Home Contact Sitemap

[donmillerfans.net]

The Don Miller Fan Site

Welcome to donmillerfans.net! Bookmark us or subscribe to our feed to stay current on what Don is up to.

Business for Justice

Published by bryan | Filed under journal entries

Last week I heard Blake Mycoskie talk about his new shoe company called Toms Shoes. Blake was one of the competitor’s on The Amazing Race and turned his bit of fame into an opportunity to serve some kids he met who were in need of shoes. While traveling in Argentina Tom met a number of children who didn’t have shoes, so with very little money, he bought about 200 pair of shoes, brought them in a duffle bag to Los Angeles, and sold them for enough profit to buy an extra pair for every pair he sold. He then delivered the extra pair to a child in need of shoes, placing them on the childs foot with his own hands. Blake’s company is taking off, and his business plan is brilliant. For every pair of Toms Shoes that we buy, Blake gives a pair to a child. To learn more, visit www.tomsshoes.com

On this note, I am wondering what other business models exist that are working on behalf of those in need around the world. With the creation of so many micro-finance organizations (a remarkable yet simple idea) we are seeing economists get incredibly creative and innovative in how foreign aid works. We live in a country that has figured business out, and if we can put this intellectual capital to work toward justice concerns, we may see significant issues of poverty improved and even canceled.

If you or a friend have started a business that creatively works to suply a demand and in so doing combat a lack in justice, do let me know. You can write to me at:

Donald Miller
Business for Justice
6930 SE 35th Ave
Portland, Oregon, 97202

I will be compiling the ideas and giving them away in a pdf document, so make sure it is okay if I give your story to others….

Thanks!

Don

April 30th, 2007


9 Responses to “Business for Justice”

  1. » Business for Justice Says:
    April 30th, 2007 at 11:38 am

    [...] Original post by bryan [...]

  2. Ausma Says:
    May 7th, 2007 at 9:31 pm

    Hi Don,

    You may not remember writing to me last year, but I was the one who brought up all the questions regarding our actions as Christians. Anyway, I was happy to read your posting today & wanted to tell you that my husband and I run a design business strictly geared toward non-profit agencies… giving them “wine” design on a “beer” budget so to speak, since non-profit agencies rarely have budget for good design.

    Our company is called 316 Creative (based on John 3:16).

    Our website is underconstruction due to our focus on our clients & lack there of on marketing. However, you can view a brief portfolio online.

    Here is our mission statment & contact:

    THREESIXTEENCREATIVE provides graphic design and copy writing services for print and new media exclusively to non-profit institutions and ministries. We believe our talents and energy are most useful in support of those who are dedicated to a cause greater than themselves. Our strengths are the quality of our work, our understanding of its place in the larger picture of your communication goals and our willingness to go the extra mile or two it takes to help you reach your goals.

    http://www.316creative.com

    Clayton Kinney
    9 Stout Run Court
    Catonsville . MD . 21228
    410.747.8052 tel
    410.747.7833 fax
    clayton@316creative.com

    PS. We are always looking for great designers who are mission oriented and don’t mind going the extra mile for a good cause. If you are interested please contact us.

  3. mattc41190 Says:
    May 10th, 2007 at 7:08 pm

    hey don

    just a quick question from Blue Like Jazz & Searching for God knows what.you talk alot about accpeting people and loving them right where they are and i totally agree and i do (well at least i try my best i kinda suck at it). but my question regards what i do when i am put in a situation where i can’t contribute anything to conversation or the activity. For example what if i am hanging out with some friends who aren’t so in to

    christianosity and they start doing some stuff i am not so in to, you know sex, drugs, and rock and roll… what do i do in these situations i have found my self having to run away to keep from doing things i regret.

    one more thing, this is a little more like a bible question. The way you describe God is this broken hearted lover crying in heaven trying to find a way to repair his realationship with us. but the way i see it is that many times God is just being cruel there are many examplesof this. but to give you one off the top of my head.

    The walls of jericho story. there was a guy (achan was his name) who decided to not do exactly as God told him to and the guy apolagizes and he was really sincere to and i was expecting the God that loves achan to say “realize that this is a terrible sin. and don’t do it anymore” but that is not the way the situation is handled at all…. They stone him.

    There are other stories like this in the bible mostly old testament and i realize that alot changed between new and old but it seems that when jesus says anything he is getting them from the same God who killed truly sorry and humble people Why?

    and one more thing if we serve a God who knows everything from begining to end how can he love people and send them to earth knowing very well they will not choose him and spend an eternity in hell.

    i know very well that if there was even a chance that my child would choose to suffer and there was something i could do i would do it.

    i have to say my child hypothetically im only 17 so the whole “my child” is just what i believe i would do

    that’s 3 questions i hope you have enough time to answer i will repost this every 2 weeks until it is answered i am not try to piss you off reall i just don’t want my question to be lost in the huge pile of mail you have =]

    P.S. i really apprecaite what you have done for me and my walk with christ. Searching For God Knows What, Blue like Jazz, Dragon and some speech you did at Harvard are amazing and i spend a lot of my time. Thinking about how much i wish i had a knowledge of God like yours.

