Joining 1% FOR THE PLANET

Thinking about joining?

Businesses in our network give 1% of sales directly to our vetted environmental partners and we are with you the entire way.

Join as a business member

There are three levels of 1% for the Planet membership

a woman hiking with a cotopaxi backpack with an actual cotopaxi carrying cotopaxi packs as well

Full Company Membership

Brand Level Membership

Product Line Membership

Some definitions and processes associated with 1% for the Planet Membership

Revenue

The 1% commitment is based on your actual earned revenue/turnover each year.

For many businesses, this is their gross revenue/turnover. However, as described in the membership agreement, we do account for returns, discounts, and allowances, such that the 1% commitment is based on your real, earned revenue/turnover.

We also exempt clear pass-through costs from the revenue calculation. For example, a marketing agency that places paid ads on their client's behalf; the client reimburses the agency, but that reimbursement may show up as part of their gross revenue, even though it’s not actually part of the compensation received from the client, it’s a reimbursement and therefore not a part of earned revenue.

Flexible Giving

In order to count toward your 1% commitment, all donations must be made to in-network environmental partners.

How, when, and where you make your donations throughout the year is flexible. You customize a giving strategy that works best for your business and maximizes your positive impact.

Monetary Donation Information

REQUIRED: At least half (½) of your 1% commitment must be met in monetary donations.

Monetary donations can include:

Direct monetary donations (e.g. One-time, monthly and yearly donations).
Tickets and sponsorships
Membership and certification fees (e.g.: B Lab fees, Climate Neutral certification fees)
Donations and payments made to 1% for the Planet (e.g.: membership dues, newsletter sponsorship, event tickets, event sponsorship, direct donations, donations to the Planet Impact Fund).

Flexible Giving Information

OPTIONAL: The remaining half (½) of your 1% commitment can be met using non-monetary donations, if preferred.

In-kind product or service donation information:

Product donations are valued at fair market value.
Service donations/pro bono work is valued at your normal billable rate.
Discounted donations are valued at the discounted rate.
In-kind donations include product or service donations to 1% for the Planet events, auctions, etc.

Volunteering information:

Volunteer time can include activities such as beach or trail cleanups, tree planting, board service or any other work with an in-network environmental partner.
Volunteer tracking template.
Default valued at $29.95 (USD) per hour per employee. Alternatively, we will value employee volunteer time at your average employee hourly rate, or a range of rates for different types of employees, should you choose to provide that information.

1% for the Planet advertising donation information:

Advertising campaigns that feature 1% for the Planet may be able to count toward your 1% commitment.
Ads must be pre-approved by our Brand & Marketing team prior to campaign launch.
Once pre-approved, ad spend from the marketing campaign can count toward your 1% commitment.

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Approvable Certification Documentation

Revenue Requirements

All Revenue documents must:

Be in PDF or JPEG format.
Include your fiscal year date range.
Include your business name.

Revenue documentation options (select one):

A letter or email from a CPA, CA, auditor, or other external person who has reviewed the business financials and can attest to actual revenue (not profit) for the fiscal year. Proof of revenue letter template.
An exported report from a third-party bookkeeping or sales system, showing a totaled summary report of your income category totals (e.g. a P&L from Quickbooks, a Shopify report).
Top page of a tax return confirming actual revenue for the fiscal year.

What does 1% for the Planet mean by revenue?

Donation Requirements

All donation documents must:

Be in PDF or JPEG format
Include the date of donation MM/DD/YYYY (or date range of donation MM/YY-MM/YY)
Include your business name
Include the in-network Environmental Partner's name
Include the total donation amount
Include the details of the donation (in-kind / volunteer / advertising)

Monetary documentation options (select one):

Payment receipt
Proof of payment (proof of cashed check or bank statement)
Acknowledgment letter or email from the environmental partner
If you make a donation directly to 1% for the Planet, our team will add this donation to your current fiscal year for certification on your behalf.

In-Kind documentation options (select one):

Acknowledgment letter or email from the environmental partner
A zeroed-out invoice from your inventory system
If you make a donation directly to 1% for the Planet, our team will add this donation to your current fiscal year for certification on your behalf.

Volunteer documentation options (select one):

1% for the Planet default values volunteer time at $29.95USD/hr. Alternatively, you may opt to provide your own average hourly rate for the employees volunteering.

A filled out and signed Volunteer Tracking Template.
Acknowledgement letter or email from the environmental partner that includes all the required information above as well as: the number of employees that volunteered and total number of hours.
If you/your employees volunteer multiple times with the same organization, you may submit one document for all volunteer hours within your fiscal year so long as the document includes all the required information above as well as: the total number of employees that volunteered and total number of hours.

1% for the Planet Advertising Donation documentation options (select one):

Receipt from, or proof of payment to, the media outlet that published the advertisement or promotion (e.g. Meta, Google).
Note:
Ads must be pre-approved by 1% for the Planet prior to campaign launch.
Name the campaign “1% for the Planet” so that 1% for the Planet shows on the receipt.
Log this type of donation as an “Advertising” donation to 1% for the Planet in the member portal.

Remember:

At least half (½) of your 1% commitment must be met in monetary donations.
In order to count toward your 1% commitment, all donations must be made to in-network environmental partners.

Environmental Partner Eligibility Guidelines

All environmental partners must be recommended by an active member. Environmental partners can be recommended during your join process. Recommended partners will go through a partnership assessment.

The partnership assessment is 1% for the Planet’s way of ensuring a high quality environmental partner network. It contains the following components:

Proof of eligible registration status. This is inclusive of most countries’ “nonprofit” or “charitable” tax registration statuses, as well as various other statuses that limit business activity by guarantee of public benefit or social/environmental goals. Examples include, but are not limited to:

US: 501c3, 501c4, or L3C

CA: T3010 or CCC

UK: CIO or CIC

DE: Fiscal Code 52 or 53

AU: Charity or DRG

JP: SNC

Details on organizational structure and history, including legal compliance, geography of operations, and mission statement.

Alignment of mission to one or more of 1% for the Planet’s Impact Area Targets. Organizations that have no clear relevance to environmental impacts as described above, as well as causes that deny human rights or increase marginalization or injustices, are ineligible.

Program budget details: an organization with two-thirds or more of its programs budget aligned with our Impact Areas can earn full “Environmental Partner” status. Organizations that do not meet this two-thirds rule can still earn “Environmental Program” status for any specific aligned program it hosts.

Screening for financial and organizational corruption, criminality, false promotions, or greenwashing.