The sponsor's three missions

As a sponsor, your minimum commitment is to act as a link between the project you are sponsoring and the Foundation. This involves three phases.

Preparation
You meet the project leader and check that his/her initiative complies with the Foundation's selection criteria. You must evaluate the technical feasibility and economic viability of the project and forward your opinion to the Selection Committee. If necessary, you may advise the project leader in drafting the grant application.

Monitoring
We suggest that you hand over the grant check yourself and are free to organize this in any way that you choose. As the key contact for the project leader, you will monitor the project and ensure that the funds are properly spent.

Evaluation
You draft a report on development of the project and a first evaluation, with the help of the Foundation if this is necessary.

You are then free to continue your involvement by making your skills available to the project leader

Employee volunteering

A great many sponsors make a personal investment that goes well beyond their duties as sponsors. Their interest in the project that they are sponsoring inspires them to make their professional knowledge and skills available to project leaders on a voluntary basis.

Communication specialists may decide to help the organization they sponsor develop their communication; water specialists can contribute their know-how in setting up irrigation and wastewater systems or restoring old hydraulic networks; Veolia Environmental Services employees can advise subsidized employment companies on creating jobs based on collection of special waste (WEEE, green waste, etc.); marketing and sales specialists can advise such companies on how to open up new markets, and executive assistants or company managers can help the organizations they sponsor create new activities. 

This sharing of knowledge, know-how and skills is a vital complement to the financial support granted by the Foundation.