How your organization can become an EarthShare Washington member

Organizational membership: application information

Overview

EarthShare Washington (ESW) is committed to representing premier organizations whose work contributes to livable communities and a healthy planet. In addition, our work requires us to understand the perceptions and needs of the workplace donor.

We want to assure the donor that, year in and year out, EarthShare will invest those hard-earned donations to earn the greatest yield.


In 2009 and every three years thereafter, EarthShare Washington will open up the application process to new organizations that add value to us as a workplace fundraising organization. We are particularly interested in organizations whose work complements, not overlaps, programs of our current organizations. ESW is not a quick fix for unrestricted fundraising; rather, it is a relationship whereby both the applicant and EarthShare Washington benefit.

Participating organizations are required to actively engage with ESW. Examples include participating at workplace fundraising events or obtaining a meeting with a new business prospect. All levels of the applicant organization's board, staff and volunteers must be aware of the application procedures and work requirements, and are prepared to fulfill them.

ESW requires a one-time, non-recurring initiation fee of $2,500. The fee, which is itself a statement of commitment on behalf of the applicant organization, may be paid over a period of two years from the join date.

 

Criteria for Organizational Membership

EarthShare Washington's (ESW's) local organizations must: 

Mission and Impact

  • Address critical issues that are important to the people of Washington. Its programs must clearly demonstrate benefit(s) in one or more of the following 5 key program areas:
  1. Energy & Climate
  2. Forests, Habitat, & Wildlife
  3. Pollution & Toxics
  4. Recreation & Parks
  5. Sustainable Communities
  • Provide services statewide or to a significant population of the state and/or have a substantial presence in the state.
  • It must have a program presence in Washington for a minimum of three years, and does not engage in or advocate illegal activities.

Finance

  • Provide written financial statements or audited statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
  • Demonstrate that administrative and fundraising expenses are reasonable, as evidenced by the organization's 990 Form (Using IRS Form 990 as a guide, add the amount in Part IX (Statement of Functional Expenses), Line 25, Column C (Management and General Expenses) to the amount in Line 25, Column D (Fundraising Expenses), and divide by Part VIII (Statement of Revenue), Line 12, Column A (Total Revenue).
  • Provide a completed financial audit from the previous year (if expenses or revenue taken from the organization's most recent 990 exceed $100,000. This is based on Combined Federal Campaign requirements issued by the Office of Personnel Management). Note: employee giving programs are frequently called campaigns
  • Demonstrate that funding sources are stable and diverse.

Administrative and Governance

  • Hold tax-exempt status pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or any other applicable law.
  • Submit materials for ESW's annual application to public sector (government) employee giving campaigns (examples include the Combined Federal Campaign and the Washington State Employees Combined Fund Drive).
  • Demonstrate an ability and commitment from the organization's board and staff to promote ESW to the organization's constituencies.
  • Be governed by a voluntary board.
  • Have a policy that does not permit discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, or sexual orientation.

 

Annual Membership Requirements

EarthShare of Washington and its member groups are partners in raising funds through workplace giving. EarthShare therefore requires that each member group participates at a minimum agreed-upon level annually.

 

Next Steps

If your organization is interested in joining premier organizations that promote livable communities and a healthy planet, please submit the form to the right so we can screen your organziation and send you an application when available.

Membership pre-application

If you are interested in receiving the full membership application when it is available, please answer a few questions for us. This will help applicants be better prepared for the full application and allow us to screen applicants so those who do not meet basic requirements. The full application will be available in Summer of 2012 for a three year membership cycle starting in January of 2013.

Organization must have a program presence in Washington for a minimum of three years.

Pick the area(s) that best describe your organization's work.

Briefly explain how your work directly impacts a significant part of Washington state. This can either be a significant portion geographically or by population. For example you may do work in several state parks in King and Snohomish counties which affects the thousands of people living in those areas or you may work around the Columbia River whose watershed covers a significant portion of the state. By Combined Federal Campaign guidelines, services in a single county do not qualify as a "significant portion" of the state.

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