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Pledge 1%: What is it & How to take the Pledge

How much time does it take to make an impact?

How much time does it take to change the world? 

How about 5 minutes? Or perhaps an average of 5 minutes per day? Seems pretty low, but what if we did this collectively? 5 minutes is ~1% of your workday. I bet most of us think that doesn’t seem like enough time—but Pledge 1% is founded on the belief that it is enough. 

Pledge 1% is a global corporate philanthropy movement that engages business leaders and their employees to give back to social causes through an ongoing commitment—a commitment of just 1%. Companies can get involved by choosing any combination of ways to give back: 1% of time, 1% of profit, 1% of product, or even 1% of equity. Participating in the Pledge 1% Program allows companies to join a movement and encourage corporate social responsibility within their team, whether or not leadership has already started a corporate philanthropy program.  

Pledge 1% is an incredible encouragement to start simple and start somewhere. The Pledge 1% website shares resources, case studies, and support to help you and your team with examples of corporate giving guidelines and company philanthropy ideas. You’ll be joining a great group of companies that have already taken the pledge.  At a high level, it’s an incredible way to launch or expand a corporate giving program. Especially after a year of remote work, we’re all looking for simple ways to ramp up employee engagement in a variety of different work environments, without adding too much to our individual workload. This represents only one of the many benefits of corporate philanthropy

Who Started Pledge 1%?

The movement’s founding partners include Salesforce, Atlassian, and Rally For Impact, who joined forces with The Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado and Tides to accelerate the shared vision and impact of Pledge 1%. Participating companies commit to sharing their time, products, and profits with any charity of their choosing.

Check out this video from the Atlassian Founder, who explains it further. 

What Are the Different Forms of Corporate Giving with Pledge 1%?

Pledge 1% encourages companies to consider four different types of corporate philanthropy.

  • Pledge Time: Pledging 1% of your time is about volunteering! This can mean everything from hands-on work to skills-based volunteering to mentorship. This might sound like a lot, yet keep in mind that 1% of a 40-hour work week is just 24 minutes! Learn more about Pledging 1% of Time.
  • Pledge Product: Donating your product to charity can mean goods, services, or a unique version of your products that is specifically tailored to nonprofits. Circlebev.com even came up with a specific kombucha to support JDRF with IndyCar driver, Conor Daly! Your team can offer products at a discount or make a full donation. Learn more about Pledging 1% of Product.
  • Pledge Profit: Pledging a percentage of profits is a great way to give money back to great nonprofits! As some teams have unpredictable profits, Pledge 1% lets you determine how much to contribute—even if it’s less than 1%. Just getting started is the right first step! Your team can structure this giving in compliant ways while keeping the beneficiaries up to you and your employees. You can also combine pledging profit with pledging time! Learn more about Pledging 1% of Profit.
  • Pledge Equity: Pledging equity means committing 1% (or more) of shares in your company to a specific charity’s ownership. If you aren’t a company that is selling stock yet, this type of giving can still be an option! This is both an effective and easy way to give to the organization of your choice and allow them to benefit from your current and future success. Learn more about Pledging 1% of Equity.

Across these four types of corporate giving, there is an option for any and every business to start giving back. In fact, you may be interested in places where these forms of giving intersect. You, your team, and your organization’s leadership can decide together!

When you’re ready, click here to check out how to pledge online.

After you’ve taken the Pledge…

If your team has already taken the pledge, that’s awesome! Seriously, congrats on making the decision to help your local community and nonprofits around the world! Involving your team can help the pledge become a part of your culture. Employees will love this! Year over year, you and your team have made a commitment to be selfless. That should definitely be celebrated! 

Selflessly is passionate about helping companies create a purpose-driven culture centered around giving and volunteering. If you’re looking for a first step to take in building a socially-conscious brand, take a look at our #LiveSelflessly Blog for more inspiration and a few ways to involve your employees in your pledge. 

Then, visit our website to learn more about how our all-in-one giving platform can help your business develop a purpose-driven culture through giving and volunteering, tracking, coordinating, and celebrating philanthropy. 

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