From Code to Conservation: How KnowledgeOwl Empowers Customers to Save Rainforests

BOULDER, Colo. – March 26, 2026 – In a move that bridges the digital world with ecological preservation, B Corp-certified software company KnowledgeOwl today announced it has designated Rainforest Trust as its highlighted environmental giving recipient for 2026. The partnership, announced during B Corp Month, deepens the company's commitment to environmental stewardship by channeling funds through its 1% for the Planet membership to one of the world's most effective conservation organizations.

This initiative stands out not only for its significant financial commitment but for its innovative approach: KnowledgeOwl will empower its customers to help decide which specific, critical conservation projects receive funding. This model signals a growing trend in the tech industry, where companies are moving beyond traditional corporate social responsibility and embedding purpose directly into their business models and customer relationships.

Beyond the Bottom Line: A New Model of Corporate Responsibility

The partnership is a key component of KnowledgeOwl's '2% for People and Planet' program, a comprehensive giving initiative launched in 2020. Under this program, the company dedicates 1% of its gross revenue to environmental causes and another 1% to social and humanitarian efforts. By pegging its contributions to revenue rather than profit, the company ensures a consistent and substantial flow of support to its non-profit partners, regardless of quarterly profitability fluctuations.

This commitment is formalized through memberships in globally recognized networks. As a member of 1% for the Planet, KnowledgeOwl joins a coalition of businesses and individuals dedicated to tackling environmental issues. Its status as a Certified B Corporation places it within a community of companies that meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. For a tech company, B Corp certification moves beyond evaluating a product's direct environmental footprint to a holistic assessment of its impact on workers, community, customers, and the planet.

This dual certification is becoming a powerful differentiator in the tech sector. As consumers and employees increasingly demand that businesses align with their values, certifications like B Corp offer a verifiable benchmark for authenticity. They provide a rigorous framework that helps companies attract mission-driven talent, build trust with a conscious customer base, and foster long-term, sustainable growth. KnowledgeOwl's announcement during B Corp Month serves to highlight this broader movement toward using business as a force for good.

From Pixels to Pangolins: The Power of Participatory Philanthropy

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the company's strategy is its deep integration of customers into the philanthropic process. While many companies make corporate donations, KnowledgeOwl is turning its giving program into a collaborative and transparent experience. During its annual survey in June, the company will present its customers with a selection of Rainforest Trust's active conservation projects and allow them to vote on where the funds should be directed.

"I'm thrilled we have chosen Rainforest Trust as our highlighted environmental giving recipient for 2026," said Marybeth Alexander, CEO of KnowledgeOwl. "Each month our team votes on a specific project to fund — last month we helped protect jaguars, giant anteaters, and the black-and-chestnut eagle in Argentina; this month we're supporting pangolins and bonobos in the Congo. Who doesn't love a bonobo? Rainforest Trust makes it easy to see exactly where your dollars go and what they protect — and that kind of transparency matters to us. I'm excited to offer our customers the ability to choose which projects we fund!"

This model of participatory philanthropy does more than just allocate funds; it transforms customers from passive observers into active participants in the company's mission. Research shows this approach significantly enhances brand loyalty and customer engagement by fostering a sense of shared values and co-created impact. By giving customers a direct line of sight into how their support translates into protecting endangered species and habitats, the company demystifies corporate giving and builds a powerful, authentic connection with its community.

The Real-World Impact: Protecting Critical Habitats with Rainforest Trust

The funds directed by KnowledgeOwl and its customers will support an organization with a formidable and highly-respected track record. Since 1988, Rainforest Trust has worked with local partners and Indigenous communities to protect over 60 million acres of critical habitat across 62 countries—an area more than 40 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park.

Their approach is both efficient and effective. The organization boasts that over 99% of the forests in the reserves it has helped create remain intact. This success is validated by top charity evaluators. Charity Navigator, for instance, consistently awards Rainforest Trust its highest 4-star rating, including a perfect 100% score for accountability and transparency, signifying it "exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause."

Donations from partners like KnowledgeOwl translate into tangible, on-the-ground action. These funds help establish legally protected conservation areas, train and equip local forest guards, support community-led land management, and ultimately safeguard habitats for thousands of threatened species. Whether it's securing a vital wildlife corridor for jaguars in Latin America, protecting the carbon-rich swamp forests that are home to pangolins and bonobos in the Congo, or preserving nesting grounds for endangered birds, each project has a measurable, lasting impact on biodiversity and climate stability.

As businesses across sectors, particularly in tech, grapple with their role in addressing global challenges, models like KnowledgeOwl's offer a compelling blueprint for meaningful action. By embedding purpose into its financial structure and empowering its community to participate directly in its mission, the company demonstrates that corporate growth and planetary health do not have to be mutually exclusive goals, but can instead be powerfully interconnected.