PIE5

PIE is committed to social justice. We practice social change philanthropy and donate 5% (PIE5) of our profits* to organizations and entities engaged in social change work. The recipient organization will change periodically, but the current recipient will always be displayed on this page.

*Please note that PIE is currently a start-up venture. At this point, we have not yet become a profitable business. However, once we do, we will begin to donate 5% of profits toward social change work. Your support during our start-up phase will help us grow, become profitable, and contribute to social change.

 

 

Cuurently, 5% of PIE's profits will be donated to Continuity, an organization with the mission of "expanding diversity in media production through skills-based training, mentoring and opportunities for untapped talent." The donation will be used to purchase film and sound equipment for participants to use on their projects. To learn more and support Continuity, visit their website.

To learn more about social change philanthropy, click here. For a quick read, check out these excerpts below:

Social change/progressive philanthropy requires an adjective to distinguish its focus and approach. This kind of philanthropy focuses on root causes and supports systemic change.

An often-told story illustrates the difference between the two types of philanthropy.

Imagine that you’re walking along a riverbank. Suddenly you notice babies floating down the river, drowning. You wade into the river and rescue them. But there are still more, so many. Soon, you see another person walking along the riverbank. You call out to her, “Come and help me save the babies who are drowning in the river.” But she hurries on by saying, “I’m going to the head of the river to figure out who is throwing them in and stop them.”

“Rescuing the babies” is the traditional and dominant approach in philanthropy. Going to the head of the river to fix the root cause is less common and often controversial.

Of course, the choice is not either or. Every society needs both. And some organizations do both. Equally important, everyone chooses his or her own interests and causes, as it should be.

HAVE YOU NOTICED: THE LESS SOCIAL JUSTICE WE HAVE, THE MORE PHILANTHROPY WE NEED?

Ironic, isn’t it? We need more philanthropy because we refuse to deal with social injustice. We need more traditional philanthropy to compensate because we never give enough to social change philanthropy to actually make change.

Martin Luther King, Jr., said it well, “Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice that make philanthropy necessary.”

Excerpted from Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better Communications and Stronger Relationships, Simone Joyaux and Tom Ahern