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 GuideStar by clicking 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 2026. All payroll deductions continue until you choose to stop your deduction. 

In 2024 state employees contributed more than $3.8 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.

There are two ways depending on the time of the year:

Active Campaign Season (October 1 – December 31): Your nonprofit choice can be modified directly through the Our Promise portal. Once logged in, select “Review/change” donation to make any changes to new/existing donations.  

Post Campaign Season (January 1 – September 30): Please contact Donor Services through email at: ourpromiseca@uwccr.org or by phone call at (888) 863-6466.

There are two ways depending on the time of the year:

• Active Campaign Season (October 1 – December 31): Donations can be modified directly through the Our Promise portal. Once logged in, select “review/change” donation to make any changes to new/existing donations.  

• Post Campaign Season (January 1 – September 30): Please contact Donor Services through email at: ourpromiseca@uwccr.org or by phone call at (888) 863-6466. 

For tax substantiation purposes, the IRS now requires you to have confirmation of your electronic pledge or pledge form and your last pay stub for that tax year.  
 
Paystubs can be made available through making a request to your payroll department.  

To request a new confirmation letter, donors can access their Our Promise account through the Our Promise Portal.

Within the Our Promise Portal, follow the link to the “My Donation History” page, located on the top-right hand corner of the homepage once logged in.  

Once on this page, please select the Resend Confirmation icon beside the gift made in the fall prior to the tax year. 

This information on what is needed for tax substantiation purposes is also available for reference on your “My Donation History” page.  

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 13.5% fee is deducted from your donation to cover campaign costs. This amount is taken from the first nonprofit payouts until the full fee is collected. The State Controller’s Office also charges a $0.50 transaction fee per payroll deduction, which is subject to change.

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 payroll deduction through your CalPERS retirement check. It’s an easy way to continue your monthly donations to nonprofits that rely on your support. 

If you are currently enrolled in the Our Promise campaign and already have a deduction taken out, this will NOT roll over once you have retired, since you are no longer receiving a pay warrant from the State Controller’s Office. 

Please fill out the form on our website by clicking here.

Please fill out the form on our website by clicking here.

Please fill out the form on our website by clicking here. Your request to cancel your donation will be processed by our team on your behalf through CalPERS.  

Please contact Donor Services through email at: ourpromiseca@uwccr.org or by phone call at (888) 863-6466.  

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. 

There are two ways depending on the time of the year:

• Active Campaign Season (October 1 – December 31): Donations can be cancelled directly through the Our Promise portal. Once logged in select “Review/change” donation to make any changes to new/existing donations.  

• Post Campaign Season (January 1 – September 30): Please contact Donor Services through email at: ourpromiseca@uwccr.org or by phone call at (888) 863-6466. 

The SCO takes a standard fee from every transaction anywhere from 0.30 to 0.55.  

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 thousands of nonprofits on a monthly basis.  

Please contact Donor Services through email at: ourpromiseca@uwccr.org or by phone call at (888) 863-6466 to speak with a team member regarding a refund.

Donations will not be sent to nonprofits that are ineligible with the IRS or the California Registry of Charitable Trusts. If your selected nonprofit is ineligible, you’ll be contacted to choose a replacement.