Global music artist and entrepreneur will.i.am and his company i.am+  have joined the Pledge 1% movement and are #PledgingItForward in a big way with the launch of their newest product BUTTONS, premium BluetoothTM earphones.

As a new Pledge 1% member, i.am+ is donating 1% of net proceeds, 1% of staff time, and 1% of product to the i.am.angel Foundation, which operates after school tutoring programs like i.am College Track, as well as supports FIRST robotics clubs and civic ‘appathons’ that help underprivileged high school students gain hands-on access to STEM and tech curriculum.

will.i.am says,

“Education is a solution to a lot of the world’s problems. When you buy i.am+ products, like BUTTONS, just know you’re helping build centers that teach kids important skill sets, keeping young people off the streets and getting them into building consumer electronics, and computer systems.”

BUTTONS are now available from iamplus.com, Apple Stores, apple.com, and high-end retailers worldwide.  Check out their press release to learn more.  And remember, 1% of every purchase will help advance a student’s future!

To read the original press release, visit https://iamplus.com/company/buttons-press-release.pdf

This week, PandaPay, an API for charitable giving and a Pledge 1% member, is announcing the launch of Mindful Commerce, a new movement that helps companies get involved in Pledge 1% and start giving back.

PandaPay takes care of the tax, legal, and engineering implications for companies who want to launch and grow cause marketing campaigns.  The result is an easy and useful solution for e-commerce and SaaS companies to pledge 1% or more of profits to charity.

Pledge 1% is excited to work with the PandaPay team on Mindful Commerce, which invites companies to donate a percentage of sales on #GivingTuesday and sign up to give 1% going forward as a Pledge 1% member.  

With Dreamforce just around around the corner, we are proud to see Pledge 1% member Simplus leading by example and making giving back a core part of their booth activation.

This will be Simplus’ first year having a booth at Dreamforce, and they are making a big splash with their #SimplusGives campaign.  Rather than giving out the traditional event swag, they are inviting visitors to do something that matters and to join them in giving back.  Attendees can choose to give to one of three worthy causes:

• One Day of School


• One Meal


• One Gallon of Clean Water

The concept is simple: instead of getting, join Simplus in giving.

In addition to these causes, Simplus is going green and all of their collateral will be 100% paperless.

Ryan Westwood, CEO of Simplus, explains, “One of our core values is accountability, and we feel we need to be accountable to our community as well as to Simplus. We are dedicated to supporting corporate philanthropy and are excited to utilize Dreamforce as a vehicle to promote some great causes through #SimplusGives.  We want to be not only recognized as the leader in Salesforce Quote to Cash implementations, but also as one of the most generous Salesforce partners.”

We are thrilled to see Simplus’ commitment to Pledge 1% and to giving back.  Make sure to stop by booth #1745 next week – we promise you will not leave feeling empty-handed!

If you would like to learn more about Simplus and their Dreamforce 2016 activities please visit: www.simplus.com/dreamforce

Last night, September 28, Pledge 1% partnered with The Boston Foundation to launch Pledge 1% Boston, a pilot regional model for the movement. The event started with resounding enthusiasm as Accomplice founder Jeff Fagnan took the stage and announced that Accomplice will pledge 1% of their carry in perpetuity to two local nonprofits InnerCity Weightlifting and Resilient Coders. 

Jeff spoke about the tech sector’s potential to give back, and the power that companies can have when we give back together.  “Change will only happen with ‘we’,” he explained, “and by people joining micro-movements like Pledge 1% Boston.  The message is – don’t join me, join we!”

Jeff was joined on stage by other prominent Boston investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders, who are now serving on The Boston Foundation/Pledge 1% Boston Innovation Economy Leadership Council, including  John Simon, Managing Director of Sigma Prime Ventures, and C.A. Webb, Co-Founder and Partner of _Underscore, all who shared their vision for Pledge 1% Boston and offered to coach, mentor, and collaborate with new members.  Each leader spoke about their role in the movement and took personal ownership for driving greater giving to the Boston community.

