A company should be able to explain its ocean partnership in a few clear sentences: the work it supports, who delivers it, how people participate, and what will be reported. Here is WOL’s proposed framework for getting that agreement right.
Start with one defined initiative
Set an objective, a location, a budget, and an audience. Decide whether the program centers on funding, employee participation, or both. A focused first engagement is easier to scope and assess than an open-ended promise to support the ocean.
The proposal should name the delivery organization and describe its responsibilities. Confirm availability, relevant experience, evidence requirements, and the use of funds before the company commits. WOL’s proposed role is program coordination, communications, and reporting; field delivery belongs to the organization contracted to perform it.
Know what the fee covers
Separate program design and management from the conservation contribution. State field delivery, travel, creator licenses, and any merchandise as distinct items. Agree on payment arrangements and cancellation terms before a booking. A service fee should never appear in the report as money transferred to a conservation recipient.
The company should also know what it receives: a kickoff brief, a confirmed delivery plan, a participation page, an employee learning or activity component, a communications package, and a closing evidence report. These are proposed deliverables to agree in a contract, not proof that an initiative has already been delivered.
Make communications part of the scope
Agree who checks factual claims and who may use each photograph, quotation, and logo. Obtain the relevant permissions before publication. Build the closing account from the actual records, including changes to the plan and results that could not be measured.
The FTC’s environmental marketing guidance cautions against broad, unqualified environmental claims. A specific account of the support provided is more useful than implying that a sponsorship establishes a company’s overall environmental performance. A participation page is an account of this initiative, not a sustainability certification.
End with a decision
A first program should produce enough information to decide what comes next. Review the work delivered, the experience of participants and the partner, and the quality of the evidence. Renewal should follow that review. The goal is a relationship worth continuing, with a clearer scope each time.
Put the plan into practice.
Explore a scoped 90-day corporate ocean program, with responsibilities and reporting agreed before work begins.
Explore the corporate program