What Pledge 1% does

Pledge 1% is a global nonprofit movement that encourages companies to formally commit 1% of equity, product, profit, or employee time to philanthropic causes. Founded in 2014 by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, the organization operates as a free membership network targeting founders, executives, and corporate leaders — primarily in the technology sector but extending across industries and geographies. The organization is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center and runs a small staff of 11-50 employees.

The platform offers resources, certification programs, and tiered engagement pathways (Pledge 1% Builders, Boardroom Allies, Global Visionary Council) that guide member companies from initial pledge to operationalized corporate philanthropy. A Community Platform supports member onboarding and engagement, and in 2025 the organization deployed an AI-powered onboarding agent built on Salesforce Agentforce to streamline the pledge registration process. The movement spans 19,000+ member companies across 130+ countries, including at least 60 unicorns, and has catalyzed over $3 billion in philanthropic impact through equity and resource pledges.

Pledge 1% generates no commercial revenue. Its operating model is grant- and sponsor-funded through its fiscal sponsorship arrangement, and the organization does not disclose financial statements. The membership base is free to participants, and go-to-market is primarily peer-driven and amplified through VC and executive networks on the Global Visionary Council, supplemented by partnerships such as the Forbes Cloud 100 Impact Award. In September 2025 the organization expanded into Australia as its first international office, with additional geographic and product expansion expected.

Name

Pledge 1%

Legal name

Pledge 1%

Website

https://pledge1percent.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pledge 1% is a global nonprofit movement that helps companies formally pledge 1% of equity, product, profit, or employee time to philanthropic causes. Founded in 2014 by Marc Benioff and Scott Farquhar, it serves 19,000+ member companies across 130+ countries via a free membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Social Responsibility / Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO), Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

Keywords

• Corporate philanthropy framework
• Social impact movement
• Employee volunteer programs
• Corporate giving platform
• Equity pledge movement

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Organization: Pledge 1% is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center (a California nonprofit public benefit corporation). The organization does not generate commercial revenue but rather inspires companies to give 1% of their equity, profit, time, and product to charitable causes. The movement has helped ignite approximately $3 billion for charity through member pledges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pledge 1% provides a simple, flexible framework that enables companies of all sizes and stages to pledge 1% of their equity, profit, employee time, and/or product for social impact. The framework is supported by an online community platform for peer collaboration, the Builders Program for movement champions, Boardroom Allies for executive engagement, and the Global Visionary Council of industry leaders. AI-powered onboarding agents help new members complete their pledges.

Product overview

Pledge 1% is a global movement and philanthropic framework organization, not a traditional SaaS product company. The organization provides a simple, flexible framework for companies to pledge 1% of their time, product, profit, and/or equity for social impact. The core offering consists of the Pledge 1% Framework for corporate giving, supported by a Community Platform for member collaboration, along with specialized programs including the Builders Program for movement champions, Boardroom Allies for executive engagement, and the Global Visionary Council for leadership advocacy. Additional features like Service Day Matching and Engagement Blueprints support members in executing their pledge commitments. The organization does not offer a traditional SaaS product but rather serves as a movement coordinator and resource provider for corporate philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pledge 1% Builders: A program within the Pledge 1% ecosystem for companies actively engaged in social impact initiatives
• Boardroom Allies
• Global Visionary Council

Products and services

• Pledge 1% Framework A flexible framework that enables companies of all sizes and stages to pledge and set aside a percentage of staff time, product, profit, and/or equity for social impact. The framework provides a simple structure for corporate giving across four pillars (time, product, equity, profit), designed for technology companies and beyond.
• Pledge 1% Community Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• $3B+ raised for charity through equity pledges
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Atlassian FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Atlassian Foundation was instrumental in founding Pledge 1%. Scott Farquhar, Atlassian co-founder, co-founded the movement. The foundation continues to support Pledge 1% expansion, particularly in Australia.
• Tides CentercoreOthersPledge 1% is a fiscally sponsored project of Tides Center, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. Tides Center provides administrative, legal, and financial infrastructure for the organization.
• Skip FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Farquhar's family foundation that has supported Pledge 1% from its inception and continues commitments with the Australia expansion.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or IntegrationSalesforce provides technology infrastructure including Agentforce platform for Pledge 1% AI agents. Chief Philanthropy Officer Suzanne DiBianca serves on Global Visionary Council. Salesforce has been a longtime supporter of the movement.
• StartGivingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntonia Ruffell, Managing Director of Pledge 1% Australia, also serves as CEO of StartGiving, a nonprofit founded by Daniel Petre AO to inspire personal giving among Australia's tech founders and executives.
• TechstarsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTechstars partners with Pledge 1% as part of its core value of 'Give First'. The accelerator promotes Pledge 1% to portfolio companies.
• GivingTuesdaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPledge 1% runs its annual 'Pledge 1% Gives' campaign on GivingTuesday, sharing impact stories from members globally. The 2025 campaign featured 47 stories from 12 countries.
• ForbescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForbes partners with Pledge 1% on the annual Cloud 100 Impact Award, recognizing companies on the Cloud 100 List for social impact commitments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GivingTuesday: GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement and Pledge 1%'s named annual campaign partner. It is directly comparable as a large-scale, decentralized giving movement that aggregates individual and corporate participation around shared days of action.
• 1% for the Planet: 1% for the Planet operates an almost identical '1%' pledge model, but focused specifically on environmental giving. It is the closest direct comparable in mechanism (1% pledge) and movement branding, differing mainly by cause area.
• B Lab (Certified B Corporation): B Lab runs the global B Corp certification movement that encourages businesses to meet verified standards of social and environmental performance. It is a directly comparable mission-driven movement model that converts corporate values into a public commitment and community.
• Acumen: Acumen invests philanthropic capital in early-stage social enterprises tackling poverty. It is a directly comparable philanthropy-led organization operating at the intersection of business, entrepreneurship, and social impact.
• Skoll Foundation: Skoll Foundation funds and elevates social entrepreneurs driving large-scale social change. It is directly comparable as a philanthropic platform focused on catalyzing impact through high-profile entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders.
• Tides Foundation: Tides Foundation is the parent and fiscal sponsor entity of Pledge 1% (via Tides Center). It is a directly comparable nonprofit infrastructure provider offering fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and philanthropic advisory services to social-impact projects.
• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: The Schwab Foundation operates a global social entrepreneur network and recognition program in partnership with the World Economic Forum. It is a directly comparable movement-and-network model for impact-driven business leadership.

Broad incumbents

• Benevity: Benevity is a SaaS platform that powers corporate giving, volunteering, and grantmaking programs for enterprises. It is comparable as a broader incumbent serving the same corporate-philanthropy demand, but via technology rather than movement organizing.
• Salesforce.org / Salesforce Philanthropy Cloud: Salesforce.org is the philanthropic arm of a Pledge 1% co-founder and provides technology, funding, and the Agentforce platform that powers Pledge 1%'s AI agent. It is a broader incumbent in the corporate-philanthropy ecosystem and a deeply entwined partner.

Emerging players

• Echoing Green: Echoing Green identifies and funds emerging social-impact leaders and organizations. It is comparable as a talent-and-leadership-focused social-impact movement, though smaller in scale and more fellowship-oriented than Pledge 1%'s corporate model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pledge-1-
• Xx.com/pledgeone

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pledge 1%