The Innovation Economy Council and Pledge 1% Boston is headed up by Tim Smith at The Boston Foundation in partnership with Pledge 1%.  We are also fortunate to have the support of TUGG, the GreenLight Fund, and other Boston organizations.  By uniting seasoned VCs, Pledge 1% members, and other members of the Boston tech community, Pledge 1% Boston is creating a new model to engage and empower entrepreneurs as a force for good in the greater Boston area.  

And, to Jeff’s point, Boston companies are building this movement together.

Already 12 companies have taken the pledge, including Accomplice, Gravyty, Ovuline, and others.

Some key takeaways from the speakers:

• John Simon, Managing Director of Sigma Prime Ventures – Sign up and get started early.  Build Pledge 1% into company.  As CEOs, you take care of many constituencies, such as your staff, your Board, and your customers.  Your community should be one of those constituencies, and it is our job as leaders to give back.


• Paris Wallace, CEO of Ovuline and TechStars mentor – Think about all of the generosity that has impacted your life and consider giving 1%.  Think about your employees, who give 100% every day, your mentors, your Board, your partners–all of the people whose generosity has helped your company grow.  In the big picture, 1% is a small and great opportunity for you to pay it forward and give back to your community.


• Rich and Adam Martel of Gravyty – It’s on us to build the movement.  Ask one new person to take the pledge.  As we grow, so does our impact, and together we can encourage others to join us in giving back.

Pledge 1%’s CEO Amy Lesnick welcomed new members and kicked-off the night with hosts Kate Guedj, Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer of The Boston Foundation and Geeta Pradhan, President of the Cambridge Community Foundation.  

Last night proved that the Pledge 1% movement is alive and strong in Boston.  We are proud to partner with The Boston Foundation on uniting local leaders around Pledge 1%, and are delighted to welcome them to the larger Pledge 1% community!

If you are based in Boston or would like to #PledgeItForward by asking a Boston-based founder or company to join this local network, please contact us and we would be happy to connect you!

Sep 26, 2016 By Naomi Morenzoni, Salesforce.org

At Dreamforce this year, you won’t be able to go far without seeing or hearing about Pledge 1%.  Inspired by Salesforce’s 1-1-1 Model, Pledge 1%encourages and challenges individuals and companies to pledge 1% of equity, product and employee time for their communities.

Earlier this month, Pledge 1% announced an exciting milestone—1,000 companies in 30 countries have joined the global movement to make giving back part of their DNA. In fact, over 20% of Dreamforce sponsors have taken the Pledge.

Interested in learning more about how you and your company can take a stand and get involved with the movement?  A number of Pledge 1% companies will be sharing their advice throughout the event and encouraging others to take the pledge. Check out the schedule below. See you there!

Wednesday, October 5

Attract Millennials With a Give Back Culture

9:45 – 10:15 AM at Moscone West, 1st Floor, Developer Forest | Innovation Theater

Millennials need to feel a sense of purpose. Studies show they want to make a difference in their communities, near and far. How can you cultivate a company culture that will attract, retain and motivate millennial employees and customers? Hear from Samasource, Copia, and SOMA Water on innovative ideas from Samasour to help you integrate giving back into your company culture.

Building a Company as a Platform for Change

11 AM – 12 PM at Moscone West Level 2

For years, business leaders have considered giving back something to do when they’ve “made it” – something to consider once their companies have achieved success. But the conversation is changing. Today, CEOs are seeing that by building philanthropy into a company’s DNA, it can drive true business value, in addition to incredible impact on communities around the world. Join us to hear from CEOs from Twilio, Atlassian and 6Sense who have made giving back at their companies an early priority.

Women’s Innovator Network

4 -7 PM at Rotunda in Neiman Marcus

Join the BlueWolf networking event and for every 5 attendees we’ll donate $25 and 1 hour of consultants’ time to the organization ChickTech. This donation is part of their Oledge and they will also be encouraging people to #PledgeItForward with their own pledges throughout the week of Dreamforce. Topics include the impact of gender diversity on the bottom line of businesses as well as strategies to combat unconscious bias and improve diversity. To request an invite click here.

Thursday, October 6

Salesforce LIVE

1:30pm streaming live at www.salesforce.com/video

Join us for an on-air broadcast to hear from DocuSign, Okta and GlassyBaby, three companies that have actively been involved in Pledge 1%.

