EarthShare’s Future of Environmental Giving

EarthShare’s Future of Environmental Giving Initiative—EarthShare’s Giving and Engagement Platform— is powerful and affordable technology that helps small and mid-sized businesses create positive impact through employee engagement. The Platform was built with the modern, purpose-focused employee and customer in mind. Small and mid-sized businesses make up 50% of the U.S. workforce, but these businesses are too-often unable to implement meaningful giving or engagement programs due to high costs and complexities of the technology.

Leveraging technology for good, our Giving and Engagement Platform allows businesses to offer employees a state-of-the-art workplace giving program that facilitates giving to more than 1.5M nonprofits as well as EarthShare’s vetted network of 500 environmentally focused Nonprofit Partners. Businesses can run matching programs, allow employees to take part in corporate giving, and more. Going beyond philanthropy, the Platform is equipped with expertly-curated, educational environmental content, making it easier for companies to draw customers and employees into the issues that they stand for. To reach external audiences, businesses can create and promote public-facing giving campaigns to fundraise for the causes that matter to them and their staff.

The combination of modern tech and EarthShare’s expertise makes it easier for businesses, employees, and consumers to understand important and urgent environmental issues, contribute to solutions, and track impact. That’s why EarthShare would offer the Giving and Engagement Platform free for the first year to a cohort of up to 250 businesses (who have a maximum of 25 employees), supporting women- and minority-owned entrepreneurs. 

There is little doubt that the technology we’ve created is in-demand by employees and consumers who want to engage with purpose-driven businesses. By pairing purpose with business, companies have been shown to increase retention by 40%, ultimately retaining top talent and saving revenue by avoiding turnover. Happy employees make productive employees, and engaging technology like our Giving Platform can help foster long-term commitment to a company.

EarthShare’s simple-to-implement and easy-to-manage Giving Platform functions like an outsourced part of a small business’ human resources or community impact team, saving time and resources by helping businesses navigate the vast landscape of environmental issue areas. While employee giving programs are not new, modern and streamlined technology for small businesses is revolutionary and could help to change how employees and customers think about such companies.

EarthShare provides businesses with an opportunity to engage their staff and consumer base in taking action for a healthier, more sustainable planet. Users can seek out environmental volunteer opportunities near them, offset their carbon footprint, make donations to over 1.5M+ registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits (including EarthShare’s 500 vetted environmental Nonprofit Partners), track their giving via their no-minimum donor-advised fund (DAF), and more. Everything is tracked in one place, eliminating the need for employees to upload donation receipts or apply for a company match and assuring anonymity for employees when desired. Our technology activates new donors, previously left out of the equation due to company size and budget.

EarthShare believes businesses are more successful and can grow more successfully when they treat employees as stakeholders of the company's future. In fact, according to Deloitte’s 2020 Talent Survey, a 15% improvement in employee engagement can lead to a 2% increase in profit margins. EarthShare not only provides an environmental focus with this innovative technology, but we do so in a way that is affordable, accessible, and allows small and mid-sized businesses to experience the same benefits as larger industry peers. EarthShare intends to accelerate this shift by offering the Platform free for up to 250 businesses with a maximum of 25 employees for the first year, supporting entrepreneurs from undercapitalized communities and/or women- and minority-owned companies.

EarthShare serves small and mid-sized businesses in order to help them start or improve their charitable giving programs and build positive brand value in ways that align with the values of their employees and customers. Currently, there is a significant market opportunity for scaling this technology. Roughly 50% of the U.S. population works at small to mid-sized businesses but less than 10% of mid-sized businesses and even fewer small businesses leverage workplace giving and engagement technology. To further demonstrate the business need for simpler solutions, it’s estimated that over $4 billion earmarked for employer-giving programs goes unclaimed each year due to the outdated and cumbersome nature of existing programs.

The work landscape has been indisputably altered post-pandemic and, with the “Great Resignation,” putting more power in employees' hands than ever before. Nearly 70% of Millennials and Gen Z report that they will only work for a company with a strong purpose. Long-term trends suggest customers, too, will continue to demand more accountability and sustainability from businesses. 94% of Millennials and Gen Z report they would prioritize buying from companies with excellent CSR programs.

EarthShare meets this growing demand with market-leading technology, lower costs, and with an environmental focus. In the first year of launching the Platform, EarthShare focused on partnering with mission-aligned small and mid-sized businesses and their employees, resulting in the participation of over 500 users, $155,000 in donations, and driving support to 160 nonprofits.

To build a healthier planet for all of us, EarthShare is looking to grow our partnerships with small businesses and to continue innovating our product to provide even more functionality for America's small business workforce. We want to give as many companies as possible access to our Giving Platform in order to benefit the planet and nonprofit beneficiaries who have deep expertise in today’s most critical environmental issues.

This technology solution is good for business and the planet—all of which will be greatly affected by climate change if we do not tap into collective action and the power of the business community. Already, 61% of Americans say that climate change is affecting their local communities, and as climate change worsens, the financial burden on small businesses will only increase.

EarthShare’s Platform offers a way for everyone to get involved in helping build a more sustainable planet; an increasingly important CSR strategy that will ultimately help circumvent the worst effects of climate change. The more businesses and their customers support sustainability today, the less climate-related financial risk we’ll all face in the future. By incorporating meaning and CSR into everyday business, we are helping companies grow and expand their brands while simultaneously doing great work for the environment—work that values-driven employees and consumers want.

