We’re lined up to the global issue briefs set out by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Within those core challenges facing nature, like removing plastic from rivers, restoring coral reefs and reforesting, we’re always looking out to find the world's most effective projects so your donations will make an actual difference.
But how do these project partnerships work exactly? And how do we decide who gets to be on the platform in the first place? We get these questions a lot, in this blog you can read all about it.
Our project approach consists out of 3 components;
- Sumthing score: due diligence
- Transactions: clearly scoped contracts
- Proof: result-based way of working
The Sumthing Score: local projects, global impact
To give structure and accountability to our selection process, we’ve devised a pragmatic framework with help of experts in social- and environmental impact. The framework provides an objective rubric of ‘what good looks’ and contains the key things we look for in projects, namely;
- Proven track record & credibility - how long has the project been around and have they been shown to drive real results.
- Purpose & accountability - is the project structured in such a way that results for nature are its’ main priority.
- Effectiveness & methodology - to what extent does the project apply restoration guidelines and best practices to ensure long-term beneficial outcomes for nature.
- Local community involvement - how does the project deal with and involve local communities and contribute to social justice
- Innovativeness & scalability - how well will the projects way of working scale beyond its’ current scope if well-funded
So far, the Sumthing score has been an internal affair where each team member independently scores the projects and we aggregate the results to see if it’s a pass or fail.
But that’s about to change. We’re assembling a dreamteam of ecological- and social experts to rate the projects based on the scoring framework, and before the end of this year we intend to publish the scores on our platform so you can directly see the strengths and weaknesses of each project. We’re also going to include a more clear break-down of how each project spends your donations, and who the local people are that are doing the work. Once that’s all in place, we’ll open up the scoring panel to anyone that’s qualified and entitled to an opinion. That way we can crowdsource the due diligence and make sure we find the best projects together!
And that’s not all. Because we’re bringing technology into the mix, big-time. Using historic satellite data, we can turbo-charge the Sumthing score with biomass analyses of previous restoration sites (nerd alert: one really cool thing about satellites is that they allow you to travel back in time until the very moment they reach orbit, read more here). In the not-so-far future we’ll even use the proof shared by the partners to feed directly back into their Sumthing Score!
Clearly scoped contracts & transactions
When projects have a sufficient Sumthing Score, we progress to establish a clear and binding obligation for how the project will work with the donations. This contract describes the impact they’ll be making with each donation, and clearly specifies the proof that they will provide to the donators using the Sumthing platform. Aside from this core transaction, this document contains all the good stuff on prices, minimum- & maximum order quantities, timelines, invoicing processes and other quality requirements. Partners issue invoices based on these agreements and fulfil them accordingly.
Although there’s a lot to cover, we try to keep things simple and avoid legal jargon where we can. Our ideal situation is that anyone in the organisation should be able to read and understand the agreement, and we’ll always challenge for simplicity!
Results that speak for themselves
Our platform lets you see the real impact with AI-validated proof shared by the project and third-party evidence like satellite images. Not only does this make donating more engaging, but it also enables us to run a few checks. For example we can use the metadata in a picture to check whether the location and date correspond with the invoiced order, as well as any previously shared permits. Another example, for example in our Reforestation- and Coral restoration projects, is checking all pictures in an implementation for a diversity of species planted. Now that’s what we call the power of visibility!
Raise Your Voice!
We strive to have the best projects on the platform, but know that nobody is perfect. If you have any concerns or notice something irregular, you can always raise a concern. We will investigate promptly and handle your concern with careful confidentiality.
