diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8050b5e..62721b4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     "tailwindcss": "^3.0.7"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "@constemi/itsdangerjs": "^0.0.2",
     "bookshelf": "^1.2.0",
     "dotenv": "^10.0.0",
     "express": "^4.17.2",
diff --git a/server/index.js b/server/index.js
index cd8bf43..fa8c795 100644
--- a/server/index.js
+++ b/server/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const express = require('express')
 const bodyParser = require('body-parser')
 const path = require('path')
+const { URLSafeTimedSerializer } = require("@constemi/itsdangerjs")
 
 require('dotenv').config()
 
@@ -15,6 +16,20 @@ if (process.env.DEBUG || process.env.CROWDFUNDING_SITE_DEBUG) {
 
 if (DEBUG) console.log('Starting website in debug mode')
 
+// set up secret key
+let secretKey
+if (process.env.CROWDFUNDING_SITE_SECRET_KEY) {
+  secretKey = process.env.CROWDFUNDING_SITE_SECRET_KEY
+} else {
+  if (DEBUG) {
+    secretKey = 'NotReallyASecret'
+    console.warn("Secret key is not set! We're falling back to the default one which is INSECURE and NOT TO BE USED IN PRODUCTION")
+  } else {
+    console.error('No secret key is set. You cannot run this in production without setting a secret key because that would be very insecure. Sorry.')
+    process.exit()
+  }
+}
+
 // get goal details
 const goalPeople = Number(process.env.CROWDFUNDING_SITE_GOAL_PEOPLE) || 750
 const goalRupees = Number(process.env.CROWDFUNDING_SITE_GOAL_RUPEES) || 500000
@@ -213,9 +228,113 @@ router.post('/pledge', async (req, res) => {
 		return
 	}
 
+  // check for existing pledge
+  let existingPledge
+  try {
+    existingPledge = await (Pledge
+      .query({
+        where: {
+          'email': req.query.email,
+          'amount': amount,
+        },
+      })
+    .orderBy('created_at', 'DESC')
+    .fetch())
+  } catch(e) {
+    if (e.name == 'EmptyResponse' && DEBUG) {
+      console.debug('No existing pledge')
+    } else {
+      console.warn(`Weird error happened: ${e}`)
+    }
+  }
+
+  // generate verification link
+  let serialiser = URLSafeTimedSerializer(secretKey, pledge.get('email'))
+  let verificationLink = `${req.protocol}://${req.hostname}/verify?email=${encodeURIComponent(pledge.get('email'))}&key=${encodeURIComponent(serialiser.dumps(pledge.get('amount')))}`
+
+  // TODO: send out the email, along with existing pledge deets
+  console.debug(`Verification link generated: ${verificationLink}`)
+
 	res.send("Thank you! We're still working on setting up this website, so as you can see this page doesn't look great at the moment, but we will be sending you a confirmation email in a few days. Watch out for an email from editors@snipettemag.com, and if it doesn't reach, check your spam box :P")
 })
 
+// save pledge after verification complete
+router.get('/verify', async (req, res) => {
+  if (DEBUG) console.debug('Validating pledge:', req.query)
+
+  // unpack verification link (unless it's expired)
+  let serialiser = URLSafeTimedSerializer(secretKey, req.query.email)
+  let amount
+
+  try {
+    amount = serialiser.loads(req.query.key, 300) // number in seconds
+  } catch(e) {
+    if (e.name == 'SignatureExpired') {
+      res.send("Oops, looks like your link has expired. Please go back and try pledging again. Sorry :(")
+      return
+    } else {
+      res.send("An unknown error occurred. Please generate a new link and try again. Sorry for the inconvenience :(")
+      return
+    }
+  }
+
+  // check against database
+  let pledge
+  try {
+    pledge = await (UnverifiedPledge
+      .query({
+        where: {
+          'email': req.query.email,
+          'amount': amount,
+        },
+      })
+    .orderBy('created_at', 'DESC')
+    .fetch())
+  } catch(e) {
+    if (e.name == 'EmptyResponse') {
+      res.send('That pledge was not found in our records. Are you sure you made it? Please go back and try again :(')
+      return
+    } else {
+      throw e
+      res.send("An unknown error occurred. Please generate a new link and try again. Sorry for the inconvenience :(")
+      return
+    }
+  }
+
+  // prepare our new pledge
+  let newPledge = new Pledge()
+
+  newPledge.set('was_robot', pledge.get('was_robot'))
+	newPledge.set('amount', pledge.get('amount'))
+	newPledge.set('overseas', pledge.get('overseas'))
+	newPledge.set('name', pledge.get('name'))
+	newPledge.set('anonymous', pledge.get('anonymous'))
+	newPledge.set('email', pledge.get('email'))
+	newPledge.set('phone', pledge.get('phone'))
+  newPledge.set('retry_times', pledge.get('retry_times'))
+	newPledge.set('get_newsletter', pledge.get('get_newsletter'))
+	newPledge.set('other_message', pledge.get('other_message'))
+
+  // destroy previous pledges by that user
+  try {
+    await (Pledge
+      .query({
+        where: {
+          email: req.query.email,
+        }
+      })
+      .destroy())
+  } catch(e) {
+    if (e.message != 'No Rows Deleted') throw e
+  }
+
+  // save the new pledge
+  await newPledge.save()
+
+  // dummy message
+  res.send('all done (not)')
+})
+
 router.use(express.static('dist'))
 
 // start the listener!
@@ -228,5 +347,6 @@ module.exports = {
   knex,
   bookshelf,
   Pledge,
+  UnverifiedPledge,
   router,
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 2d01f5e..e974599 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -205,6 +205,11 @@
     "@babel/helper-validator-identifier" "^7.15.7"
     to-fast-properties "^2.0.0"
 
+"@constemi/itsdangerjs@^0.0.2":
+  version "0.0.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@constemi/itsdangerjs/-/itsdangerjs-0.0.2.tgz#1cb5803b26fb1262150d64c90f5451511f431340"
+  integrity sha512-/TKmvxodKwhI42BIKt7YJQR1xD2bWeUFtxjs4RFbRMHjtWgYn5WocyclbkM0WEDY0xoS16eQQxykwdtzYhoCfw==
+
 "@iarna/toml@^2.2.0":
   version "2.2.5"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@iarna/toml/-/toml-2.2.5.tgz#b32366c89b43c6f8cefbdefac778b9c828e3ba8c"