Stories for Stories

Proofpoints exists because a good customer story, told honestly and told well, can inspire and change things. It seems only right that making those stories should help someone else learn to tell their own.

So every story created on Proofpoints gives something back. One per cent of each story's revenue is pledged to charities that teach young people in under-resourced communities to write; the next generation of storytellers. The pledge runs from the very first paid story, not from some future milestone when it is convenient.

01  Who it supports

The pledge goes to organisations that put real writing skills, and real confidence, into the hands of young people who might otherwise never find them: free writing programs, mentoring and workshops, run by people who believe a young person's own words are worth hearing.

Today that means the Ministry of Stories in London, a children's writing charity helping young people aged eight to eighteen discover their own voice, and 826 Valencia in San Francisco, the hub of a network of youth writing centres across the United States. It is work supported by Advocate Marketing Academy events for years; Proofpoints simply makes it part of how the company works.

02  Why it matters to us

The whole of Proofpoints rests on a simple belief: that people's real words, well told, are worth more than any marketing spin, or anything a machine can invent. Young people learning to write are learning exactly that; how to find the true thing and say it clearly. We would rather our success helped more of them do it.

There is nothing for our customers to opt into and nothing extra to pay. If you create a paid story on Proofpoints, a share of what you spend is already on its way to young writers. You do not have to do anything but make great stories.

These are voluntary charitable donations made by Proofpoints. There is no business relationship, partnership, or endorsement between Proofpoints and any charity named here; each is an independent organisation, and naming them implies no connection beyond our gift. Proofpoints reserves the right to change the charities it supports.