Windows Live Messenger connects customers to top social causes through the donation of Microsoft advertising dollars

Nine Non-profit Organizations Partner in the i’m Initiative

Windows Live Messenger connects customers to top social causes through the donation of Microsoft advertising dollars.

Representatives from nine of the world’s most reputable non-profit cause organizations gathered today to announce their involvement in the i’m Initiative and to discuss the role technology is increasingly playing in their efforts to reach new audiences. This new initiative connects nine of the world’s most effective organizations dedicated to social causes to Windows Live Messenger customers. When joining the program at http://im.live.com/, customers will be asked to select the cause organization they are most passionate about to benefit from donations generated from their conversations on Windows Live Messenger.

Every time a customer has a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program’s advertising revenue with the participating i’m Initiative organization of his or her choice. While there is no set cap on the amount each cause can receive, Microsoft will make a minimum $100,000 guaranteed donation to each of the nine organizations during the first year of the program.

Designed to empower people to make a difference without spending a dime, the i’m Initiative will help support causes that are confronting some of the world’s most urgent social issues. The i’m Initiative aims to help the organizations involved to broaden their reach in a sustainable and new way, allowing the millions of people already using Windows Live Messenger today to be a part of the solution.

According to a 2006 Cone Cause Millennial Study, 61 percent of young Americans between the ages of 13 and 25 are currently worried about the state of the world today and feel personally responsible to make a difference.
The nine organizations people can select from include:

— American Red Cross — The American Red Cross helps people prevent,
prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million
volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000
disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S.
service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost
4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier
of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red
Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested
in humanitarian service and programs. The Red Cross is not a government
agency; it relies on donation of time, money and blood to do its work.
— Boys & Girls Clubs of America — Boys & Girls Clubs of America
comprises a national network of some 4,000 neighborhood-based
facilities annually serving more than 4.6 million young people, in all
50 states and on U.S. military bases worldwide. Known as “The Positive
Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character
development programs on a daily basis. Key programs emphasize
leadership development, education and career exploration, financial
literacy, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and
recreation, and family outreach.
— National AIDS Fund — Since 1988, the National AIDS Fund has been
promoting leadership and generating resources for effective community
responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We continue to build healthy
communities through an expanding network of Community Partnerships that
support over 400 grassroots organizations every year. These groups
provide HIV prevention, care, and support services to individuals and
families most impacted by HIV/AIDS — youth, communities of color,
women and gay men. We make sure communities have access to the most
effective programs for preventing HIV.
— National Multiple Sclerosis Society — MS stops people from moving. The
National Multiple Sclerosis Society exists to make sure it doesn’t.
Founded in 1946, the Society helps each person address the challenges
of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. The Society
funds more MS research, provides more services for people with MS,
offers more professional education and furthers more advocacy efforts
than any other MS organization in the world. The Society is dedicated
to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something
about MS now. Join the movement at nationalmssociety.org.
— ninemillion.org — ninemillion.org is a UN Refugee Agency-led campaign
to raise awareness and funds for the nine million refugee children
around the world. Many of these children have suffered atrocities and
are forced to spend years of their young lives away from home with
little hope of returning. They have extremely limited access to
education and often no opportunities to play. They are considered the
most forgotten children in the world. ninemillion.org gives these
children a voice, and the opportunity to a better future by providing
innovative education and sport programs.
— Sierra Club — Sierra Club is one of America’s oldest, largest, and
most influential grassroots environmental organizations and our members
are more than 750,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by
nature, we work together to protect our communities and the planet.
Since 1960, the Sierra Club and its members have worked to keep our air
and water clean, and have protected over 160 million acres of wildlands
including national treasure like the Grand Canyon, the Florida
Everglades, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Giant Sequoia
National Monument.
— Stopglobalwarming.org — The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a
non-partisan effort to bring citizens together to declare that global
warming is here now and that it is time to demand solutions. Global
warming is one of the most urgent issues of our time, and while the
problem is of worldwide significance, we recognize that the United
States is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and doing the least
about it. The necessary first step must be to encourage Americans to
take action. This online grassroots movement is about change — as
individuals, as a country, and as a global community. We are all
contributors to global warming and must all be part of the solution.
— Susan G. Komen for the Cure — Born from a promise between two
sisters — Nancy Brinker to her sister Susan, who died from breast
cancer at 36, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest
grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to
end breast cancer forever. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen
Race for the Cure, Komen has invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill its
promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to
the fight against breast cancer in the world.
— U.S. Fund for UNICEF — For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the
world’s leading children’s organization, saving more young lives than
any other humanitarian organization. Working in over 150 countries and
territories, UNICEF knows how to save the lives of children with
low-cost, high-impact programs. From child health and nutrition, water
and sanitation, education and protection, UNICEF’s experience,
resources, global presence and perspective are unsurpassed in helping
save children’s lives.

Customers can participate in and learn more about the i’m Initiative, which is launching in the United States today, by joining at http://im.live.com/ and downloading the latest version of Windows Live Messenger.