About Our Business

The One World Futbol Project is a business with a difference. A big difference.

Most people in the world of industry and commerce start companies primarily, sometimes exclusively, to make money. Not us.

The vision that brought the One World Futbol Project into being was to help make the quality of life better for young people in poor communities, especially conflict zones, refugee camps, depressed inner-city neighborhoods and slums, and impoverished villages. At least half the world’s population lives in places like that! Inventor Tim Jahnigen and his wife, Lisa Tarver, the co-founders of the Project, were motivated by a desire to donate One World Futbols to organizations working in such communities, so they could be used in programs that resolve conflict, teach tolerance, build community, foster leadership, and promote health and welfare.

The problem, as Tim as Lisa discovered, was that raising charitable contributions is very difficult. It was highly unlikely that they could raise enough money to distribute one million futbols in the first three years – the goal they’d settled on. However, they reasoned, if they started a business that could sell One World Futbols as well as donate them, the venture could be sustainable. That reasoning led to the establishment of the One World Futbol Project with a distinctive business model:

• A for-profit company that sells the One World Futbol at retail with a Give One Get One offer, enabling us to donate as many balls as we sell to the public, and that sells the balls at steeply discounted prices directly to organizations working in the field—or to corporations that sponsor their work.
• Plus a non-profit foundation that raises the money to help get the futbols to the people who need them, by subsidizing the significant shipping costs to deliver the balls.

But that’s not all. Not by a long shot.

The One World Futbol Project operates on what is called the Triple Bottom Line, balancing the interests of People, Planet, and Profit. The company is designed to make a profit, but not at the expense of the people who work for it, the communities where we operate, or the natural environment.

How do you know this is true? Because we are a Certified B Corporation. We proudly feature the B Corporation seal you see on this page. This means we’re part of a community of businesses that meet the same high standards we do. And you can see for yourself what those standards are by checking out our B Corp Impact Report. B Lab publishes these reports for all Certified B Corporations, so you can learn more about hundreds of companies that meet the same rigorous, independent, and transparent standards of social and environmental performance as we do. By supporting these B Corps, you’re supporting a better way to do business.