1% to Change the World

3:30 pm at Partner Lodge Theater, Park Central Hotel

More than 150 Salesforce Partners have made a commitment to giving through Pledge 1%. Hear from BlueWolf and Vlocity, two Partners that have actively been involved in this movement and the impact they’ve seen in their companies and communities.

Friday, October 7

Community Campfire

10 AM – 12 PM at Dreampark

Drop by the Pledge 1% Community Campfire. Hear from other Pledge 1% companies on their success and share your own story. Not a Pledge 1% company? You can still be involved by either taking the Pledge or becoming at #PledgeItForward Ambassador.

Every day I am reminded that we are living in the most exciting and transformative era in history. In my 35-plus years in the technology industry I’ve never experienced so much innovation, and at such an incredibly rapid pace. Tectonic changes sparked by cloud, social, mobile, data science and Internet of Things technologies are transforming every industry, from transportation and entertainment to shopping and financial services.

In addition, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, clean energy, genetic engineering and other fields have the potential to profoundly reshape manufacturing, agriculture, medicine and more. Business leaders everywhere are trying to keep up with this immense wave of digital transformation.

It’s also a time when every business leader needs to consider how these digital technology breakthroughs are going to impact not just their companies, but their communities, the planet and society as a whole. These amazing innovations not only create phenomenal opportunities for economic growth, but also serious societal challenges as well. Vast numbers of jobs will be replaced by machine intelligence and robots. The increasing capabilities of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering have the potential to get beyond the control of their creators.

As a society, we are entering uncharted territory—a new world in which governments, business leaders, the scientific community and citizens need to work together to define the paths that direct these technologies at improving the human condition and minimizing the risks.

As Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, states in his new book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, “Unless public- and private-sector leaders assure citizens that they are executing credible strategies to improve people’s’ lives, social unrest, mass migration, and violent extremism could intensify, thus creating risks for countries at all stages of development.”

It’s my belief that businesses are the greatest platforms for change and can have an enormous impact on improving the state of the world. As business leaders we are in positions of influence, and responsible for more than just shareholders.

We are accountable for the well being of an extended community of employees, customers and partners, as well as our fellow beings on this planet we inhabit.

This belief was further solidified for me during a meeting last year in Geneva with Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). We were discussing the tragic, unprecedented situation of one million migrants seeking refuge in Europe, and how he and the ICRC are dedicated to helping these displaced people. While he was talking, I noticed a picture on the wall of a man who I had never seen before. It was Swiss businessman Jean Henri Dunant, who I subsequently learned had the initial vision for the ICRC and was the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dunant’s vision for the Red Cross grew out his experience witnessing the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in Italy during the summer of 1859. The French Army under Napoleon III and the Sardinian Army under Victor Emmanuel II had defeated the Austrian Army of Franz Joseph I. There were more than 20,000 warriors on the field dead, dying or wounded. Dunant applied his entrepreneurial and business skills to rally the local townspeople to get the wounded off the battlefield and into a stable situation. He also organized the funding for supplies and building temporary hospitals.

Following his return to Geneva, Dunant was inspired to create an organization dedicated to improving the quality of medical services on the battlefield, which led to the founding of the ICRC in 1863. Today, the ICRC continues its efforts to relieve suffering around the world, with more than 12,000 staff working in 80 countries around the world.

Dunant made a shift that I believe many business leaders want to make—applying his leadership, resources and relationships in a more humanitarian way. Only with compassion and generosity can we address the difficult challenges ahead, from the rising tide of inequality to global warming.

At my company, Salesforce, we baked philanthropy into our business model from day one, leveraging one percent of our technology, people, and resources to help nonprofits around the world achieve their missions. So far, we’ve provided more than $100 million in grants, our employees have logged more than 1.1 million volunteer hours and we’ve given products to more than 27,000 organizations. Following our example, more than 550 companies have signed up for Pledge 1%, committing one percent of their equity, product, and employee time to their communities.

As businesses we can be financially successful, and at the same time we can make the world a better place for everyone.

As business leaders, we can collaborate with our customers, employees, partners, communities, governments and institutions to create cultures of trust that put the wellbeing of our people and planet first. We can engage in corporate philanthropy with the same focus and dedication as other business investments. We can rethink our educational systems to train the workforce of tomorrow. We can work together to ensure that this technology revolution serves humanity to its fullest potential and benefits the all citizens, not just a chosen few.

