A beautiful mural of George Floyd's face with 2 signs that say 'Black lives matter' and 'I'm sorry we have failed you'.

Give Generously

In May of 2020, the same month George Floyd died, Bill Sunberg, founder of panoRRama, officiated a funeral of a 15 year old young man who had been shot in a gang related gun crime. The visitation at the funeral home was during the early pandemic lock down when only 10 people were allowed in the funeral home at a time. While only 10 people were allowed inside at a time, there was a large crowd of youth in the parking lot. Throughout the afternoon, friends of the deceased entered the funeral home in groups of twos and threes to pay their respects to their friend and write a note on his casket. As Bill stood in the viewing room with members of the family, he greeted every friend who entered the room, most of whom he knew by name. It took hours for everyone to say goodbye to their friend.

Street art on a wall depicts a recycling symbol made of dollar bills with the words "Tax Free" and "Peace," next to graffiti and a poster on a wooden post.

It was during this time that Bill began to feel the beginnings of his call to support these Black youth in new and deeper ways. This led to the beginnings of panoRRama. The two capital “R’s” in panoRRama stand for Racial Reconciliation and reflect Bill’s passion for Racial Justice. Right from the beginning, panoRRama has been committed to giving away 50% of all general revenue* in support of Black youth. In fact, this was the very first thing the panoRRama company did. In September 2022, more than a full year before launching its website, panoRRama gave away $10,000 to its first Community Investment Project. The long term goal is to give away $1,000,000.

While the scope of panoRRama has grown to include more issues in addition to Racial Justice, the commitment to give away 50% of its general revenue remains. With this expanded scope, panoRRama will support many causes in a variety of marginalized communities. When you pay your monthly membership fee or sign up for a workshop, or purchase resources, you not only help support the panoRRama community, you provide much needed resources for these worthy causes.

Storefront window displaying a poster with a raised fist and the text "Black Lives Matter Native Lives Matter," alongside various other advocacy posters.

*panoRRama.com does not receive every dollar from items purchased on its website. For instance, Workshop Leaders set their own price for their workshops and panoRRama only receives a percentage of the workshop fees. Another example is the panoRRama Expeditions where the registration fees cover food, housing, supplies, and on site transportation, among many things. Again, panoRRama only receives a portion of the Expedition registration fees. In contrast, panoRRama receives all of revenue from the monthly membership fees. While panoRRama receives a different percentage of the revenue from each of these, it will give away 50% of all that it receives.

How the Community Investment Projects are Chosen

Just as important as making the donation to the Community Investment Projects is how the Projects are selected. Instead of panoRRama deciding where to donate the money in support of Black youth, we decided to ask the Black youth to decide for themselves.

In September of 2022, a group of three Black youth (who had all been at the funeral in May, 2020) met with Bill Sunberg to select the first panoRRama Community Investment Project. They brainstormed priorities of what characteristics the organization should have. After much discussion, they came up with the following list of seven priorities. The chosen organization should:

  1. Be youth focused

  2. Have an established and successful track record

  3. Provide educational assistance

  4. Be a safe and supportive place

  5. Be local and have a local impact

  6. Focus on mentoring youth

  7. Meet a need

A seated group discussion in a room with blue walls and framed photos. A person in a red shirt sits at the table, across from two others who are taking notes.

Starting with a list of fifteen potential organizations, the panel of youth evaluated each organization on a scale of 1 to 5 for each of these priority issues. The results were tabulated and the list was narrowed to the three organizations with the top scores.

The final step was an in depth discussion of these top three organizations. The panel talked about the pros and cons of each organization and presented their perspectives on which organization should be selected as the first panoRRama Community Investment Project. A vote was taken and the selected organization was unanimously chosen.

Flip chart with handwritten notes, including crossed-out items like "Charity" and circled terms like "Safe Place + Supportive Place." Other topics include job programs and mentoring.

The result of this process was not only to make a donation to a worthy cause that has a positive impact on Black youth but to empower the youth themselves to make the decision. Many of the fifteen original organizations on the list were places the youth had a connection to. It might have been a youth shelter they personally lived in or an after school program that provided homework support or a youth group they attended. The question was, What would make their personal lives better? or What would make their immediate community better?

Since September, 2022, the scope of panoRRama has expanded to include additional marginalized communities. While the format of how the first Community Investment Project was chosen will be the standard moving forward, there will be times when members will have the opportunity to choose future projects. Whether future projects are selected through a local panel or by panoRRama members, the goal is to empower those who make the decision to choose what they think will have the biggest impact.

panoRRama Community Investment Projects

Sign with a red circle and diagonal line prohibiting passing open transit vehicle doors, showing a tram, person, and bicycle. Text reads, "Do not pass open doors.

Nominations for Future panoRRama Community Investment Projects

To nominate an organization to be considered for future Community Investment Projects, please submit the Organization name and Contact information below along with your name and a short paragraph of why you think they should be selected.