Frequently Asked
Questions

How do you ensure the quality and viability of the start ups you work with?

We subject our partner companies to regular audits to ensure they meet the strict policies to ensure any donated money is spent appropriately. See our ‘How does it work?‘ page for further details. 

Many studies have shown that traditional carbon offsetting schemes (mostly achieved by tree-planting) are ineffective. See our article for further details, however if you consider it logically this is always going to fail – carbon which has been locked away for millions of years cannot be offset by planting a tree that will last tens, to hundreds of years maximum. This is a temporary solution to a permanent problem. 

This is really a two part question, as carbon offsetting and crowdfunding have traditionally been two completely seperate things. We are the first company (that we’re aware of) that has smashed these together to create our innovation offsets.

Carbon Offsetting schemes have traditionally focussed mainly on the planting of trees. You subscribe a set amount per month and this supposedly removes a set amount of carbon from the atmosphere, although the effectiveness is disputed.

Crowdfunding websites typically focus on reward or equity based crowdfunding (i.e. you can expect some return on your investment, either shares in the company or a ‘reward’ of some description. There are examples of donation based crowdfunders, however these usually focus on community causes.  

We charge a 25% commission on all donations, with the remaining 75% going to the start-up business. While this may sound high, see below for justification and transparency on the fees.

Our business model relies on transparency – we cannot argue that traditional carbon offsetting is an ineffective use of money without justifying our own fees.

It is true that our fees are higher than traditional crowdfunding platforms – however there are a few reasons for this:

  1. These platforms are significantly larger than us – and therefore their overheads are much smaller in comparison to their income. The larger platforms have £100s of millions, if not £billions in income – and therefore a smaller percentage leads to a large number! On the other hand we are a small start-up, just like those we are trying to help – and just like your books costing more in your local bookstore than Amazon, or a pint being cheaper in Wetherspoons compared to your local independent pub, our overheads are a much larger share of our income. This 25% fee covers all administration, website hosting and payment processing costs – and at the moment that is it. No salary or dividend payments are currently being taken from the business – with all profits going into generating further growth to help more small businesses.
  2. We provide more than just a basic crowdfunding platform – providing services over and above what you would receive on a traditional crowdfunding website. With our business model your business can remain relatively hands off – we do the work and you watch the money (hopefully!) roll in to help your business develop.
  3. In many ways although set up as an enterprise we actually act more similarly to a charity – and it is not uncommon for a charity to spend 25% of their income on running costs. 

Unfortunately this is impossible to answer – and we don’t pretend otherwise. It will all depend on the success of the company you donate to, and the specifics of their idea. The intent of our innovation offsets is not to exactly offset your emissions to the nearest tonne, but instead to harness that goodwill to help fund innovative, sustainable projects for the benefit of everyone.

Of course! We accept payments from anybody within the Stripe payment service.

If you’re a start-up or social venture based outside the UK please get in touch – we’re always looking to expand our reach and help more businesses achieve their goals.

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