How to show your business’s giving on your website
Many small businesses give a share of their sales or profits to good causes, then mention it once on an About page and never update it. Visitors can’t tell whether the promise is still true. A visible, dated record works better than a slogan.
Decide what you are actually promising
Write your commitment in one sentence before you design anything. “We give 5% of every sale to local food banks” and “We donate $500 each quarter to animal rescue” are clear. “We care about our community” is not a pledge; it is a feeling.
If your giving changes from year to year, say so, and describe how you choose causes instead of promising a fixed number you may not keep.
Put it where visitors make decisions
The About page is the least visited place for this. Better spots are the places where people decide whether to trust you:
- Your site footer, as a small badge that links to the full record.
- Your home page, as a short section with your pledge, causes and running total.
- Product or checkout pages, as one line: “5% of this order goes to …”.
- Your email signature and social profiles, as a link to the public record.
Show the record, not just the promise
A pledge earns trust when people can see it being kept. List each contribution with an amount, a date and the cause it went to. A running total helps, but the dated entries are what make the total believable.
Keep private documents private. Receipts can contain names, addresses and account numbers; you don’t need to publish them to show the amount and date.
Use careful wording
Say “self-reported” unless an independent party has checked your numbers, and avoid words like “verified” or “certified” that imply an audit. Don’t present your giving as tax advice for customers. Link to each cause’s own website so visitors can learn about it directly.
Keep it current with one update
The common failure is a badge that was true two years ago. Whatever you use, updating the record should take a minute, and every place that shows it should update with it.
PledgeBadge was built for exactly this: you record a contribution once, and the badge on your site, your public giving page and your share images all show the new total. The first badge is free.