What Plant With Purpose does

Plant With Purpose is a Christian 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Diego, California, founded in 1984. It operates community-based restoration programs in nine countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America (Thailand, Tanzania, Mexico, Malawi, Haiti, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi). Its core delivery vehicle is the "Purpose Group," an integrated community platform that combines Village Savings and Loan Association microfinance, Farmer Field School regenerative agriculture training, tree planting, and spiritual development through local church partnerships. More than 4,000 Purpose Groups, 700+ church partnerships, and 1,200+ savings groups collectively serve roughly 50,000 farming families with a 2025 target of 100,000 families.

The organization's underlying methodology combines a watershed-based geographic targeting approach with the Seeds of Change environmental restoration curriculum and Farmer Managed Natural Reforestation (FMNR) agroforestry techniques. Country offices are staffed entirely by nationals, with no expatriate staff, and program delivery is peer-to-peer through trained local facilitators and pastors. As of disclosure, the organization has planted more than 40 million trees, driven a 37% increase in crop yields and a 325% increase in participant income, and claims programs advance seven of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Plant With Purpose is funded almost entirely through charitable giving rather than commercial sales. Revenue streams include one-time and recurring individual donations (including Purpose Partners monthly giving), $1-per-tree planting gifts, corporate partnerships (e.g., Whole Foods Market Foundation, Kellogg Garden Organics), and structured giving vehicles such as planned/estate gifts, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, stock and crypto contributions via Every.org, and donor-advised funds. The organization sells a $1-per-tree unit-priced "gift" to retail givers (with costs itemized at 10¢ soil prep, 60¢ nursery, 15¢ planting, 15¢ monitoring) and is accredited by the ECFA, rated 4-star by Charity Navigator, and certified Best Christian Workplace. Plant With Purpose appointed Craig Jaggers as CEO in October 2025, succeeding Scott Sabin who led the organization for 33 years.

Name

Plant With Purpose

Legal name

Plant With Purpose

Website

https://plantwithpurpose.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plant With Purpose is a San Diego-based Christian nonprofit operating in nine countries that runs integrated "Purpose Groups" combining savings-and-lending microfinance, regenerative agriculture training, and tree planting through local church networks to reverse rural poverty and deforestation, serving roughly 50,000 families today with a target of 100,000 by 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. Donors can give online via credit card, bank transfer, digital wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo).
2. Purpose Partners (Monthly Giving): Monthly recurring donation program where supporters commit to regular contributions. Forms the core donor base and provides predictable revenue.
3. Tree Planting Gifts: Designated donations for tree planting at $1 per tree. Revenue is restricted to reforestation activities.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses for environmental programs, employee giving matching, and cause marketing.
5. Planned Giving: Estate gifts, bequests, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts. Tax ID 33-0052976 used for legacy giving.
6. Stock, Crypto, and DAF Gifts: Non-cash charitable contributions processed through Every.org platform.
7. IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions: QCDs from IRAs for donors 70½ or older, up to $100,000 per year, counting toward RMDs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Plant With Purpose is a 501(c)(3) Christian nonprofit that reverses deforestation and rural poverty through Purpose Groups - community-based platforms that combine Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), Farmer Field Schools for regenerative agriculture, tree planting/restoration, and spiritual development. Programs are delivered across 9 countries (Thailand, Tanzania, Mexico, Malawi, Haiti, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, DRC, Burundi) using a watershed-based approach, and are funded primarily through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and church networks.

Product overview

Plant With Purpose offers a suite of community-based programs centered around Purpose Groups—a unified model combining savings/lending platforms with Farmer Field Schools for regenerative agriculture training. The core offerings include tree planting initiatives, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), the Seeds of Change environmental curriculum, and church partnerships. These programs are complemented by donor engagement tools (Purpose Partners monthly giving, Planned Giving, Fundraise/Volunteer tools) and corporate/church partnership programs. The organization operates across 9 countries (Thailand, Tanzania, Mexico, Malawi, Haiti, Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, DRC, Burundi) focusing on reversing the cycle of rural poverty and deforestation through an integrated approach addressing economic, environmental, and spiritual needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tend: A 10-week small group experience rooted in Creation Care, developed in partnership with tendlife.org