    [i kind of envy you. which is nicer way of say i really envy you]

    Matt Cale

    mattc41190@hotmail.com

    http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=163366790

  4. Christina Ivey Says:
    May 13th, 2007 at 12:41 am

    Thanks for posting something about this web site and taking such an interest in all of the non-profit organizations out there; it’s a real encouragement!

    I just wanted to let you know that because of your inspiring interest in Tom’s Shoes, I’ve decided to do an informative speech over it. I know that might not mean too much to you, but I’m on a college forensics team…speech and debate, not CSI….and, depending on how far I get at the national competition, I can reach hundreds of people and tell them about this worthy cause.
    I’ve started watching your website more often to find more organizations like this so my team mates can have speeches similar to mine. My biggest prayer for us this year to be known as the ‘Philanthropist Team’…not just the team that kicks everyone’s bums… :)
    Just to bring another worthy organization to your attention, my persuasive speech will probably be over ‘Champions for India’….and organization that works to provide water to those in need. With just a one time $7 donation, you can provide water for one person for 30 years….and the average college student spends $10 a week at Starbucks….crazy.

    And, just as an add-in…and to sound like everyone else….your books have really inspired me. There’s an event in forensics called Interp Theatre, and because you can write your own material, I’ve decided to write a IT with the sole purpose of glorifying God. I see forensics as my mission field at this point in my life, and I wouldn’t care how far we actually got in competition, just as long as the one person who need to hear the message heard it. The theme will be ‘Searching’….and I’ve been reading ‘Searching for God Knows What’ for inspiration.

    Thank you again for being the pen in God’s Amazing Hands.

    All the Best,
    Christina

  5. Allison Says:
    May 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pm

    Dear Don,

    I notice that all of your upcoming speaking engagements are either out west or in the mid-west. Is it that you don’t get invited to come this direction, or do you have something against the east coast? A poor graduate student with no money for airplane rides wishes you’d wander this way sometime. Think about it, would ya?

    Thanks,
    Allison Fox
    University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

  6. Alex DeTillio Says:
    May 17th, 2007 at 10:11 pm

    Hey Don,

    I want to say thank you sooooo much for bringing light to this organization. I first read about it in Relevent magazine (which is awesome btw), and since then have been amazed at how many people are starting to hear about it.

    I would like to point you too a myspace page (I know, but give it a try), that sheds light on many non-profits that are all pretty sweet (burrito project is one for instance that I like alot).

    http://www.myspace.com/nonprofitorganizations

    http://www.myspace.com/burritoproject

    Thanks!

  7. cassie Says:
    May 25th, 2007 at 10:28 pm

    you posted your home address. i can be stalkerish at times. watch out.

  8. Dana Says:
    June 8th, 2007 at 2:23 am

    Don,

    Because of your writing I have through a series of events decided to go to Africa in a couple weeks. I have donated to a couple organizations you recommended and ended up hooking up with a group going to Zambia. We are bringing a ton of meds and curriculum.

    I am looking forward to hearing you at Willow Creek next wed. I want you to know my friends and I are going to take you out afterwards, well at least we are going to try.

    Hope you like good Chicago pizza, and beer!!!
    Dana

  9. Cindy Schultz Says:
    July 1st, 2007 at 8:06 am

    Dear Don,
    I am a fan of your writings and decided to check out your “fan” site, so to speak. I truly have enjoyed reading your books and pass them on to the teens I minister to.

    I was moved by your interest in business models that exists to help those in need around the world.

    I work part-time for a non-profit company called Global Business Assist http://www.gba.org. The founders, Doug and Michelle Mann both also serve with me and my husband in our church’s high school ministry. They are incredible people.

    Doug launched Global Business Assist in 2001. To quote their mission statement, “GBA exists to mobilize professionals in order to bring business development and humanitarian relief to the world’s most desperate communities.”

    They believe that what the developing world needs is a hand-up not a hand-out: a new paradigm – Enterprise relief. You know, if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

    I currently work with them as the “Events Coordinator”. My main responsibility at this time is to manage 20 runners who have joined us in raising money for Sudan by running the Chicago Marathon this October. We will also be participating in the Houston Marathon in the Run for a Reason campaign in January 2008.

    I have been so inspired by those runners who have a heart for our cause.

    We have a runner who is called the “Joggler” he juggles and runs the marathon at the same time in under 4 hours! His site is http://www.justyouraveragejoggler.com .

    There is also a great couple from Michigan who are running the marathon for the first time and have a goal to raise $93,000! Their idea is to raise $1 for every step they run together; 93,000 steps. They have site at http://www.stepwithme.com . Isn’t that awesome?

    Thanks for the opportunity to share a little about Global Business Assist.

    God’s love to you,

    Cindy

Leave a Comment