It's not about one.
It's about all.
Have you ever wanted to make a difference in the world? Yea. We've had the feeling too. Over and over again.
So you get all gung-ho about taking action, but when you’re trying to move that boulder on your own, it starts to feel a little pointless. But what if you're not the only one who gives a dang? What if there's millions of others just like you that are feeling stuck? What if we all start pushing?
Turns out a boulder CAN be moved.
When we roll up our sleeves, together we can — and WILL — make a difference, and it all starts with a single pledge.
1) Sign up for an account and join a pledge (or multiple pledges) that truly speak to you — one that you can commit to for the long haul. If you don’t see one you like, you can always contact us and suggest a new one.
2) Once approved, your name, city, and state will get publicly published on that pledge’s page. This promotes accountability and even some friendly competition.
3) It is now your responsibility to complete that pledge as often as applicable. But here’s the thing, we know there will be moments of weakness, and that’s okay! Continually trying is not failing.
The world doesn’t need a few people to perfectly make a difference, we need millions of people to do it imperfectly.
4) You’ll receive an email from us once a week providing pledge status updates and motivational insights. Additionally, this email will give you the chance to check in on how often you completed each pledge.
5) Earn Personal Impact Points by checking in each week. A pledge completed 'Every Time' earns you 5 points and 'Sometimes' completed equals 3, but if you deliberately didn’t complete the pledge, you’ll get docked 3 points. We don’t like to give negatives, but we do expect you to at least try to be active with the pledge.
6) Grow your impact by challenging others to take the pledge. We each play an important part, but we can’t change the world without more people like you.
With plastics polluting our oceans and climate change threatening our planet, I’m tired of waiting around for government leaders and corporations to take action. I’m going to tackle these problems on my own!
It didn’t take long for the weight of the world’s problems to sink in. — I’m just one person . . . I don’t have the money . . . I don’t have the time . . .
What could I do that would actually create any kind of difference?
. . . Well, people like you, at least.
I found that humans all over the world naturally wanted to do good.
Take you for example. It’s no coincidence why you landed on this site. Something inside you has the urge to make a positive impact.
“Wanting to do good” is not the same as “Doing good.”
We all fall prey to the same road blocks: turning a blind eye, continually justifying our lack of action, and seeking excuses because “that’s what everyone else is doing.”
I was left with the burning question — how do we overcome these barriers?
Turns out, people much smarter were wondering this same question and discovered a threefold solution:
1) Increase observability
2) Eliminate excuses
3) Communicate expectations.
1) In order to increase observability, we purposely publish all pledgee names, cities, and states. Now, your neighbors and friends will know if you’re not doing what you said you’d do.
2) We’re eliminating excuses by checking in weekly and requiring you to answer the simple question, “How did you do this week?”. We will exercise our right to remove anybody from a pledge that consistently doesn’t respond and/or never completes the pledge. And yes, we’re using the honor system, but that’s on your conscious, not ours.
3) Before ever signing up, each pledge spells out what is expected of a user with the what, why, and when breakdown. Additionally, we require a double opt in for each new sign up to verify that they truly know what they’re signing up for.
We truly believe that together we can achieve great things. We know there will be hiccups and road blocks along the way, but if you believe in us, then we believe in you and the awesome impact that one person can achieve.
We’ll continue to grow our original thought into global action, and we’re excited to see where this wild ride takes us.
Small Pledges is still in its infancy, and the truth is, it shows.
We’re a small team with a small budget, so we’re riding this train one day at a time. We passionately believe in the work we’re fostering, and although we have a long way to go, we know we’re on the right track to making this a better world for each and every one of us.
If you find yourself being passionate right along with us, then let that passion show! Whether you’re interested in spreading the word, want to critique flaws of our site, or are feeling generous and want to donate and/or invest in our mission, then you’ve come to the right place. So don’t be shy, contact us today and get ready to make a difference.