Business & contracts 2 signers 3 pages 21 blanks to fill in

Cause Marketing Agreement Template

Run a promotion that gives part of your sales to a charity — the donation, any cap, payment, use of the charity's name and reporting — agreed and signed online.

Use this template — free See the agreement Signers don’t need an account
Cause marketing agreement
The blanks in brackets are what you fill in. FileIt adds each signer’s signature and date boxes.
Cause marketing agreement — page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3
Cause marketing agreement — page 2 of 3
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Cause marketing agreement — page 3 of 3
Page 3 of 3
Use this template Fill in the blanks, name who signs, and send — from FileIt eSignature.

What is a cause marketing agreement?

A cause marketing agreement — often called a commercial co-venture agreement — is signed when a business advertises that buying its products will benefit a charity, such as a fixed amount from every jar sold going to river clean-ups, or 10% of a month's sales going to the food bank. The charity lends its name and reputation; the business promises a donation customers can rely on.

This template covers the campaign name, dates, products and where it runs, the donation per sale in exact words, an optional guaranteed minimum and cap, payment timing with a final payment after the campaign, what the donation supports, what every advertisement must tell customers, a licence to use the charity's name and logo with approval of each piece of material, sales reports and a records check, a section on fundraising laws that may require registration, filings or specific wording where the campaign runs, ending the campaign early for breach or reputational harm, and responsibility for the products.

Best for
Businesses donating part of their sales to a charity, and charities agreeing to be named in a promotion
Signed by
The business and the charity, each with a job title
Donation
An amount or percentage per sale, with an optional minimum and cap
Length
3 pages, initialled on every page

When to use a cause marketing agreement

  • A food producer giving a fixed amount from every jar sold to an environmental charity
  • An online shop donating a percentage of a month's sales to a local food bank
  • A brand running a limited-edition product with proceeds to a health charity
  • A restaurant donating part of each dish sold during an awareness week
  • A charity setting terms before allowing a company to use its logo in an offer

What you fill in

21 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: business, charity.

1 The parties

  • Effective date*
  • Business's legal name*
  • Business's address
  • Charity's legal name*
  • Charity registration or tax number
  • Charity's address

2 The campaign

  • Campaign name*
  • Products or services included*
  • Campaign starts*
  • Campaign ends*
  • Where the campaign runs*
  • What the donations will support

3 The donation

  • Currency*
  • Donation per sale*
  • Guaranteed minimum donation
  • Maximum donation (cap)
  • Payment timing* in one payment after the campaign ends · monthly during the campaign, with a final payment after it ends · quarterly during the campaign, with a final payment after it ends
  • Final payment within (days after the campaign ends)*

4 Marketing and other terms

  • Charity approves marketing within (business days)*
  • Charity's contact for approvals
  • Governing law*

5 Who signs

  • Business signature and date, job title, initials on every page · An authorised person at the business running the promotion.
  • Charity signature and date, job title, initials on every page · An authorised officer of the charity or nonprofit receiving the donations.

What the cause marketing agreement covers

  1. The campaign
  2. The donation
  3. Telling customers
  4. Use of names and logos
  5. Reporting and records
  6. Fundraising laws
  7. Ending the Campaign early
  8. Responsibility
  9. General

Using the cause marketing agreement, step by step

1 Set up the campaign

Name the campaign, list the products or services included, choose the start and end dates, and say where it runs — online, in which countries, and in which shops.

2 Define the donation

Write exactly how the donation per sale is calculated, add a guaranteed minimum or a cap if there is one, choose the payment timing, and say what the money will support if it is restricted.

3 Agree marketing approvals

Set how many business days the charity has to approve each piece of material, and the email address to send it to. Every ad must state the charity, the donation, the dates and any cap.

4 Check local fundraising rules

Before launch, check whether the places where the campaign runs require registration, filings, specific ad wording or a final accounting for promotions like this. The template makes each party responsible for its own part.

5 Send for signature

Send it to an authorised officer of the charity. Once signed, the agreement is filed in your vault with the campaign reports.

Tips before you send it

  • Say exactly how much goes to the charity — "USD 1.00 per jar" or "10% of the price excluding tax and shipping" — not "a portion of proceeds".
  • If there is a cap, say so in every ad, and update the messaging when it is reached so customers aren't misled.
  • Some places regulate commercial co-ventures and may require a written contract, registration, a bond or a final report. Check before you launch.
  • Don't tell customers their purchase is tax-deductible. The donation is made by the business, not the customer.

Sign it online in minutes

  1. Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
  2. Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
  3. Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Use the cause marketing agreement template — it’s free

Cause marketing agreement: frequently asked questions

Is this the same as a sponsorship agreement?

No. In a sponsorship the business pays the charity to be associated with it or an event. In cause marketing the donation depends on sales, and the charity's name is used to sell products — which is why customers must be told exactly how much goes to the charity.

Who keeps the records?

The business reports sales and the donation calculation with each payment and keeps its campaign records for at least three years. The charity may have them checked by an accountant on reasonable notice, at its own cost unless the check finds an underpayment of more than 5%.

Does this agreement make the campaign legal everywhere?

No. It sets out the deal between the parties and asks each to comply with the fundraising and consumer rules that apply where the campaign runs, but it does not guarantee that the campaign complies with any particular law.

Can a cause marketing agreement be signed electronically?

In most countries, including the US (ESIGN Act and UETA), the UK, the EU (eIDAS) and Canada, an electronic signature is generally valid for an ordinary commercial contract like this one. FileIt keeps an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion with the signed PDF as evidence of who signed and when.

Is this template free?

Yes. The template is free to use with the eSignature app in FileIt, and the people you send it to don't need a FileIt account to sign.

Use this template — free