Values Spotlight: How to boost the effectiveness of ‘1% for the Planet’
Almost all of us can say we’ve donated at some point to something we believe to be a good cause. Despite the best of intentions, environmental causes still rank very low in the average donor’s philanthropic priorities. In fact, over the past decade, environmental giving has accounted for a paltry 3% of total U.S. philanthropy.
1% for the Planet aims to up that percentage. And the Values Movement will boost the effectiveness of 1% for the Planet. How will it do so? Read on!
First, the Values Movement increases the effectiveness of any organization by super-charging any current or future certification or vetting protocol for any product or service. The Values Movement certifies, scores, and delivers only content and products that align with each member’s ethical, social, or environmental values — businesses must evolve or get filtered out of the market. It increases transparency with continuous independent and varied certifications which filter businesses based on their practices — what they actually do, not just what they say.
To see how it would apply to an existing program, let’s get to know 1% Of The Planet.
What Is 1% For The Planet And How Does It Work?
Begun by Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard in 2002, 1% for the Planet certifies that a business or an individual commits and then donates 1% of their income to “approved environmental nonprofits.” For a business the donation is the equivalent of 1% of gross sales, while an individual contributes 1% of their annual salary. Instead of gross sales, businesses can make non-monetary contributions in the form of promotional support, while an individual’s donation can be achieved through volunteer service.
For example, if a business or person is committed to saving bees, they can find almost 40 nonprofits devoted in part or in whole to bees. For ocean plastic pollution, business and personal donors can find hundreds of nonprofits keyed to that cause. Instead of a salary donation, an individual could volunteer with an organization to clean plastic from their local beach.
Nearly 5,000 businesses from 60 countries belong to this network of companies committed to nonprofit partnerships and contributions. About 1,250 persons from 50 countries are individual members.
Lost Opportunity
While 1% for the Planet touts individual participation, almost all of its revenue is gathered from corporate and business sponsorships. Individual involvement has failed to grow much. In fact, individual participation dropped in 2021. Also, the total volunteer time contributed by individuals has been small in comparison to corporate involvement and participation.
That may not be for lack of trying to engage individuals, but it appears the organization’s focus is on gaining corporate participation (where the real money is) as opposed to developing a large following of people who wish to contribute and volunteer. Great potential is being lost because individuals simply don’t have the means to make a sufficient financial impact or the time to meaningfully support 1% for the Planet as much as corporate sponsors do.
How The Values Movement Is The Turbocharger That 1% For The Planet Never Knew It Needed
The Values Movement can address challenges described above. Organizing vast numbers of individuals is exactly what the Values Movement is designed to do. Leveraging groups of Members creates a multiplier effect so that individual contributions to an organization like 1% for the Planet could equal or even outstrip corporate sponsorship. The weakest part of the equation for this organization becomes its strongest when partnered with the Members of the Values Movement.
There are several ways the Values Movement can turbocharge 1% for the Planet’s, or any group’s, activity. Here are a few ways the Values Movement enhances an existing certification:
- Encourages interest in a nonprofit such as 1% for the Planet, getting more like-minded people on board
- Increases visibility for contributors, giving them a badge showing that they are a Values Movement Member who supports the organization
- Creates a certification that includes the performance of the environmental organization to be supported (among the thousands of charitable organizations, some perform better than others)
- The community constantly reviews and updates the integrity of the certifiers and certifications
Through the Values Movement, 1% for the Planet can better target the exact persons most inclined to support their cause by advertising to those Members whose values profile includes environmental certifications. Values Movement Members get paid to read and watch content; Certifiers get paid by advertisers for using their certifications. This incentivizes businesses to continue to back the environmental causes that 1% for the Planet supports.
Join the Values Movement to help build a values-based economy and multiply the effectiveness of worthy causes like 1% for the Planet.
