frequently asked questions
with new ideas, come questions.
Q: WHY CREATE A NON-PROFIT BAR?
A: Simple reason: we want to help people! More detailed reason: We feel that, inherently, people want to help each other. However, not many people have disposable income they can just give away to charities, and those who do, may not give as much as they could because they are saving for their families' future. There is nothing wrong with any of this, and we do the same thing. But no matter the situation, people still want to enjoy a night out with friends. So why not donate, when you don't even realize you are donating? We hope that you enjoy yourself with every visit to NPB that you return not only because you want to donate, but because you enjoy the atmosphere and community. We hope that through demonstrating the success of our social business, others will take risks and do the same, so much so, that eventually people in the future will never have to ask the question of why one would sacrifice something in order to help someone else
Q: BUT AREN'T BARS EVIL? YOU ARE JUST TRADING ONE VIRTUE OF CHARITY FOR ONE VICE OF ALCOHOL.
A: What? This isn't 1919. Bars are not evil. We promote drinking in a responsible manner. We are trying to create a community of people who care about others and want to help, and yet still can have a good time. I assume you wouldn't understand the latter, you teetotaler! But seriously, we look at our bar as a place you can come and relax, enjoy time with friends and exchange ideas with like-minded people. Good things can happen at bars. We came up with this idea at a bar. Most of our planning was over beers at bars. And did you know that early colonial bars served as centers of communities where families and travelers would come in for heat, discuss local news, have community meetings and votes, and even where revolutionaries began the discussions of independence. So if you don't like bars, you don't like America
Q: HOW DO WE KNOW THE PROFITS GO TO CHARITY?
A: In 2011, when we first began discussing the idea of a non-profit bar, we were traveling through Berlin, Germany. One landmark that stuck out in our minds was the glass dome of the Reichstag. The symbolism of the glass dome over that government building is that the people can look down into the German parliament and can trust what they are doing. Trust is very important in non-profits because people will not donate to a non-profit if they do not believe their money is being used to do good or being used efficiently. We have put this belief at the forefront of our planning. We want to keep expenses low and donations high. We also would like our customers to be able to look down into what we are doing, just as at the Reichstag, and that is why you will see an operational breakdown of the NPB on the back of every menu, so that you can continue to come back and know that your money is going to charities that need it. In addition, as you pay your bill, you will see our real-time money tracker adding your donations to the grand total of the month, so you can see instantly how much you and our community are helping
Q: ARE YOU A 501(c)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION?
A: We have created two entities. The Non-Profit Bar and the Non-Profit Bar Foundation. The Non-Profit Bar is a for-profit business because a bar cannot be a non-profit (believe us, we tried). Every month, the Non-Profit Bar will donate 100% of its profits (everything above operational costs) to the Non-Profit Bar Foundation, which is a completely separate entity. The Non-Profit Bar Foundation is a regsitered Non-Profit Organization, which has recently submitted its application for federal tax-ememption and with its approval would officially give The Non-Profit Bar Foundation a 501(c)(3) status. It is the Non-Profit Bar Foundation that will donate the money it receives to the Non-Profit Organizations that our customers vote to support