What is Pledge 1%?

Pledge 1% is all about giving back to the community. It encourages organizations to commit 1% of their equity, time, product, or profit toward improving the world around them. It is intentionally flexible: a startup with no revenue can still pledge time, while a mature company can pledge equity or profit.

The genius of the model is how low the barrier is. One percent is small enough that almost any business can say yes, yet when thousands of companies commit together, the collective impact is enormous.

Pledge 1% grew out of the philanthropic model Salesforce built into its own DNA from day one, often called the 1-1-1 model: 1% of equity, 1% of product, and 1% of employee time given back to the community. It worked so well that Salesforce and a group of partners turned it into an open movement any company could join.

Over more than two decades, Salesforce has shown what the commitment can add up to.

There is no one-size-fits-all playbook. Companies bring the pledge to life in ways that match their people and their product:

• Mentorship and professional training for people entering the field.
• Strategic partnerships with nonprofits and schools.
• Subsidized or free access to educational courses.
• Fundraising campaigns for causes their community cares about.
• Company-wide volunteer days.

The Pledge 1% spirit shapes how we run MasterSalesforce. We give away free practice questions and study guides so that cost is never the reason someone can't start a Salesforce career. We share what we learn openly, and we invest time mentoring newcomers to the ecosystem.

Certifications open doors, and we believe more people deserve to walk through them. Giving back 1% is how we help make that happen.