Products and services

• Purpose Groups
• Tree Planting Program
• Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)
• Seeds of Change Curriculum Environmental restoration curriculum teaching regenerative farming techniques including cover crops, triangulation planting patterns, organic fertilizers and pest repellents, and double-dug garden beds. Used within Farmer Field Schools for peer-to-peer training.
• Purpose Partners Monthly Giving Program Monthly recurring donation program where supporters commit to regular contributions. Forms the core donor base and provides predictable revenue for ongoing program support to farming families.
• Planned Giving & Estate Planning Legacy giving options including special bequests, residuary bequests, contingent bequests, and beneficiary designations for retirement accounts. Tax ID 33-0052976 used for legacy giving; estate gifts, bequests, beneficiary designations processed.
• Gift Trees (Tribute/Memorial Gifts) Tree planting gifts offered in memory or celebration of loved ones at $1 per tree, with custom ecards and lasting tribute options. Restricted to reforestation activities.
• The Purpose Journey Immersive experiential trip program offering supporters trips to Oaxaca, Mexico to witness program impact firsthand through direct engagement with program communities.
• Tend Curriculum 10-week small group experience rooted in Creation Care, co-developed with tendlife.org and offered to US churches as a downloadable curriculum to integrate faith and environmental stewardship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 325% increase in participant income
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TendlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTendlife is a co-developed curriculum partner providing the Tend Curriculum - a 10-week small group experience rooted in Creation Care for US churches. Available at tendlife.org. This partnership enables Plant With Purpose to reach US church audiences with environmental stewardship education aligned with their faith values.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Compassion International: Large Christian child-sponsorship NGO with associated community development, savings groups, and agricultural training in many of the same countries as Plant With Purpose. Competes for the same evangelical donor pool and uses similar church-partnership distribution.
• World Vision International: Massive Christian international development NGO operating child sponsorship, economic development, and environmental programs across 100+ countries. Overlaps with Plant With Purpose on Christian donor base, community-based delivery, and rural poverty focus, but at vastly greater scale and scope.
• Heifer International: International nonprofit working on poverty and sustainable agriculture through livestock and value-chain programs. Comparable on smallholder farmer target segment and rural poverty framing, but uses livestock-centered rather than tree-centered interventions.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian relief and development organization focused on community resilience, agricultural training, and disaster response. Direct overlap with Plant With Purpose's Purpose Group model, faith-based framing, and smallholder farmer target segment; the new Plant With Purpose CEO previously held senior leadership at FH.

Direct peers

• Eden Reforestation Projects: Faith-rooted reforestation nonprofit employing local community labor to plant trees in Haiti, Madagascar, Indonesia, and other countries. Closely comparable to Plant With Purpose on mission, employment-based restoration model, country overlap (Haiti), and faith-aligned donor base.
• One Tree Planted: Reforestation nonprofit funding tree planting at $1-per-tree across global reforestation projects. Same low-friction donation model, similar "plant a tree" framing, and operates in many of the same geographies; lacks the integrated microfinance and regenerative agriculture layer.
• Trees for the Future: Nonprofit dedicated exclusively to agroforestry training for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mirrors Plant With Purpose's integrated approach of tree planting plus regenerative agriculture plus farmer income, and competes for similar faith-aligned and climate-conscious donors.

Emerging players

• TechnoServe: International nonprofit focused on poverty reduction through market-based agricultural and rural enterprise development. Overlaps with Plant With Purpose's regenerative agriculture and farmer income outcomes, with greater emphasis on supply-chain integration.
• FINCA International: Microfinance and savings-led institution operating Village Savings and Loan Associations across Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Highly comparable on the VSLA component of Plant With Purpose's model and overlapping geographies in Latin America and Africa.

Regional players

• Reforestamos Mexico: Mexican NGO focused on reforestation and ecological restoration across Mexico. Comparable to Plant With Purpose's Mexico program (Oaxaca) and its watershed-aligned tree-planting methodology, though regionally focused rather than globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PlantWithPurpose
• Instagraminstagram.com/plantwithpurpose
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXkK
• Xx.com/plantwpurpose
• TikToktiktok.com/@plantwithpurpose
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plant-with-purpose

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plant With Purpose