How did you come with the idea of opening the first
“philanthropub” ever?
Really it came
about as a dream to start a nonprofit.
Not a pub. The pub idea just came
as an answer to a question: “What does the community need?” There were lots of things we thought we could
do, but we realized there were already dozens of nonprofits across the city
trying to meet the needs of the community.
But they were struggling.
Finances are always the most important, and simultaneously least
important departments of any nonprofit.
Their challenge is to accomplish the mission of the npo, but they are
often hindered by the task of raising funds simply to keep going. This is where the idea of the business came
in. Why not start a business that could
raise funds and awareness for these organizations, simply by running a
successful business? Allowing the
nonprofits to focus on their mission, and we can focus on the fundraising. This is where the idea germinated from.
The Pub idea
came about because…Portland. Portland,
Oregon is “Beervana”. We have more
breweries than any other city in the world.
For us, it was simply connecting the dots.
Can you tell us about the specifics about this groundbreaking
model of charitable business?
Quite frankly,
there’s no real secrets. It’s simply a
Pub that operates in every way a normal Pub does. The only difference is where the bottom line
goes. After that, our model takes a
slightly different angle. We try and
partner with our nonprofits in every way we can. They come in and volunteer, serving
customers, cleaning, all the while advocating for their organization. We love to have neighbors and friends in
volunteering as well. Almost every day,
you’ll find a volunteer in there serving along side our staff, doing their part
to support this business, and ultimately, our charities. That is definitely one of the unique
components to our model.
We were
founded in August of 2010. We
immediately started working on opening the Pub, and finally did in May of
2013. Almost 3 years of work, all by
volunteers, while incurring no debt. It
was tough, but really fun.
Do you have hired workers or do you always work with
volunteers?
We have a
hired staff of about 13. We realized
early on that, if we wanted to be a successful business, that means a great
product. People will come in for the
vision, but they’ll come back because of their experience. We could only do this will a full time,
trained staff. They’re amazing. They work their butts off in order to keep us
profitable EVERY MONTH we’ve open.
Remarkable.
There’s an option to be a founder of the Oregon Public
House. Can you tell us about its levels and the amounts to become one?
Absolutely!
Free Beer for life...
- Level 1
Founders
($2,500 donation)
Receive ONE FREE BEER A DAY FOR LIFE - Level 2
Founders
($1,500 donation)
Receive ONE FREE BEER A WEEK FOR LIFE - Level 3
Founders
($500 donation)
Receive ONE FREE BEER A MONTH FOR LIFE
Involvement
at all levels get you a "Founder's Card" - a personalized ID card, to
be presented for your free beer. Also, you will have your personalized pint
glass displayed on the "Wall of Founders" behind the Bar in the pub,
which you may use at each visit.
How many money have you raised for charity so far?
To date, we
have raised $60,224 for our charity partners.
Pretty amazing for our little establishment. Just this month, we made our biggest
donation, almost $4,000. As we keep
growing and getting better, that number will only increase.
How’s the Altruism Brewing development going?
When can we be
able to taste it? Going great! Tanks are being installed and we’re hoping to
be brewing by the Fall.
You have had a lot of well-deserved press coverage,
what is the best motto/slogan you have read regarding The Oregon Public House?
Ours is: Make
your hangovers less shameful. Haha! I thought Stephen Colbert’s joke about us was
pretty good. “Ohhhhhh….who did I feed
and clothe last night?!?!?”
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