State Employees

To get started, access Cal Employee Connect which is where you view your monthly paycheck and other employee services.

Click on your “User Profile” and click on the button that says “Donate now to your favorite nonprofit(s)” and you will be directed to the Our Promise donation site. If you are an existing donor, you must first log into Cal Employee Connect to access the Our Promise donation site to cancel or modify your donation!

Search for a nonprofit that you’re passionate about. You can give to any valid 501(c)(3) organization in the United States. You can also view our Certified Nonprofit List here to easily find an organization you’re passionate about.

Sign-up to give your donation via monthly payroll deduction or a one-time donation. New or modified payroll deductions start in January 2025. All payroll deductions continue until you choose to stop your deduction. 

In 2023, state employees contributed more than $4.2 million, supporting more than 2,500 nonprofits nationwide. These contributions help address critical issues such as youth, health, human services, education, community improvement, older adults, civil rights & advocacy, and animals & the environment –  ensuring that communities throughout California thrive.

Even with contributions as little as $5/month, you can have a significant impact in communities through the nonprofits you choose to give to. 

Payroll deductions provide nonprofits with consistent cash flow, facilitating their operations and services. On average, payroll deduction gifts are six times greater than one-time donations.

Lawfully established in 1957, CA Govt Code §14659.09, Our Promise gives state employees the right to donate to their chosen nonprofits directly through payroll deduction.

For questions about your current deduction and/or designation(s), visit Cal Employee Connect and login to the Our Promise donation site.

While tax deductible, charitable payroll deductions are not pre-tax. Your charitable donations come out of your after-tax earnings.

Yes! The minimum is $5 and can be designated to any nonprofit of their choice. One-time donations will be available via debit or credit card on the online e-pledge portal.

A fee of 13.5% is charged to all donations to cover campaign costs, validate the 501(c)(3) status of nonprofit organizations and process payments to more than 2,500 nonprofits.

After an employee has made their contribution, the individual employee receives a confirmation and then Our Promise processes the donation. The employee/donor can choose to remain anonymous if they don’t want their designated nonprofit to know about their donation. If they are not anonymous, then we share their name with the designated nonprofit.

If you do not wish to participate in the campaign or would like to opt-out/decline, you do not need to take any action.

If you’re an existing donor, you will need to stop your donation by logging into your Our Promise donation site through Cal Employee Connect and clicking the ‘Cancel All Donations’ button.

Thanks to our partnership with CalPers, you can continue to contribute to the nonprofit of your choice via via your CalPERS pension! It’s an easy way to continue your monthly donations to nonprofits that rely on your support.

You can set up your retiree donation here.

If you’re an existing donor, you will need to stop your donation by logging into your Our Promise donation site through Cal Employee Connect and clicking the ‘Cancel All Donations’ button.

You can donate to any valid 501(c)(3) organization through the Our Promise Campaign. If you can’t find the nonprofit in our database, you can search Guidestar –a national database that collects, organizes, and presents information about every single IRS-registered nonprofit organization.

Any valid 501(c)(3) organization can receive donations through the Our Promise Campaign. If you receive donations through the Our Promise campaign, you will be automatically listed as a certified nonprofit. If you have never received a donation through the Our Promise campaign, you can apply to be certified here.

All certified nonprofits must be valid 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and be in good standing with the Registry of Charitable Trusts to operate or to solicit for charitable purposes in California. 

When a nonprofit does not have the required IRS 501(c)(3) filing to receive charitable donations, we will make every effort to contact the donor so they can pick another valid 501(c)(3) nonprofit to the direction their donation to or stop their contribution.

If we do not hear back from a donor within 30 days, or cannot reach them because of a lack of contact information, the portion designated to the ineligible organization will be directed to the donor’s local United Way.