Matt Magaldi, Chariot’s Head of Engineering, chose a cause important to him and our whole planet as we gear up for Earth Day this month
The climate crisis is an increasingly existential threat to our world & society, yet only 3% of total philanthropy goes toward the environment.
For CT Ransdell, Individual & Corporate Giving Officer at 1% for the Planet, he’s always been focused on this need and large gap in philanthropy. “Even while working at other nonprofits, I’ve always spent my volunteer time outside of work on land conservancy projects, watershed protection and climate advocacy,” shares CT. “So when I had the opportunity to join 1% for the Planet 5 years ago as the Individual & Corporate Gift Officer, it was a real dream come true.”
1% for the Planet is a unique organization that is accelerating environmental philanthropy by bringing two worlds together: Businesses and environmental organizations. In their network of over 5,200 member companies, everyone makes a commitment of contributing 1% of their revenue to environmental partner organizations.
1% for the Planet certifies these commitments, advises on philanthropic strategy and raises awareness for how these partnerships contribute to environmental impact. “We’ve certified $600 million in giving since our founding in 2002, but over $100 million of that happened just last year,” adds CT.
“Our current focus is reaching one billion dollars in lifetime giving by our 25th anniversary in 2027.This vision is not just a numerical goal; it represents the incredible possibilities we can unlock for our planet and future generations.”
This fast-growing mission is particularly inspiring for Matt Magaldi, Chariot’s Head of Engineering, who moved outside of New York City in 2019 in large part to live more closely with nature. “New York state is such a beautiful place, I love getting to spend more time outdoors here,” says Matt. “It’s also a constant reminder to me about how precious our natural resources are and how much more action we need to take to protect them.”
Individuals like Matt that support 1% for the Planet can contribute to their Planet Impact Fund, which invests in environmentally supportive companies (like renewables and clean tech) and grants out 10% of its assets annually to the most impactful nonprofits addressing the climate crisis.
For CT, a large part of that individual giving strategy involves harnessing the huge potential of Donor Advised Funds.
“DAFs are a great vehicle that give donors more choice and flexibility, and for nonprofit fundraisers it’s also a great signal that they have the capacity to make a more meaningful gift.”
While the organization has been getting some DAF gifts in recent years, the ability to raise those gifts through Chariot’s 3-click DAF Payment option, DAFpay, is a tremendous new unlock. Not only do they get immediate details on a donor’s name & email to properly steward these high capacity donors, they also “uncover” those DAF supporters from within their existing donor file.
“At year end, we had an existing donor that had always given a smaller gift with a credit card make a $7,000 DAF gift through DAFpay. Not only was it a much larger donation this time, but now we can more deeply engage that donor going forward - all because there was an easy, digital option to use your DAF right in our donation form.”
“Our mission at Chariot is all about moving the $230 billion in DAFs to nonprofits faster,” adds Matt, “and it doesn’t get much more urgent than the viability of our planet for future generations.” As we head into earth day on April 22nd, Chariot is excited to elevate the critical climate-focused nonprofits that have enabled easy DAF giving, like 1% for the Planet, and encourage everyone with a DAF to support them.
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Chariot’s Cause of the Month is an initiative where a member of our team gets to select a nonprofit organization close to their hearts to support with funds from our company's Donor-Advised Fund. We also spend the month encouraging our networks to support the Cause of the Month with us, especially if they have a DAF. Chariot’s DAF payment option makes it possible to support great organizations like the 1% for the Planet directly in their own donation form in under 10 seconds.