Pledge It User Guide

CCL Year End Fundraiser Pledge It Campaign

How It Works

1. We create the main campaign page
   The Citizens’ Climate fundraising team sets up a central Pledge It campaign with our overall fundraising goal and impact story. This is the hub where all individual efforts come together. 
2. You join by creating your own mini campaign
   Once the main campaign is live, you can sign up to create your own personalized page within it. Think of it as your ‘mini campaign’ under the Citizens’ Climate umbrella. Your page includes your photo, story, and personal fundraising goal. 
3. Share your campaign and raise funds
   Share your page with friends, family, and networks to invite donations or pledges. Every dollar raised through your page goes towards our main campaign total, helping us reach our collective goal.  
4. Track progress and celebrate impact
   Pledge It automatically tracks progress across all mini campaigns, so you can see your individual effort and how your efforts contribute to Citizens’ Climate’s overall fundraiser.

Types of Campaigns

When you join a Citizens’ Climate fundraising campaign on Pledge It, you will have two options for how to structure your personal fundraiser. 

Option #1: Traditional Campaign 

You set a personal fundraising goal and invite friends, family, and supporters to donate directly to your page. This is the simplest option and works great if you want to focus on inspiring direct gifts.

Example:

You set a goal to raise $2,000 for Citizens’ Climate during December as part of our Year-End Fundraiser. You share your fundraising page on social media and by email, and your friends contribute donations to help you reach your goal.

Option #2: Pledge Campaign 

Instead of asking for flat donations, you invite people to pledge a certain amount for each action you complete — then the final donation amount is calculated based on your results. This type of campaign is a fun, motivating way to turn your personal goals into dollars raised.  

Examples: 

• Miles walked – “Pledge $5 for every mile I walk this month”
• Pushups done – “Pledge $10 for every pushup I do on Giving Tuesday”
• Rows knitted – “Pledge $1 for every row I knit this month”
• Pages read – “Pledge $1 for each page I read during November and December”
• Hours volunteered – “Pledge $5 for every hour I spend volunteering this December”
• Days of climate-friendly living – “Pledge $20 for every day I go car-free this Nov - Dec”

Campaign Timing

✅ Best Times to Use Pledge It:

• Whenever works best for you. We welcome Pledge It campaigns nearly year-round! There is always an annual Pledge It campaign running for Citizens’ Climate, so you can fundraise whenever the timing works best for you.
   
• Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is Dec. 2 this year. If we raise $250,000 in donations this Giving Tuesday, a group of our Climate Guardian donors will contribute an additional $250,000 — doubling the impact and giving the Year-End Fundraiser strong early momentum. Consider organizing a one-day activity or major fundraising push on Giving Tuesday to support this year’s matching challenge.
   
• Throughout our Year-End Fundraiser. Our overall goal for the 2025 Year-End Fundraiser is $1.25 million by Dec. 31. Organizing a Pledge It campaign for the month of December is especially helpful and encouraged.

🚫Times to Avoid Using Pledge It:

• During March. Our preference is for supporters to refrain from hosting campaigns during our spring fundraiser in March, so that our focus can remain on welcoming new monthly donors. 

Page Setup

1. Go to the Citizens’ Climate campaign page
   • Ex. 2025 Year-End Fundraiser 
2. Click “Join” to create your own mini campaign
   • Sign in with an email and create a password
   • When you create your account, Pledge It will prompt you with a question: “Do you want to be part of a team?” If you are setting up a Pledge It fundraiser with your chapter, choose “Create a team.” If not, select “no” and your individual fundraiser will still appear under the Citizens’ Climate main campaign page.
3. Set up your page
   • Personalize with your name, photo, and story. There is a profile photo (our logo) and story already loaded if you just want to use ours and keep it simple. 
   • Choose your fundraising goal or action goal
     1. Note that Pledge It has a set list of activities to choose from. If the activity you plan to track is not on the list, just select “Points” as a generic option and explain your unique activity in the description section of your campaign page. 
4. Launch your page and start sharing
5. Track your progress on your page dashboard

Need Help?

If you have any questions or need assistance setting up or running your Pledge It campaign, our Development Officer, Carolyn Weaver, is here to help!

Email: carolyn.weaver@citizensclimatelobby.org 

Phone: 619-437-7142 ext.109