State Employees

Our Promise allows California state employees to support nonprofits directly through payroll deduction—an easy and impactful way to give.

• In 2025, employees contributed more than $3.5 million to more than 5,000 nonprofits nationwide.
• Donations support a wide range of causes including youth, health, education, community improvement, civil rights, and the environment.
• Even small contributions (as little as $5/month) make a meaningful difference.
• Payroll deductions provide nonprofits with reliable funding and are, on average, six times larger than one-time gifts.
• Established in 1957 (CA Govt Code §14659.09), the program ensures employees can support causes of their choice.

• Payroll deduction (recurring)
• One-time donations (minimum $5 via debit/credit card) One-time donations will be available via debit or credit card on the online e-pledge portal.

Yes. You may donate to any eligible 501(c)(3) organization. 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.

To be eligible to receive donor-designated contributions, nonprofit organizations must meet applicable requirements set by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the State of California. This includes maintaining current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and being in good standing with the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts. Organizations that do not meet these requirements, or whose status cannot be verified, cannot receive distributions.

If your selected nonprofit(s) becomes ineligible to receive donations, we will contact you to select a new eligible nonprofit within a 30-day window. If you do not make a new nonprofit selection, your donation will be directed to United Way California Capital Region, the default alternate nonprofit selection.

• Log into the Our Promise portal via Cal Employee Connect
• Go to your user profile and click “Donate Now to Your Favorite Nonprofit” and you’ll be directed to the Our Promise website to complete your donation.

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.

Log into Cal Employee Connect and access the Our Promise donation portal to review your current deduction and designated nonprofits.

Yes, there is a 13.5% administrative fee that covers campaign operations and nonprofit processing. In addition, there is a $0.50 transaction fee per payroll deduction charged by the State Controller’s Office.

No. Donations are tax-deductible, but they are taken from after-tax income.

The IRS requires:

• Your pledge confirmation
• Your final pay stub for the tax year

To resend your confirmation:

1. Log into the Our Promise portal
2. Go to “My Donation History”
3. Select “Resend Confirmation” for the appropriate gift

Pay stubs can be obtained through your payroll department.

Yes. Through CalPERS, you can continue donations via your retirement check.

Note: Current payroll deductions do not automatically carry over into retirement—you must re-enroll.

• Complete the appropriate form on the Our Promise website
• Changes and cancellations are processed through CalPERS by the Our Promise team

Donors can select any eligible 501(c)(3) organization through our database via the Guidestar/Candid database.

For more information about how nonprofits can participate in the Our Promise campaign, or questions regarding donations directed to your nonprofit, visit the Nonprofit section of our website.

Our Donor Services team is here to assist you:

• 📧 ourpromiseca@uwccr.org
• 📞 (888) 863-6466