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INTERNET, NONPROFIT LEADERS LAUNCH "NETWORK FOR GOOD" TO SUPPORT LOCAL AND NATIONAL CHARITIES
New ePhilanthropy Portal Boosts Online Giving, Volunteering and Advocacy by Directly Connecting People to Hundreds of Thousands of Nonprofits
Majority of Citizens Think Online Giving is Easier
San Francisco, CA - November 19, 2001 - A coalition of companies, nonprofit foundations and associations today unveiled a comprehensive ePhilanthropy portal called "Network for Good" to help charities strengthen their connections with people seeking to donate, volunteer or speak out. Network for Good will help nonprofits expand their reach, connect with more people, build stronger communities and improve their effectiveness at fulfilling their public interest missions.
The online portal can be found at NetworkforGood.org.
Network for Good, an independent, 501(c)(3) organization, was founded by the AOL Time Warner Foundation and AOL, Inc.; the Cisco Foundation and Cisco Systems, Inc.; and Yahoo! Inc., in partnership with over 20 nonprofit foundations and associations who share the desire to foster the informed use of the Internet for civic participation and philanthropy. The Website aggregates content and resources, organizes them and makes them available in one comprehensive, easy-to-use destination.
Network for Good is a coalition to help nonprofit organizations become more effective and efficient. Network for Good will help them further their mission by integrating the full power of the online medium into their own operations such as fundraising, recruitment and advocacy. This new ePhilanthropy portal also incorporates many of the tools and resources of Helping.org, which pioneered online giving and volunteering. In a new survey taken after September 11, a majority of Americans found online giving easier and more convenient than traditional means.
Network for Good builds on the phenomenal rise in online giving and volunteering that took place in response to the events of September 11th and is aimed at making donating, volunteering and other tools available to all charities, big and small, whether they have a Website or not.
Network for Good represents a breakthrough in ePhilanthropy for several reasons:
- Citizens will be able to explore and give to the nearly 850,000 charities listed in the GuideStar database, knowing that if they choose to make a credit card contribution the charity they select will receive 100% of their donation. Network for Good will subsidize the transaction and credit card costs of all donations.
- A database of tens of thousands of volunteer opportunities provided by VolunteerMatch helps community service organizations throughout the nation recruit volunteers. Interested volunteers can search for volunteer opportunities close to their homes or in areas where they may be traveling. Numerous topics from 27 different categories are available for searching, including advocacy and human rights, women's and children's issues, and community and crisis support. Volunteers can also locate 'virtual volunteer' opportunities and volunteer from their home or through the Internet.
- Network for Good provides a number of ways for individuals to speak out online, including a search option to locate and communicate with an elected official or media contact, information on steps to becoming an online activist, and additional resources to contact to further pursue personal interests.
Network for Good will also help charities become more accountable and help donors make more informed giving decisions by providing critical information about each charity, such as descriptions of programs, financial information, ratios of administrative costs to programs and boards of directors.
Steve Case, Chairman of AOL Time Warner, said: "Network for Good represents an unprecedented alliance of industry and nonprofit leaders. By combining the passion, expertise and grass-roots affiliations of our nonprofit partners and the reach, resources and Internet capabilities of our corporate founders, we will be able to make giving, volunteering and speaking out on issues as central a part of the Internet as shopping or getting e-mail."
John Morgridge, Chairman of Cisco Systems, Inc., said: "We want the philanthropic sector to realize the full benefit of the Internet's multiplier effect. Network for Good will make more nonprofits more central to more people's lives while helping consumers easily and conveniently connect to the causes they care about the most."
Jerry Yang, Co-Founder and Chief Yahoo! of Yahoo! Inc., said: "The Internet played a powerful role in helping people access timely information, communicate with loved ones and find ways to participate in relief efforts following the events of September 11th. Network for Good extends this role by expanding online giving and reinforcing the wave of volunteerism that is sweeping our country."
Thomas K. Reis, Program Director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which has provided funding for Network for Good, said: "The Internet and nonprofit coalition that makes up Network for Good will play a critical role in developing the information and infrastructure that is needed to support positive change in society. By making it easy for individuals and nonprofits to connect with their communities, their partners, and the knowledge they need to make a difference, Network for Good truly multiplies the opportunities for good works."
