We invite all business owners to express their interest, especially if their company does not (yet) meet our current definition of a Profit for Good company: one that is committed to donating 10% of annual profits.
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We are keen to hear about your thoughts about becoming a Profit for Good company, and to explore together what may be possible. Our ambition is to move as much profit as possible towards doing more good.

We define profit as net profit after tax, and after necessary reinvestment into the business. By “necessary reinvestment” we mean investment that supports responsible growth, innovation, and long-term value creation.
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In practice, this is the share of earnings that would otherwise be available for distribution to shareholders as dividends.

Ultimately, the owners of Profit for Good companies decide which organizations they donate to.
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As Profit for Good, we encourage members to consult independent charity evaluators, where available for the causes they care about, to maximise the impact of their donations. Examples include GiveWell, The Life You Can Save, Animal Charity Evaluators, Giving Green, and Founders Pledge.
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Some members also choose to involve employees or other stakeholders in the decision-making process. For example, Humanitix engages its staff in the meaning and impact of giving. Once a year, each employee receives a small allocation to donate to a charity of their choice, inviting them to grapple with the challenge of allocating philanthropic funds effectively.
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This has been a highly rewarding experience for their team, particularly as Humanitix is itself a registered charity and does not offer shares or equity like traditional for-profit companies.

All members commit to contributing data to our annual impact report. This allows us to monitor the donation amounts made across the Profit for Good alliance and to report transparently on collective progress.

We’re excited about them. 1% for the Planet has built an impressive global movement, with a number of member companies we greatly admire.
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Our approach differs in three main ways. We chose to anchor our commitment to profits (as defined above) rather than revenues because profits reflect real economic surplus. Second, we support a broader range of causes, beyond environmental impact alone.

Third, we actively encourage progress along three axes: the percentage donated, the effectiveness of donations, and governance changes that help lock in long-term impact.

Formally, Profit for Good is currently part of The School for Moral Ambition, though independently directed. In 2026, we plan to spin off into our own foundation, with an independent board and brand. Until then, we are grateful for the trust, infrastructure, and support we receive from the moral ambition community.

We know the Profit4Good Initiative well and appreciate their work. We share their goal of redirecting profits to charitable causes and find their Theory of Change compelling. We support each other where that is helpful.
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That said, we have chosen a different approach. Our focus is on building a broad alliance of companies, with a lower threshold for joining.

Profit for Good aims to become a global movement with a simple mission: to redirect the maximum amount of profit to where it can do the most good.
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We invite companies that commit to donating at least 10% of their profits to join, with a small number of clear exclusions. We do not include companies whose core activities are tobacco or fossil fuel extraction. In these sectors, the negative externalities are so substantial that we believe ending or fundamentally changing the business model is usually far more impactful than donating profits.
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Beyond these exclusions, drawing hard moral lines becomes complex. Profit for Good operates across countries, cultures, and regulatory environments, where views on what is acceptable or harmful differ widely. A highly prescriptive rulebook would risk turning Profit for Good into a club for those sharing a particular ideological niche, rather than a movement capable of shifting norms at scale.
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In practice, entrepreneurs who consider donating a significant share of their profits are rarely indifferent to impact. Those who explore joining are typically driven by moral ambition: a sense of responsibility that extends beyond their own welfare.
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Nevertheless, borderline cases may arise. Rather than debate hypothetical cases now, we plan to engage thoughtfully with companies that wish to join our alliance but may have negative impacts on others. Ideally, we could calculate whether a company’s donations outweigh the negative externalities of its operations. In reality, this is rarely possible. Impact accounting is still developing, data is limited, and even philanthropy lacks full coverage across causes. We will therefore avoid false precision and remain honest about uncertainty.
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If a company can achieve greater positive impact by improving its own practices rather than donating, it should do that. Yet, there are cases where surplus profits can achieve far greater impact outside the company than through incremental operational improvements. For example in areas like climate change, where systemic interventions matter a lot, donating to organizations that drive effective policy change or unlock large-scale solutions can reduce emissions at a scale that individual companies cannot yet achieve through their own operations alone. Where this is true, donating profits effectively can be one of the most impactful choices a company can make.
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Not all companies in Profit for Good are social enterprises. Their operations may be imperfect and cannot always be transformed overnight. Improving business practices takes time. In the meantime, donating surplus profits can enable others to do highly impactful work. This is similar to individuals who donate part of their income while working toward more impactful careers.

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Participation in Profit for Good may bring reputational benefits. Membership signals a commitment to donating profits, but it is not an endorsement of all of a company’s business practices. We do not certify or score companies’ operations. Other frameworks, such as B Corp certification, are better suited for that.
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Engagement begins during onboarding, when companies share their sector and activities. Where concerns arise, we invite reflective conversations about where profits can create the greatest positive impact, inside or outside the company. As the movement grows, we will continue to learn, reflect, and refine our criteria.

What remains constant is our commitment to maximising positive impact in an imperfect world.