BNP Paribas, partner of Epic: philanthropy 4.0

24.01.2019

Founded in 2014, the non-profit start-up Epic works to protect children and young people around the world by combating the inequalities that plague them. Convinced that “giving must become the norm”, Chairman and Founder Alexandre Mars has drawn inspiration from his entrepreneurial background to reimagine philanthropy.

Restoring donor trust

In order to help donors overcome their mistrust of social organisations and rediscover their desire to give, Epic has a portfolio of associations and social enterprises that meet rigorous selection criteria. Selection is based on three areas of analysis:

impact: what is the positive, sustainable and measurable impact for beneficiaries?
operations: do they successfully function in a structured way that is consistent with their objectives? What is their financial situation?
governance: does management have the necessary skills to lead sustainably and effectively?

Epic has reviewed over 3,500 social organisations since 2014 to add just 29 to its portfolio. The organisations are then supported and monitored on a daily basis to assure donors of total transparency.

Epic: impact and fundraising solutions

Epic also develops innovative solutions to make giving easy and affordable for everyone:

transactional giving (round up, fixed amount...) on retail transactions
payroll giving (with employee agreement) which the employer can supplement or match
strategic giving for large companies
the Epic Sharing Pledge for entrepreneurs, investment firms and corporate executives

With donors now seeking more meaningful experiences, they can now use Epic's web app to receive live updates on the associations and social enterprises they support, arrange real-world meetings to see the concrete, positive impact of their contributions and even watch virtual reality videos when in-person visits are not possible.

©StrongMinds - Epic

BNP Paribas joins the Epic movement

The mission of Epic echoes one of the axes of corporate engagement upheld by BNP Paribas: to support young people, facilitate their inclusion into society and, more broadly, to have a positive impact on the world. That is why BNP Paribas is partnering with Epic, whose pro bono approach and rigorous portfolio monitoring ensure its ability to help organisations with great social impact, such as the social business Simplon, a network of inclusive digital factories in France and abroad, already supported by the Group.