Don’t be this person - “Oh, you want to take the pledge? That’s great! Just err...Here, let me just. I’m sorry I swear I knew how this...no, don’t go! I can learn! I can learn!”

Be this person - “Oh, you want to take the pledge? That’s great! Let me walk you through a step-by-step process because I know exactly how it works, where you might have questions and am the ABSOLUTE Pledging Expert.” 

Below, you’ll find the end-all-be-all guide to walk you through how to take the OFTW pledge, along with frequently asked questions received about the platform.

Contents:

1. Finding your chapter's Donational link
2. Donational walkthrough video
3. Donational walkthrough
4. FAQ

Finding your Donational link

Use this spreadsheet to find your Donational link.

Donational walkthrough video

Donational walkthrough

• Open your link
• Find the box on the right side
• This box has five slides. Here are the slide names, in order
1. “Donate Now”
2. “About You”
3. “Your donation”
4. “Payment”
5. “About You” again
• Slowly fill in the boxes, and, voila!

FAQ

“How much $ should I pledge?”

• We typically ask for 1%. This is a relatively small amount as the average American gives around 2.6% of their annual income to charity in general.
• IF PUSHBACK ON 1% BEING TOO MUCH: We think that the difference in quality of life between $60,000 and $59,400 is relatively negligible for people like you and me. To the most effective charities, however, that $600 is saving lives and going a lot further.
• If you feel particularly moved, lots of our exec staff have taken pledges of 5%, 10%, or even 25%. There is no limit.

“Why do you need my credit card info now? Will you start taking my money?”

• Once again, the pledge is editable, cancellable, and refundable at any time. You will get a plethora of reminders before your pledge kicks it–it won’t catch you by surprise.
• Setting a specific source that will automatically begin is also a great way to hold us accountable to actually fulfill the pledge and donate to charity.

“What if I don’t have an income?”

• You can select the date of your pledge to start several years in the future. Most people choose to start the fall after they graduate, presumably when they will have a job.

“Which portfolio should I choose?”

• 90% of people select the “OFTW top picks” option. This is a continually evolving and updated portfolio consisting of OFTW’s top 5 charities for that given year.
• Once you select it, you don’t have to worry about keeping upto-date with the charity rankings
• If people feel a particularly strong attraction towards one cause under the global poverty umbrella, they can select a specific charity within the OFTW portfolio. All 16 in the portfolio are the best in the world, but the “top picks” portfolio is the top 5.

“What if I don’t know what my salary will be?”

• The “$[]” per month option you see there is calculated to be 1% of the median [your school] student’s salary after graduating. The pledge is editable, cancellable, and refundable at any time, so we recommend just choosing that for the time being as a placeholder.

“Can I get more involved?”

• You can be involved in multiple capacities. If you are excited by the pledge and want to get friends and family to take it as well, consider being an ambassador. If you want to be more involved with OFTW in general, consider joining our exec board.

“What if I don’t know what city I’ll be in or who my employer will be?”

• No problem, putting “N/A” is fine or you can make a guess. It’s just for internal data analysis.