice.

It costs how much?

So what does $2 million buy? It’s not glamour. It’s cameras, editing, trauma consultants, legal review, SCORM integration, health insurance, voiceover actors, data storage, multi-language translation, CEU accreditation, and state-by-state compliance reviews. We’ve already broken this down in detail at throughtheireyes.co/funding, but here’s the short version:

- $470,000+ for production and filming in multiple states

- $150,000+ for translations, voiceovers, and localization

- $250,000+ for legal, CEU certification, and compliance in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Australia, Asia, and Latin America

- $300,000+ for platform development and AI-enhanced interactive training tools

- $400,000+ for salaries, insurance, hardware, data storage, and ongoing support

- And the rest for outreach, storytelling, and keeping operations running

A little context

For context, Thorn, another organization combating online child exploitation, raised over $9M in 2020 alone. Polaris’s annual budget is well over $10M. These are massive operations. We’re not trying to match them. We’re just building the foundation. But even then, a single short documentary from a national nonprofit can easily cost $250K. A single eLearning module with voiceover, translation, and legal clearance? Upward of $75K. We’re making a whole series. On a fraction of the budget.

Through Their Eyes is just the beginning. Room To Care will grow into a platform for immersive, emotional, and honest education on the topics too many people avoid. Think training that helps you spot domestic abuse, advocate for mental health access, or understand your rights in the workplace. Think interactive scenarios built with empathy. That’s the vision, and this first project gets us there.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. You care. And now we need you to act. You can donate, share the story, or connect us to someone who can help. You can advocate for this content to be required in your workplace, your industry, your city. And if you need more information, visit throughtheireyes.co/timeline or reach out. The stories we’re telling don’t belong behind closed doors anymore. Help us open them.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. You’re part of this with us. And we need you. We need people who care. People who talk about this even when it’s not easy. People who understand that silence only helps traffickers.

This isn’t just about our program. It’s about the thousands of people still waiting for someone to see them.

Let’s make sure they don’t have to wait any longer.

⸻

Sources and References

Costs of Documentary & Educational Content Production

Center for Media & Social Impact – “Documentary Economics” Report: https://cmsimpact.org/report/documentary-economics/

Video Production Cost Guides – Wistia / StudioBinder / Lemonlight: Average 5–10 minute branded documentary: $30K–$100K. eLearning course with interactivity and VO: $40K–$80K per module.

Human Trafficking Training and Prevention Budgets

Polaris Project Annual Report (2022): https://polarisproject.org/financials/

Thorn IRS Form 990 (2020–2022): https://www.thorn.org/about/financials/

Legal Compliance & Certification Costs

NASBA – CEU Accreditation: https://www.nasbaregistry.org/providers/becoming-a-provider

State-by-State Training Mandates (CA SB 970, TX H.B. 2552): Estimated $3K–$10K+ per state for compliance review and approval.

Translation & Accessibility

GALA – Globalization and Localization Association: https://www.gala-global.org

Nonprofit Startup & Admin Costs

National Council of Nonprofits – Startup Cost Overview: https://www.councilofnonprofits.org