Why should a business join?
90% of today's consumers want companies to tell them the ways they are supporting causes, and 85% of consumers have a more positive image of a product or company when it supports a cause they care about (source: Cone Cause Evolution Study 2010).
Joining 1% for Humanity® provides businesses with a unique opportunity to help people in need and express philanthropic values to their customers. Member businesses become part of a network of like-minded companies seeking to inspire and promote social giving and raise awareness about humanitarian needs. Use of the 1% for Humanity Member logo consistently communicates these values to your existing and potential future customers. All Member companies are listed on our website, where consumers can research participants and link directly to their sites.
Additionally, our organization acts as a third-party certifier of Member donations, providing accountability through an annual reporting and verification process. This aspect of our membership is particularly important in that it validates and confirms the fulfillment of commitments made (and promoted) by private companies whose financial records are not available to the public for transparency.
Why 1% of revenues?
Committing to and communicating a specific, upfront giving figure provides a clear and tangible message to customers at the point of purchase. Having this commitment based on gross revenues (sales) as opposed to profits ensures that donations will be made regardless of product profitability or company performance.
We believe that vague, non-descriptive language, such as "a percentage of proceeds" is all too common in today's cause related marketing. 1% of sales is a clear and informative figure that requires no small print to be understood.
It's also our goal to encourage a significant and compelling giving standard, so it's important to note that 1% is about 10 times the corporate giving average as a percentage of top line revenues (source: CECP, Giving in Numbers 2010).
Why global causes?
1% for Humanity Members give directly to the humanitarian causes of their choice. While we certainly encourage the support of local and domestic (U.S.) charities, we also encourage increased support of nonprofits addressing international issues of extreme poverty and injustice. Statistics indicate that only 5% of charitable dollars originating in the U.S. are directed to international affairs, including relief, aid and development (source: Giving USA 2011). That being said, here are just a few of the reasons we feel companies (and individuals for that matter) should consider a more global focus with regards to their charitable giving:
99.9% of child deaths worldwide (approx. 22,000 per day, under 5 years of age) occur outside the United States. That's 8.1 million child deaths per year and almost all of them are preventable. (sources: UNICEF, www.cdc.gov)
925 million people worldwide don't have enough to eat and 98% of them live in developing countries. Undernutrition contributes to 5 million child deaths each year (source: www.wfp.org)
2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate sanitation. 884 million do not have access to clean water. These problems alone lead to 4,100 child deaths per day (source: www.one.org).
1.2 million children worldwide are trafficked and victimized by the commercial sex trade each year (source: UNICEF).
12.3 million people worldwide are trapped in forced labor or other forms of modern-day slavery (source: www.ilo.org).
Of course this is just a small sample of statistics but we hope they reveal the extreme level of poverty and injustice being experienced daily by our global neighbors. Please visit our Nonprofits page to research various organizations addressing these and many other urgent humanitarian issues.
Learn more about How Membership Works or view other Frequently Asked Questions.
