Frequently Asked questions

About Sumthing

How does it work?

It's simple, just donate to a project and witness your impact. Click here to learn more

Can I become an ambassador for Sumthing?

Nature’s comeback story can’t be told without ambassadors. If you are excited about our work and want to share the love, drop us a line.

Are there exciting employment opportunities at Sumthing?

We are always looking for talent that wants to contribute to our mission to make donating to nature restoration engaging, accessible and meaningful. Visit the careers page or send an email to info@sumthing.org and maybe we’ll have you audition soon!

Is my donation tax deductible?

At the moment, no. We are looking into ways how we can support customers in deducting tax when supporting projects that are registered charities in the future together with relevant tax authorities.

Why doesn't Sumthing offer carbon credits?

We think carbon credits in their existing form are an indulgence that seldomly make an actual positive difference in the real-world. This financial instrument has failed to deliver on its promise as publications by the likes of Bloomberg, FollowTheMoney and the Guardian have indicated. Organisations need to own up to massively reducing their emissions, and at the same time start to contribute to the actual restoration of nature.

What percentage of my donation goes directly to projects?

We make money through the Sumthing fee: for every €5 donated, you pay €1 to Sumthing so organisation projects can use the platform for free to share their results and raise additional funds. So that breaks down to 5/6=83%, which stacks up decently against other NGOs in the space! Read more about our business model here.

Is Sumthing a charity?

No, we are a commercial business, because this gives us more flexibility to scale faster. But unlike most businesses, we are powered by purpose, not profit. We don’t think profit is a dirty word, but we never want it to be a goal in itself. That’s why we secured our mission and profit allocation in our corporate structure through steward ownership. In this article we dive a little deeper into this.

What sets Sumthing apart from other nature restoration websites?

Sumthing does not support just one project, but instead acts as a platform where you can donate to a wide range of carefully selected nature restoration projects. After donating, we show you very specifically how and where your money is making a difference for our planet. To reach this level of transparency we combine a variety of technologies like satellites and AI, to visualise your impact.

What does the name Sumthing stand for?

We believe that we can restore nature around the globe, as long as we come together and do something.
It's the sum of our collective actions that count and will add up to a movement bigger than we can ever imagine. We we're sick and tired of standing by doing nothing, so we decided to build Sumthing: the platform where people and businesses come together to restore nature.

What is Sumthing?

Sumthing is the first platform where you restore nature and follow the progress first hand. We connect businesses and individuals to nature restoration projects across the globe, and visualise the impact of each donation using a variety of technologies.

Individuals

How can I get others to join in?

Show don’t tell! We’re all about visualizing impact so you can proudly show it to the world. We’re also working on monthly Impact Stories. Here, you'll find content that you can share on your social media platforms, allowing you to spread the news of your positive impact and inspire others to join the movement.

How can I stay informed about the impact of my support?

Your planet portfolio is the place where all your impact comes to live! Here you tune in to stories directly from the field, with updates from before, during and after your impact is made. If you like, we’ll share these updates by email so you don’t have to check each day (restoring nature can take a while!)

Can I make a monthly donation to support various projects?

We created Sumthing club for users that want to automatically contribute each month. We will help you build a diverse portfolio of projects to maximise your impact! Learn more here.

How can I take part in nature’s comeback story?

Choose a project that resonates with you, and make a donation to support it. You’ll stay connected to the impact you're making through your Planet Portfolio and with email updates.

Business

Do you only work with impact companies?

We want to work with businesses that want to make a real, positive impact. There’s a lot to unpack there, so read this blog about our dream-clients, the no-brainer rejections and how we navigate the grey zone in between!

How could my business benefit from being on your platform?

The magic word is engagement! Bring your customers, employees and other stakeholders along for your chapter in nature’s comeback story. Benefit from our curated and tech-validated set of projects so you can rest assured that your donation will make its’ mark directly in the restoration project.

How can my business take part in nature's comeback story?

There’s no minimum donation, so businesses of any size can join in. We take great care in helping you make a commitment that creates value for the planet as well as your brand, schedule an introductory call with one of our experts to explore this together!

Projects

How do you know the same impact isn't sold several times?

The status quo before Sumthing was that after contributing to a nature restoration project, you would receive a digital PDF which served as the proof that you e.g. planted a tree. The reason we started Sumthing is to drive transparency and trust, which we build through three pillars:

Legal: we have agreements in place with each project partner that clearly state contributions invoiced to Sumthing can not be previously or thereafter sold or co-financed to or by any other person or entity;
Visibility: each donation is visible in "the Sum of Things" - our open and interactive database of donators and the proof of their donations linked to it.
Validation: we use 3rd party data providers to validate each individual donation before sharing it with the donators

How is the price of a donation determined?

Project partners determine the price of a donation based on the specific result the donation is set out to achieve. They break down their costs into important components like preparation, implementation and monitoring/maintenance. The Sumthing fee is added on top of the price per donation, for every 5 euros donated you pay 1 euro to Sumthing so that projects can use the platform for free to share their results and raise additional funds.

How can I raise a concern about any of the projects on Sumthing?

We take any concern seriously. If you have something to share, please read this blog on how you can engage.

Can I list my project on Sumthing?

Due to popular demand, we’re currently not taking on any new projects in categories that we already have on the supply-side of the platform, unless they come with direct demand from a business that wants to contribute to the project using the Sumthing platform. If you fit this bill, reach out us and we'll look into your request promptly.

How does Sumthing verify the impact of onboarded projects?

The status quo before Sumthing was that after contributing to a nature restoration project, you would at best get a PDF 'proving'. your impact. We thought we could do better to drive transparency and trust, and achieve that through three pillars of our approach:

Legal: we have agreements in place with each project partner that clearly state contributions invoiced to Sumthing can not be previously or thereafter sold or co-financed to or by any other person or entity;
Visibility: each donation is visible in "the Sum of Things" - our open and interactive database of donators and the proof of their donations linked to it.
Validation: we use 3rd party data providers to validate each individual donation before sharing it with the donators

How does Sumthing select projects?

Together with experts in social- and environmental impact we’ve created a framework that gives structure and accountability to our selection process, which we’ve called The Sumthing Score. It encompasses key dimensions like proven track record, methodology, local community involvement, scalability and accountability. Read more on our approach to projects here.

What kind of projects does Sumthing support?

We're lined up to the issue briefs set out by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, like removing plastic from rivers, restoring coral reefs and reforesting. If you're into the details, and want to learn more about how big our challenge really is, keep reading.

Does Sumthing execute projects itself?

No, we partner with the best nature restoration projects from all over the world and provide them with a digital stage to showcase their awesome work. Or as our internal saying goes; we do what we do best in the cloud, so that our partners can do what they do best on the ground: restoring nature !

Frequently Asked questions

About Sumthing

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