About Global Projects
IN THIS ARTICLE
WHAT ARE GLOBAL PROJECTS?
Global Projects are a special category of B1G1 projects that help you make an even greater impact in our world. What sets them apart from our ‘regular’ projects is that the Global Projects are not tied to any specific country or Worthy Cause. Instead, when you give towards a Global Project, you are committing to make that impact anywhere in the world. For example, when you give towards the project to ‘Plant a Tree in the World’, your giving could go towards any of the projects that plant trees.
HOW DO GLOBAL PROJECTS WORK?
When you give to a Global Project, that amount is added together with all the givings made by other Business for Good Members to the same Global Project. At the end of the month, the total amount is divided equally amongst all the individual eligible projects. In this way, we ensure that all projects that need funding are receiving the support they need.
HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT ME?
B1G1 Global Projects make it simpler for you to choose a project with a specific outcome.
For example, let’s say, you want to plant a tree. There are many projects in B1G1 that plant trees so instead of trying to choose one project from many options, you can pick the Global Project ‘Plant a Tree in the World’ and let us maximize the impact of giving by distributing the funds to multiple projects in different countries.
Giving to the Global Projects makes your giving more sustainable.
Often in B1G1, the lowest-cost project among similar projects tends to receive greater support. However, the cost per impact does not equate to the importance of the impact. We want to ensure that every B1G1 project receives support in a more balanced way. In fact, we often encourage businesses to consider projects that cost more because they generally receive less support, even though they are doing incredible work. The Global Projects help us ensure all projects are funded sustainably.
Your giving to Global Projects is specifically designed to create stability.
Individual projects may experience change at times - the cost of projects may alter or certain project activities may even be paused when enough funds are raised. B1G1 only lists projects with at least a 3 year track-record and a long-term focus. However, some changes are unavoidable. It’s important for projects to evolve too!
Understandably, these changes may affect your plan if you are giving to specific projects and frequently communicating your giving activities to others.
Giving to Global Projects insulates you from the effects of changes because you are not just giving to one specific project. This way, your Giving Stories become more stable.
USING GLOBAL PROJECTS IN RECURRING IMPACTS
B1G1 is really proud of its projects, the people running them and the impact they have. The projects are continually reviewed in a number of ways. We not only review the financial status and the usage of the funds but we also review the on-going nature of the projects too. Projects sometimes are completed — their particular work is done. And projects may occasionally be paused too because they may be becoming ‘over-subscribed’. This doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen occasionally.
This is why we created the Global Projects as the Global Project spreads the giving out amongst a number of individual projects, there is never the risk that the Global Project will be delisted or unable to take on more funding. So to ensure the stability and sustainability of your Recurring Impacts, it’s a great idea to choose one of the current Global Projects
HOW YOUR GIVING TO B1G1’S GLOBAL PROJECTS ARE TRACKED AND UPDATED
Global projects in B1G1 are designed to aggregate contributions across multiple individual projects that achieve the same or similar outcomes—for example, providing meals, planting trees, or giving access to clean water. When funds are contributed to a global project, the total amount is distributed equally across all the individual projects included in that category.
For instance, if a global project supports tree planting at $1 per tree and $1,000 is raised, then 1,000 trees are planted in total. However, because each individual project may have a different cost per tree, the distribution ensures that the intended number of trees is planted across all participating projects. But one dollar of giving may not actually plant one tree. It plants an average of one tree (or more).
So, our Members’ giving to these global projects is regarded as contribution to B1G1 Giving initially as the distribution of funds happens after the end of each month. So, these contributions weren’t visible in members’ Map Widgets showing the location like other giving.
However, we’ve now updated the Map Widget so Members can now see impact lines linking to the individual projects supported within the global project category. These lines indicate the total number of impacts created (e.g., number of trees planted, meals provided) through the global project contributions as an indication of the potential spread of the impacts. But each line does not indicate the actual number of impacts to the specific location.
From time to time, we refresh the individual projects included in a global project category. This ensures:
a. Broader exposure for a wider variety of B1G1 projects around the world.
b. An opportunity for members to support new or updated initiatives while maintaining the same outcome-focused approach.
Projects sometimes come and go in B1G1 too. So, we highly recommend our Members to support global projects for simplicity, stability and sustainability.