When Kate Williams graduated from business school in the mid-1990s, she didn’t seek a job with a traditional company. Instead, she dedicated her early career to leading a trail preservation nonprofit and as a partner in a yak farm in Vermont. “I knew that I wanted to have a purpose-led career, and it did not occur to me that I could do anything other than be in a nonprofit,” Williams told me in the latest episode of our Climate Pioneers interview series. “Fast forward to now, I have a strong belief in the power of the nonprofit sector for creating solutions outside of the marketplace.” The nonprofit Williams has led for the past 11 years, 1% for the Planet, is dedicated to boosting corporate funding of environmental causes in a way that doesn’t trigger greenwashing accusations. It was started in 2002 by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and Blue Ribbon Flies owner Craig Mathews to encourage businesses to put 1 percent of their annual revenue toward causes that protect or restore nature. 1% for the Planet’s role is to verify those donations. The organization is modeled on Patagonia’s own pledge to do the same, adopted in 1985. The company has given away $140 million in cash and in-kind donations to date. Closing in on $1 billion 1% for the Planet now represents 5,000 companies; it validated $144 million of philanthropy in 2025. That’s an annual record: Donations were roughly $20 million per year when Williams joined. 1% for the Planet is…
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