Over our 35-year history, EarthShare has engaged with businesses of all sizes (from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies), consulting on corporate sustainability and providing expertise on workplace giving campaigns, environmental education, and more. As a result, we know that businesses and employees want to feel connected to the solutions of today’s top challenges--such as the climate crisis--but many don’t know where (or have the resources) to start. A growing number of employees want to see their companies act more responsibly, with 83% of Millennials wanting company resources to make positive social and environmental change.

Herein lies EarthShare’s theory of change. Employees are a (largely to-date) untapped resource for positive change, especially in the small business space. Employees are already demanding company alignment with sustainability and other ESG initiatives, and a similar sentiment is echoed in the demands and behavior of consumers. When businesses align their brands with these principles, they open opportunities not only for themselves to grow and do good, but for their employees to do the same. In this way, embracing sustainability is not just good for the planet, it’s also good for business.

EarthShare knows small businesses will need guidance to navigate the vast landscape of environmental issues and nonprofits, and it is well-positioned to meet growing CSR demands for businesses who would otherwise be shut out of solutions due to high costs.

EarthShare offers a variety of programs that benefit both small and mid-sized businesses with employee and consumer-facing programs that can satisfy the needs of value-aligned businesses in any sector. EarthShare currently has 15 businesses using our Giving Platform. By 2025, we aim to serve 250 small businesses, and by 2028, we aim to serve 1,500 small and mid-sized businesses.

Another key goal of EarthShare’s vision of everyone taking action for a healthy planet is to dramatically grow the number of individual Platform users, employees and consumers. EarthShare currently has 500 Platform users and by 2025, EarthShare strives to engage 10,000 individual and employee users, or DAF holders, and deliver actionable content by collaborating with our Nonprofit Partners to drive a science-based narrative; by 2028, we want to grow to 50,000 individual and employee users.

EarthShare serves three primary audiences with our Giving Platform: businesses, employees, and nonprofits:

1.     Businesses

EarthShare engages with small and mid-sized businesses, like Butterbalm and goodr, through our Platform where we provide educational content about a spectrum of environmental issues and philanthropic advising. We know that businesses want to feel connected to today’s top solutions.

2.     Employees

As employees call for more opportunities to engage on environmental and social issues, EarthShare is poised to listen to their growing demands. EarthShare empowers executives, HR teams, and sustainability leaders at purpose-driven companies to take action. Our Platform breaks down barriers that discourage participation in the environmental space and inspire employees. 

3.     Nonprofits

EarthShare’s inclusive network of 500 Nonprofit Partners is comprised well-known nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy as well as small organizations like Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. EarthShare serves these organizations financially and administratively, seeking to drive dollars and awareness.

Our model of working with businesses, their employees, and nonprofits relies on developing strong, long-lasting relationships built on a foundation of trust. EarthShare builds trust with businesses by helping them build authentic relationships, drive brand value, and build connections that will help businesses and nonprofits grow together. We provide modern tools and the guidance businesses need to make their employee giving and corporate philanthropy a success. It’s plug-and-play customer and employee engagement that gets people involved.

Transparency and accountability are core values of EarthShare, and we build both in a number of ways. Our revamped annual report outlines our finances, programs, and impact, available to the public and businesses, providing a clear picture of how EarthShare is using donations to make a difference. We also build trust by our actions, mobilizing $375 million to date for environmental groups and achieving a platinum rating on the charity-rating site Guidestar. 

With funding from the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards, EarthShare can exponentially scale support to small businesses and increase money to a diverse network of nonprofit beneficiaries. With a compelling product and early adopters in-hand, we want to grow and go big.

EarthShare’s visionary goal of everyone taking action for a healthy planet includes: 

• Serve up to 250 small businesses in 2025 by providing the Platform as a free tool (for the first year) to a cohort of women- and minority-owned entrepreneurs, and scale to serve 1,500 small and mid-sized businesses by 2028.
• Engage 10,000 Platform users, or DAF account holders, in 2025 and deliver actionable content by collaborating with our Nonprofit Partner Network to drive a science-based narrative; Grow to 50,000 DAF account holders by 2028.
• Galvanize 1,000 volunteer hours for good in 2025; Generate 10,000 volunteer hours by 2028.
• Mobilize and distribute an additional $2M annually to environmental nonprofits by 2025. Mobilize and distribute an additional $10M annually to environmental nonprofits by 2028.

EarthShare is applying to the Truist Foundation Inspire Award to secure new funding in order to serve more small businesses. In doing so, we will also achieve our mission of supporting a diverse network of environmental nonprofits, helping all of us work toward a more just and sustainable future.

A partnership with Truist Foundation would build broader connections, uplift our mission and brand to a wider, more diverse audience, and engage business prospects that EarthShare wouldn’t traditionally reach.

EarthShare seeks advice, mentorship, and partners to support scaling our Giving and Engagement Platform to new audiences. We need additional financial, marketing, and service distribution support related to our Platform. Our goal in partnering with Truist would be to garner support in marketing the Platform as a product, building our brand, spreading the word on social media, and expanding our client base of business in order to grow.