Your business can provide so much more than a product or service. You can give hope.
By donating to The Water Project, you will join a powerful force of caring people who want to help others get access to clean, safe water.
New Businesses
It's easy to start a Cause Marketing Giving Campaign and make an impact through your giving. The easiest way to get started, particularly for new businesses, is to simply decide the amount you want to give, share with your customers that you are passionate about clean water, then give.
Please reach out to us before you start, however, as we want to know you are involved and celebrate with you! And we'll send you some information about working with us. In the meantime, please review our Corporate Support Guidelines & Media Use Guidelines.
Giving a Percentage or Amount from Sales
For those businesses who want to go another step further into Cause-Related Marketing by giving a percentage or amount from sales of products or services over a period of time, we require a Charitable Co-Venture Agreement. This agreement outlines the terms and responsibilities of both the business and The Water Project and needs to be submitted to various states' departments of revenue. This route necessitates more paperwork and record-keeping for you as a business, but in the end, your donations will help get clean water to those in need!
Requirements for a Charitable Co-Venture Agreement
A commercial co-venturer (“CCV”) is any person or entity who, for profit or other commercial consideration, sells to the public a good or service which is advertised in conjunction with the name of any charitable organization or as benefiting to any extent any charitable purpose. CCVs typically participate in charitable sales promotions whereby they sell a product and make a representation to the public that a specified amount or percentage of the purchase price of the product will be contributed to a charity.
A minimum initial donation of $5,500/year is required when moving forward with a CCV.
Before you enter into a Charitable Co-Venture Agreement with TWP, you should meet the following conditions:
- Read our “How Can My Business Get Involved?” page
- Have been in business for 1+ years
- Are ready to make an initial minimum donation of $5,500 in support of clean water
- Are aware of and will comply with all legal requirements and filings related to a CCV (see below).
About 50% of states in the US have laws applicable to charitable sales promotions and CCVs, with some states having specific initial and ongoing filing requirements for the CCV. Please consult your legal counsel for more information to ensure you are meeting the necessary legal requirements.
The Water Project is registered in all states that require documentation for a charitable sales promotion and complies with all disclosure and filing requirements.
Please email us at info@thewaterproject.org, and someone will be in touch with additional details.
Important Guidelines for A Cause Marketing Campaign
Whether giving a general donation or something related to the sale of your product or service, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Transparency - Clearly state to your customers what and how you are supporting The Water Project. And keep records of how those sales are translating to donations! (We do get asked!)
- Your promotion - It cannot give the appearance of creating an endorsement, approval, or recommendation of any product or service by The Water Project, Inc. The use of The Water Project name may be used only to describe where donated funds are designated. The Water Project name or mark may not be placed on any product or product packaging unless given written permission by The Water Project.
- Indemnification - Businesses, organizations, or individuals that elect to use The Water Project name or website domain as part of a cause marketing initiative or general promotional efforts agree to indemnify The Water Project against any claims arising from these efforts.
- Language - If you place The Water Project name on your website, it must be accompanied by a statement about the nature of your support (as an example, an intracompany group might say something like, "Our Marketing department picked their annual charity as The Water Project and will be raising money from various fundraising events over the holiday this year;" or, if you are running a cause marketing campaign, "We are proud supporters of TheWaterProject.org").
- Social Media - We value your contribution and support for clean water; however, requests for The Water Project to promote products and services cannot be considered.
- Logo - The use of The Proud Supporter of The Water Project Logo is for approved Brand Partners, Brand Champions, and Brand Supporters only. The Water Project Logo is solely for use by The Water Project.
- Making donations - Your donations can be made easily online at thewaterproject.org/donate or by check to The Water Project, PO Box 3353, Concord, NH 03302-3353. Please reference that the donations are from your Cause Marketing Campaign and the timeframe represented by the contribution.
- Media Use - Please follow these guidelines.
Thanks for wanting to give back from your business!
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