Network for Good includes a vast network of supporters and partner organizations from the philanthropic sector it will serve, including The Ad Council, The American Red Cross, America's Promise, Benton Foundation, The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, ePhilanthropyFoundation.org, GuideStar, INDEPENDENT SECTOR, Leadership Conference Education Fund, National Mentoring Partnership, National Urban League, NetAid, PipeVine, Points of Light Foundation, PowerUP, SHiNE, StargazerNET.net, TechSoup, The Urban Institute/National Center for Charitable Statistics, VolunteerMatch, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and YouthNOISE.
Sara E. Melendez, President and CEO, INEDPENDENT SECTOR, said: "NFG will make the Internet as valuable to community nonprofits as it has been for the big charities. This is a welcome next step to bringing every community organization online."
Public Acceptance of ePhilanthropy Growing
Today, according a new survey by Digital Marketing Services, 51% of Americans feel it is easier and more effective to donate online than through traditional means. In addition, nearly half of Americans are more likely in the future to donate, seek volunteer opportunities and advocate causes by using the Internet rather than through traditional means because of the experience they had online following September 11th.
Well over $120 million was raised online in individual contributions following the September 11 tragedy — somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of the total amount raised by individual donors.
This week the Network for Good portal will be the featured online giving destination for the upcoming comic page tribute and fundraiser by America's syndicated cartoonists and the National Cartoonists Society. For this special event, all of America's leading syndicated cartoonists will publish cartoons on Thanksgiving Day that commemorate the events of September 11th and include the Network for Good URL so readers can visit and make contributions to their choice of relief organizations. Network for Good will promote the project online and link to a special Yahoo! Auction, where readers will be able to bid on the original artwork from participating cartoonists from Thanksgiving Day through Monday.
About Network for Good
Network for Good is an ePhilanthropy portal founded by a consortium of nonprofit leaders and three Internet industry leaders — including the AOL Time Warner Foundation and AOL, Inc.; the Cisco Foundation and Cisco Systems, Inc.; and Yahoo! — that takes online giving and ePhilanthropy to the next level. An independent, 501(c)(3) organization, Network for Good is dedicated to enabling more nonprofit organizations to harness the power of the Internet to help achieve their missions and to stimulate more giving, volunteering and civic participation.
About AOL, Inc.
America Online, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.
About the AOL Time Warner Foundation
The AOL Time Warner Foundation seeks to use the power of media, communications and information technology to serve the public interest and strengthen society. The Foundation engages the full range of AOL Time Warner's unique resources to build innovative and sustainable programs in four priority areas: Equipping Kids for the 21st Century; Extending Internet Benefits to All; Engaging Communities in the Arts; and Empowering Citizens and Civic Participation.
About Cisco Systems, Inc.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information is available at http://www.cisco.com. In Europe, Cisco products are supplied by Cisco Systems, International, B.V.
About the Cisco Systems Foundation
The Cisco Systems Foundation was established in 1997 by a gift from Cisco Systems, Inc. As Corporate Philanthropy's primary cash investment vehicle, we provide grants to organizations with long-lasting, local or global impact. The Foundation makes these grants in communities in which Cisco Systems, Inc. has a significant business presence. The Cisco Systems Foundation also empowers employees to give more through their matching gifts program. They view their presence in the community as a positive influence, committed to involvement in activities that contribute to the greater good. In this they hope to establish a legacy of trust between the community at large and the Foundation.
About Helping.org
Helping.org was the first ePhilanthropy initiative of the AOL Time Warner Foundation. In two years, it delivered $20 million in contributions and 175,000 volunteers to organizations around the country. Now, including all of the Helping.org assets, Network for Good is positioned to achieve success at an entirely new level. People going to the Helping.org Website will be redirected to Network for Good, which will support all of the tools and resources, including the Donate Now buttons that nonprofits have received from Helping.org
About Yahoo! Inc.
Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 210 million individuals each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and reaches the largest audience worldwide. The company also provides online business and enterprise services designed to enhance the productivity and Web presence of Yahoo!'s clients. These services include Corporate Yahoo!, a popular customized enterprise portal solution; audio and video streaming; store hosting and management; and Website tools and services. The company's global Web network includes 24 World properties. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo! has offices in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Canada and the United States.
Yahoo! and the Yahoo! logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Yahoo! Inc.
All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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Media Contacts:
For Network for Good:
Jeff McAndrews
212-484-7649
publicrelations@networkforgood.org
For AOL Time Warner:
David Eisner
703-265-2256
daveisner@aol.com
For Cisco Systems, Inc.:
Chris Peacock
408-853-0877
cpeacock@cisco.com
For Yahoo! Inc.:
Jackson Holtz
408-349-5266
jholtz@yahoo-inc.com
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