Going forward, business leaders, not just government leaders, will be judged by whether they succeed in directing the wave of exponential technology innovation to making the world a better place. As another Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”

Marc Benioff is the Chairman and CEO of Salesforce

Originally posted: January 18, 2016

But leaders in corporate philanthropy circles say bigger companies find it even harder to make charity part of their business model, as investors have other priorities.

A campaign launching Tuesday aims to get growing businesses to do what San Francisco’s Salesforce.com did in its infancy 15 years ago: Promise to donate 1 percent of its equity, 1 percent of its employees’ time and 1 percent of the firm’s products to charity. Called the Pledge 1% Program — and led by Salesforce and others — it aims to get 500 other corporations to do the same over the next year.

Those who have bought into the idea have seen other benefits.

“It’s good for business, too,” said Bradley Heinz, program manager at Optimizely.org, the social impact arm of Optimizely, a firm which helps users enhance and grow their websites. The San Francisco company — which includes several top execs who used to work at Salesforce — is participating in the program.

It started early

Optimizely had already incorporated philanthropy into its business model when it was a 100-person firm. Now the 4-year-old company is three times that big. Employees saw the value of giving back when it donated its product to a campaign to help earthquake victims in Haiti four years ago. Improving the fundraising website led to $1 million more in additional donations toward earthquake victims, Heinz said.

“It’s much easier to integrate this when you’re a smaller company,” Heinz said.

But that can be difficult to sell to a growing company.

“I think it’s a mental barrier for most people,” said Ryan Martens, co-founder of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado, which is leading the campaign along with Salesforce and Atlassian, a software company. “People will say, ‘What will the venture capitalists say?’ Or, ‘Oh, that’s only for older adults who have made it, not for young ones.’”

“We’re just trying to make it easier for them to do this,” said Martens, who is also a co-founder of Rally, a software company that spends 4,000 hours annually volunteering and has donated $1.5 million through incorporating its principles over the past dozen years.

While saying that the goals are noble, privately some entrepreneurs say the hardest part is getting their employees — or VCs — to part with their equity shares. That’s why Martens suggested the “time to start talking about that is when it’s worth nothing. That’s the best time to talk to people about it.”

It is somewhat easier to convince a young firm to volunteer time and offer its product at a deeply discounted rate. Many young tech firms sell their software to nonprofits for up to an 80 percent discount, not only as a way to give back to the community, but also to broaden their customer base.

Aimed largely at startups and smaller firms, the campaign will provide a website where companies can learn how to enact each of the 1 percent pillars — and allow them to satisfy their commitment by taking on one challenge at a time instead of all three at once.

Making it easier

The hope is that if a younger company can make philanthropy part of its DNA when it is smaller, it will become a way of life as it grows. So far, 200 firms have signed up during the campaign’s quiet period.

Not every company can give with the volume of Salesforce. Founder Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne, have donated tens of millions to the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, to homeless families and to San Francisco public schools. In March,

Salesforce and the nonprofit Tipping Point Community formed SF Gives, an initiative to get the corporate community to raise money for Bay Area antipoverty programs.

Still, San Francisco’s income inequality divide — the fastest-growing in the country — is inspiring other growing companies to look at what they can do to help those less fortunate.

Employees at Practice Fusion, a cloud medical records company in San Francisco, decided that they would take $50,000 that would have been used for their holiday gift — usually something like a fleece pullover — and give it to the poor. Later this month, some of its 400 employees will box holiday meals for 700 San Francisco families and deliver them to three nonprofit organizations.

“People were not that into the gifts and swag,” said Practice Fusion CEO Ryan Howard. “They wanted to give back.”

Its biggest effort

While Practice Fusion has regular volunteer programs, this is the largest such outreach in its nine-year history.

Martens, one of the campaign’s leaders, hopes that by taking the pledge, such types of philanthropy can become institutionalized.

“It breeds a very virtuous cycle,” he said. “If you lean into it, it leans back on you and delivers way more benefit than you put into it.”

Originally posted: December 2, 2015