Pledge 1% of Product

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Understand the key decisions you need to make before donating product.
Learn how to choose the type of product to donate.
Identify the steps to get started.

Make a Few Decisions Before You Make Product Donations

There are many ways companies can donate products. When you join Pledge 1%, their team walks you through the key questions and considerations to help you determine the best product donation model for your company. They also provide you with the best practices, case studies, and partner connections necessary to establish a quality donation program.

There are three major factors to consider first when developing a product donation program.

Will you donate your products, provide a deep discount, or both?
What can you afford to give away?
How many nonprofits will you give your product to?

Find the Right Product Donation Fit

You might donate your product in full (for example, provide software licenses or subscriptions) or provide a discount for nonprofits to purchase your product. Your hard costs may help you determine which model is best for you. While you might be eager to donate in full, we’ve often found that nonprofits are more invested in the implementation of the product when they pay a small fee.

In terms of scale, you might donate to a few organizations or support many organizations with smaller donations/discounts—it all depends on your product, the size of your company, and the impact you would like to make. Consider starting off by donating to 1–3 organizations to make sure the product is optimized for their usage, and then consider scaling to others down the line.

When considering product donation or discounts as part of your giving program, it’s important to consider the type of organization or cause that could benefit from your product donation.

Get Started

Pledge 1% has a great guide to help your company set up its product donations. Join Pledge 1% now to learn more and get guidance to support your program development. In the meantime, here are a few ideas to get you started.

Start by creating a clear mission and vision.
Get buy-in from key stakeholders.
Determine the budget to set-up and maintain the program and what products you will offer.
Identify the individual or team responsible for managing and delivering the program.
Establish giving guidelines, like eligibility requirements.

Sum It Up

When you pledge 1% of product, you can choose to donate your product in full, offer a deep discount, or decide on a combination of the two. It’s important to consider the audience that is able to use your product and develop a balanced giving program with components that best fit with your company’s overall culture and goals.